Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the independent review of physician associate and anaesthesia associate professions, led by Professor Gillian Leng CBE, will consider the impact of physician and anaesthetist associates on the availability of training places for junior doctors, the nature and structure of junior doctor training programmes, and the levels of remuneration for junior doctors.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the published Terms of Reference, the Leng review will be an end-to-end review of the Physician Associate and Anaesthesia Associate professions, covering selection and recruitment, training, day to day work, scope of practice, oversight, supervision, and professional regulation.
As part of the deal agreed between the Government and the British Medical Association (BMA) Resident Doctors Committee, the Government has committed to work in partnership with the BMA and other health organisations to review the current system of training and rotational placements for resident doctors. This work is being taken forward outside the Leng Review.
The levels of remuneration for resident doctors are not in scope of the review, as the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration advises the Government on rates of pay for doctors and dentists.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are funding or part-funding the General Medical Council's defence against the legal challenge to the registration of anaesthetist and physician associates; and if so, why.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is funding the General Medical Council (GMC) to undertake the work required to introduce regulation for Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs), to avoid doctors paying for this through their registrant fees.
A longstanding principle underpinning the introduction of statutory regulation for new professions is that all related-costs, including legal challenges to that work, should be funded by the Government, to avoid other professions cross-subsidising the work involved.
Once regulation of AAs and PAs becomes self-funding, the Government will cease funding the GMC.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the uptake of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) principles into undergraduate education across medical, nursing, veterinary and allied health professional degrees; and what steps they will take to engage with academic institutions to ensure future prescribers are equipped to advocate and implement AMS practices effectively.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS England antimicrobial resistance prescribing workstream has collaborated with the Workforce Training and Education directorate to co-produce, with stakeholders from university schools of pharmacy, an indicative curriculum and competency framework for antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial stewardship, as a part of the new initial education and training programme for United Kingdom pharmacists who will graduate with independent prescribing rights from 2025/26. The prescribing workstream has plans to make contact with the General Medical Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council during 2025/26 to establish how antimicrobial stewardship is taught and examined in undergraduate medical and nursing courses in England, and to support improvement as required.
The UK Health Security Agency has recently updated the antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship competency framework, which is applicable for health students and prescribing courses. The goal of the antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship competency framework is to improve the quality of antimicrobial treatment and stewardship, and therefore reduce the risks of inadequate, inappropriate, and adverse effects of antimicrobial treatment.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) visits the vet schools annually to provide training to undergraduate students on antibiotic stewardship and the responsible use of medicines. The VMD also works with the Vet Schools Council, who are keen to promote antimicrobial research, and raises veterinary student awareness of the importance of the appropriate prescribing of antibiotics. As an example of this, they recently produced a white paper highlighting the importance of collecting and using farm level antibiotic use data to support responsible use of antibiotics.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to integrate work to increase public awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance and responsible antimicrobial use into the 2024 to 2029 five-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) assisted in the development of an antimicrobial resistance (AMR) public awareness target in the 2024 to 2029 National Action Plan (NAP). The target states that ‘by 2029, we aim to increase UK public and healthcare professionals’ knowledge on AMR by 10%, using 2018 and 2019 baselines, respectively’.
The UKHSA will continue to survey the public across the five-year NAP to identify any fluctuations in knowledge from the 2019 baseline. Knowledge on antibiotic use and AMR is lowest amongst 18 to 34-year-olds, therefore we aim to:
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what cross-departmental work they are undertaking to address gambling-related suicide.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to strengthening protections to ensure that people can continue to enjoy gambling without the risks that can ensue from harmful gambling. The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England 2023-2028, published September 2023, sets out a commitment to address common risk factors linked to suicide, including gambling, by providing early intervention and tailored support. The Department of Health and Social Care is continuing to work across Government to progress this.
Along with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, we are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to support the industry and ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk.
In addition, the Gambling Commission has strengthened the requirement on gambling operators to inform the commission about deaths by suicide among customers. The licensee must notify the commission, as soon as reasonably practicable, if it knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that a person who has gambled with it has died by suicide, whether or not such suicide is known or suspected to be associated with gambling.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the NHS are using generative AI transcription tools; and what steps they are taking to prevent the risk of errors generated by the technology.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
New artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are being developed that have the potential to improve healthcare delivery and to provide significant cost savings to the National Health Service. These technologies could help ease the administrative burden faced by staff and make systems more efficient. One example is the use of transcription tools such as automated voice to text tools.
