Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is on track to meet its target for GP appointment waiting times by the end of the Parliament.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to make it easier for everyone to see a general practitioner (GP) when they need to, by improving access to appointments. We will bring back the family doctor, train thousands more GPs, guarantee a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one, and end the 8:00am scramble for appointments by delivering a modern booking system.
We have invested £82 million into ARRS (Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme) which has enabled the recruitment of over 1,500 recently qualified GPs across England since October 2024 which will increase the number of appointments available, benefitting thousands of patients that are struggling to access care.
We’ve also just delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, with an £889 million uplift to the GP Contract for 2025/26, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources. For the first time in four years, the General Practitioners Committee England backed the new contract, which includes key reforms to improve access, for instance by making sure patients can request appointments online throughout core hours.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 meet his target for GP appointment waiting times.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to make it easier for everyone to see a general practitioner (GP) when they need to, by improving access to appointments. We will bring back the family doctor, train thousands more GPs, guarantee a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one, and end the 8:00am scramble for appointments by delivering a modern booking system.
We have invested £82 million into ARRS (Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme) which has enabled the recruitment of over 1,500 recently qualified GPs across England since October 2024 which will increase the number of appointments available, benefitting thousands of patients that are struggling to access care.
We’ve also just delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, with an £889 million uplift to the GP Contract for 2025/26, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources. For the first time in four years, the General Practitioners Committee England backed the new contract, which includes key reforms to improve access, for instance by making sure patients can request appointments online throughout core hours.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mental health waiting lists on levels of people out of work.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. We are determined to change that. Our mission is to improve mental health care across the spectrum. We are focusing on ensuring the National Health Service is providing the right support to the right people, at the right time.
We are working to address the impacts of mental ill health on economic inactivity and are committed to supporting people into work, recognising that good work is good for mental health. Despite the challenging fiscal environment, we have chosen to prioritise funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support schemes, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the root cause of mental health issues, and providing support for people to contribute to the economy by remaining in or returning to work.
As part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future, we will recruit 8,500 more mental health workers to cut wait times and provide faster treatment.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his target is for GP wait times by the end of this Parliament.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to make it easier for everyone to see a general practitioner (GP) when they need to, by improving access to appointments. We will bring back the family doctor, train thousands more GPs, guarantee a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one, and end the 8:00am scramble for appointments by delivering a modern booking system.
We have invested £82 million into ARRS (Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme) which has enabled the recruitment of over 1,500 recently qualified GPs across England since October 2024 which will increase the number of appointments available, benefitting thousands of patients that are struggling to access care.
We’ve also just delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, with an £889 million uplift to the GP Contract for 2025/26, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources. For the first time in four years, the General Practitioners Committee England backed the new contract, which includes key reforms to improve access, for instance by making sure patients can request appointments online throughout core hours.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 reduce waiting lists for mental health treatment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services across England are too long.
As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to cut wait times and provide faster treatment.
Despite the challenging fiscal environment, the Government has chosen to prioritise funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support schemes, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the root cause of mental health issues, and providing support for people with severe mental illness to contribute to the economy by remaining in or returning to work.
We have also committed £26 million in capital investment to open new mental health crisis centres, reducing pressure on busy emergency mental health and accident and emergency services, and ensuring that people have the support they need when they need it.
People of all ages in England who are experiencing a mental health crisis can now speak to a trained NHS professional at any time of the day through the mental health option on NHS 111. Trained NHS staff assess patients over the phone and guide them through next steps, such organising face-to-face community support, or facilitating access to alternative services, such as crisis cafés or safe havens.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the qualifying criteria for (a) Ozempic and (b) Wegovy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE evaluates medicines in accordance with their marketing authorisations, including any criteria set out in the summary of product characteristics, granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The National Health Service in England is legally required to fund medicines and treatments recommended by NICE under its technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies programmes. NICE develops its recommendations in line with its established methods and processes which include a careful consideration of the evidence and engagement with stakeholders.
