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 improve (a) data collection and (b) reporting for routine immunisation programmes.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is responsible for the published official and national statistics on vaccination coverage and adapts its data collection and reporting to incorporate new vaccines and changes to the immunisation programmes.
UKHSA monitors vaccination coverage of all the routine immunisation programmes in England. Data for preschool immunisations is monitored through the COVER programme (Cover of Vaccinations Evaluated Rapidly). Data is collected and collated quarterly and annually measuring coverage at ages one, two and five years. The latest quarterly reports covers the period January to March 2023:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-cover-programme-2022-to-2023-quarterly-data/quarterly-vaccination-coverage-statistics-for-children-aged-up-to-5-years-in-the-uk-cover-programme-january-to-march-2023
UKHSA also monitors and publishes data for England on the coverage of vaccinations offered to adolescents, adults, and the selective programmes, including shingles, PPV, pertussis for pregnant women, human papillomavirus (HPV), Td/IPV adolescent vaccine, MenACWY vaccine, influenza, BCG. Vaccination Uptake data can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-programme.
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 discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for pharmacies.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No recent discussions have been held. However, in May, as part of the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, we announced a further investment of up to £645 million over two years to expand the services offered by community pharmacies.
The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-24 five-year deal commits £2.592 billion each year to the sector. Previously, in September 2022, we announced an additional one-off £100 million investment across this and last financial year to support the expansion of services delivered by community pharmacies.
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, whether he has has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact on public health of changes in the levels of closures of pharmacies between 2015 and 2023.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No assessment has been made of the impact on public health of pharmacy closures.
The Department closely monitors the market to ensure that people in England have good access to National Health Service pharmaceutical services, including services focused on health promotion and prevention of ill-health. Despite the increase in pharmacy closures seen in recent years, there is a similar number of pharmacies to ten years ago, and about 80% of the population live within 20 minutes’ walking distance of a pharmacy. Every three years, local authorities’ Health and Wellbeing Boards in England undertake pharmaceutical needs assessments for their areas to ensure that provision continues to meet their populations’ needs.
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, whether his Department is taking steps to expand the gender clinic pilot schemes.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
NHS England has so far commissioned five new pilot gender identity clinics based in primary care and sexual health services. These services are currently operating in London, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and East of England. Another pilot testing the primary care-based model, will go live in Sussex in September 2023. Following a positive evaluation of one of the pilots, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded a seven-year contract to develop and expand its service.
The intention, if further pilots are evaluated positively, is to award substantive contracts, following due governance processes. Ongoing evaluation will inform NHS decisions on rolling this model of provision out nationally
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 improve early diagnosis of bowel cancer.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The National Health Service is improving pathways to get people diagnosed faster once they are referred and is looking into alternative routes into the system, including non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who do not fit clearly into a single ‘urgent cancer’ referral pathway but who are at risk of being diagnosed with cancer. 103 NSS pathways are currently operational, with more in development.
The NHS bowel cancer screening programme is currently available to everyone aged 60 to 74 years old every two years. Since April 2021, the NHS in England has been gradually reducing the age for bowel screening. The age extension programme began in 2021/22, inviting people aged 56 years old and plans to complete rollout to age 50 years old by 2024/25. This extension was recommended to improve the number of cancers detected and helping to prevent it in some cases.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2022 to Question 8181 on Hospitals: Sutton, what progress the Government has made on the formation of a detailed timetable for the delivery of a new hospital in the London Borough of Sutton.
Answered by Will Quince
All business cases are required to follow the proper processes for effective appraisal including ensuring value for money. The scheme for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust is currently at Outline Business Case stage. Once approved the trust will begin work on its Full Business Case.
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust has already received £20.5 million in funding for its new hospital scheme. The scheme is part of the Pathfinder cohort, which are the first of the larger and more complex schemes to be taken forward aligned, with the national programme approach. The cohort grouping of schemes is based on readiness to progress and the extent to which schemes can realise the benefits of a national programmatic approach.
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 discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on signing off the Full Business Case for the development of a new hospital in the London Borough of Sutton.
Answered by Will Quince
All business cases are required to follow the proper processes for effective appraisal including ensuring value for money. The scheme for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust is currently at Outline Business Case stage. Once approved the trust will begin work on its Full Business Case.
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust has already received £20.5 million in funding for its new hospital scheme. The scheme is part of the Pathfinder cohort, which are the first of the larger and more complex schemes to be taken forward aligned, with the national programme approach. The cohort grouping of schemes is based on readiness to progress and the extent to which schemes can realise the benefits of a national programmatic approach.
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 progress his Department has made on the development of the 10-year cancer plan; and when he plans to publish that plan.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
I’d like to thank the over 5,000 individuals and organisations who responded to the call for evidence. As a new Government, we are considering how best to take forward the 10 year cancer plan.
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 expand the number of clinical services that pharmacies can provide.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-2024 sets out how community pharmacy will be integrated into the National Health Service, deliver more clinical services and provide treatment and advice for minor illnesses. Since 2019, minor illness referrals from NHS 111 and general practitioners and blood pressure checks have been introduced.
In September, the Government announced the agreement with the sector for the remainder of the Framework, supported by a one-off investment of £100 million. Under the agreement, community pharmacists will manage and initiate contraception and provide additional support to patients newly prescribed antidepressants. In addition, urgent emergency care settings will refer patients to a community pharmacist for a minor illness consultation or an urgent medicine supply.