Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason potential issues relating to the location of (a) HIV and (b) other specialised services in integrated care systems were not addressed in the report entitled Hewitt Review: an independent review of integrated care systems, published on 4 April 2023.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As this was an independent review, it was a matter for the Rt. hon. Patricia Hewitt to determine the topics and issues addressed in her report, within the scope set by her terms of reference.
The terms of reference are available at the following link:
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
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 tackle Trichomonas vaginalis among Black women who are being disproportionately affected by that infection.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) routinely collects data to understand the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the communities most impacted by STIs, conducts research to understand the drivers for the higher rates of STIs in some Black communities, then translates these findings into resources for local partners to improve the sexual health and wellbeing of Black communities.
In 2021, UKHSA co-produced a resource with third-sector partners to support commissioners and providers in developing interventions for improved sexual health and wellbeing in people from a Black Caribbean background which is available at the following link:
This was based on the translation of findings of research conducted through the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit on blood-borne and sexually transmitted infections available at the following link:
https://bbsti.hpru.nihr.ac.uk/our-research/research-themes
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
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 tackle the disproportionally high rates of STI diagnoses among people of Black Caribbean heritage.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) routinely collects data to understand the epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the communities most impacted by STIs, conducts research to understand the drivers for the higher rates of STIs in some Black communities, then translates these findings into resources for local partners to improve the sexual health and wellbeing of Black communities.
In 2021, UKHSA co-produced a resource with third-sector partners to support commissioners and providers in developing interventions for improved sexual health and wellbeing in people from a Black Caribbean background which is available at the following link:
This was based on the translation of findings of research conducted through the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit on blood-borne and sexually transmitted infections available at the following link:
https://bbsti.hpru.nihr.ac.uk/our-research/research-themes
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
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 in delivering the 250,000 doses of the Mpox vaccine for the 125,000 people deemed to be in priority groups for that vaccine.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
To date, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has procured over 150,000 vials of the mpox vaccine. The adoption of intradermal fractional dosing has allowed up to five doses to be administered per vial, which has furthered available stock.
The estimated group size of individuals at highest risk of mpox and therefore eligible for vaccination is 111,000. As of 18 January 2023, in England, a total of 64,740 people have received their first dose of mpox vaccine and 20,373 people have come forward for their second dose. The rollout of the mpox vaccination campaign has, in combination with other factors, contributed to the marked decline in cases.
UKHSA has also launched an Mpox and Sexual Health Outreach and Engagement Fund to support these efforts.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to roll out the Mpox vaccine; and if his Department will take steps to maintain supplies of that vaccine for higher risk groups in 2023-24.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Over the summer of 2022, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) procured over 150,000 vials of the mpox vaccine and launched an outbreak response strategy to vaccinate those at highest risk of the virus. As of 19 January 2023, our partners in sexual health services have administered 85,113 doses of the mpox vaccine, which is thought to have had an impact on the very encouraging epidemiological picture currently. UKHSA continue to monitor the epidemiological situation closely and are currently reviewing the vaccination approach to ensure a proportionate way forward for the Financial Year 2023-2024.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the independent review of Reproductive Health, Sexual Health and HIV Innovation Fund will be published; and whether his Department is planning to allocate funding to help support innovation in HIV prevention.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The review of the Reproductive Health, Sexual Health and HIV Innovation Fund is expected to be published by the independent evaluator before the end of February.
Decisions on future investment in the Fund will be made in due course.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
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 (a) publish and (b) implement a PrEP Action Plan.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
As part of the HIV Action Plan, we committed to supporting the system to continue to improve access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for key population groups. We established a sub group of the HIV Action Plan implementation Steering Group who have considered how to improve access to HIV PrEP for all population groups and in settings outside of specialist sexual health services. The findings from the sub group alongside research evidence on why some population groups who would benefit from PrEP are under-represented are informing the development of a plan for improving access to PrEP.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
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 help Sustainable Transformation Partnerships and Integrated Care Systems (a) integrate and (b) improve mental health services for patients with HIV.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
As set out in the NHS England roadmap, specialised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) inpatient and outpatient services have been identified as key areas for greater integrated care systems (ICS) leadership by NHS England and integrated care boards (ICBs). Integrating the commissioning of HIV treatment services with ICBs, will allow local systems to simplify and strengthen HIV care pathways with other services through effective local partnerships, including psychosocial support and mental health services, for a more holistic approach to care.
The national service specification for adult HIV services is also currently under review and development by a specification working group, with the oversight of the HIV Clinical Reference Group. The specification working group will ensure that the revised specification reflects any changes in practice since 2013, ensures close working with other relevant services, and is fit for purpose in the new commissioning landscape.
The HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group meeting on the 16 January will also focus on implementation and coordination at local and subregional level to support a stronger HIV response. This will include consideration of ways in which Sustainable and transformation partnerships and ICS can support a more robust HIV response, including strengthening links with other services such as mental health services.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the HIV Action plan includes steps to (a) monitor (b) evaluate and (c) benchmark health-related quality of life, using measurements developed in collaboration with people who have HIV.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The HIV Action Plan monitoring and evaluation framework was published on 1st December 2022 and is available at the following link:
This measures the progress towards the aims of the HIV Action Plan to reduce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) transmissions and deaths by 2025. The priority is to promote the quality of life of people living with HIV and to reduce stigma. Reducing stigma and promoting quality of life are key themes in the monitoring and evaluation framework. A baseline indicator, taken from the Positive Voices Survey for a quality of life measure was presented in the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework as 7.4 out of 10 for people living with HIV, compared to 7.7 out of 10 in the general population.
The framework will continue to monitor and evaluate the quality of life measure from this baseline. The framework states that further work will be undertaken with the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group and with professional groups, the HIV community and academic partners to develop indicators to monitor quality of life for those living with HIV. It is anticipated that these indicators will be aligned with UNAIDS’ 2025 AIDS Targets, which include an assessment of punitive laws and policies and targets of less than 10% of people living with HIV experiencing stigma and discrimination and less than 10% experiencing gender inequality and violence.
The monitoring and evaluation framework was published in December 2022 and included a place holder indicator of quality of life using the positive voices survey. The framework sets out a commitment to further develop this indicator to monitor the quality of life with key stakeholders including the HIV community. The HIV community advisory group feeds directly into the HIV Action plan Steering group and will enable future indicators to be co-produced.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
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 merits of providing psychological and mental health support as part of the national service specification for HIV services.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government is committed to improving the quality of life of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) including young people. Children and young people living with HIV receive care from paediatric services commissioned in line with the Paediatric HIV service specification which includes access to mental health support. We are also in the process of establishing a workforce task and finish group which will explore innovative ways for the workforce to provide better support to people of all ages in care, including mental health support.
As set out in the NHS England roadmap, specialised HIV inpatient and outpatient services have been identified as key areas for greater integrated care systems leadership by NHS England and integrated care boards. This will allow local systems to simplify and strengthen HIV care pathways with other services through effective local partnerships, including psychosocial support and mental health services, for a more holistic approach to care.
As part of the Government’s HIV Action Plan, NHS England are also currently reviewing the national Service Specification for Adult HIV services (2013), which sets out the standards of care that HIV providers are expected to meet, including availability of community, psychological and psychosocial support for patients.