Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the cost to the NHS of the treatment of strokes and heart attacks in people with chronic kidney disease.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We have not made a specific assessment. Information on such costs is not collected in the format requested.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Royal College of Physicians’ 2020 census finding that 38 per cent of advertised consultant posts were unfilled in south London, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the number of medical school places in England.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We have funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students in England – a 25% increase over three years. This expansion was completed in September 2020 and has delivered five new medical schools in England. In addition, we have temporarily lifted the cap on medical school places for students who completed A-Levels in 2020 and in 2021 and who had an offer from a university in England to study medicine, subject to their grades. There are currently no plans to further increase the number of places.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of care home staff have received a covid-19 booster vaccine.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
By 26 October 2021, 100,305 care home staff were reported to have received a COVID-19 booster vaccine or approximately 18% of all reported care home staff.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the proportion of local authority referrals into social care that are allocated to occupational therapists.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Local authorities have a duty to meet eligible care needs of their local populations. This includes, where appropriate, referrals to an occupational therapist. The information on the proportion of local authority referrals into social care which are allocated to occupational therapists is not held centrally.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of local authority referrals into social care are allocated to occupational therapists.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Local authorities have a duty to meet eligible care needs of their local populations. This includes, where appropriate, referrals to an occupational therapist. The information on the proportion of local authority referrals into social care which are allocated to occupational therapists is not held centrally.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that an interim access arrangement is agreed for Trodelvy.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In view of the rapid approval of Project Orbis medicines, NHS England and NHS Improvement and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have developed an interim process to support patient access to medicines between Project Orbis licensing approval and publication of NICE guidance. It is anticipated that this will only be required in the short term. Consideration is given to:
- whether there is expected to be three months or longer between regulatory approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and publication by NICE of its final draft guidance;
- if there are any direct competitors expected to go through the NICE technology appraisal process within the next six months;
- if the treatment will make a fundamental, positive change to the existing treatment pathway; and
- whether the company will offer the medicine or treatment on a cost neutral basis.
NHS England and NHS Improvement and NICE are continuing to work with the manufacturer to explore options for interim access to Trodelvy.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the criteria is for interim access arrangements for oncology products licensed through Project Orbis.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In view of the rapid approval of Project Orbis medicines, NHS England and NHS Improvement and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have developed an interim process to support patient access to medicines between Project Orbis licensing approval and publication of NICE guidance. It is anticipated that this will only be required in the short term. Consideration is given to:
- whether there is expected to be three months or longer between regulatory approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and publication by NICE of its final draft guidance;
- if there are any direct competitors expected to go through the NICE technology appraisal process within the next six months;
- if the treatment will make a fundamental, positive change to the existing treatment pathway; and
- whether the company will offer the medicine or treatment on a cost neutral basis.
NHS England and NHS Improvement and NICE are continuing to work with the manufacturer to explore options for interim access to Trodelvy.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of men with suspected prostate cancer who were able to access and receive diagnostic tests through private sector capacity block purchased by the NHS during the covid-19 outbreak, by region.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No estimate has been made.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to prioritise prostrate cancer in a new cancer strategy for England; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department’s cancer strategy is incorporated as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. Prostate cancer priorities are included as part of the Long Term Plan such as the introduction of a faster diagnosis standard. This includes the delivery of optimal timed diagnostic pathways for specific cancers, including prostate cancer.
Personalised stratified follow up pathways for prostate cancer are being launched across England to empower patients to take control of their care. Prostate cancer is one of the first three cancers for which this is being implemented.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 ensure that men with advanced prostate cancer have access to quality patient care and innovative treatments.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Treatment options for prostate cancer are always expanding and in February 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement’s specialised commissioning team announced that it would make available external beam radiotherapy to treat hormone sensitive, low volume prostate cancer. In addition to external beam radiotherapy, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence will review several new treatment options for prostate cancer in the next 12 months.
Following treatment for prostate cancer, patients move to a Personalised Stratified Follow-Up pathway that suits their needs and ensures they can get rapid access to clinical support where they are worried that their cancer may have recurred. This stratified follow-up approach was established in all trusts for prostate cancer in 2020. In response to the pandemic, the NHS also made available a range of ‘COVID-19 friendly’ treatments, offering benefits such as fewer hospital visits or a reduced impact on the patient’s immune system. This includes targeted hormone therapies such as enzalutamide for prostate cancer treatment.