Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 implications for his policies of childhood obesity levels in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity in each of those areas.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on children aged four to five years old (Reception) and 10 to 11 years old (Year 6). The following table shows data from the NCMP on the percentage of children living with obesity in Reception and Year 6 in the academic year 2022-23. Data is not available at Parliamentary constituency level but is available at local authority and regional levels:
Area | Reception (%) | Year 6 (%) |
Enfield | 10.8 | 28.0 |
London | 9.3 | 24.8 |
Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support children and families to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. Local authorities can fund behavioural weight management services from their Public Health Grant.
In England, new regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online came into force in October 2022. The location restrictions are the single most impactful obesity policy in reducing children’s calorie consumption and are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion and provide savings to the NHS of over £4 billion over the next 25 years.
We are also working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices. We have seen important successes including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy decreasing by 46% between 2015 and 2020. There has also been success in some categories of the sugar reduction programme, including a 14.9% reduction of sugar in retailer- and manufacturer-branded breakfast cereals and a 13.5% reduction in yogurts and fromage frais.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 increase levels of access to NHS dental services in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
In July 2022, we announced a package of reforms to improve access to National Health Service dentistry, which outlined the steps we are taking to meet oral health need and increase access to dental care, including London. The changes that have been implemented include improvements to ensure dentists are remunerated more fairly for more complex work and the introduction of a minimum Units of Dental Activity value. NHS dental activity as measured by Courses of Treatments delivered has increased by 23% between 2021/22 and 2022/23.
From 1 April 2023, responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. ICBs are responsible for having local processes in place to identify areas of need and determine the priorities for investment.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. These include a 40% increase to dentistry undergraduate training places by 2031/32.
But we know we need to do more, and that there are some areas where access is particularly problematic. We are working on our Dentistry Recovery Plan which will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make NHS work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver more NHS care.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 increase the leukaemia diagnosis rate in young people in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Increasing the diagnosis rates of cancers, including leukaemia, in young people is a priority for this government. Several organisations, including the Department, are taking steps across England to increase diagnosis rates including setting stretching ambitions, supporting general practitioners (GPs) in referring patients, expanding diagnostic capacity, and enabling more precise diagnosis through technology.
The Department is working to support GPs in improving referrals for suspected cancer. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance underpinning cancer referrals sets out detailed guidance for GPs on the symptoms of cancer in children and young people, recommending very urgent referral, namely an appointment within 48 hours, for those presenting with a range of potential cancer symptoms including any unexplained lump, bruising, or bleeding, neurological symptoms or bone pain.
Backed by £2.3 billion capital funding, the Department is expanding diagnostic capacity across the National Health Service by rolling out more Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), delivering vital tests, scans, and checks. CDCs offer millions of patients the chance to access quicker, more convenient checks outside of hospitals, with capacity prioritised for cancer. This is contributing to the elective recovery delivery plan ambition for 75% of patients urgently referred by their GP for suspected cancer to receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.
In addition, the NHS now offers all children and young people with cancer whole genome sequencing to enable more comprehensive and precise diagnosis, and access to more personalised treatments.
These steps being taken across England, including in Enfield, are improving early diagnosis and giving more children and young people the best chance of beating cancer.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in (i) Enfield North constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Enfield and (iii) London.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The National Health Service has published a Long Term Workforce Plan which outlines the steps the Government is taking to support the recruitment and retention of mental health specialists, including in Enfield North constituency, the London Borough of Enfield and London. More information is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/nhs-long-term-workforce-plan-v1.1.pdf
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of access to (a) adult hearing loss services and (b) sight loss services in (i) Enfield North constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Enfield and (iii) London.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
We have no plans to make such an assessment. Commissioning of hearing and sight loss services takes place at a local level based on the needs of the local population, and we expect commissioners to follow relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Regarding sight loss services, the development of integrated care systems and the National Ophthalmic Eye Care Recovery and Transformation Programme represent an opportunity to join up social and clinical care and ensure that there is an integrated approach covering all aspects of eye care including access to sight loss services.
