Asked by: Alice Macdonald (Labour (Co-op) - Norwich North)
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 improve adult mental health services in Norfolk.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Long waits for mental health services are being driven by increasing demand in a system in desperate need of change, including in Norfolk
The Government is piloting innovative models of care in the community, including six neighbourhood adult mental health centres that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and which bring together community, crisis, and inpatient care.
We are also improving data quality so we can support providers in understanding demand across their areas.
Our 10-Year Health Plan will inform the future vision and delivery plan for mental health services in England. Earlier intervention remains a key focus of the plan with the aim of reducing pressure on mental health services.
Asked by: Alice Macdonald (Labour (Co-op) - Norwich North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths linked to synthetic opioids in the last three years, by region.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department published the below regional breakdown of deaths linked to nitazenes recorded within national surveillance processes in the first twelve months of monitoring by the Department and the National Crime Agency (NCA) in October 2024. There were no deaths recorded as linked to potent synthetic opioids that did not involve nitazenes in that period. Further information is available at the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/deaths-linked-to-potent-synthetic-opioids
The Department and the NCA began tracking these deaths in June 2023 in response to an increased threat of potent synthetic opioids, and equivalent surveillance data is not available from before that point. More recent data will be published by the Department in due course.
The following table shows the number of deaths confirmed as involving nitazenes by English region, from June 2023 to May 2024:
Region | Deaths |
East Midlands | 29 |
East of England | 33 |
London | 18 |
North East | 3 |
North West | 12 |
South East | 16 |
South West | 22 |
West Midlands | 21 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 25 |
Total | 179 |
Data is also collected and published annually by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales, and the ONS’s latest published analysis of deaths related to drug poisoning by selected substances includes historic trends in the numbers of deaths related to drug poisoning involving nitazenes and fentanyl analogues by country. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Alice Macdonald (Labour (Co-op) - Norwich North)
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 improve women's health.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are taking tangible action to transform women's health, including tackling gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan and providing free emergency hormonal contraception at pharmacies from October. There are a record 25,000 full time equivalent midwives in post – 1,400 more than July 2024
These examples demonstrate we are acting on the commitments in the women’s health strategy and listening to women’s experiences.
Asked by: Alice Macdonald (Labour (Co-op) - Norwich North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have accessed NHS funded IVF treatment in each year since 2021; and how many people have accessed privately funded IVF treatment in each year since 2021.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of National Health Service funded and privately funded in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients each year since 2021 for which information is published:
Year of treatment | NHS-funded IVF patients | Private funded IVF patients |
2022 | 15,212 | 38,555 |
2021 | 15,543 | 38,706 |
Source: provided by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Register.
Notes:
Asked by: Alice Macdonald (Labour (Co-op) - Norwich North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cycles of NHS funded IVF treatment as recommended by NICE guidelines are provided in each integrated care board.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information about integrated care board commissioning policy for National Health Service funded fertility services is available at the following link:
Asked by: Alice Macdonald (Labour (Co-op) - Norwich North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2025 to Question 30835 on Miscarriages: databases, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on including a question on experiences of miscarriage in the annual health survey for England as a way of capturing miscarriage data (a) in healthcare settings and (b) outside of healthcare settings.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not held discussions with NHS England on specifically including a question on experiences of miscarriage in the annual health survey for England, as a way of capturing miscarriage data, either in healthcare settings or outside of healthcare settings.
The reproductive health survey conducted by the Department in 2023 included a question on the experience of pregnancy loss, which including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or stillbirth. The survey reached 52,000 women, and showed that among those between 30 and 40 years old, more than one in 10 reported experience of pregnancy loss or infertility in the last year. The Department will update on plans to conduct the survey again in due course.
Asked by: Alice Macdonald (Labour (Co-op) - Norwich North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Research on research into the feasibility of pre-12-week pregnancy loss data collection.
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).
While miscarriage hospital stay data is collected, the majority of baby losses occur outside of healthcare settings, and it is rightly the choice of the individual who has experienced the loss to disclose this information to healthcare professionals. It is therefore not possible to gather accurate and comprehensive data on miscarriages.
The Department has not explicitly discussed the feasibility of pre-12-week pregnancy loss data collection with the NIHR, but further data is being collected to help fill the current gap. For example, the Digital Maternity Record Standard Release 2 was updated in 2024 and recommends that a code for birth outcome, including miscarriage, is recorded as well as information on previous miscarriage or pregnancy loss.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of maternal health, including pregnancy loss.
Asked by: Alice Macdonald (Labour (Co-op) - Norwich North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on improving the recording of miscarriage data in cases where women have had contact with health services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Some data on hospital stays related to miscarriage is collected, but the majority of baby losses occur outside of healthcare settings, and it is rightly the choice of the individual who has experienced the loss to disclose this information to healthcare professionals.
Discussions between the Department and NHS England specifically about improving the recording of miscarriage data in cases where women have had contact with health services have not taken place.
In line with the priorities outlined in NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services, the Digital Maternity Record Standard (DMRS) Release 2 was updated in 2024 to improve the recording of miscarriage data in cases where women have had contact with health services. The new models of care to be added to the DMRS include women suffering from bereavement or loss. The new standard also recommends that a code for birth outcome, including miscarriage, is recorded, as well as information on previous miscarriage or pregnancy loss.
Asked by: Alice Macdonald (Labour (Co-op) - Norwich North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of extending the funding for women's health hubs beyond March 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the Autumn Budget, the Government announced a £22.6 billion increase in day-to-day health spending and a £3.1 billion increase in the capital budget over this year and the next. Building a National Health Service fit for the future is one of the five missions of the Government.
Women’s health hubs aim to improve access to and experiences of care, improve health outcomes for women, and reduce health inequalities. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health care needs of their local population, which includes women's health hubs.
Asked by: Alice Macdonald (Labour (Co-op) - Norwich North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of women’s health hubs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has commissioned research and undertaken analysis to assess the effectiveness of women’s health hubs.
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In 2023, a rapid mixed methods evaluation was undertaken by the NIHR’s Birmingham RAND and Cambridge Evaluation Rapid Evaluation Centre to explore the current state and experiences of delivering and using women’s health hubs. It identified 17 women’s health hubs in England which were established between 2001 and 2022. The final report was published in September 2024, and is available at the following link:
https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hsdr/JYFT5036#/abstract
The Department has published a cost benefit analysis, which estimated that for every £1 spent on implementing a primary care network-sized hub, there are estimated to be £5 of benefits. The cost benefit analysis is available at the following link:
The Department and NHS England are also committed to learning from the ongoing two-year women’s health hubs pilot programme, in 2023/24 and 2024/25. For example, the NIHR has commissioned two projects through the Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health and the Policy Innovation Unit, which will explore mechanisms for commissioning women’s reproductive health services in England and what influences choice of, access to, and satisfaction with these services, including women’s health hubs.