Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 improve (a) NHS 111 online and (b) other NHS digital services to help enable self-care of minor, self-treatable ailments.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is leading a range of improvements to NHS 111 online. During 2023, NHS England has improved guidance for self-assessment management, offering users various options to manage their health concerns without the need for triage or assessment. This includes providing information on prescriptions or medication, mental health services, assistance with pre-existing conditions, direction to dental care services and signposting to self-care information for users with concerns about their blood pressure, premenstrual syndrome, or menopause symptoms. NHS 111 online also provides pathways to pharmacy for treatment and advice where appropriate.
NHS 111 online is now fully integrated into the NHS app, making it easier for users to get the help they need. 12% of all 111 online completed sessions are now generated by NHS App users.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea 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 assess the healthcare needs of disabled people with (a) neurodivergence, (b) learning disabilities and (c) other conditions during menopause.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No assessment has been made. The Department and the National Health Service are implementing a programme of work to improve menopause care so all women can access the support they need.
Under the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations are already required to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people as well as to everybody else. To make it easier for people with a learning disability and autistic people to use health services, NHS England is working to improve the use and recording of reasonable adjustments to ensure care is tailored appropriately.
All organisations that provide NHS care are required to follow the Accessible Information Standard which aims to ensure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss are provided with information that they can easily read or understand and can communicate effectively with services. People over the age of 14 with a learning disability can receive an annual health check to maintain their health. This can identify undetected health conditions early and ensure the appropriateness of ongoing treatments.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to provide tailored information about menopause for (a) autistic people and (b) people with learning disabilities.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We have launched a women’s health area on the National Health Service website, alongside new and updated pages which includes a menopause page and a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medicines hub. The NHS England Menopause Improvement Programme has created ‘The Menopause’ factsheet which will help individuals understand and manage their perimenopause and menopause and direct them to further sources of information.
NHS organisations and publicly funded social care providers must comply with the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) to meet the communication needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss. NHS England has completed a review of the AIS to help ensure that everyone’s communication needs are met in health and care provision. The revised standard will be published in due course.
Following publication, NHS England will continue work to support implementation with awareness raising, communication and engagement and updated e-learning modules on the AIS to ensure NHS staff are better aware of the standard and their roles and responsibilities in implementing it.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to ensure that her policies on the menopause take into account the experiences of autistic people.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Menopause is a priority area within the Women’s Health Strategy, and the Department and the National Health Service are implementing a programme of work to improve menopause care so all women, including those who are autistic, can access the support they need. The NHS England National Menopause Care Improvement Programme is working to improve clinical menopause care in England and reduce disparities in access to treatment. The programme aims to ensure that individuals receiving menopause care are listened to and heard, including autistic people and women who are neurodiverse.
Asked by: Steven Bonnar (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of SCS2 civil servants on full-time equivalent contracts in her Department are women.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2022/23 more than half of new entrants to the Civil Service were women (54.1%). In 2021/22 51.6% of new entrants and 53.9% of promotions to the Senior Civil Service were women.
The proportion of Senior Civil Servants graded as SCS 2 in the department as of 30 September 2023, excluding arm’s length bodies, is 50%. The proportion was calculated by the number of female staff at Payband 2 (Director) and working full-time divided by the total number of staff at the department at Payband 2 (where sex is known).
Monitoring of annual diversity statistics and recruitment data takes place to understand and evaluate progress in improving recruitment outcomes for protected characteristics.
During recruitment, the department uses the Civil Service Success Profiles methodology which assesses candidates across several elements, allowing candidates to demonstrate their skills and experience. Some roles, given their nature, do still require a formal qualification. Sifting is anonymised and we use recruitment panels, to mitigate against bias.
The department supports the Care Leaver programme as part of our career entry offer. This programme brings in young people who have been in Care and helps them gain experience of work, with a view to securing employment.
There are a range of cross-Government leadership development opportunities available for women in the department, including but not limited to conferences, talent pipeline schemes and talent programmes. Participation in these development opportunities is actively encouraged throughout the department.
The department also supports diverse working patterns and work life balance through a range of HR policies, including but not limited to policies on flexible working, special leave, parental leave, menopause and menstruation, pregnancy loss, and parental bereavement.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 reduce waiting times for NHS gynaecology services in (a) Rotherham and (b) the rest of England.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We are taking action to recover elective services, including for patients waiting for National Health Service gynaecology services in Rotherham and England, by working towards the targets set out in the Elective Recovery Plan and providing the NHS with record levels of staffing and funding.
