Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of broken and unrepaired laptops in NHS hospitals and clinics; and whether they will take steps to ensure that NHS doctors and other clinicians have uninterrupted access to working laptops so far as is necessary for sound clinical practice.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Department does not collect data on the number of broken and unrepaired laptops in National Health Service trusts and clinics. The provision and servicing of information technology equipment in NHS trusts is a matter for individual trusts.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the World Health Organisation (WHO) concerning the appointment of Robert Mugabe as a WHO Ambassador.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The World Health Organization has now rescinded President Mugabe’s appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador on Non-Communicable Diseases. The United Kingdom welcomes this decision, and we are pleased that Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus listened to the concerns raised by many countries, including the UK, and also by civil society groups working in global health. We look forward to working with him to help the organisation address the world’s most pressing health challenges in the years ahead.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Clinical Commissioning Groups understand their responsibility for the commissioning of children’s palliative care, and that they engage with the work that is done in the third sector to provide and develop children’s palliative care.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
In 2016, the National Palliative and End of Life Care Partnership, made up of 27 partners from across the system, published Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care - a national framework for local action 2015-2020. The framework outlines an overarching vision for palliative and end of life care for both children and adults, and includes six ambitions, all with building blocks, to make that vision a reality. A copy of the framework is attached.
The framework emphasises the importance of local decision-making and delivery and encourages commissioners to work with partners to improve palliative and end of life care across the local system.
To support delivery of the ambitions, a new online only ‘knowledge hub’ has been developed containing resources, tools and case studies for both commissioners and professionals, including commissioning guidelines.
NHS England also expects clinical commissioning groups to commission services in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines End of life care for infants, children and young people with life-limiting conditions: planning and management, which includes details on the planning and management of end of life and palliative care for infants, children and young people. A copy of the guidance is attached.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that Clinical Commissioning Groups are accountable to NHS England for delivering a consistent level of children’s palliative care across England.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
NHS England expects clinical commissioning groups to commission services in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline End of life care for infants, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, which includes details on the planning and management of end of life and palliative care for infants, children and young people. A copy of the guideline is attached.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to increase the funding for the Children’s Hospice Grant, and if so, how they will sustain that increase in funding for the foreseeable future.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government strongly values the crucial role of the children's hospice sector in providing excellent end of life care across the country. Our ambition is for everyone approaching the end of life to receive high quality care that reflects their individual needs, choices and preferences.
The budget for the Children’s Hospice Grant programme was reviewed as part of NHS England’s business planning process and has been maintained at the current rate. However, children’s hospices will receive notification of their two year budget allocations from April instead of the usual annual budget settlement to allow for better future planning.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which prisons and youth custody sites provided new services in 2016 to deal with substance misuse.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
NHS England are responsible, through local procurement exercises, for commissioning integrated substance misuse services across the secure and detained estate for both adults and young people under 18.
NHS England do not hold the information requested centrally.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to review the funding provisions for the parents of children detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, in particular in the light of the number of children held in hospitals that are significant distances away from their homes.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Under the hospital travel costs scheme, parents are eligible to apply for help with travel costs to accompany their children being treated in distant locations. This is means tested. Parents and carers of children detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 may also, in some circumstances, seek additional assistance provided at the discretion of the clinical commissioning group as part of the child’s care package.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the funding available for parents whose children are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 complies with the Equality Act 2010 provisions regarding disability discrimination.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Under the hospital travel costs scheme, parents are eligible to apply for help with travel costs to accompany their children being treated in distant locations. This is means tested. Parents and carers of children detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 may also, in some circumstances, seek additional assistance provided at the discretion of the clinical commissioning group as part of the child’s care package.