Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce the role of approved mental capacity professionals, and whether they plan to extend eligibility for this role to include speech and language therapists.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is currently reviewing options for the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards. The Liberty Protection Safeguards would include the introduction of approved mental capacity professionals. We will set out plans in due course, which will involve clarifying eligibility for this role.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish their response to the consultation on the proposed changes to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice, and a revised timetable for the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is currently reviewing options for the implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards. Introduction of the Liberty Protection Safeguards would include a revised Code of Practice. We will set out our plans in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that engagement with the alcohol industry by the Department for Health and Social Care is in line with the Principles for engaging with industry stakeholders.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
External engagement is a fundamental part of what United Kingdom ministerial Government departments do. We recognise the importance of promoting transparency through engagement and the need to take a balanced and proportionate approach. Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations, including engagement with the alcohol industry, are published quarterly in arrears on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of references to Year 1 Foundation Doctors in the impact assessment of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, whether new graduates will be expected to be involved in the assisted dying process.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill continues to be a matter for Parliament. The Government is neutral on the substantive policy questions relevant to how the law in this area could change, and on the principle of assisted dying.
The impact assessment considered different scenarios for illustrative purposes only, and does not indicate a Government position. If the bill progresses, detailed work on a delivery model would need to be developed.
As part of this work, the Government would consult with relevant stakeholders before bringing forward affirmative regulations on the training requirements for assessing doctors.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to improve outcomes from screening and treatment for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in newborns; and what plans, if any, they have to support comparative effectiveness research into the routine clinical pathways for DDH overseen by the UK National Screening Committee.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) welcomes proposals to improve the Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) programme, which offers screening for the development dysplasia of the hip. Proposals to modify the programme can be submitted to the UK NSC via its annual call for topics. To date the UK NSC has not received a request to review the current programme. The UK NSC is also aware that the National Institute for Health and Care Research has funded a research fellowship to explore screening for hip dysplasia, and looks forward to reading its published report in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures are (1) currently in place and (2) planned in future, to protect staff and patients in hospitals, care homes and hospices from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Gas Safety Installation and Use Regulations 1998 require hospitals, care homes, and hospice owners to ensure gas appliances are installed and maintained properly by a competent gas safe registered engineer. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises that this is the most effective way to reduce the risk from carbon monoxide. We have no current plans to change the regulations in place for hospitals, care homes, and hospices, unless experts at HSE revise their advice.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the cross-government delivery plan for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome will ensure collaborative work with patient advocates, philanthropy and industry partners to leverage additional funding for biomedical research.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to better care and support for people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). We have reconvened the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group, including senior Department and cross-Government officials, ME/CFS specialists and researchers, representatives from NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Medical Research Council (MRC), the devolved administrations, ME/CFS charities, and organisations and patients with lived experience of ME/CFS.
We cannot comment on the exact content of the final delivery plan at this time, but it will be shaped by responses to the 2023 consultation on the interim delivery plan, alongside continued stakeholder engagement via the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group, with three broad themes of boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of those living with ME/CFS. We aim to publish the final delivery plan by the end of March 2025.
Research is an important pillar of the delivery plan for ME/CFS. Future planned action to support research in this area will take a cross-sectoral and inclusive approach, recognising the value of patient and public representatives in particular.
The Department funds research on ME/CFS through the NIHR and the MRC. The NIHR and the MRC remain committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of ME/CFS, and are actively exploring the next steps for stimulating further research in this area. The MRC and NIHR currently fund research through a variety of routes, including infrastructure, research programmes, capacity building, through for example research fellowships, and, in the case of the NIHR, research delivery to support recruitment to studies. The NIHR welcomes the opportunity to work collaboratively with partners, including patient representative groups and industry, to stimulate further research in this area.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the cross-government delivery plan for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome will reflect their commitment to embracing the opportunities of digitalisation for NHS services.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to better care and support for people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). We have reconvened the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group, including senior Department and cross-Government officials, ME/CFS specialists and researchers, representatives from NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Medical Research Council (MRC), the devolved administrations, ME/CFS charities, and organisations and patients with lived experience of ME/CFS.
We cannot comment on the exact content of the final delivery plan at this time, but it will be shaped by responses to the 2023 consultation on the interim delivery plan, alongside continued stakeholder engagement via the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group, with three broad themes of boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of those living with ME/CFS. We aim to publish the final delivery plan by the end of March 2025.
Research is an important pillar of the delivery plan for ME/CFS. Future planned action to support research in this area will take a cross-sectoral and inclusive approach, recognising the value of patient and public representatives in particular.
The Department funds research on ME/CFS through the NIHR and the MRC. The NIHR and the MRC remain committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of ME/CFS, and are actively exploring the next steps for stimulating further research in this area. The MRC and NIHR currently fund research through a variety of routes, including infrastructure, research programmes, capacity building, through for example research fellowships, and, in the case of the NIHR, research delivery to support recruitment to studies. The NIHR welcomes the opportunity to work collaboratively with partners, including patient representative groups and industry, to stimulate further research in this area.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to data released by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities on 3 December showing that alcohol-specific deaths in England in 2023 rose to their highest level for the fourth year in a row, what plans they have to produce a new national alcohol strategy.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that alcohol deaths are now at record high levels. Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. The Department will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS Trusts have the necessary funding and trained staff to deliver minimally invasive cancer therapies.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The adoption of new treatments, including increasing the number and availability of minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the National Health Service in England is generally the result of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and commissioner decisions. Both NHS England and the integrated care boards (ICBs) are required to put in place access for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by the NICE.
Where treatments are approved by the NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the NHS is required to fund and make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment and the development of additional capacity where necessary.
During 2024/25, NHS England will continue to support all ICBs in integrating the planning and commissioning of suitable specialised services with their wider population-level commissioning responsibilities, in line with their individual timeline for delegation.
We are committed to training the staff we need to get patients seen on time. The Government will make sure the NHS has the staff it needs to be there for all of us when we need it, including cancer patients.