Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
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 implications for his policies on breast cancer of research linking lye hair product usage and breast cancer incidence amongst black women.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to support the mental health of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s in Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service recognises that two-thirds of people with a common mental health problem also have a long term physical health problem, and that integrating talking and psychological therapy services with physical health services can provide better support and achieve better outcomes. All local commissioners are expected to commission NHS talking therapies integrated into physical healthcare pathways.
To support the mental health of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a movement disorders multi-disciplinary team covering Parkinson’s, which discusses patients’ mental health needs.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) reduce waiting times for a Parkinson’s diagnosis and (b) increase the number of Parkinson’s specialists in (i) Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency and (ii) the North East.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In February 2022 the National Health Service published a delivery plan setting out a clear vision for how the NHS will recover and reduce waiting times for elective services, including prioritising diagnosis and treatment. To support this recovery, the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available to systems in 2021/22 to help drive up and protect elective activity.
The Government has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term plan for the NHS workforce for the next 15 years. The plan, which will include independently verified forecasts for the number of healthcare professionals required in future years, taking full account of improvements in retention and productivity, is due to be published shortly.
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has recently appointed an additional Neurology Specialist Nurse into its Parkinson’s Team.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the impact of hair relaxers that are labelled as including no-lye when sodium hydroxide is listed in the ingredients on women's health; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning hair relaxers containing lye.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Ministers regularly engage with other Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues relating to health and social care and other matters. There are currently no plans to make an assessment.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March to Question 158909 on Mental Health Services: Children, what proportion of responses received included reference to mental health support for babies and toddlers.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The information is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has published recent guidance for small and medium-sized enterprises in the life sciences sector on accessing NHS procurement contracts; and whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that competition between large and small organisations for NHS procurement contracts is fair.
Answered by Will Quince
Procurement within the National Health Service is conducted within the rules of the Government’s Public Contracts Regulations 2015, which stipulates that all suppliers are treated fairly and equally in the procurement process.
Procurement Policy Notes (PPNs) also provide provisions to allow contracting authorities not to unfairly exclude small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In November 2020, PPN 11/20 published Reserving Below Threshold Procurements, allowing contracting authorities to restrict certain threshold procurements for SMEs, which is available at the following link:
PPN 01/23 Requirements to Publish on Contracts Finder, published in January 2023, reminded contracting authorities to publish all contract opportunities on Contract Finder. For NHS trusts and Foundation trusts this is set at £30,000.
SMEs are critical to the NHS Supply Chain, and the NHS is fully committed to supporting SMEs so they can supply to the NHS. NHS England is establishing a strategic supplier relationship programme to help build and enhance our relationship with NHS suppliers, including SMEs.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any other Government departments provide funding for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of (i) interstitial lung disease and (ii) idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has made no arrangements with other Government Departments for funding the diagnosis and treatment of interstitial lung disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of interstitial lung disease services and funds the high cost anti-fibrotic treatments which treat these diseases. Access to these treatments has recently been widened to people with non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with the publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Technology Appraisal 747 in November 2021.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) increase the number of patient representatives included on Integrated Care Boards.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Health and Care Act 2022 sets out minimum membership requirements of integrated care boards (ICBs) that include representatives from National Health Service trusts, primary care, and local authorities. However, the local areas can, by local agreement, go beyond the legislative minimum requirements in order to address their local needs.
The constitutions of ICBs are expected to include principles and arrangements for how the ICB will work with patients and communities. ICBs are also legally bound under section 13Q of the National Health Service Act 2006 to involve the public in the commissioning of services for NHS patients. ICBs also must set out how they plan to execute this duty in their joint forward plans.
Currently there are no plans for the Department to review and mandate any additional requirements for patient representation on ICBs.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
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 estimate of the number of referrals there have been to (a) GPs and (b) mental health specialists citing the asylum process as contributing to mental ill health in the last 12 months.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This information is not collected and therefore no estimate will be made.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what science funding his Department has allocated to the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of (i) Interstitial lung disease and (ii) Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not allocated specific science funding for diagnosis and treatment of Interstitial lung disease and Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of interstitial lung disease services and funds the high cost anti-fibrotic treatments which treat these diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis. Access to these treatments have recently been widened to people with non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with the publication of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Technology Appraisal 747 in November 2021.