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 plan to follow the recommendations of the position statement from the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare on national commissioning of oral emergency contraception from community pharmacies; and, if not, what plans they have to improve access to emergency contraception.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to ensuring that the public receives equitable access to the best possible contraceptive services. Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system and many already provide emergency hormonal contraception as part of locally commissioned services.
Pharmacy First has built on existing services to increase the clinical scope of the National Health Service treatment and advice patients can receive, including the supply of oral contraception via the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service. The scope of treatment offered through Pharmacy First will continue to be kept under review to align with best practice.
The Government recently resumed its consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements for 2024/25 and 2025/26.
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 relative effectiveness of reducing body weight through (1) weight loss medication alone, (2) non-medicated lifestyle change support, such as nutritional and fitness guidance as is currently offered through NHS tier 2 weight management services, and (3) weight loss medication combined with lifestyle change support.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service and local government provide a range of services to help people living with obesity to lose weight, ranging from behavioural weight management programmes to specialist services which could offer more intensive support, pharmaceutical treatments, or bariatric surgery. Exactly what treatment is most appropriate for an individual is down to clinicians to advise, in discussion with patients, considering relevant clinical guidance.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produces guidance for health and care practitioners and provides rigorous, independent assessments of complex evidence for new health technologies. The NICE has recently published an updated clinical guideline on overweight and obesity management. It brings together and updates all of the NICE’s recommendations on overweight and obesity. The guideline includes recommendations on behavioural interventions, physical activity and diet, and digital technologies, as well as medicines and surgery.
The guidance states that all medicines for weight loss should be used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, and that patients who are prescribed such medicines should receive information, support, and counselling on additional diet, physical activity, and behavioural strategies. Patients receiving weight loss medication on the NHS should not receive it alone, without additional support from appropriate healthcare professionals.
The guidance is clear that dietary, exercise, and behavioural approaches for weight management should be tried before medicines are considered. Whilst research has found that people receiving medicines for weight loss alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity on average lose a greater amount of weight than people receiving behaviour change support alone, medicines are not a first-line treatment, and dietary advice and behavioural support should be provided first.
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, further to reports that over a quarter of UK adults are obese with this forecasted to rise to 40 per cent by 2030, whether they have any plans for a national obesity policy plan; and whether medical treatment, including digital weight management services, will be part of this.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Supporting people to stay healthier for longer is at the heart of the Government’s Health Mission.
The Government recognises that prevention will always be better than a cure. We are committed to tackling the obstacles driving obesity. We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drinks to children on television and online, we have announced changes to the planning framework for fast food near schools, and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose.
However, over 28% of adults in England are living with obesity, putting them at risk of a range of health conditions. Local government and the National Health Service already provide a range of services to help people living with obesity to lose weight. These range from 12-week behavioural programmes, including the NHS digital weight management programme, to specialist services for those living with severe obesity and the associated co-morbidities, which can include obesity medicines and surgery. Obesity medicines can be effective for some patients living with obesity when prescribed alongside diet, physical activity, and behavioural support, and the NHS is continuing to look at the best way to manage access to treatments recommended for managing obesity by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Exactly what treatment is most appropriate for an individual is down to health care professionals to advise, in discussion with patients, and considering relevant clinical guidance.
Further action on obesity under the Government’s Health Mission will be set out in due course.
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, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 13 January (HC3975) what assessment they have made of the level of compliance with the recommendation in the Joint Royal College of Surgeons of England and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 'Statement on use of topical chlorhexidine for skin preparation prior to surgery'; including any preference for licensed medicinal products over unregulated biocidal forms to prevent antimicrobial resistance and ensure patient safety.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as the regulator for medicines and medical devices in the United Kingdom, continues to recommend the use of licensed medicines. Use of an appropriately authorised product, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions for use, ensures the benefit-risk balance remains favourable within its specified indication for use. Assessments and compliance on the use of chlorhexidine is not reported to the MHRA. Adverse reactions to chlorhexidine can be reported to the MHRA through the Yellow Card reporting system by patients and healthcare professionals.
