Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS England net zero supplier roadmap, for what reason NHS England’s (a) target date for reaching net zero emissions by 2045 and (b) scope to include reporting of global emissions differ from the requirements laid out in the guidance entitled Procurement Policy Note 06/21: Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Health and Care Act 2022 compels the National Health Service to take action on climate and environmental issues, including by reducing its emissions. The NHS is committed to reducing its environmental impact, whilst delivering the best possible patient care and outcomes, as well as the best possible value for taxpayers.
The Climate Change Act 2008 requires all areas of the public sector to reduce their emissions, although the pace of change will differ between different segments of the public sector, depending on cost, feasibility, and innovation. The NHS in England has committed to reaching Net Zero by 2045. To achieve these goals, the NHS will require the support of its suppliers. In 2021, NHS England published the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, which sets out a series of milestones to support NHS suppliers in aligning with the NHS’s Net Zero ambitions. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/get-involved/suppliers/
The latest milestone, implemented from April 2024, sets out Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) requirements for NHS suppliers aligned to the Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 06/21. As set out in PPN 06/21, NHS suppliers’ CRPs need to cover, at a minimum, their emissions in the United Kingdom, and outline their commitment to achieve Net Zero by 2050.
NHS England launched the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment in June 2023, which enables a two-way conversion with suppliers and the NHS. This online, voluntary self-assessment and reporting tool allows suppliers to understand how to align with the NHS Net Zero and sustainability ambitions. NHS England will continue to engage with regulators, suppliers, and industry bodies ahead of implementing future roadmap milestones, to inform policy development. Guidance setting out the detailed requirements of April 2027 will take into account suppliers’ feedback and readiness, and NHS England will aim to publish it well in advance of April 2027 to ensure suppliers have sufficient time to prepare.
Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of alignment of NHS suppliers with NHS England’s requirement for suppliers to commit globally by 2027 to achieve net zero in 2045.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Health and Care Act 2022 compels the National Health Service to take action on climate and environmental issues, including by reducing its emissions. The NHS is committed to reducing its environmental impact, whilst delivering the best possible patient care and outcomes, as well as the best possible value for taxpayers.
The Climate Change Act 2008 requires all areas of the public sector to reduce their emissions, although the pace of change will differ between different segments of the public sector, depending on cost, feasibility, and innovation. The NHS in England has committed to reaching Net Zero by 2045. To achieve these goals, the NHS will require the support of its suppliers. In 2021, NHS England published the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, which sets out a series of milestones to support NHS suppliers in aligning with the NHS’s Net Zero ambitions. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/get-involved/suppliers/
The latest milestone, implemented from April 2024, sets out Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) requirements for NHS suppliers aligned to the Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 06/21. As set out in PPN 06/21, NHS suppliers’ CRPs need to cover, at a minimum, their emissions in the United Kingdom, and outline their commitment to achieve Net Zero by 2050.
NHS England launched the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment in June 2023, which enables a two-way conversion with suppliers and the NHS. This online, voluntary self-assessment and reporting tool allows suppliers to understand how to align with the NHS Net Zero and sustainability ambitions. NHS England will continue to engage with regulators, suppliers, and industry bodies ahead of implementing future roadmap milestones, to inform policy development. Guidance setting out the detailed requirements of April 2027 will take into account suppliers’ feedback and readiness, and NHS England will aim to publish it well in advance of April 2027 to ensure suppliers have sufficient time to prepare.
Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment with NHS England of the impact of companies being unable to comply with the NHS England requirement for suppliers to commit globally by 2027 to achieve net zero by 2045 on NHS (a) supply and (b) services.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2021, NHS England published the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, which sets out a series of milestones to support National Health Service suppliers to align with the NHS’s net zero ambitions. The 2027 requirement for suppliers to publicly report targets, emissions, and publish a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) for global emissions aligned to the NHS net zero target, will build on milestones implemented in 2023 and 2024.
The milestone of 1 April 2023 required that suppliers bidding for any new contracts above £5 million per annum publish a CRP for their UK Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and a subset of scope 3 emissions as a minimum. This requirement was proportionately extended to all new procurements from April 2024, with a full CRP required for new procurements above £5 million per annum, and new frameworks operated by in-scope organisations. A Net Zero Commitment is required for procurements of lower value, as set out in the above-mentioned guidance.
NHS England has proactively engaged with suppliers since the launch of the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, and continues to engage with regulators, suppliers, and industry bodies, ahead of implementing future roadmap milestones, such as the April 2027 milestone. NHS England’s engagement approach has included regular supplier forums with trade bodies, external webinars, and horizon scanning of both the global and the United Kingdom’s regulatory and reporting landscapes.
NHS England launched the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment in June 2023, which enables a two-way conversation with suppliers and the NHS. This online voluntary, self-assessment and reporting tool allows suppliers to understand how to align with the NHS net zero and sustainability ambitions. After completing the assessment, suppliers receive a sustainability maturity score, valid for 12 months, against NHS priorities, and which signposts their current position and pathway to progress.
