Asked by: Blair McDougall (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce waiting times for gynaecological procedures and (b) help support women's health.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Nearly 600,000 women are on gynaecology waiting lists. It is unacceptable that patients are waiting too long to get the care they need. Cutting waiting lists, including for gynaecology procedures, is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government.
We have committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by the end of this Parliament, including those waiting for gynaecology treatment. Funding has been confirmed to support the delivery of an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments per week. Capital investment of £1.5 billion for new surgical hubs and scanners has been announced, alongside £70 million for new radiotherapy machines.
We are considering how to take forward the Women’s Health Strategy for England, and work continues to improve health outcomes for women. For example, the Department is continuing to work with NHS England to support the establishment of at least one pilot women’s health hub in every integrated care system, following a £25 million investment. As of September 2024, 36 of the 42 integrated care boards reported to NHS England that their pilot women’s health hub was open. The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service and will put women’s equality at the heart of our missions.
Asked by: Blair McDougall (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take steps to prevent the online (i) purchase and (ii) use of harmful dermal fillers and botox injections by unqualified beauticians.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is currently considering what steps may need to be taken in relation to the safety of the non-surgical cosmetics sector. The Government will set out its position at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Blair McDougall (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
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 efficiency of the sharing of medical records when a patient requires NHS treatment in different nations of the UK.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While the delivery of healthcare is a devolved matter, health services in England and the devolved administrations cooperate to share medical records for patients’ treatment, with systems such as Primary Care Support England and the National Health Service Central Register in Scotland to support the process.
Asked by: Blair McDougall (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with the Scottish Government to (a) improve drug addiction treatments and (b) reduce drug-related deaths.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As health is a devolved matter, each administration of the United Kingdom takes its own decisions on the provision of treatment and other action to address drug related deaths. Nonetheless, it is important that the four nations work together and share learning to tackle the health harms that drugs pose.
The Department has been working closely with the Scottish Government and the other devolved administrations to expand access to naloxone, a life-saving medicine that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. The Government laid UK-wide legislation on 29 July 2024, which, subject to passage through Parliament, will enable more services and organisations to provide take-home supplies of naloxone without a prescription. These changes will make it easier for naloxone to be given to a family member or friend of a person who is known to be using opiates, and to professionals working with people who use these drugs, to save lives in the event of an overdose.
We will continue to work together with the Scottish Government and agencies such as Public Health Scotland, to monitor emerging threats posed by drugs, share learning between nations, and prevent drug related deaths across the UK.