Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
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 Cabinet colleagues to support women with epilepsy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, placing women’s equality at the heart of our agenda and ensuring women’s health is never again neglected.
At a national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy, including women, such as the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit, and the Getting It Right First Time Programme (GIRFT) for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP).
The GIRFT National Specialty Report made recommendations designed to improve services nationally and to support the National Health Service to deliver care more equitably across the country. The National Specialty Report highlighted differences in how services are delivered and offered an unprecedented opportunity to share successful initiatives between trusts to improve patient services nationally.
Building on the GIRFT National Specialty Report, the NTP has developed a model of integrated care for neurology services to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home. A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model.
The RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit includes specific recommendations regarding supporting women with epilepsy. For example, it states that support should be provided to women with epilepsy who are pregnant and those who are of childbearing age which makes clear the risks of certain anti-epileptic drugs that are known to cause birth defects, such as sodium valproate.
The Toolkit also makes clear that it is equally important to provide clear information and guidance on the risks of stopping an anti-epileptic drug treatment, which include Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, that is not related to causing birth defects, and the risks that poses to the mother and unborn baby to support balanced informed decisions on care.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 27 January 2021 to Question 137239 on Prescription Drugs, what information his Department holds on the number of patients who have been prescribed drugs categorised under the (a) (i) clonazepam and (ii) other benzodiazepines, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants, (d) opioids, (e) pregabalin and (f) gabapentin drug groups in the (A) last 12 months and (B) the previous 12 month period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:
Drug group | Financial year | Total number of items |
Clonazepam | 2022/23 | 1,048,081 |
2023/24 | 1,059,421 | |
Other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 7,156,845 |
2023/24 | 6,814,129 | |
Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 8,204,926 |
2023/24 | 7,873,550 | |
Z-drugs | 2022/23 | 5,316,627 |
2023/24 | 5,113,574 | |
Antidepressants | 2022/23 | 86,263,722 |
2023/24 | 89,131,582 | |
Opioids | 2022/23 | 39,401,517 |
2023/24 | 39,046,206 | |
Pregabalin | 2022/23 | 8,775,699 |
2023/24 | 9,180,793 | |
Gabapentin | 2022/23 | 7,413,759 |
2023/24 | 7,408,375 |
Source: NHS Business Services Authority.
In addition, the following table shows the patient identifiable information for the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, for the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:
Drug group | Financial Year | Total number of unique identified patients | Percentage of items where the patient has been identified |
Clonazepam | 2022/23 | 85,613 | 98.22% |
2023/24 | 85,191 | 98.16% | |
Other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 1,253,962 | 97.06% |
2023/24 | 1,186,001 | 97.01% | |
Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 1,324,792 | 97.21% |
2023/24 | 1,256,941 | 97.17% | |
Z-drugs | 2022/23 | 795,959 |
|
2023/24 | 764,743 |
| |
Antidepressants | 2022/23 | 8,563,148 |
|
2023/24 | 8,747,095 |
| |
Opioids | 2022/23 | 5,593,035 |
|
2023/24 | 5,562,718 |
| |
Pregabalin | 2022/23 | 786,403 |
|
2023/24 | 823,231 |
| |
Gabapentin | 2022/23 | 808,562 |
|
2023/24 | 799,144 |
|
Source: NHS Business Services Authority.
Notes:
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescriptions were issued for each drug categorised under the (a) (i) clonazepam and (ii) other benzodiazepines, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants, (d) opioids, (e) pregabalin and (f) gabapentin drug groups in the (i) last 12 months and (ii) previous 12 month period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:
Drug group | Financial year | Total number of items |
Clonazepam | 2022/23 | 1,048,081 |
2023/24 | 1,059,421 | |
Other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 7,156,845 |
2023/24 | 6,814,129 | |
Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 8,204,926 |
2023/24 | 7,873,550 | |
Z-drugs | 2022/23 | 5,316,627 |
2023/24 | 5,113,574 | |
Antidepressants | 2022/23 | 86,263,722 |
2023/24 | 89,131,582 | |
Opioids | 2022/23 | 39,401,517 |
2023/24 | 39,046,206 | |
Pregabalin | 2022/23 | 8,775,699 |
2023/24 | 9,180,793 | |
Gabapentin | 2022/23 | 7,413,759 |
2023/24 | 7,408,375 |
Source: NHS Business Services Authority.
In addition, the following table shows the patient identifiable information for the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, for the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:
Drug group | Financial Year | Total number of unique identified patients | Percentage of items where the patient has been identified |
Clonazepam | 2022/23 | 85,613 | 98.22% |
2023/24 | 85,191 | 98.16% | |
Other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 1,253,962 | 97.06% |
2023/24 | 1,186,001 | 97.01% | |
Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 1,324,792 | 97.21% |
2023/24 | 1,256,941 | 97.17% | |
Z-drugs | 2022/23 | 795,959 |
|
2023/24 | 764,743 |
| |
Antidepressants | 2022/23 | 8,563,148 |
|
2023/24 | 8,747,095 |
| |
Opioids | 2022/23 | 5,593,035 |
|
2023/24 | 5,562,718 |
| |
Pregabalin | 2022/23 | 786,403 |
|
2023/24 | 823,231 |
| |
Gabapentin | 2022/23 | 808,562 |
|
2023/24 | 799,144 |
|
Source: NHS Business Services Authority.
Notes:
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
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 impact of the restriction of puberty blockers for the treatment of gender incongruence on the (a) physical and (b) mental health of young trans people.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 11 December 2024 the Government introduced The Medicines (Gonadotrophin-Releasing Hormone Analogues) (Restrictions on Private Sales and Supplies) Order 2024, which came into effect on 1 January 2025. Alongside this legislation the Government published a full impact assessment, which is available at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/1319/impacts
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many public health representatives he has met to discuss (a) tobacco, (b) obesity and (c) alcohol harm; and whether he plans to meet more public health organisations in the New Year to discuss those issues.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK website. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.
I can confirm that Department ministers expect to continue to engage with prevention and public health stakeholders across a number of important issues next year.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many alcohol industry representatives Ministers in his Department have met since July 2024.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK website. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to tackle alcohol harms.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. For too long there has been an unwillingness to lead on issues like smoking, alcohol harm, and obesity. It is unacceptable that alcohol deaths are now at record high levels. The Department will continue to work across Government to understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Health Mission Board has taken to tackle rates of alcohol harm.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. For too long there has been an unwillingness to lead on issues like smoking, alcohol harm, and obesity. It is unacceptable that alcohol deaths are now at record high levels. The Department will continue to work across Government to understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to meet (a) the Alcohol Health Alliance and (b) other public health representatives to discuss rates of alcohol harm.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. For too long there has been an unwillingness to lead on issues like smoking, alcohol harm, and obesity. It is unacceptable that alcohol deaths are now at record high levels. I can confirm that Department ministers plan to meet representatives from the Alcohol Health Alliance in the new year.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet the Alcohol Health Alliance to discuss what steps the Government can take to reduce alcohol related deaths.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. For too long there has been an unwillingness to lead on issues like smoking, alcohol harm, and obesity. It is unacceptable that alcohol deaths are now at record high levels. I can confirm that Department ministers plan to meet representatives from the Alcohol Health Alliance in the new year.