For hearing loss, the Action Plan on Hearing Loss (2015) sets out key objectives on hearing loss including, prevention, early diagnosis, maximising independence, and enabling people to take part in every-day activities.
‘Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A Framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups’ was published in July 2016. This framework supports the newly established integrated care boards in England to make informed decisions on maximising value for local populations and provide consistent, high quality, integrated care. It also addresses inequalities in access and outcomes between hearing services.
Where sight or hearing loss leads to a social care need, local authorities are responsible for assessing individual’s eligibility for care and support.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospitals were built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
Answered by Will Quince
As of 17 October 2023, there are 42 hospital sites with confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Of these, 18 have been identified since May 2023 following updated monitoring guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers. The Department has published a full list of hospitals with confirmed RAAC, which is available at the following link:
In most identified cases, RAAC has been found in limited parts of a hospital site or an individual building. The National Health Service has a comprehensive mitigation plan in place for hospital buildings with RAAC, including significant additional funding worth £698 million from 2021 to 2025 for trusts to put in place necessary remediation and failsafe measures. In addition, in May 2023 the Government announced that the seven most affected hospitals would be replaced by 2030 through the New Hospital Programme.
Where structural surveys identify RAAC in their estate, trusts are inducted into the national remediation programme. Each site will be different, and just because RAAC is present, it does not necessarily mean there is a high risk.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 reach his target of reducing pre-term births from 8% to 6% by 2025.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Government has introduced a range of initiatives to drive progress towards the National Maternity Safety Ambition, which includes an ambition to reduce pre-term births from 8% to 6% by 2025.
Most recently, NHS England’s Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle provides up-to-date, evidence-based best practice for providers and commissioners of maternity care across England to reduce perinatal mortality. The latest version was published in May 2023 and comprises of six elements, including an element which focuses on reducing pre-term birth.
This element recommends three intervention areas to reduce adverse foetal and neonatal outcomes, and encourages providers to draw upon the learning from existing British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) toolkits and the wide range of resources from other successful regional programmes.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to MBRRACE-UK's report entitled UK Perinatal Deaths for Births from January to December 2021, published in September 2023, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's polices of that report's finding that neonatal mortality increased in 2021 across all gestational age groups.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
We take the findings of the recent MBRRACE-UK report extremely seriously. Between 2010 and 2022, the stillbirth rate had reduced by 23%, and the neonatal mortality rate for babies born over the 24-week gestational age of viability had reduced by 30%. We are working to understand why a recent increase has been reported, including considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In partnership with the National Health Service, the Government is committed to improving maternity outcomes and continuing to work towards achieving the targets of the Maternity Safety Ambition which include halving the 2010 rates of stillbirths and neonatal deaths. The NHS is investing an additional £165 million annually, in maternity and neonatal services across England. This will rise by £21 million to £186 million from 2024/25 with part year effect in 2023/24. NHS England published its three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services to outline how the NHS will make maternity care safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women and their babies.
Additionally, the new Maternity and Neonatal National Oversight Group brings together key experts from across the maternity improvement programmes and the implementation of recommendations from maternity reviews.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 12 September 2023 to Question 199250 on General Practitioners: Enfield North, how many (a) branch and (b) main surgeries there are in Enfield North constituency.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
There are eight branch surgeries and five main surgeries in Enfield North constituency. This data is sourced from NHS England Organisation Data Service as at 25 August 2023, and is available at the following link:
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 17 April 2023 on Achieving Smokefree 2030: cutting smoking and stopping kids vaping, HCWS710, what modelling his Department has conducted on the impact the steps outlined in that Statement will have on efforts to reduce smoking rates to 5% or less in England by 2030.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
Annex 1 of ‘Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation’ sets out the modelling used to forecast changes in smoking prevalence over time based on legislating for a smokefree generation. This modelling is preliminary and will continue to be further refined ahead of publication of a full impact assessment.
Annex 1 is available at the following link: