Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) availability and (b) average waiting times for therapeutic services for mental health conditions in Sutton Coldfield.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which covers the Sutton Coldfield area, reports that waiting times for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services remain above the national target for access. In quarter four of 2019/20 (the most recent published figures), across the CCG’s area, 94% of people received support within six weeks, against a national standard of 75%.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 the provision of mental health support for young people who identify as transgender.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Our NHS Long Term Plan ambitions for service transformation and expansion include that, by 2023/24, an additional 345,000 more children and young people should have access to National Health Service funded mental health support. This includes for young people who identify as transgender.
The mental health support teams in and around schools, which we introduced through our children and young people’s mental health Green Paper, are part of this service expansion and transformation. As set out in the Plan, mental health support teams will receive information and training to help them support young people more likely to face mental health issues – such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender individuals.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 access to mental health services in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We remain committed to investing at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year into mental health services by 2023-24 through the NHS Long Term Plan. This will see an additional 345,000 children and young people able to access support through National Health Service-funded services or school- and college-based mental health support teams.
Mental health support teams, which we are introducing in line with our children and young people’s mental health Green Paper, are part of this service expansion and transformation. We remain committed to delivering the other core proposals of the Green Paper, which will pilot a four-week waiting time for specialist NHS services, so that there is swifter access to specialist NHS services.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on achieving parity of esteem for mental and physical health.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We have committed at least a further £2.3 billion a year to mental health services by 2023/24, which will see spending for mental health services growing faster than the overall National Health Service budget.
For the first time, in 2018/19, all clinical commissioning groups increased the amount spent on mental health by at least as much as their overall budget increases.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Disparities in the risk and outcomes of covid-19 review, what steps he is taking to increase protections against covid-19 for BAME healthcare workers in the West Midlands.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All National Health Service organisations will continue to make appropriate arrangements to support their black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff. NHS Employers updated its guidance on risk assessments on 28 May, advising organisations to consider issues such as pregnancy, disability, age and ethnicity.
NHS England and NHS Improvement Midlands are also linking with BAME networks to ensure that BAME staff have a voice and can raise their concerns. These concerns have been fed back to Human Resources Directors across the Midlands.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the review published by Public Health England on 2 June 2020 entitled Disparities in the risk and outcomes of covid-19, what steps he is taking to increase protections against covid-19 for BAME care home workers.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working with Skills for Care, and partners across the sector to understand the recent research findings, including that published by Public Health England, which have identified a range of characteristics, including ethnicity, which have been associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes due to COVID-19. We are working with partners to respond to these findings, considering the most helpful approach for the sector.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 reduce waiting times for hospital appointments for mental health patients in Sutton Coldfield constituency.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We have committed at least a further £2.3 billion a year to mental health services by 2023/24, and, through the NHS Long Term Plan, the National Health Service commits to testing and rolling out waiting time standards for adults in selected areas.
In line with the aims of the Plan, Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group is:
- Putting in place specialist perinatal mental health teams;
- Increasing access to psychological therapies for depression and anxiety;
- Placing mental health professionals in general practitioner (GP) practices; and
- Opening crisis cafes to support people in a mental health crisis.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 reduce waiting times for NHS hospital appointments for cancer patients in Sutton Coldfield constituency.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is an ongoing improvement programme focussing on the main cancer waiting time standards and pathways across Birmingham and Solihull. This, along with a number of initiatives funded by the West Midlands Cancer Alliance and transformation funding, aims to improve waiting times and patient experience and includes:
- introduction of the Faecal Immunochemical Test for bowel cancer screening; and
- implementation of a vague symptom pathway through a Rapid Diagnostic Centre.
Weekly oversight and assurance meetings are led by the Chief Operating Officer of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust with all specialities attending. NHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group continues to meet with the Trust each month to explore all avenues, including developing a trajectory for improving performance and waiting times.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to recruit more nurses in the West Midlands.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government will deliver 50,000 more nurses in the National Health Service in England. The Government has not set targets specific areas of the country. It is for individual employers to determine their workforce recruitment plans based on their local service needs.
The Government has already taken steps to deliver this national nursing commitment through providing a new financial support package. Eligible pre-registration nursing students will benefit from at least £5,000 per academic year which they will not need to pay back. This new grant will mean students have access to more money than under previous education funding systems and will encourage more people to apply, accept places and complete their courses.
A significant part of securing the future workforce, including nurses, will be through ensuring the NHS is the best place to work. A ‘new offer’ for all NHS staff will be released alongside the final NHS People Plan, which will detail the support that they can expect to receive from their employer.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 raise awareness of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In 2017, Public Health England (PHE) ran a pilot campaign in the East and West Midlands. The pilot focused on a range of abdominal symptoms, such as diarrhoea, bloating and discomfort that can be indicative of a number of cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Further information on the pilot is available at the following link:
PHE has run a number of ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns to help improve early detection of cancer. A number of factors are taken into account when deciding which campaigns to develop and run, with one of the main criteria being the scope to save lives through earlier diagnosis. This can only be effective through broad awareness campaigns if the cancer has a clear sign or symptom that the general public can act upon should it arise.
PHE is currently undertaking new data analysis and research to determine the future direction of Be Clear on Cancer activity.