Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with care providers following the abuse of patients with learning disabilities at Whorlton Hall hospital filmed by the BBC's Panorama programme, aired on 22 May.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Government has had no discussions on this matter with care providers directly. The Care Quality Commission, the independent inspectorate of hospitals and adult care homes, has commissioned an independent review of its inspection and regulatory approach to Whorlton Hall, which should inform work to ensure the appropriate oversight of care provided to people with a learning disability.
On 21 May 2019, I laid a written statement (HLWS1533) in which it was announced that the National Health Service would be strengthening its existing oversight arrangements. Where someone with a learning disability and/or autism is an inpatient out of area they will be visited every six weeks if they are a child and every eight weeks if they are an adult, on site. The host clinical commissioning group will also be given new responsibilities to oversee and monitor the quality of care for hospitals in their local areas.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to offer screening for malnutrition at GP surgeries and pharmacies in England.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.
The UK NSC has not reviewed the evidence to screen for malnutrition, however the Committee welcomes new topic proposals via its annual call for topics which opens each year from September to December.
The UK NSC has published its evidence review process online on GOV.UK, which includes how to submit a new topic proposal.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of appointing a clinical lead for nutrition for the NHS in England.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
NHS England and NHS Improvement have a lead Nutrition and Hydration Specialist in Quality Improvement. Their work focusses on building collaboratives to improve nutrition and hydration within providers.
In addition, Public Health England’s (PHE) Chief Nutritionist provides leadership and strategic oversight on key priority areas of diet, nutrition, obesity and physical activity to PHE, the Department and other Government departments.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate that NICE will publish the outcome of the NICE Evaluation Committee meeting held on 6 March.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Departmental officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England about a range of issues, including progress in discussions about a potential managed access agreement for Spinraza (nusinersen). Ministers have also held meetings with Biogen, NICE and NHS England on a number of occasions, at which the availability of Spinraza was discussed.
NHS England and NICE have made stakeholders and the public aware of the outcome of its appraisal committee meeting and NICE is now able to recommend the use of Spinraza for National Health Service patients in England, subject to a managed access agreement agreed between NHS England and Biogen. The final appraisal document will be published in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) NICE, (2) NHS England, and (3) Biogen, on a Managed Access Agreement for Spinal Muscular Atrophy treatment, Spinraza.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Departmental officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England about a range of issues, including progress in discussions about a potential managed access agreement for Spinraza (nusinersen). Ministers have also held meetings with Biogen, NICE and NHS England on a number of occasions, at which the availability of Spinraza was discussed.
NHS England and NICE have made stakeholders and the public aware of the outcome of its appraisal committee meeting and NICE is now able to recommend the use of Spinraza for National Health Service patients in England, subject to a managed access agreement agreed between NHS England and Biogen. The final appraisal document will be published in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to ensure that the European Health Insurance Card will continue to be valid for UK citizens in EU countries after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
As the Prime Minister stated on 20 July 2016, as long as we are a member of the European Union we will respect the rights and obligations of EU membership, therefore the current arrangements for European Health Insurance Cards remain in place. Officials in both the Department of Health and the Department for Exiting the European Union are considering the position and options available to us with the aim of achieving the best outcome for the United Kingdom health system and for the UK as a whole. We are about to begin these negotiations and it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance.
Asked by: Baroness Thomas of Winchester (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the result of the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU, what plans they have for ensuring that the conditional approval of the European Medicines Agency for new treatments continues to have validity in the UK.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The previous Prime Minister was clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe needed to begin under the new Prime Minister, and we now have got to look at all the detailed arrangements.
The Department has launched a ministerial industry strategy group to prepare for the renegotiation on the new European Union/United Kingdom relationship, which includes looking at the relationship between the UK and the EU medicines regulatory framework.