Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 impact of health misinformation due to levels of media literacy on public health decision-making.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of health misinformation on public health decision making, but recognises the importance of accurate health information being available to the public and of preventing misinformation.
The Department regularly rebuts factual inaccuracies when they appear in traditional media and undertakes extensive planning, engagement, and strategic work to ensure accurate public health information is available on social media channels to mitigate misinformation. In addition, the Department strives to ensure that all of the information it publishes is accurate, clear, and accessible to a variety of audiences, including using easy read versions.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 estimate of the number of recorded deaths due to anaphylaxis in the last 10 years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data regarding anaphylaxis-related deaths in England and Wales is documented by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology also holds a register to capture and learn from fatal cases of anaphylaxis, the UK Fatal Anaphylaxis Register, which has been operational since 1992.
The following table shows the number of deaths in England and Wales where fatal anaphylactic reactions were reported as the underlying cause of death:
Registration Year | Deaths |
2014 | 1,429 |
2015 | 1,598 |
2016 | 1,563 |
2017 | 1,646 |
2018 | 1,731 |
2019 | 1,597 |
2020 | 1,674 |
2021 | 1,465 |
2022 | 1,645 |
2023 | 1,665 |
Source: ONS
The following table shows the number of deaths in England and Wales where fatal anaphylactic reactions were mentioned on the death certificate:
Registration year | Deaths |
2014 | 8,112 |
2015 | 8,170 |
2016 | 8,324 |
2017 | 8,580 |
2018 | 8,455 |
2019 | 8,259 |
2020 | 11,379 |
2021 | 10,972 |
2022 | 8,879 |
2023 | 8,645 |
Source: ONS
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 estimate of the number of 999 emergency calls that mentioned anaphylaxis in the last 10 years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of 999 emergency calls that mention anaphylaxis. Neither does the Department hold data on the number of paediatric allergists employed in the National Health Service.
The Department has not made an estimate of the number of adults or children under the age of 18 years old that are currently diagnosed with an allergy. The table attached shows the number of hospitalisations due to allergies in the last ten years, broken down by ages and type of allergy.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 estimate of the number of hospitalisations due to allergies that have occurred by (a) age and (b) type of allergy in the last 10 years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of 999 emergency calls that mention anaphylaxis. Neither does the Department hold data on the number of paediatric allergists employed in the National Health Service.
The Department has not made an estimate of the number of adults or children under the age of 18 years old that are currently diagnosed with an allergy. The table attached shows the number of hospitalisations due to allergies in the last ten years, broken down by ages and type of allergy.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 estimate of the number of children under the age of 18 that are currently diagnosed with an allergy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of 999 emergency calls that mention anaphylaxis. Neither does the Department hold data on the number of paediatric allergists employed in the National Health Service.
The Department has not made an estimate of the number of adults or children under the age of 18 years old that are currently diagnosed with an allergy. The table attached shows the number of hospitalisations due to allergies in the last ten years, broken down by ages and type of allergy.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 estimate of the number of adults that are currently diagnosed with an allergy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of 999 emergency calls that mention anaphylaxis. Neither does the Department hold data on the number of paediatric allergists employed in the National Health Service.
The Department has not made an estimate of the number of adults or children under the age of 18 years old that are currently diagnosed with an allergy. The table attached shows the number of hospitalisations due to allergies in the last ten years, broken down by ages and type of allergy.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many paediatric allergists are employed in the NHS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of 999 emergency calls that mention anaphylaxis. Neither does the Department hold data on the number of paediatric allergists employed in the National Health Service.
The Department has not made an estimate of the number of adults or children under the age of 18 years old that are currently diagnosed with an allergy. The table attached shows the number of hospitalisations due to allergies in the last ten years, broken down by ages and type of allergy.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many adrenaline auto-Injector (AAI) prescriptions were issued in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) data release gives items and quantities of each medicine dispensed in the community in England. The following table shows the total number of National Health Service prescription items dispensed in the community in England, regardless of where prescribed, for adrenaline auto-injectors, from 2015 to 2024, and in total:
Year | Total prescription items |
2015 | 303,810 |
2016 | 324,377 |
2017 | 338,668 |
2018 | 351,931 |
2019 | 381,754 |
2020 | 375,240 |
2021 | 343,729 |
2022 | 403,046 |
2023 | 407,070 |
2024 | 429,542 |
Total | 3,659,167 |
Source: the NHS Business Services Authority’s Open Data Portal, PCA data
Note: the term ‘items’ refers to the number of times a product appears on a prescription form, and not the quantity prescribed.
The data does not include data on medicines used in secondary care, prisons, or those issued by a private prescriber.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with representatives of the food and drink industry on the impact of their products on public health.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Department engages with the food and drink industry through policies that are aimed at encouraging them to make their products, or overall product portfolios, healthier, by reducing levels of sugar, calories, saturated fat, and salt, reducing portion size, and shifting sales to healthier products. This includes legislation to restrict junk food advertising on television and online, and the locations in supermarkets in which foods and drinks that are high in saturated fat, sugar, or salt can be promoted. In addition, engagement occurs through the voluntary reformulation programme that requires businesses to reduce levels of sugar, calories, and salt in everyday food and drink. The Department will also engage with relevant stakeholders, such as the food industry, in taking forward the ban on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16-years old.
The Department is currently considering what further engagement may be required with the food and drink industry.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
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 with the food and drink industry to help tackle (a) poor diets and (b) obesity.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
From data collected through the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, the Government knows that, compared to dietary recommendations, people are generally consuming too much sugar, saturated fat, salt, too many calories, and not enough fruit, vegetables, or fibre. This contributes to many people having poor diets and the high levels of obesity seen in both children and adults.
The prevention of ill health is a priority for the Government, as is creating the healthiest generation of children. As the providers of the food and drink we eat, it is clear that the food industry has a key role in helping to improve the nation’s diet. For this reason, the Government has already published its response to the consultation on restricting junk food advertising on television and online, putting the legislation on track, and is committed to banning the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds.
Other existing policies such as the legislated restrictions on the locations in supermarkets in which foods and drinks that are high in saturated fat, sugar, or salt can be promoted, and the voluntary reformulation programme, aim to encourage the food industry to make everyday food and drink healthier. Voluntary industry guidelines to reduce levels of salt and sugar in, and improve the marketing and labelling of, commercially available food and drink aimed at babies and young children aged up to 36 months, that form an additional workstream for the reformulation programme, are also expected to be published in the next month. The Department continues to review the balance between mandatory and voluntary incentivises to help tackle poor diets and reduce obesity.