Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of whistleblowing procedures for health workers with concerns about patient safety.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
I feel strongly that the National Health Service must support and welcome all staff to speak up. It is the duty of a health practitioner to speak up whenever they are concerned. Over the last decade, the Government and our system partners have delivered major initiatives in response to recommendations made to the Department. Our focus has been on making progress and this approach has improved governance, delivered more robust regulation, enabled staff to speak up more freely, protected whistleblowers, and changed the way patient safety is approached in the NHS.
The data submitted by the Freedom to Speak Up Guardians provides invaluable insight into the implementation of the Freedom to Speak Up policy, which is reported quarterly to the National Guardian’s Office. Over 100,000 cases have been raised with Freedom to Speak Up Guardians since 2017.
Whilst there is more to do to remove detriments, there are signs that the improvements to speaking up are valued, for example, over 25,000 cases were brought to Freedom to Speak Up Guardians throughout 2022/23, a 25% increase on the previous year. 19% of cases reported in 2022/23 involved an element of patient safety or quality, up from 18.8% in 2021/22.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's Press Release entitled, Prime Minister launches Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, published on 14 August 2022, how much and what proportion of the funding made available through that mission will be spent in each region.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The £95 million of Government funding allocated to the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission will be accessible across the United Kingdom, however we cannot at this stage confirm a regional breakdown of the spending allocation.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it his policy to implement Owen's Law in line with the recommendations of the Food Standards Agency.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. The United Kingdom maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.
At the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) December 2023 board meeting, the board agreed a revised policy for provision of allergen information for food businesses selling non-prepacked food, such as coffee shops and restaurants. The new policy sets an expectation for these businesses to provide allergen information in writing as well as having a conversation. The board also agreed their preference would be for written information to be mandatory.
As a non-ministerial department, the FSA cannot make legislation and has written to Ministers in England and Wales, the Executive in Northern Ireland, and Food Standards Scotland for views on these matters.
In the meantime, the FSA will develop guidance to implement this policy and provide support for food businesses on how to provide written allergen information to help drive up compliance and make it easier for people with a food allergy, intolerance or coeliac disease to make safe choices when eating out.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on the use of (a) Lecanemab and (b) Donanemab in the treatment of dementia.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working closely together with system partners to plan for the implementation of new dementia medicines such as lecanemab and donanemab, should they be granted a marketing authorisation in the United Kingdom and a positive National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendation. Partners include the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, NICE, NHS England, the Office for Life Sciences, and the devolved administrations, including the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of treatment for women with endometriosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No specific assessment has been made. Menstrual health and gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis, is a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy. We are investing £25 million in women’s health hubs, so that women can get better access to care for menstrual problems, including women with suspected or diagnosed endometriosis.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is updating its recommendations on diagnosing endometriosis and surgical management of endometriosis if fertility is a priority. NICE will provide information on the expected publication date of its final guidance in due course.
Additionally, NHS England is updating the service specification for severe endometriosis, which defines the expected standards of care. This update will ensure that specialist endometriosis services have access to the most up-to-date evidence and advice and will improve standards of care for women with severe endometriosis.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will hold discussions with (a) the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and (b) other relevant stakeholders on the availability of (i) modular therapies and (ii) other treatments for cystic fibrosis through the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing recommendations on whether the licensed cystic fibrosis modulator therapies can be recommended for routine funding by the National Health Service. NICE is responsible for leading engagement with interested parties in the development of its recommendations and we have no plans to hold separate discussions.
NICE has recently consulted on its draft guidance and continues to work with stakeholders to address the issues highlighted by its independent Appraisal Committee. The Department encourages stakeholders such as patients and representative organisations to continue to engage in the NICE evaluation process.
Under the terms of the interim access agreement between NHS England and Vertex, eligible children and adults with cystic fibrosis in England can continue to receive ongoing treatment and be initiated onto treatment with the licensed cystic fibrosis modulators, as clinically appropriate, while NICE concludes its evaluation. The availability of medicines in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
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 making Dental (a) Foundation and (b) Vocational Training mandatory for dentists entering private practice.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
As set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, we believe it is right and fair to seek better value for the significant investment that the taxpayer makes in the education and training of the dental workforce.
As the Workforce Plan sets out, the National Health Service and Government will explore whether a tie-in would ensure that dentists spend a greater proportion of their time delivering NHS dental care.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the clinical experience dentists receive before becoming eligible to practise.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government has no plans to review the standards of training for dentistry students. No assessment has been made of increasing the clinical experience dentists receive before becoming eligible to practice. The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator for dentists and dental care professionals in the United Kingdom. The GDC sets the standards of training and education required, including clinical placements, to gain entry to its register, and approves and inspects education and training providers.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the standards of training for dentistry students.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government has no plans to review the standards of training for dentistry students. No assessment has been made of increasing the clinical experience dentists receive before becoming eligible to practice. The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator for dentists and dental care professionals in the United Kingdom. The GDC sets the standards of training and education required, including clinical placements, to gain entry to its register, and approves and inspects education and training providers.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his letter to his counterparts in Scotland and Wales on 13 August 2023, what steps he plans to take to ensure that patients on waiting lists in Northern Ireland can receive treatment in England.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government are committed to reducing waiting times across England and the United Kingdom, and my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has written to the devolved administrations to offer to work collaboratively to reduce long waits. He also indicated that he would consider any request for patients waiting for lengthy periods for treatment in Scotland and Wales to be able to choose from alternate providers in England.
Officials in the Department are seeking an initial meeting with the devolved administrations to discuss how we can work jointly and share lessons on tackling the longest waits.
More generally, the UK Government has a longstanding history of close working with the Devolved Governments on cross-border commissioning arrangements. These have been in place for several years and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already have the power to contract with any National Health Service provider in England for specific services.
For example, NHS England commissions five specialised services on behalf of patients from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: choriocarcinoma; craniofacial services; liver transplantation (where this takes place at English providers); retinoblastoma; and specialist paediatric liver services.