NICE has published guidance that recommends the medicine semaglutide subject to specified clinical criteria for use in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, for which it is marketed as Ozempic, and for use in weight management, including weight loss and weight maintenance, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity in adults, for which it is marketed as Wegovy. NICE is currently planning a review of its guidance on the use of semaglutide in the treatment of weight loss and, subject to licensing, developing recommendations on its use for preventing major cardiovascular events in people with cardiovascular disease and living with overweight or obesity.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the level of availability of Ozempic to NHS patients.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has worked intensively with industry, NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and others in the supply chain to resolve the ongoing supply issues with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, including Ozempic. We continue to monitor the situation, ensuring medicines remain available for new patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as those unable to obtain their existing treatment. Any patient who is worried about their condition, or access to these medications, should speak to their clinician in the first instance.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 capacity of health care services in the England and Wales to provide take home Naloxone kits to people at risk of opioid overdose.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government has amended the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to expand access to naloxone. This means that more professionals and services than ever before can give out take-home supplies of naloxone to those at-risk of overdose. This follows the Department’s public consultation, published on 24 January 2024, in which the responses were overwhelmingly supportive of our proposals. The legislation came into force on 2 December 2024.
The legislation also enables the development of a new registration service, which will further expand the number of professionals and services able to give out naloxone. This will take longer to implement, and work is ongoing across the devolved administrations to ensure alignment where appropriate.
This legislation is United Kingdom wide, and we will continue to work closely with colleagues in the devolved administrations to share learning and align our approaches where appropriate.
Health is a devolved issue, and as a result there are currently different existing arrangements for naloxone supply across the UK and each administration takes its own decisions on the provision and funding of naloxone. I have therefore not had discussions on UK wide Government-funded naloxone programmes.
These legislative changes are enabling only, meaning it will be a choice for individuals or organisations to decide whether they want to use this power and give out naloxone, which will be based on local need and capacity. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug treatment services as part of their public health responsibilities, and they provide funding for naloxone supplied through drug treatment services based on their assessment of local need.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 introducing a programme of naloxone provision in the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government has amended the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to expand access to naloxone. This means that more professionals and services than ever before can give out take-home supplies of naloxone to those at-risk of overdose. This follows the Department’s public consultation, published on 24 January 2024, in which the responses were overwhelmingly supportive of our proposals. The legislation came into force on 2 December 2024.
The legislation also enables the development of a new registration service, which will further expand the number of professionals and services able to give out naloxone. This will take longer to implement, and work is ongoing across the devolved administrations to ensure alignment where appropriate.
This legislation is United Kingdom wide, and we will continue to work closely with colleagues in the devolved administrations to share learning and align our approaches where appropriate.
Health is a devolved issue, and as a result there are currently different existing arrangements for naloxone supply across the UK and each administration takes its own decisions on the provision and funding of naloxone. I have therefore not had discussions on UK wide Government-funded naloxone programmes.
These legislative changes are enabling only, meaning it will be a choice for individuals or organisations to decide whether they want to use this power and give out naloxone, which will be based on local need and capacity. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug treatment services as part of their public health responsibilities, and they provide funding for naloxone supplied through drug treatment services based on their assessment of local need.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the impact of government-funded Naloxone programmes.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government has amended the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to expand access to naloxone. This means that more professionals and services than ever before can give out take-home supplies of naloxone to those at-risk of overdose. This follows the Department’s public consultation, published on 24 January 2024, in which the responses were overwhelmingly supportive of our proposals. The legislation came into force on 2 December 2024.
The legislation also enables the development of a new registration service, which will further expand the number of professionals and services able to give out naloxone. This will take longer to implement, and work is ongoing across the devolved administrations to ensure alignment where appropriate.
This legislation is United Kingdom wide, and we will continue to work closely with colleagues in the devolved administrations to share learning and align our approaches where appropriate.
Health is a devolved issue, and as a result there are currently different existing arrangements for naloxone supply across the UK and each administration takes its own decisions on the provision and funding of naloxone. I have therefore not had discussions on UK wide Government-funded naloxone programmes.
These legislative changes are enabling only, meaning it will be a choice for individuals or organisations to decide whether they want to use this power and give out naloxone, which will be based on local need and capacity. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug treatment services as part of their public health responsibilities, and they provide funding for naloxone supplied through drug treatment services based on their assessment of local need.