Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
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 improve access to healthcare services in Hertfordshire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for improving access to healthcare services in Hertfordshire.
NHS England has informed us that the ICB is delivering its responsibility to improve support for those in mental health crisis through the launch of a Mental Health Urgent Care Centre, providing a more appropriate and therapeutic environment at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage. The ICB has also increased children and young people’s mental health access by 44% year-on-year, according to the latest data.
According to NHS England’s assessment, people across Hertfordshire now have significantly improved access to blood pressure checks across a range of settings, including general practice, community pharmacy, some dental and optometry sites, outpatient departments, and through community services.
A purpose-built theatre suite is set to open at St Albans City Hospital in Spring 2025. The ICB states that this will provide non-complex orthopaedic, hip and knee surgery, spinal injections, and ear, nose and throat procedures for approximately 4,400 patients per year, from across the ICB’s area.
The 10-Year Health Plan will consider the change needed to meet the three Health Mission goals, those being: a fairer system where everyone lives well for longer; a National Health Service that is there when people need it; and fewer lives lost to the biggest killers.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
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 implications for his policies of trends in the level of funding in his Department's statistics entitled Adult Social Care Activity and Finance Report, England, 2023-24, published on 31 October 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Adult Social Care Activity Report is published annually by NHS England. This statistics publication is the main data source for our analysis of adult social care expenditure. It includes statistics about overall levels of spending and breaks these down by setting, primary support reason, and age group. It also includes statistics about the unit costs of different types of adult social care.
Asked by: David Taylor (Labour - Hemel Hempstead)
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 adequacy of the provision of secondary care for residents in Hemel Hempstead constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. The appropriate provision and configuration of local services to best meet the needs of the local population and patients is a matter for National Health Service commissioners to consider.
The Government has been clear that NHS services are currently not meeting the high standards that patients should expect, and is committed to supporting the NHS to return to the standards set out in the NHS Constitution.
As a first step, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has appointed the Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of NHS performance, which will report in September 2024.