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 many fully qualified GPs have been recruited since the general election (1) under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, and (2) through any other route; and whether they have set a target for the number of full-time equivalent GPs per 1,000 population in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on the number of recently qualified general practitioners (GPs) for which primary care networks are claiming reimbursement via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is currently being collated. We are working to verify the data and establish its reliability, which is necessary before any dataset can be published. Between 31 July 2024 and 30 November 2024, the headcount of fully qualified GPs increased by 831.
There is no NHS England recommendation for how many patients a GP should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients. The demands each patient places on their GP are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole, not only GPs but also the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients.
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 align the use of chlorhexidine in healthcare and consumer products with the recommendation in the Joint Royal College of Surgeons of England and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Statement on use of Topical Chlorhexidine for Skin Preparation Prior to Surgery, calling for the use of licensed medicinal products over unregulated biocidal forms to prevent antimicrobial resistance and safeguard patient safety.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, as the regulator for medicines and medical devices in the United Kingdom, continues to recommend the use of licensed medicines to prepare the skin prior to surgery. Use of an appropriately authorised product for its specific intended use, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions for use, is the only way to ensure the benefit-risk balance remains favourable.
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 letter of 22 October signed by the Covid Airborne Transmission Alliance addressed to the chief nursing officers of the four nations about expert evidence provided to the Covid-19 Inquiry, particularly about the airborne transmission of the virus and other respiratory viruses; and when they expect a response to the letter to be issued.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Chief Nursing Officer for England has stated that a range of evidence on the issue of routes of transmission of COVID-19 was presented to the COVID-19 Inquiry during their examination of the impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems across the United Kingdom.
A response from the UK Chief Nursing Officers to the letter from the Covid Airborne Transmission Alliance will be sent shortly.
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 have taken to ensure that the NHS and other services are following the prescribing standards stating that, from 13 December 2024, healthcare professionals working in designated physician associate or anaesthesia associate roles should not prescribe medicines, even if they hold prescribing rights from a previous profession or have previously been authorised to prescribe by their employer.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The physician associate (PA) and anaesthesia associate (AA) professions do not have prescribing responsibilities. Prescribing responsibilities are conferred upon specific professions by the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and are not transferable to another regulated role or profession.
NHS Employers has recently published guidance which sets out information for employers on the PA and AA roles and how they fit within the National Health Service. This includes setting out information about prescribing and the supply and administering of medicines.
Subject to locally determined governance arrangements, a PA or AA may administer medicines under a patient specific direction (PSD). A PSD is a written instruction, signed by an authorised prescriber, for medicine or medicines to be administered to a named person after the prescriber has assessed the patient.
As the regulator of PAs and AAs, the General Medical Council has also published information on its website confirming that the roles are not able to prescribe.
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 many physician associates currently working in the NHS or in private healthcare have not passed the Physician Associate National Examination; and whether they plan to ensure that physician associates currently working have passed it before the deadline for registering with the General Medical Council in December 2026.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on how many Physician Associates (PAs) currently working in the National Health Service or in private healthcare have not passed the Physician Associate National Examination (PANE).
Statutory regulation of PAs and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) by the General Medical Council (GMC) has begun. The GMC has made it a mandatory registration requirement for all PAs to have passed the PANE. Under the Anaesthesia Associate and Physician Associate Order, PAs and AAs must join the GMC register or cease practising by December 2026.
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 they plan to ensure that medical schools have integrated antimicrobial stewardship competencies into undergraduate curriculums, to help meet the aims of the five-year antimicrobial resistance action plan; and whether the Department of Health and Social Care is primarily responsible for coordinating this with the General Medical Council and the Department for Education.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is an independent statutory body. The GMC has the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for professional practice.
Each individual medical school sets its own undergraduate medical curriculum. This has to meet the standards set by the GMC, who then monitor and check to make sure that these standards are maintained. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they instead emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.
The NHS England Antimicrobial Resistance Programme, a 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 GMC and the 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.