Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of staff in his Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The Department is committed to delivering its business effectively and sustainably, by creating workplaces that enable smart, flexible and hybrid working. Flexible working is a broad category which refers to any type of working arrangement that gives some degree of flexibility around how long, where or when an individual works.
Individuals can request informal arrangements which, if implemented, would have no impact on an employee's pay or other terms and conditions, or as a formal request. Compressed hours, for example, may be an ad hoc arrangement that doesn’t involve a contractual change to the employee's daily working hours, or a formal arrangement. Both formal and informal arrangements are agreed between the employee and line manager, and therefore there is not a central record of all the arrangements that exist. There would be disproportionate cost involved in reviewing all employee files and collating information on all informal and formal flexible working arrangements, including compressed hours.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of staff in his Department did not meet the minimum office attendance target in the latest period for which data is available; and what sanctions his Department issues to staff who do not meet this target.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 24 October 2024, the Cabinet Office announced that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time.
If people do not meet that reasonable expectation, as with any management instruction, it will be dealt with via existing performance management processes and ultimately with disciplinary action should there be sustained failure to comply.
Data on office attendance is published on the Government website and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the future role of Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates has been within the scope of discussions (a) he and (b) his Department have had with the British Medical Association in relation to potential strike action.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Departmental officials regularly discuss a wide range of matters with the British Medical Association (BMA) in relation to the working conditions of doctors and specifically in relation to the current dispute with the Resident Doctors Committee. The BMA has raised the issue of the differential in starting salaries between some resident doctors and physician associates and anaesthesia associates both in discussions and publicly.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
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 impact of acceptation of the recommendations of the Leng review on the number of (a) Physicians Associates and (b) Anaesthesia Associates.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The principal question of the Leng Review was to assess whether the roles of physician associates and anaesthesia associates, now to be known as physician assistants and physician assistants in anaesthesia, are safe and effective. The review’s findings were clear that, with changes in line with its recommendations, there remains a place for these roles to continue as supportive, complementary members of medical teams.
While decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers at a local level, physician assistants and physician assistants in anaesthesia will continue to play an important role in the NHS.
Our forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will look at how to get the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care, and we will consider the findings of the Leng Review when developing the plan.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
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 NHS nursing associates are (a) recognised for their work, (b) protected from role misuse and (c) supported within their defined scope of practice.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Employers across the National Health Service are best placed to identify, recognise, and reward staff for excellence in the delivery of healthcare. In October 2023, NHS England published their Staff Recognition Framework. This provides ideas and guidance for organisations to inform their own strategies and approaches to recognising the work of staff. The Staff Recognition Framework is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/staff-recognition-framework/
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England. The NMC has published standards of proficiency for nursing associates, which set out the knowledge and skills that nursing associates need to meet in order to be considered by the NMC as capable of safe and effective nursing associate practice. Further information on the standards of proficiency is available at the following link:
In addition, the NMC’s Code sets out the professional standards that all NMC registrants must uphold in order to be registered to practise in the United Kingdom.
Nursing associates can expand their knowledge and skills with the right training and governance. This must be coupled with appropriate local governance arrangements to ensure healthcare professionals only carry out tasks that they have received the necessary training to perform.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to introduce (a) clear and (b) nationally-recognised progression pathways for nursing associates for (i) leadership, (ii) specialist and (iii) educational roles beyond top-up registered nurse training.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to supporting flexible progression opportunities to ensure that nursing associates (NAs) can grow their careers across the National Health Service. NAs are trained to work across a range of health and care settings. Once qualified, NAs are supported to continue to build their skills and knowledge within their chosen specialist area. Besides the opportunity to complete a shortened nursing degree or nursing degree apprenticeship, NHS England funds a range of post-registration education programmes, including leadership development.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that newly qualified nursing associates are (a) guaranteed appropriate Band 4 roles and (b) are not left without employment opportunities after completing their training.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions on the availability of job opportunities for newly qualified nursing associates and other healthcare professionals trained in the United Kingdom are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.
We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Desk booking is used at the Department’s offices but is not required for office attendance. There are workspaces which do not require booking.
Desk booking is required at certain Arm’s Length Bodies’ workplaces. Employees are asked to book desks prior to attending the office at the UK Health Security Agency, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the Human Tissue Authority, the Care Quality Commission, the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, and the Health Research Authority.
Desk booking is not required at the offices of NHS England, NHS Resolution, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and NHS Blood and Transplant. Desk booking at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the NHS Business Services Authority is required at some of their offices.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to decrease the amount of time it takes for a repurposed medicine to be granted an MHRA licence.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) reviews the efficacy, safety and quality of a repurposed medicine in a similar way to other medicinal applications.
This review is part of the activities which MHRA contributes to under the Medicines Repurposing Programme. Once sufficient evidence is available, MHRA will consider the applications within the statutory timelines which can be expedited if company dossiers contain all required information. Timelines for assessment vary and depend on the nature of the application.
MHRA continuously reviews processes for the assessment of applications to determine whether any efficiencies and improved timelines are feasible.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average length of time has been for a repurposed medicine to be granted an MHRA licence from the point of application in the last two years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the last two years, there has been one medicine to date, namely Anastrozole, coming through the Repurposed Medicines Programme, with more information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/medicines-2/medicines-repurposing-programme/
As only one medicine has been through the Repurposed Medicines programme so far, there is no meaningful 'average time' at this point, but the review times are being monitored.