Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS dental practices were in dispute with her Department about reconciling payments for NHS work on 30 January 2024; and what assessment she has made of the (a) clarity and (b) ease of the reconciliation process.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Year-end reconciliation is a national process carried out, in the most part, by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA), and commissioned by NHS England.
As of 31 January 2024, there were 38 unresolved queries from contract holders about their year-end outcome for 2022/23. This equates to 0.6% of the 6673 contracts within the NHS BSA responsibility to reconcile. There are a further proportion of contracts, 1,946, that remain within the remit of integrated care boards to reconcile, where data is not held centrally.
The process of year end reconciliation is a vital part of ensuring contract holders are held accountable for the activity they have been contracted to deliver, and to ensure taxpayers get value for money from the £3 billion National Health Service dentistry budget.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to prioritise type 2 diabetic patients for Ozempic prescriptions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
There are global supply issues with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), which are licensed for treating patients with type 2 diabetes, including the branded medicine Ozempic. This appears to be largely driven by off-label prescribing for weight loss, which has led to shortages of these medicines for patients with type 2 diabetes.
We have issued guidance in the form of a Medicine Supply Notification (MSN), addressing all GLP-1 RAs, advising healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring these medicines. We are considering whether further communications are required.
The Government expects all providers of healthcare services, whether National Health Service or private, and all those with responsibility for prescribing to take appropriate account of national guidance such as MSNs. The guidance is clear that these medicines should only be prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, in order to protect supply for diabetes patients. Medicines which are solely licensed to treat type 2 diabetes should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.
We are working closely with national diabetes specialists, the NHS, wholesalers, all manufacturers of these medicines and the relevant regulatory bodies and agencies to address this problem and to understand how we can help ensure type 2 diabetic patients continue to get access to treatment.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make (a) an assessment of the adequacy of the NHS (i) capacity and (ii) capability to diagnose Lyme disease and (b) a comparative assessment of best practice in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease in (A) the UK, (B) the US and (C) Germany.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government has not conducted an assessment of the adequacy of National Health Service capability and capacity to diagnose Lyme disease or a comparative assessment of best practice in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany.
Diagnosis of Lyme disease in England and Wales is conducted by the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL). RIPL provides Lyme polymerase chain reaction PCR testing and a comprehensive serological panel which has been fully validated to UK Accreditation Service standards.
Services for the treatment of Lyme disease are commissioned locally. These services are the responsibility of integrated care board and general practitioners use their professional judgement in diagnosing and treating this condition.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of best practice for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of Lyme disease in the (i) United States and (ii) Germany.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government has not conducted an assessment of the adequacy of National Health Service capability and capacity to diagnose Lyme disease or a comparative assessment of best practice in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease in the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. Diagnosis of Lyme disease in England and Wales is conducted by the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL). RIPL provides Lyme polymerase chain reaction PCR testing and a comprehensive serological panel which has been fully validated to UK Accreditation Service standards.
Published research, for example the VICTORY study in Lancet ID, indicates that cellular tests for Lyme borreliosis used by many private laboratories in Europe have a high false positive rate. A copy of the VICTORY study in Lancet ID, is available at the following link: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00205-5.)
UK Health Security Agency published accompanying guidance documents on Lyme disease in July 2018, which describe the clinical signs and symptoms and are consistent with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. The guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/lyme-disease-management-and-prevention
Services for the treatment of Lyme disease are commissioned locally. These services are the responsibility of integrated care board and general practitioners use their professional judgement in diagnosing and treating this condition.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
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 adequacy of the (a) capacity and (b) capability of the NHS to diagnose Lyme disease.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government has not conducted an assessment of the adequacy of National Health Service capability and capacity to diagnose Lyme disease or a comparative assessment of best practice in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease in the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany.
Diagnosis of Lyme disease in England and Wales is conducted by the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL). RIPL provides Lyme polymerase chain reaction PCR testing and a comprehensive serological panel which has been fully validated to UK Accreditation Service standards.
Published research, for example the VICTORY study in Lancet ID, indicates that cellular tests for Lyme borreliosis used by many private laboratories in Europe have a high false positive rate. A copy of the VICTORY study in Lancet ID, is available at the following link:
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00205-5.)
UK Health Security Agency published accompanying guidance documents on Lyme disease in July 2018, which describe the clinical signs and symptoms and are consistent with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/lyme-disease-management-and-prevention
Services for the treatment of Lyme disease are commissioned locally. These services are the responsibility of integrated care board and general practitioners use their professional judgement in diagnosing and treating this condition.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse was of NHS treatment for people admitted to hospital with urinary tract infections in each financial year between 2018-19 and 2021-22.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are admitted to hospital each year with urinary tract infections; what the cost was to the public purse of the NHS of treating people with urinary tract infections in the last financial year; and whether the NHS plans to take steps to improve options for community-based services to treat urinary tract infections.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of people admitted to hospital each year in the last five years with urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Year | Admissions |
2018/19 | 184,794 |
2019/20 | 179,785 |
2020/21 | 135,594 |
2021/22 | 152,695 |
Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS England
Data for 2021/22 is latest data available. We cannot provide data on the total cost to the NHS of treating patients with UTI in the last financial year (2022/23).
NHS England published on 9 May 2023 its Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care. This sets out proposals to improve options for community-based services to treat urinary tract infections. Appropriately trained community pharmacists will be commissioned to provide a clinical service to care for patients with urinary symptoms, providing timely access to assessment, information and advice.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
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 prevent people from developing dementia.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are focusing on the major conditions which contribute to early mortality and reduce years of good health and taking action to reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease that are also risk factors for vascular dementia. For example, encouraging people in mid-life to stop smoking, reduce their alcohol consumption and improve their diet to help reduce the risk of developing dementia, disability and frailty in later life.
The Government recently announced that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy which will set out a strong and coherent policy agenda that sets out a shift to integrated, whole-person care. An interim report will be published in the summer.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made in monitoring the implementation of the Excellence in Continence Care Guidelines.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England does not monitor the implementation of the Excellence in Continence Care Guidelines. NHS England will consider next steps on Excellence in Continence Care through its National Bladder and Bowel Health Project and will report shortly. NHS England does not currently have any plans to commission a new Continence Care Audit.
Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to commission a new Continence Care Audit.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England does not monitor the implementation of the Excellence in Continence Care Guidelines. NHS England will consider next steps on Excellence in Continence Care through its National Bladder and Bowel Health Project and will report shortly. NHS England does not currently have any plans to commission a new Continence Care Audit.