Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish detailed implementation plans, covering those health missions within the Life Sciences Vision, as undertaken at its launch in July 2021.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Four of the healthcare Missions published in the 2021 Life Sciences Vision: Dementia, Cancer, Obesity and Mental Health, as well as the Addiction Mission (announced as part of the 2021 Drugs Plan, ‘From harm to hope’) have recruited Chairs, have comprehensive delivery plans and objectives, and are beginning to make substantial investments to operationalise these. Progress on the delivery of the Missions, and the related investments, have and will continue to be made available online at a regular cadence.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will (1) appoint a chair to lead the respiratory mission within the Life Sciences Vision, and (2) provide funding to enable the delivery of the respiratory mission as it has done in the case of the cancer, obesity and mental health missions.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has engaged with stakeholders to define and develop the scope of work to be undertaken under the Respiratory Mission, which aims to reduce the mortality and morbidity from respiratory disease in the UK and globally. At this point a chair of the Respiratory Mission has not been appointed.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
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 tackle liver disease in the North East.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Northern Cancer Alliance is supporting services to enable the early detection of liver disease across the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS). More than 80% of patients with liver cirrhosis, a type of liver disease, have been invited to monthly ultrasound surveillance. This investment has also included £30,000 for the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust who will be using their funds to improve systems in relation to call and recall of patients to their six-monthly checks.
Liver disease has several causes and can be associated with alcohol use or being overweight. The Government is investing significant amounts year on year in alcohol treatment through our 10-year drug strategy. In 2024/2025 the North East will receive a further £27 million, beyond funding provided by the Public Health Grant. Partners are also using a whole system approach to develop a healthy weight and treating obesity strategy for the North East and North Cumbria.
The Department is supporting people with alcohol dependency through the Drug Strategy and NHS Long Term Plan by facilitating more people in need of treatment into local authority commissioned alcohol treatment services. Additional treatment and recovery funding, made available through the Drug Strategy, can also be used to increase capacity for screening for liver fibrosis in treatment settings and to establish effective referral pathways into treatment for liver disease.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost and resource savings to NHS England that could be realised through (1) a broader focus on preventative healthcare, and (2) a reduction in malnutrition across the population.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is good evidence that preventative action can benefit individuals and promote efficient and effective use of National Health Service resources. This is an important factor in Government’s determination to tackle the drivers of preventable poor health, such as smoking and obesity.
Efforts to prevent malnutrition and to treat it early could potentially have major effects in reducing both the clinical and economic burden of malnutrition. We know better diagnosis and detection are key. This is why we continue to train all health staff to spot the early warning signs of malnutrition so effective treatment can be put in place. Everyone from the health and social care professionals to individuals in the wider community have a role to play.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS has spent on treating obesity-related diseases in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It was estimated that in 2021 obesity related ill-health cost the National Health Service £6.5 billion annually.
The NHS is committed to improving obesity care and other major causes of ill health through a preventive approach as outlined in the NHS’s Long Term Plan. It continues to offer support to the population, enabling them to take greater control of their own health and stay healthy for longer.
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, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) gastric band, (b) gastric bypass, (c) sleeve gastrectomy, (d) duodenal switch and (e) other bariatric surgeries.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The elective recovery plan set clear ambitions to eliminate long waits for planned National Health Service treatment. To help achieve this goal, NHS England trusts and organisations have been transforming the way they deliver elective care through initiatives focussed on increasing activity, managing demand and increasing productivity.
This includes driving productivity through the development of new surgical hubs to increase theatre productivity, and as of December 2023 there are 94 hubs in operation carrying out surgeries.
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, how many procedures for (a) gastric band, (b) gastric bypass, (c) sleeve gastrectomy, (d) duodenal switch and (e) other bariatric surgeries were carried out in 2023.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The total number of finished consultant episodes carried out in the 2022/23 reporting period was:
- 48 for gastric band;
- 2,568 for gastric bypass;
- 2,231 for sleeve gastrectomy;
- 15 for duodenal switch; and
- 1,592 for other bariatric surgeries.
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, how many patients have been waiting for (a) gastric band, (b) gastric bypass, (c) sleeve gastrectomy and (d) duodenal switch surgery for over (i) 52 and (ii) 65 weeks.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of 31 December 2023, for gastric bypass surgery, the total number waiting over 52 weeks was 87, with 20 of these waiting over 65 weeks. For sleeve gastrectomy, the total number waiting over 52 weeks was 120, with 40 of these waiting over 65 weeks.
NHS England is unable to provide the exact number of patients waiting over 52 and 65 weeks for gastric bands and duodenal switch surgery due to disclosure control of small numbers.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5026 on Obesity: Surgery, how many people are on a waiting list for gastric band surgery; and how many were on a waiting list in January 2021.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data covering waiting lists for gastric band surgery in January 2021 is not available. The number of patients waiting for gastric band surgery as of 31 December 2023 was 13.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the economic costs of obesity in the UK, following the report Unhealthy Numbers: The Rising Cost of Obesity in the UK by Frontier Economics published on 21 November.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2021, the annual economic cost of obesity in the United Kingdom was estimated to be £58 billion; this includes costs to the National Health Service, losses to the economy and reductions in the quality of life of people. The Department has not made a specific estimate following the report. This report’s estimate includes the cost of overweight as well as obesity.