Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people with Li-Fraumeni syndrome in Gloucester.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
The England Rare Diseases Action Plan committed to developing a funding mechanism that incentivises centres to undertake whole body scans for individuals with rare conditions resulting in a predisposition to cancer. NHS England has now agreed to proceed with the process for identifying providers of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging scanning services for adults and children with Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
Anyone identified with Li-Fraumeni syndrome in Gloucestershire will receive counselling and support from the specialist clinical genetics service hosted at the University Hospitals Bristol and the Weston NHS Foundation Trust, with satellite clinics held in Gloucestershire. Testing and support for their families will also be offered by the Bristol service. Children identified with Li-Fraumeni are cared for by specialist paediatric teams at Bristol Children’s Hospital. Ongoing surveillance and screening for cancer, as well as opportunities to take part in research trials, are offered as appropriate.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS 10-Year health plan (a) prioritises areas of economic deprivation and (b) effectively meets the needs of working people.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The focus of the 10-Year Health Plan is to ensure the National Health Service is there for anyone who needs it whenever they need it. We cannot do this without tackling health inequalities, including for working class people and those living in areas of economic deprivation. Addressing healthcare inequalities is a fundamental part of the Health Mission and the 10-Year Health Plan.
Our reimagined NHS will be designed to tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as giving everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with the NHS on their own terms.
Furthermore, patients will be able to leave feedback easily and confidently, which will amplify patient voices, particularly for those who face worse healthcare access, experiences, and outcomes.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support NHS staff with endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and within the National Health Service workforce.
We are improving workplace support for women with endometriosis through a number of measures in the Employment Rights Bill. Strengthening statutory sick pay arrangements, making flexible working available to more people, and opening up conversations about women’s health through employer action plans will benefit all employees managing the condition.
In terms of supporting NHS staff with endometriosis, NHS trusts are expected to have local policies and procedures in place to support staff who have long-term health conditions and should be taking a proactive approach to supporting them. NHS England has made available tools and resources to support line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their emotional and psychological health and wellbeing.
Staff in need of additional support can also access their employer's occupational health service or employee support programme.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support NHS staff with Postural tachycardia syndrome.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving health outcomes for everyone living with a long-term condition, including postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), is a key part of the Government's mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.
People with PoTS can access a variety of NHS services, which are locally commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs are responsible for ensuring that their local area has appropriate services in place to meet the needs of their population.
Many patients can be diagnosed and managed effectively within primary care. In complex cases, or where patients do not respond to initial treatment, patients may be referred to specialised cardiology or neurology services.
The health and wellbeing of NHS staff is a top priority, and it is important that employers across the NHS take a preventative and proactive approach to supporting their staff, keeping them healthy, and to improving workplace culture.
NHS employers have their own arrangements in place for supporting their staff, including occupational health provision, employee support programmes, and board level scrutiny through health and wellbeing guardians.
At a national level, NHS England has made available additional support. This includes a focus on healthy working environments, tools and resources to support line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their wellbeing, and emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase (a) funding and (b) support for research into endometriosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Over the past 10 years, the NIHR has invested approximately £11.2 million into research with a focus on endometriosis and continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of women’s health, including endometriosis.
To support further research into women’s health, in 2024 the NIHR launched two new funding calls for studies seeking to improve the health and wellbeing of women. Details of the successful funding awards will be published on the NIHR’s website later this year.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support phlebotomists in Gloucester.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local organisations are responsible for supporting their workforce, including staff in phlebotomy roles. We are aware of local industrial action in Gloucester. This is a local issue for the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to manage, working in partnership with trade unions.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to treatment for people with alopecia areata in Gloucester.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to supporting all those living with dermatological conditions, including alopecia areata. Dermatology services are being transformed to make sure that patients are seen on time. NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme for Dermatology is working with National Health Service trusts to deliver rapid clinical transformation. The work brings together clinicians and operational teams to work collectively to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.
In March 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended ritlecitinib as an option for treating severe alopecia areata in people 12 years old and over. The NHS is legally required to make funding available for treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance within three months of publication of the guidance, opening the way for patients across the country, including in Gloucester, to access this treatment.
It is a clinician’s responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of their patient, whilst ensuring they are taking account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care board (ICB), in this case the NHS Gloucestershire ICB.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle medication shortages in Gloucester constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has a responsibility to work with medicine license holders in the United Kingdom to help ensure continuity of supply. We monitor and manage medicine supply issues at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand and therefore measures are not specific to Gloucester.
We have inherited ongoing global supply problems that continue to impact medicine availability under the new government. We know how frustrating and distressing this can be for patients, and we are working closely with industry, the National Health Service, manufacturers and other partners in the supply chain to resolve issues as quickly as possible to make sure patients can access the medicines they need.
Medicine supply chains are complex, global and highly regulated and there are several reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the UK and outside of Government control, including 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.
While we cannot always prevent supply issues from occurring, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise and mitigate risks to patients. These include close and regular engagement with suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, sourcing unlicensed imports from abroad, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, use of Serious Shortage Protocols, and issuing NHS communications to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals including pharmacists, so they can advise and support their patients.
The resilience of UK supply chains is a key priority, and we are committed to helping to build long term supply chain resilience for medicines. We are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and strengthen our resilience.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will take steps to implement a National Cardiovascular Disease Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). That is why, building on the 2019 NHS Long Term Plan commitment to prevent 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and dementia cases by 2029, this Government has set a CVD-specific mission ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and strokes by 25% within a decade.
The Department and NHS England are working together at pace to understand the scale of the CVD challenge and the greatest opportunities for progress.
This includes through building on action already taken as part of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve the timely identification and treatment of CVD risk factors, such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and atrial fibrillation, and drawing on what we have we have heard from the public, patients and staff through the 10-Year Health Plan engagement exercise.
The 10-Year Health Plan, once published, will set out the Government's overarching vision for delivering on its health mission, including how we deliver the critical shift from a focus on treating illness to preventing conditions such as CVD.
Asked by: Alex McIntyre (Labour - Gloucester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve access to NHS dentistry in Gloucester.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to Integrated Care Boards across England. For Gloucester constituency, this is NHS Gloucestershire ICB.