Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing free parking passes to NHS community staff who are required to use their own vehicles for home visits.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have delivered on our commitment to provide free hospital car parking for in-need groups. All hospitals that charge for car parking have implemented this policy. Councils are responsible for setting their own local policy, and those interested in local parking concessions can check their local councils’ website for further details of any local schemes.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to (a) mitigate potential future shortages of (i) Creon 25000 and (ii) other essential medicines and (b) ensure that people affected by medicine shortages have access to alternative options.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of ongoing intermittent supply issues with Creon 25000 gastro-resistant capsules. These are due to manufacturing and active pharmaceutical ingredient constraints. The supplier has confirmed that stock of Creon 25000 gastro resistant capsules is now available, with further deliveries scheduled in May 2024. The Department has issued guidance to healthcare professionals regarding treatment of patients, while there was disruption to the supply of Creon 25000 gastro-resistant capsules. We continue to explore all management options to manage this issue. We have asked the supplier to continue confirming their future forecasts, and to inform us of any further gaps in supply of Creon 25000 gastro-resistant capsules.
Whilst we can’t always prevent supply issues, we have a range of well-established tools and processes to mitigate risks to patients. These include close and regular engagement with the suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, sourcing unlicensed imports from abroad, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, use of Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs), and issuing NHS communications to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals, so they can advise and support their patients.
Asked by: David Linden (Scottish National Party - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the availability of Creon 25000 across the UK.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of ongoing intermittent supply issues with Creon 25000 gastro-resistant capsules. These are due to manufacturing and active pharmaceutical ingredient constraints. The supplier has confirmed that stock of Creon 25000 gastro resistant capsules is now available, with further deliveries scheduled in May 2024. The Department has issued guidance to healthcare professionals regarding treatment of patients, while there was disruption to the supply of Creon 25000 gastro-resistant capsules. We continue to explore all management options to manage this issue. We have asked the supplier to continue confirming their future forecasts, and to inform us of any further gaps in supply of Creon 25000 gastro-resistant capsules.
Whilst we can’t always prevent supply issues, we have a range of well-established tools and processes to mitigate risks to patients. These include close and regular engagement with the suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, sourcing unlicensed imports from abroad, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, use of Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs), and issuing NHS communications to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals, so they can advise and support their patients.
Asked by: Angela Eagle (Labour - Wallasey)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of claims processed within planned processing timescales.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department has seen a sustained increase in applications and demand for DWP services as a result of the pandemic and subsequent cost of living pressures, as well as ongoing publicity campaigns such as Help for Households and Pension Credit take-up.
Whilst we have seen an overall improvement in claims processed within planned timescales, and we expect that overall performance to continue to improve in the 24-25 figures, we acknowledge that across our services more needs to be done to improve the number of claims processed within the planned timescales.
Through recruitment in 23-24 we have started 17,166 people in new roles (and have further candidates due to start in Q1 of 24-25). This level of recruitment has resulted in a net increase in our Service Delivery resource levels to meet customer demand. We also have utilised our existing contracts with external partners to increase our service delivery capacity.
Across our service lines we continue to focus on productivity improvement activities, as well as continuing to modernise our benefit services through our digital transformation and Service Modernisation programmes, which mean an increasing number of claims can now be made online and through self-service. The Department strategy is to continue our modernisation programme, enable our people to focus on supporting more vulnerable customers who are unable to self-serve or need additional support.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many domestic violence easements were granted in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024 to date.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with community pharmacists on supporting people with (a) smoking and (b) vaping (i) addiction and (ii) dependency.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Quitting smoking is the best thing a smoker can do for their health and smokers are three times as likely to succeed with stop smoking services (SSS) when compared to an unsupported quit attempt. As announced in Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation, published in October 2023, the Government is investing an additional £70 million per year for five years to support local authority-led SSS, around doubling current spend and supporting 360,000 people to set a quit date each year. Local authorities commission a variety of settings, including community pharmacy, to deliver SSS. In 2022/23, 12,165 of the 176,566 quit dates set through SSS were in a pharmacy setting. Since March 2022, hospitals have been referring patients to community pharmacy to continue the stop smoking journey they started in hospital as part of the NHS Smoking Cessation Service in community pharmacies agreed by the Department, NHS England and Community Pharmacy England. Across the country, 4841 community pharmacies have signed up to deliver the service.
