Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 increase the number of qualified GPs working in the NHS; and if he will make an estimate of what the proportional change in the number of qualified GPs working in the NHS will be by 2036.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working to increase the general practice (GP) workforce in England. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encourage them to return to practice.
NHS England is working to address training bottlenecks so the health service has enough staff for the future, and we will provide £82 million to fund the recruitment of over 1,000 newly qualified GPs, via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, so patients can get the care they need.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer on 15 May 2024 to Question 25226 on Hospices: Children, what factors she plans to take into account when considering the future of the NHS Children's Hospice Grant beyond 2024-25.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government is committed to the long-term sustainability of high-quality palliative and end of life care for all children and young people. The Children's Hospice Grant ended in 2023/24. NHS England has, however, once again provided £25 million of funding for children’s hospices for 2024/25, which will be distributed via integrated care boards as part of the Service Development Fund, in line with the move to wider National Health Service devolution. NHS England is currently considering the future of this funding stream beyond 2024/25.
NHS England has developed a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of their local population.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 15 May 2024 to Question 25226, on Hospices: Children, when she plans that consideration of the future of the NHS Children's Hospice Grant beyond 2024/25 will be concluded.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government is committed to the long-term sustainability of high-quality palliative and end of life care for all children and young people. The Children's Hospice Grant ended in 2023/24. NHS England has, however, once again provided £25 million of funding for children’s hospices for 2024/25, which will be distributed via integrated care boards as part of the Service Development Fund, in line with the move to wider National Health Service devolution. NHS England is currently considering the future of this funding stream beyond 2024/25.
NHS England has developed a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of their local population.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 NHS provision of specialist ME or chronic fatigue syndrome services; and if she will take steps to increase the number of clinicians who specialise in ME or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), provides funding for research projects which aim to understand the underlying causes of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and find new treatments for the condition. As part of this, the NIHR and the Medical Research Council have funded the world’s largest genome-wide association study of ME/CFS. This £3.2 million study, termed DecodeME, will analyse samples from 25,000 people with ME/CFS to search for genetic differences that may indicate underlying causes, or an increased risk of developing the condition. By helping us to understand ME/CFS better, this research has the potential to lead to new treatments for the condition.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning specialist ME/CFS services that meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding. The process of commissioning services should take into account best practice guidance, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance on ME/CFS diagnosis and management, published in October 2021. In addition, in October 2023, the British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS published the ME/CFS National Services Survey. This report provides insight into the services being delivered for adults, children, and young people with ME/CFS.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department (a) has and (b) plans to provide funding for new treatments for ME or chronic fatigue syndrome.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), provides funding for research projects which aim to understand the underlying causes of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and find new treatments for the condition. As part of this, the NIHR and the Medical Research Council have funded the world’s largest genome-wide association study of ME/CFS. This £3.2 million study, termed DecodeME, will analyse samples from 25,000 people with ME/CFS to search for genetic differences that may indicate underlying causes, or an increased risk of developing the condition. By helping us to understand ME/CFS better, this research has the potential to lead to new treatments for the condition.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning specialist ME/CFS services that meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding. The process of commissioning services should take into account best practice guidance, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance on ME/CFS diagnosis and management, published in October 2021. In addition, in October 2023, the British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS published the ME/CFS National Services Survey. This report provides insight into the services being delivered for adults, children, and young people with ME/CFS.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase access to NHS assessments for Autism Spectrum Conditions for children.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for St Ives on 22 March 2024, to Question 18917.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services waiting lists.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
We are committed to expanding and transforming National Health Service mental health care through the NHS Long Term Plan so more people, including children and young people, can be supported more quickly. The NHS forecasts that, between 2018/19 and 2023/24, spending on mental health services has increased by £4.7 billion in cash terms, compared to the target of £3.4 billion set out at the time of the NHS Long Term Plan. Nationally, overall spend on children and young people’s mental health services has increased from £841 million in 2019/20 to just over £1 billion in 2022/23. In the year to December 2023, over 750,000 children and young people aged under 18 years old were supported through NHS funded mental health services, a 31% increase since March 2021.
We are rolling out Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges in England, and as of May 2023, these teams cover 3.4 million pupils in England, or the equivalent to 35% of pupils. We expect this to increase to 44% by spring 2024, and we are extending coverage to 50% of pupils by the end of March 2025. We are also providing £8 million to fund 24 early support hubs across the country. This will improve access for children and young people to vital mental health support in the community, offering early interventions to improve wellbeing before their condition escalates further.
In addition, the NHS is working towards implementing five new waiting time standards for people requiring mental healthcare in both accident and emergency and in the community, to ensure timely access to the most appropriate, high-quality support. Four of these include children and young people.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the results of the Pharmacists’ Defence Association survey on preparedness of pharmacists for Pharmacy First, published on 15 January 2024.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
Over 93% of community pharmacy contractors have signed up to deliver Pharmacy First when it launches on 31 January 2024.
A set-up fee will be paid to contractors that have signed up to recognise that they must ensure that pharmacists and pharmacy staff providing the service are competent to do so, which may involve training. Pharmacists and their teams will also need to familiarise themselves with the service specification, patient group directions and patient pathways, which have all been published. The fee structure that has been agreed with Community Pharmacy England recognises that both pharmacy teams and the public will build confidence in delivering and using the service over time.
In addition, Community Pharmacy England has developed a checklist and a range of support materials for both pharmacy owners and pharmacists, including locums, to help them get ready for the service. Contractors are supported by additional resources provided by the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education to ensure participating pharmacists are clinically competent to deliver these services safely.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure training of pharmacy staff for implementation of the Pharmacy First Service.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
Over 93% of community pharmacy contractors have signed up to deliver Pharmacy First when it launches on 31 January 2024.
A set-up fee will be paid to contractors that have signed up to recognise that they must ensure that pharmacists and pharmacy staff providing the service are competent to do so, which may involve training. Pharmacists and their teams will also need to familiarise themselves with the service specification, patient group directions and patient pathways, which have all been published. The fee structure that has been agreed with Community Pharmacy England recognises that both pharmacy teams and the public will build confidence in delivering and using the service over time.
In addition, Community Pharmacy England has developed a checklist and a range of support materials for both pharmacy owners and pharmacists, including locums, to help them get ready for the service. Contractors are supported by additional resources provided by the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education to ensure participating pharmacists are clinically competent to deliver these services safely.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 General Medical Council on the provision of mental health support for patients who have sought a private diagnosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not had any discussions with the General Medical Council (GMC) on the provision of mental health support for patients who have sought a private diagnosis. The GMC is the independent regulator of all medical doctors practising in the United Kingdom, which sets and enforces the standards all doctors must adhere to.
To work in the UK, all doctors, including private doctors, must register with the General Medical Council (GMC), hold a licence to practise and meet the expected standards set out in the GMC’s guidance, Good medical practice. The guidance states that doctors must check that the care or treatment they provide for each patient is compatible with any other treatments the patient is receiving.