£2.3 billionn was awarded at Spending Review 2021 to transform diagnostic services over the next three years. Most of this will help increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, expanding and protecting elective planned diagnostic services. This includes an established spoke, at Montagu Hospital CDC, to which General Practices in Rotherham constituency can refer patients for key diagnostic checks, tests and scans. The funding will also be used to increase capacity for imaging and improving digital diagnostics.
We are also transforming the way the NHS provides elective care by increasing activity through dedicated and protected surgical hubs, focusing on providing high volume low complexity surgery, as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. There are currently 95 elective surgical hubs that are operational across England as of 16 November 2023. These surgical hubs will help separate elective care facilities from urgent and emergency care. This includes an elective surgical hub at Sheffield Teaching Hospital, where patients with gynaecological conditions can access surgical treatments.
We are also investing £25 million in women’s health hubs between 2023 and 2025 so that women can get better access to care for essential services such as gynaecology, menstrual problems, contraception and the menopause.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) for medication or medical appliances are currently in place owing to a national or worldwide supply shortage; for which medications treating which conditions are these SSPs in place; and what steps they are taking to support affected patients, in particular, those patients facing a shortage of prescribed medication to help manage their ADHD symptoms.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently three Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) in place. These are for Estradot 100microgram hormone replacement therapy patches for treatment of the menopause, clarithromycin antibiotic 125mg/5ml oral suspension and clarithromycin antibiotic 250mg/5ml oral suspension for the treatment of a variety of infections including chest infections and other respiratory infections.
A team within the Department deals specifically with medicine supply problems arising both in the community and in hospitals. It has well-established procedures to deal with medicine shortages and works closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England and others operating in the supply chain to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when shortages do arise.
We are aware of supply issues affecting medicines used in the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We have issued communications, in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert to the National Health Service, to advise healthcare professionals on the management of patients during this time. We continue to work closely with the manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom. Supply disruptions affecting various ADHD products are resolving and we anticipate the supply of the remaining medications to resolve between now and December 2023.
Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more women to join the defence workforce.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces are committed to attracting, retaining and developing the best talent from the broadest diversity of skills and background, to reflect the society we serve. Women are an integral part of our Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence is taking action to ensure the Armed Forces support women to have full and thriving military careers - including reaching the very top ranks.
A Level of Ambition of 30% inflow of women by 2030 was announced in 2021, building on the content of the previously published Defence Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2018-2030. This is both "stretching and challenging" and a clear statement that Defence wants to improve, recognises the mission critical value women bring and is creating conversations and driving improvement activities.
Defence has adopted almost all the recommendations from the Defence Committee’s 2021 report into Women in the Armed Forces, having tested them with the Service Women’s Networks – and in many cases taking them further. A further progress update will be provided to the Defence Committee on 14 November 2023. Notable recent progress includes:
In terms of the civilian workforce, a range of creative materials have been developed to advertise all the opportunities within the Defence Civil Service workforce. Products include real life experiences of our employees, , who work in roles across the Defence Estate, to showcase the diversity and inclusive nature of Defence. Recently, these products have been used to advertise National Inclusion Week specially for the Engineering Profession.
The majority of Civil Service roles are advertised offering flexible working opportunities, including job share. We operate an anonymous sift approach so that identifying characteristics such as gender, ethnicity and age are not available to be seen by the selection panel at the sift stage.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has a planned timescale for when romosozumab will be available in the NHS for the treatment of Osteoporosis.
Answered by Will Quince
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance.
NICE published guidance in May 2022 recommending romosozumab for treating severe osteoporosis in people after menopause who are at high risk of fracture. Romosozumab is therefore available for clinicians to prescribe to NHS patients who meet the specified criteria, in line with NICE’s recommendations.
Asked by: Gerald Jones (Labour - Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to support women experiencing menopausal symptoms in the workplace.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Helen Tomlinson, the Government’s Menopause Employment Champion, is working with businesses to raise awareness of the menopause in the workplace and support women to have the fulfilling careers they deserve.
On World Menopause Day, we published ‘No time to step back’, a progress report from Helen, and launched new content on the DBT ‘Help to Grow’ website outlining guidance to support women experiencing menopause and its impact at work.