In addition, we are establishing a financial incentives scheme to help pregnant smokers and their partners to quit smoking, with smoking cessation support. This evidence-based intervention will encourage pregnant women to give up smoking, and remain smokefree throughout pregnancy and beyond, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of both mother and baby.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of heart valve surgery for (a) women and (b) ethnic minorities.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England continues to work with its partners in raising awareness of aortic stenosis, with a particular focus on women. NHS England is also working to increase access to cardiac surgery. The breathlessness pathway, launched in April 2023, encourages general practitioners to examine all patients for the signs of valvular heart disease. Heart valve disease is a focus for cardiac networks, with pathways in in place to improve early detection of valve disease in the community.
In November 2023, a dedicated Heart Valve Disease (HVD) Expert Advisory Group was convened to provide NHS England’s Cardiac Transformation Programme with leadership, advice, quality assurance, expert review, and endorsement of the projects and deliverables that comprise the HVD workstream, with a focus on improving the speed and equity of access to high quality treatment for heart valve patients.
To improve the early detection and diagnosis of heart valve disease across England, including aortic stenosis, £2.3 billion has been committed to open 160 community diagnostic centres by March 2025. This will increase the volume of diagnostic activity and further reduce patient waiting times. The centres have delivered over 5 million additional tests since July 2021, including those that detect cardiovascular disease.
In addition, the National Health Service is investing in cardiac networks to support whole pathway improvements. These networks have been developed to take an evidenced based, clinically led, whole pathway approach to improvement, from prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and through to end-of-life care.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase awareness of the symptoms of heart valve disease in women.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England continues to work with its partners in raising awareness of aortic stenosis, with a particular focus on women. NHS England is also working to increase access to cardiac surgery. The breathlessness pathway, launched in April 2023, encourages general practitioners to examine all patients for the signs of valvular heart disease. Heart valve disease is a focus for cardiac networks, with pathways in in place to improve early detection of valve disease in the community.
In November 2023, a dedicated Heart Valve Disease (HVD) Expert Advisory Group was convened to provide NHS England’s Cardiac Transformation Programme with leadership, advice, quality assurance, expert review, and endorsement of the projects and deliverables that comprise the HVD workstream, with a focus on improving the speed and equity of access to high quality treatment for heart valve patients.
To improve the early detection and diagnosis of heart valve disease across England, including aortic stenosis, £2.3 billion has been committed to open 160 community diagnostic centres by March 2025. This will increase the volume of diagnostic activity and further reduce patient waiting times. The centres have delivered over 5 million additional tests since July 2021, including those that detect cardiovascular disease.
In addition, the National Health Service is investing in cardiac networks to support whole pathway improvements. These networks have been developed to take an evidenced based, clinically led, whole pathway approach to improvement, from prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and through to end-of-life care.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care during the debate on Covid-19: Response and Excess Deaths on Thursday 18 April 2024, Official Report, column 537, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) NICE and (b) the MHRA on their progress on reaching a decision on whether to recommend the use of Evusheld 2 to prevent covid-19.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department meets with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) regularly to discuss a range of issues, including access to medicines. The NICE has formally started its appraisal of AZD-3152, also known as sipavibart and referred to as Evusheld 2, ahead of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) decision on whether it should be given a United Kingdom marketing authorisation, and expects to invite stakeholder submissions in April 2024. Timelines for both the NICE’s guidance and licensing depend on data from the SUPERNOVA trial being available. AstraZeneca intends to submit clinical data to the NICE and the MHRA at the same time, with the aim that both organisations are able to reach decisions as close together as possible. If AZD-3152 is recommended as clinically and cost effective by the NICE, the National Health Service in England will be under a statutory requirement to fund AZD-3152 for eligible patients, in line with the NICE’s recommendations.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the statement by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention entitled Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Infection Reported in a Person in the US, published on 1 April 2024, what assessment he has made of the level of risk posed by H5N1; and whether he has had discussions with the (a) Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and (b) Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on the potential implications for the UK Biological Security Strategy of that statement.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are in close contact with counterparts in the United States on the incidents of influenza of avian origin in cattle in the USA. We know that the strain of virus involved has not been detected in the UK.
We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, UK Health Security Agency, Food Standards Agency and Cabinet Office officials and with international partners on risk assessments to consider the routes of incursion, animal to animal spread and animal to human spill-over and to review our well-tested surveillance mechanisms and preparedness activities in light of this emerging situation.