Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will establish an Industry-NHS vaccine working group to consider how best to accelerate the National Immunisation Programme.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Officials are working with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry to refresh our industry-Government vaccine working group, which includes representation from across industry, the Government, and national health partners including NHS England, and will consider potential improvements to the National Immunisation Programme.
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 actions they are taking to deliver Labour’s Child Health Action Plan, and in particular what actions they will take to improve access to childhood immunisation.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children in our history. This will include giving children a healthy, happy start to life, and protecting them from the growth of infectious diseases.
To achieve this, the Department works with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to make accurate and up to date information on the benefits of vaccines and their eligibility, available to parents, carers, and patients. We are also learning lessons from the COVID-19 vaccine programme about the power of real-time, specific data to improve uptake, as well as looking at system changes for delivery, to make getting vaccinated easier for all. The Department, alongside partners, is also exploring how to enable vaccinations for babies and children as part of health visits.
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 expected coverage rates of maternal respiratory syncytial virus vaccination in the first year of the programme.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation considered uptake when developing their advice on a maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme. Uptake for the RSV vaccination programme is expected to be like that of other year-round maternal respiratory immunisation programmes.
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 are the national coverages rates of (1) influenza, and (2) pertussis, vaccination among pregnant women, and what steps they are taking to improve coverage rates for all maternal immunisations, ahead of delivering a new vaccination programme for the respiratory syncytial virus.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) routinely monitors and reviews the vaccination coverage of all the routine immunisation programmes in England. Flu vaccine uptake for pregnant women for the 2023/24 flu season was 31.2%. Pertussis vaccine uptake for pregnant women for 2024, from January to April, was 59.1%.
To improve coverage rates for all maternal immunisations, the UKHSA provides public facing information, including information leaflets in multiple languages and accessible formats. The UKHSA also provides training slides and information resources for healthcare professionals.
Ahead of delivering a new vaccination programme for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the UKHSA hosted two RSV webinars for healthcare professionals: the older person RSV vaccine programme; and the maternal RSV programme. Resources are also available for the RSV programme on the Health Publications Website.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the National Immunisation Programme will be included in the recently announced NHS performance review.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Professor Lord Darzi of Denham to conduct an immediate and independent investigation of the National Health Service. Professor Lord Darzi will be considering data and intelligence across a broad range of measures to assess patient access to healthcare, the quality of healthcare being provided, and the overall performance of the health system. Full Terms of Reference for the review can be found on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.
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 steps they will take to address supply chain challenges with the shortages of some medicines in the UK, including for treatment of ADHD, asthma and psychosis; and what are the reasons for the shortages in such medicines.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Medicine supply chains are complex, global, and highly regulated, and there are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are outside of the Government’s control. These include manufacturing difficulties, access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes or distribution issues, and regulatory issues. There are approximately 14,000 licensed medicines, and the overwhelming majority are in good supply.
The Department has been working hard with industry to help resolve the supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world, due to increased demand and manufacturing site capacity constraints. As a result of this intensive work, some issues have been resolved. All strengths of atomoxetine capsules and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available. However, medicine supply issues remain for some strengths of lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate.
We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets and lisdexamfetamine capsules to assess the challenges faced, and their actions to address them. We have asked suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term.
Supply of salbutamol nebules, used to treat asthma, has now improved, although there may still be some short intermittent interruptions in supply experienced. We are also aware of issues with ipratropium nebules due to constrained supply from a manufacturing plant. We are working with NHS England to manage the supply issues and mitigate risks to patients. Communications advise all pharmacy teams to work with prescribers to use unlicensed imports, where licensed supplies are unavailable, or alternative treatments that are available.
Supply issues affecting some strengths of quetiapine tablets, used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, have been caused by increased demand on some companies as other companies exited the market, and by active pharmaceutical ingredient constraints. Supplies of other strengths of quetiapine are being closely monitored. Serious Shortage Protocols have been issued to enable pharmacists to supply patients alternative strength tablets if those prescribed are not available. We are also aware of intermittent disruptions in the supply of olanzapine (Zypadhera) prolonged-release suspension for injections due to a global manufacturing capacity constraint. NHS England is actively working with the supplier to address these manufacturing issues as quickly as possible, to ensure that UK patients have access to this medication. Comprehensive guidance will be issued to healthcare professionals in the coming days.
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 role of vaccines in keeping people healthy and in work, what steps they will take to support the development and deployment of new and innovative vaccines, and what steps they will take to increase vaccine take up.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom has one of the most extensive immunisation programmes in the world, with high vaccine confidence and uptake rates. The UK’s immunisation programme is acknowledged to be world leading in its ability to innovate and achieve value for money, and plays an important role in the Government’s focus on preventing people from getting ill.
The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the Department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation. The Department does not currently ask the JCVI to complete an assessment of the wider productivity and economic benefits of an immunisation programme, but rather focuses on the range of health benefits that arise from vaccination, including the prevention of hospitalisation and death.
The JCVI has a horizon scanning subcommittee, which reviews evidence from industry to understand new products under development, and to identify evidence gaps early, ensuring that they have the right information to assess those products in a timely manner once they reach the right phase of the approvals process. The Department is working with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to increase vaccine uptake, reduce inequalities, and ensure maximum population protection from preventable diseases. The NHS Vaccination Strategy sets out how the National Health Service and partners are aiming to maximise uptake and coverage of vaccinations across all communities.
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 further discussions will take place about the commissioning of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccine for all infants for the (1) 2024/25, and (2) 2025/26, winter season sessions.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
An immunisation programme to protect infants with a vaccine during pregnancy will begin in England from 1 September 2024, to protect infants from 2024/25 onwards. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) maternal vaccination programme will be delivered by National Health Service trust providers via maternity services and immunisation providers. They will ensure that pregnant women are informed of their eligibility for the RSV vaccine, and are invited for their vaccination. General practices will also be able to deliver the maternal vaccine on an opportunistic basis, or if requested by the patient.
Pregnant women will be offered the immunisation from 28 weeks of pregnancy until full term, to protect their baby during the first six months of life when they are most vulnerable to RSV complications. The programme will be offered year-round. Further to the national programme, the high-risk programme for eligible infants will continue. This will be offered to eligible infants independent of their mother receiving the maternal vaccine.
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 further steps they will take to ensure that the Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccine is commissioned for all infants for the 2024/25 winter season sessions.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
An immunisation programme to protect infants with a vaccine during pregnancy will begin in England from 1 September 2024, to protect infants from 2024/25 onwards. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) maternal vaccination programme will be delivered by National Health Service trust providers via maternity services and immunisation providers. They will ensure that pregnant women are informed of their eligibility for the RSV vaccine, and are invited for their vaccination. General practices will also be able to deliver the maternal vaccine on an opportunistic basis, or if requested by the patient.
Pregnant women will be offered the immunisation from 28 weeks of pregnancy until full term, to protect their baby during the first six months of life when they are most vulnerable to RSV complications. The programme will be offered year-round. Further to the national programme, the high-risk programme for eligible infants will continue. This will be offered to eligible infants independent of their mother receiving the maternal vaccine.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review report First Do No Harm, published on 8 July 2020, what steps they will take to provide monetary compensation for people adversely affected by clinical and surgical pelvic mesh.
Answered by Lord Markham
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.