Asked by: Dan Tomlinson (Labour - Chipping Barnet)
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 help support Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (a) to reduce waiting times, (b) limit the rejection of referrals and (c) improve trust in services by both (i) parents and (ii) children.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are too long. We are determined to change that, which is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across child and adult mental health services, to reduce delays and provide faster treatment.
Better prevention is key to reducing the demand for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, which is why we will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school, so that mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, can be identified early on and prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life. We will also roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.
We expect that these measures will help to limit the rejection of referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, and improve trust in services for both parents and children.
Asked by: Dan Tomlinson (Labour - Chipping Barnet)
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 potential impact of recent changes to funding for nurse training on (a) the recruitment of mature graduates and (b) other nurse recruitment; and what plans he has for future levels of medical school and nursing course places, in the context of recent trends in levels of NHS staffing.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made. Tuition fees and student maintenance loans for nursing training are set by the Department for Education. Through the Department of Health and Social Care, eligible students also continue to receive support whilst they are studying, through the Learning Support Fund, which includes a non-repayable grant of £5,000 a year. The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review.
We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. A central and core part of this plan will be our workforce, and how we ensure we train and provide the staff the NHS needs, including doctors and nurses, to care for patients across our communities.
Asked by: Dan Tomlinson (Labour - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has commissioned research into the factors causing increased GP consultation rates.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not formally commissioned research into this topic. General practice consultation rates have increased in recent years, as a result of significant growth in the clinical workforce. This increase also represents a recovery from the abnormally low level of consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Dan Tomlinson (Labour - Chipping Barnet)
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 take steps to improve training for service providers on (a) Tourette's syndrome and (b) other tic disorders.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s e-Learning for Healthcare has produced modular online learning resources in relation to Tourette’s syndrome and other tic disorders, within its neurodevelopmental disorder and healthy schools programme domains, which are freely accessible to all, including service providers.
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and social care, including Tourette’s syndrome. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
The NIHR has funded a number of research projects on Tourette’s syndrome. For example, it has funded the Online Remote Behavioural Treatment for Tics study to evaluate online behavioural interventions for children with tics and Tourette’s syndrome. Researchers at the NIHR Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre are also supporting the TIC Genetics programme, which aims to identify the genetic factors that cause Tourette’s syndrome using a family-based approach.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/
Asked by: Dan Tomlinson (Labour - Chipping Barnet)
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 adequacy of waiting times for NHS treatment.
Answered by Wes Streeting - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Patients are waiting too long to access the care they need, with over 6 million people waiting for treatment across 7.6 million pathways. Tackling this is a key part of our Health Mission. We will start by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step in our commitment to ensuring patients are treated within 18 weeks.