The April 2027 milestone is anticipated to build on the approach set out in the published guidance on implementing the April 2023 and April 2024 NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap requirements, which includes consideration of the relevant and proportionate application of the policy within procurements.
Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress her Department has made on ensuring compliance by NHS suppliers with NHS England’s target for all suppliers to publicly report targets, emissions and publish a Carbon Reduction Plan for global emissions aligned to the NHS net zero target, for all of their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2027.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2021, NHS England published the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, which sets out a series of milestones to support National Health Service suppliers to align with the NHS’s net zero ambitions. The 2027 requirement for suppliers to publicly report targets, emissions, and publish a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) for global emissions aligned to the NHS net zero target, will build on milestones implemented in 2023 and 2024.
The milestone of 1 April 2023 required that suppliers bidding for any new contracts above £5 million per annum publish a CRP for their UK Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and a subset of scope 3 emissions as a minimum. This requirement was proportionately extended to all new procurements from April 2024, with a full CRP required for new procurements above £5 million per annum, and new frameworks operated by in-scope organisations. A Net Zero Commitment is required for procurements of lower value, as set out in the above-mentioned guidance.
NHS England has proactively engaged with suppliers since the launch of the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap, and continues to engage with regulators, suppliers, and industry bodies, ahead of implementing future roadmap milestones, such as the April 2027 milestone. NHS England’s engagement approach has included regular supplier forums with trade bodies, external webinars, and horizon scanning of both the global and the United Kingdom’s regulatory and reporting landscapes.
NHS England launched the Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment in June 2023, which enables a two-way conversation with suppliers and the NHS. This online voluntary, self-assessment and reporting tool allows suppliers to understand how to align with the NHS net zero and sustainability ambitions. After completing the assessment, suppliers receive a sustainability maturity score, valid for 12 months, against NHS priorities, and which signposts their current position and pathway to progress.
The April 2027 milestone is anticipated to build on the approach set out in the published guidance on implementing the April 2023 and April 2024 NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap requirements, which includes consideration of the relevant and proportionate application of the policy within procurements.
Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to and availability of GP (a) services and (b) appointments.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
We expect the measures in 'Our Plan for Patients' to make over a million more appointments available this winter.
We have provided 31,000 additional phone lines to practices, freed up funding rules to bolster general practice teams with other professionals, and accelerated support for practices to secure high-quality cloud-based telephony systems.
From November 2022, we will publish practice-level data for the first time, giving patients information on appointments at every GP practice in England.
Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to review the adequacy and practicality of (a) the condition requiring applicants to apply for an exemption 14 days before their visit and (b) other conditions attached to the exemptions granted to people travelling from red list countries to the UK to visit dying relatives during the period of covid-19 travel restrictions.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The condition for individuals to apply at least 14 days in advance of their arrival is required due to the volume of exemption applications we are currently receiving and is necessary to ensure that all exemption requests, including the most complex cases, are treated with the appropriate care and attention. In complex cases, the process may involve requests for additional information, for which applicants need sufficient time to respond.
Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to identify children with familial hypercholesterolemia.
Answered by Steve Brine
Public Health England, NHS England, the British Heart Foundation, HEART UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are working in partnership to aid the implementation of recently updated NICE guidance on familial hypercholesterolemia (FH).
A cholesterol test is included as part of an NHS Health Check. This provides a key opportunity to identify the first case of FH within a family and, in line with NICE guidance, the subsequent testing of family members including children.
The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommended against a population screening programme in 2016. The UK NSC will review the evidence for FH again in 2018/19 as part of its three-yearly cycle.
Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that Medway Maritime Hospital has capacity to meet the needs of the local population.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Capacity planning is a matter for NHS England. Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is the lead commissioner for Medway Maritime Hospital and we are advised that local health and care leaders are working through the Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) to ensure that capacity across the STP footprint will meet future need.
The CCG advises that there are currently no commissioning plans, as part of the STP, to reduce capacity at Medway Maritime Hospital.
Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what level of indemnity insurance for midwives is classified as adequate by his Department.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Whether or not a midwife’s indemnity cover is appropriate is a decision for the Nursing and Midwifery Council as the independent regulatory body responsible for the regulation of midwives in the United Kingdom.
The Government supports choice in maternity services, but this has to be a safe choice. It is therefore right that registered midwives are required to have appropriate indemnity insurance to cover their scope of practice.
Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of the proposed closure of congenital heart disease services at Royal Brompton Hospital; and what the cost would be of (a) expanding provision elsewhere and (b) transferring staff and services as a result of that proposed closure.
Answered by Philip Dunne
No decision has been made to close the congenital heart disease service at the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust. NHS England will make a decision on its proposals for changes to adult and children’s congenital heart services in England following a consultation. It has worked, and will continue to work, with providers and other stakeholders to assess the impact of these proposals. NHS England intends to publish an impact assessment and other relevant information in due course.