Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to inform local authorities of their provisional public health grant budgets for 2023–24.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the public health grant in (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–25 will increase in line with inflation as announced in the Spending Review 2021.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities in England shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the level of funding of the public health grant to local authorities.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the Spending Review 2021, we considered the need for local authority public health funding and confirmed that the public health grant to local authorities in England would increase over the settlement period. In 2022/23, the Grant increased by 2.81% to £3.417 billion. This is in addition to targeted investment through local Government in Start for Life support and drug and alcohol treatment services.
We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly, and in doing so will consider the impact of changes to pay and inflation trends and forecasts since the Spending Review.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the re-development of the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s plans for improvements at (1) Watford, (2) Hemel Hempstead, and (3) St Albans, have been paused; and so, what are the (a) reasons, and (b) rationale, for this pause.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The overall delivery of the new hospital scheme has not been paused. We continue to work with West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and all hospitals in the programme.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they monitor progress in implementing the recommendations of the final report of the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 Modernising the Mental Health Act: increasing choice, reducing compulsion, published on 6 December 2018; and what plans they have to report to Parliament on progress made.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We remain committed to publishing a White Paper which will set out the Government’s response to Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 and pave the way for reform of the Act. We aim to publish before the end of the year.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have reissued COVID-19 guidance to those working with people who are homeless or drug or alcohol dependent; and, if not, whether they plan to do so.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England (PHE) published guidance outlining COVID-19 advice for commissioners and service providers involved in assisting people who are dependent on drugs or alcohol or both. The guidance, COVID-19: guidance for commissioners and providers of services for people who use drugs or alcohol, was published on 15 April in an online only format on GOV.UK. PHE is reviewing the need for additional advice for staff working with people who are experiencing homelessness and living in hostels.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many GPs have been in practice for each year since 2010.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in general practice in each year since 2015 has been provided in the following table. Data is not included prior to 2015 as improvements were made to the methodology for recording all staff working in general practice in September 2015 and data prior to this is not comparable.
Number of all doctors in general practice | FTE |
September 2015 | 34,429 |
September 2016 | 35,229 |
September 2017 | 34,653 |
September 2018 | 34,534 |
September 2019 | 34,862 |
Source: NHS Digital
Notes:
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce legislation to regulate the qualifications and training of psychotherapists and counsellors.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Government has no plans to extend professional regulation to psychotherapists or counsellors.
Statutory regulation should only be considered where the risks to public and patient protection cannot be addressed in other more proportionate ways (such as through employer oversight or accredited voluntary registration).
Any employed health or care practitioner, whether regulated or unregulated, will be subject to employer checks. Depending on the role they perform, in particular if their role brings them in contact with vulnerable people, this may include a Disclosure and Barring Service check in England or Wales or the equivalent check from Disclosure Scotland or Disclosure Northern Ireland.
The Professional Standards Authority currently accredits 10 voluntary registers relating to psychotherapy and counselling and covering approximately 50,000 talking therapy professionals.
We urge anyone seeking the services of a psychotherapist or counsellor to take the time to find a reputable, insured and appropriately qualified practitioner.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on vulnerable people of unqualified psychotherapists and counsellors providing treatment.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Government has no plans to extend professional regulation to psychotherapists or counsellors.
Statutory regulation should only be considered where the risks to public and patient protection cannot be addressed in other more proportionate ways (such as through employer oversight or accredited voluntary registration).
Any employed health or care practitioner, whether regulated or unregulated, will be subject to employer checks. Depending on the role they perform, in particular if their role brings them in contact with vulnerable people, this may include a Disclosure and Barring Service check in England or Wales or the equivalent check from Disclosure Scotland or Disclosure Northern Ireland.
The Professional Standards Authority currently accredits 10 voluntary registers relating to psychotherapy and counselling and covering approximately 50,000 talking therapy professionals.
We urge anyone seeking the services of a psychotherapist or counsellor to take the time to find a reputable, insured and appropriately qualified practitioner.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding committed to the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust from May 2005 to May 2010 was (1) changed, (2) cancelled, and (3) forfeit, in each year from May 2010 to May 2015.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Department does not hold the information requested on funding which was changed, cancelled or forfeited in each year from May 2010 to May 2015.
The following table shows the total amount of income that West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust received in the financial years 2011-12 to 2014-15.
Year | Income £ million |
2011-12 | 273.7 |
2012-13 | 278.2 |
2013-14 | 291.34 |
2014-15 | 344.97 |
We are not able to divide the income into years from May to April due to how the data is reported, which is by financial year. Additionally, this is total income, so it includes Government funding plus any additional funding that the trust received.