Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing mobile dental services in (a) Cambridgeshire and (b) Peterborough.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are clear that Faster, simpler and fairer: our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry, also known as the Dentistry Recovery Plan, published on 7 February 2024, did not go far enough to improve access for dentistry patients in the National Health Service. As part of our ambitions for dentistry, we will review what elements of the Dentistry Recovery Plan can be taken forward and within NHS budgets, including the proposals for dental vans.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for spending on mental health support in schools; and if he will provide a breakdown of projected spending by (a) local authority area and (b) spending type.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working across the Government to deliver our commitment of a specialist mental health professional in every school. We need to ensure any support meets the needs of young people, teachers, parents, and carers which is why we are exploring a range of options. This includes existing programmes of support with evidence of a positive impact, such as Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many tonnes of medical waste are incinerated annually by the NHS in the East of England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not collected in the format requested. However, the National Health Service collects data for all of England in the Estates Returns Information Collection, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of medical waste incineration capacity is underutilised in the East of England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not hold the information in the format requested.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the main differences will be between the (a) existing scope of the Pharmacy First programme and (b) proposed scope of the Community Pharmacy Prescribing Service.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacy First was launched on 31 January 2024. This service uses Patient Group Directions to enable pharmacists to supply certain prescription-only medication, where appropriate, based on specific eligibility criteria, and in line with best practice. Patients should be referred to a prescriber, such as a general practitioner, for treatment, if they meet one of the exclusion criteria.
Any pharmacist prescribing services will build on Pharmacy First and will be delivered by pharmacists that have undertaken additional training to become independent prescribers. This will enable them to provide support and prescribe medication for a wider range of conditions and cohorts of patients. NHS England is working with all integrated care boards to pilot how prescribing can work in community pharmacy.
The consultation with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25 was not concluded by the previous government, and we are looking at this as a matter of urgency.
Drug Tariff payments are reviewed regularly with adjustments made on a regular basis to reimbursement prices for medicines and appliances, and fees, when appropriate.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the (a) drug prices, (b) appliance prices, (c) fees paid to pharmacy contractors and (d) allowances paid to pharmacy contractors in the drug tariff.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacy First was launched on 31 January 2024. This service uses Patient Group Directions to enable pharmacists to supply certain prescription-only medication, where appropriate, based on specific eligibility criteria, and in line with best practice. Patients should be referred to a prescriber, such as a general practitioner, for treatment, if they meet one of the exclusion criteria.
Any pharmacist prescribing services will build on Pharmacy First and will be delivered by pharmacists that have undertaken additional training to become independent prescribers. This will enable them to provide support and prescribe medication for a wider range of conditions and cohorts of patients. NHS England is working with all integrated care boards to pilot how prescribing can work in community pharmacy.
The consultation with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25 was not concluded by the previous government, and we are looking at this as a matter of urgency.
Drug Tariff payments are reviewed regularly with adjustments made on a regular basis to reimbursement prices for medicines and appliances, and fees, when appropriate.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made with Community Pharmacy England on the new pharmacy contract.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacy First was launched on 31 January 2024. This service uses Patient Group Directions to enable pharmacists to supply certain prescription-only medication, where appropriate, based on specific eligibility criteria, and in line with best practice. Patients should be referred to a prescriber, such as a general practitioner, for treatment, if they meet one of the exclusion criteria.
Any pharmacist prescribing services will build on Pharmacy First and will be delivered by pharmacists that have undertaken additional training to become independent prescribers. This will enable them to provide support and prescribe medication for a wider range of conditions and cohorts of patients. NHS England is working with all integrated care boards to pilot how prescribing can work in community pharmacy.
The consultation with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25 was not concluded by the previous government, and we are looking at this as a matter of urgency.
Drug Tariff payments are reviewed regularly with adjustments made on a regular basis to reimbursement prices for medicines and appliances, and fees, when appropriate.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of prioritising the rebuilding of Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We must reset the New Hospital Programme to put it on a sustainable footing, however we are clear that replacing hospitals built wholly or mostly with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, including Hinchingbrooke Hospital, is the priority.
We are undertaking a full review of the programme to provide a thorough, costed, and realistic timeline for delivery, and to ensure we can replace the crumbling hospital estate in England. The review will be completed this autumn, and once concluded, Parliament will be updated on the next steps for the programme.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department issues on the incineration of medical waste in the East of England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not currently hold this information. However, the national guidance for the National Health Service’s clinical waste strategy is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-clinical-waste-strategy/
Organisations across integrated care systems, such as NHS trusts, would have their own policies on how to enact this guidance.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the remaining lifespan is for the buildings within Hinchingbrooke Hospital constructed from reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete panels.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2021/22, the Department and NHS England jointly commissioned a detailed structural assessment of the five hospitals built mostly using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) to assess the condition and rebuild options, which included Hinchingbrooke Hospital. The report estimated that the remaining life of the RAAC panels across the five hospitals would generally extend until approximately 2030, following the installation of fail-safe steelwork.
We are clear that hospitals built wholly or mostly with RAAC, including Hinchingbrooke Hospital, will be replaced through the New Hospital Programme as a priority. We are undertaking a full review of the programme to provide a thorough, costed, and realistic timeline for delivery, and to recognise the particular needs of the RAAC hospitals. The review will be completed this autumn, and once concluded, Parliament will be updated on the next steps for the programme.
Like all National Health Service sites in England with confirmed RAAC, Hinchingbrooke Hospital is part of NHS England’s national RAAC programme, backed by £954 million since 2021/22. Hinchingbrooke Hospital has received over £39 million to deliver required mitigation, safety, and eradication works, to keep facilities safe and open in line with the current recommendations of the Institution of Structural Engineers.