Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any unintended consequences of taking anti-depressants.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Unintended consequences, such as potential side effects, associated with taking antidepressants are outlined in the Product Information provided with each pack of medicine. The safety of all medicines is kept under continuous review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and the product information is updated as needed to reflect what is known about the medicine. The product information is designed to support but not replace the clinical conversation between the prescriber and patient on the benefits and risks of pharmacological treatment.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of anti-depressants in treating (1) mild, (2) moderate, and (3) severe, depression.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A number of anti-depressant products have been licenced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). These medicines are prescription only, and must only be prescribed by a healthcare professional.
Each individual product is assessed for its efficacy and safety in a specific indication prior to the issuing of a marketing authorisation. Only when the benefit-risk analyses have been shown to be positive in relation to quality, safety, and efficacy, will a product obtain an approval.
The Product Information for each product will include not only the details of the indication, but will also include posology, or the dose recommendations, contra-indications, a list of known side-effects, and a reference to the Yellow Card Scheme, for reporting new side-effects. Safety is regularly monitored in order to detect any safety signal not recorded during the clinical trials and once the drug is available to a wider population.
Details of products approved by the MHRA, including therapeutic indications, can be found by searching ‘antidepressant’ on the MHRA website, which is available in an online only format.
The effectiveness of the product, which is measured post-authorisation, is considered by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and other learned bodies, for the development of clinical guidance.
It should be noted that non-pharmacological alternatives may also be recommended to a patient, however this a decision for the healthcare professional.
The NICE is the independent body responsible for translating evidence into authoritative guidance and best practice for the health and care system. NICE guidelines provide recommendations in terms of both the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions and services, and National Health Service organisations are expected to take them fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local populations.
The NICE has published guidance on the treatment and management of depression in adults which provides recommendations on the use of antidepressants and non-drug treatments for depression.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what research they have undertaken on the (1) cost, and (2) effectiveness, of non-drug related approaches to treating depression.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funds a range of research to improve the health outcomes for people with depression. This includes research into the clinical and cost-effectiveness of non-drug related approaches to treatment of the condition.
For example, the NIHR has funded research that demonstrated that mindfulness cognitive therapy delivered by a practitioner is an effective alternative to, and more cost effective than, cognitive behavioural therapy for adults with mild to moderate depression, providing alternative treatment options.
In addition, the NIHR is currently funding a £1.5 million randomised controlled trial to test the clinical and cost effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) driven care for depression symptoms in comparison to current practice, stepped care, which starts with less intensive treatments, followed by more intensive treatments for patients for whom the initial treatment fails. AI driven stratified care, which involves targeting treatment towards groups of patients based on key characteristics, could improve the evidence on how to decide which non-drug related approaches, like psychological therapy, may be most effective for each individual, and help to plan and deliver more effective clinical services.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of mental health, including non-drug related approaches to treating depression. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what use is made of Peers Entrance in plans for any urgent evacuation of the parliamentary estate, and whether it is intended to be used as an evacuation point for those with disabilities.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The emergency exit and evacuation procedures have not been altered by the recent works at Peers’ Entrance.
Peers’ Entrance is not a designated evacuation route or assembly area, including for those with disabilities.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the glass in the new door at Peers Entrance is bullet proof.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
For security reasons we do not publicly disclose details of Parliament’s security arrangements.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what was the cost of the construction of the new door at Peers Entrance.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
For security reasons, the Houses do not publish capital expenditure on security mitigating projects as providing this level of detail could enable an individual to infer the extent and nature of the works, and thus the vulnerabilities which they were intended to mitigate.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what are the staffing costs of manning the new door at Peers Entrance each year.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Staffing costs for Peers' Entrance cannot be disaggregated separately. However, they will not increase as a result of the installation of the new door at Peers Entrance.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the new door at Peers Entrance is fully accessible for those in wheelchairs and with disabilities.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The new entrance is fully accessible to wheelchair users and mobility impaired users. The installations meet requirements set out by the Building Regulations approved document M.