Several NHS trusts are running trials, including a multi-site assessment of the impact of using automated transcription software. The NHS AI team is monitoring these developments and developing guidance for the responsible use of these tools. This guidance will be informed by the Government’s broader guidance on the use of Generative AI in the public sector.
The NHS operates within a comprehensive regulatory framework. The Department has provided £9.3 million of funding to ensure the regulatory pathway is clear for both developers and adopters. Through this funding, the Department has supported the launch of regulatory projects such as the AI and Digital Regulation Service, bringing together information, advice, and guidance, from multiple healthcare regulators to support adopters and developers of AI to easily understand what regulatory and evaluation pathways need to be followed before an AI tool can be safety deployed across health and care.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy of over-the-counter SARS-CoV2 testing kits in respect of the variants of the virus currently circulating; what plans they have to inform the public about the accuracy of such tests; and what plans they have to reduce the incidence of COVID-19 over this winter.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since 2020, the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has collaborated closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the National Health Service, and other external partners to monitor the potential impact of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants on in vitro diagnostic tests. Monitoring is carried out through a voluntary system, with manufacturers submitting bi-monthly analysis reports.
The UKHSA and MHRA also meet regularly to discuss the sequence and prevalence of variants of SARS-CoV-2 that are circulating in the United Kingdom. This data is generated by the UKHSA and looks at both the nucleic acid sequence across the virus and the predicted amino acid sequence of the nucleocapsid protein, which is the target antigen of over the counter, lateral flow tests. The outputs predict whether there is a theoretical risk of tests failing to detect a circulating variant. If so, this would prompt the need for laboratory testing of kits by UKHSA laboratories.
The UKHSA continues to monitor the ongoing impact of COVID-19 through a variety of surveillance systems, including in general practices, through the Royal College of General Practitioners’ Surveillance Centre, in healthcare settings, and via the testing of patients in NHS and public health laboratories. In addition, a selection of these positive tests are sequenced to provide data on circulating variants, and to potentially detect the arrival of new variants. This data is published on the data dashboard, and in surveillance reports, which are published weekly during the winter season, and fortnightly otherwise. The dashboard and surveillance reports are available in an online-only format.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to integrate an understanding of antimicrobial resistance in the design of health and social care facilities, veterinary practices, and farms, as specified in their five-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government continues to work with a range of stakeholders towards the successful completion of the commitment to prioritise infection prevention and control (IPC), the management of infections and biosecurity in the built environment, ensuring that an understanding of antimicrobial resistance is integrated into health and social care estate design, veterinary practices, and farm settings, as specified in the UK AMR National Action Plan 2024-2029. The plan recognises the importance of the healthcare environment, not only as a potential source of infection, but also how building design can facilitate effective IPC practices.
Despite a growing body of evidence to suggest that the hospital-built environment, its fabric, layout, and equipment, can contribute to the spread of infection, the mechanisms are still not fully understood. The UK Health Security Agency has unique expertise and capabilities for investigating how the indoor environment contributes to the spread of infection, including aerobiology expertise deployed during various outbreaks, for example in COVID-19 and Mpox, and a dedicated research facility designed and built to simulate a hospital ward.
The age of much of the National Health Service estate means there is an ongoing need for repair, renovation, or replacement. Decisions made during the design, build, or refurbishment process are informed by the latest evidence, considering the spread of infection alongside a range of other factors.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs works with the veterinary sector and livestock industry to promote good practices and ensure the farm environment and design enables the rearing of healthy animals, reducing the need for antibiotics.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of hospital trusts requiring a credit or debit card before supplying wheelchairs to outpatients and visitors and what assessment they have made of this practice.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
This information is not held centrally. Accessibility is an issue of utmost importance, especially in the context of healthcare service provision. The Government is committed to putting measures in place that ensure hospitals are accessible for all patients and visitors.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate non-surgical aesthetic procedures.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is currently considering what steps may need to be taken in relation to the safety of the non-surgical cosmetics sector. The Government will set out its position at the earliest opportunity.