Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to include radiologists and interventional radiologists in the NHS workforce strategy to ensure there are sufficient numbers of trained interventional radiologists to deliver interventional oncology therapies.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government has committed to publishing a workforce plan next year, which will include independently verified forecasts for the number of healthcare professionals required in future years, including radiologists and interventional radiologists.
Health Education England are implementing the priorities identified in the cancer workforce plan phase one and are investing an additional £50 million in 2022/23 to expand the cancer and diagnostics workforce, including postgraduate medical training of cancer-related medical professions, such as diagnostic and interventional radiologists.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
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 access to GP services.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
We expect the measures in 'Our Plan for Patients' to make over a million more appointments available this winter.
We have provided 31,000 additional phone lines to practices, freed up funding rules to bolster general practice teams with other professionals, and accelerated support for practices to secure high-quality cloud-based telephony systems.
From November 2022, we will publish practice-level data for the first time, giving patients information on appointments at every GP practice in England.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
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 (a) podiatry vacancy rates in the NHS in Buckinghamshire and (b) the impact these vacancies will have on patient treatment for diabetic foot complications.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
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 plans for the Gratitude Games.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We have made no specific assessment as the Department has no direct role in the organisation of this event.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will develop a simple funding pathway for focal ablative therapies to ensure that patients have the option to receive minimally invasive treatments.
Answered by James Morris
The All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report refers to a number of treatments which are not directly commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement. Where the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended a treatment following a technology appraisal, commissioners have a mandate to support implementation, including providing funding pathways where necessary.
For those treatments cited in the report which have received a positive technology appraisal, such as the use of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) to treat hepatocellular carcinoma, NHS England and NHS Improvement’s specialised commissioning team is currently expanding the number of providers. This involves a Prior Information Notice and market engagement exercise, which is due to be completed in 2022/23, before a service can be delegated to integrated care boards.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
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 (a) clinical and (b) patient awareness of minimally invasive cancer therapies as outlined in the All-party parliamentary group on Minimally Invasive Cancer Therapies' recent report, Barriers to Patient Access.
Answered by James Morris
The All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report refers to a number of treatments which are not directly commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement. Where the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended a treatment following a technology appraisal, commissioners have a mandate to support implementation, including providing funding pathways where necessary.
For those treatments cited in the report which have received a positive technology appraisal, such as the use of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) to treat hepatocellular carcinoma, NHS England and NHS Improvement’s specialised commissioning team is currently expanding the number of providers. This involves a Prior Information Notice and market engagement exercise, which is due to be completed in 2022/23, before a service can be delegated to integrated care boards.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to implement the recommendations of the recently published report of the All-party parliamentary group on Minimally Invasive Cancer Therapies, Barriers to Patient Access; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Morris
The All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report refers to a number of treatments which are not directly commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement. Where the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended a treatment following a technology appraisal, commissioners have a mandate to support implementation, including providing funding pathways where necessary.
For those treatments cited in the report which have received a positive technology appraisal, such as the use of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) to treat hepatocellular carcinoma, NHS England and NHS Improvement’s specialised commissioning team is currently expanding the number of providers. This involves a Prior Information Notice and market engagement exercise, which is due to be completed in 2022/23, before a service can be delegated to integrated care boards.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
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 for mental health of the Gratitude Games.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No specific assessment has been made.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken steps to improve patient access to selective internal radiation therapy since that treatment received a NICE technology appraisal in March 2021.
Answered by James Morris
NHS England and NHS Improvement are expanding the number of trusts which are commissioned to provide selective internal radiation therapy. This involves a market assessment and Prior Information Notice, which is in the final stages of completion.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to (a) develop and (b) publish the long-term workforce strategy for the NHS; and if his Department will consult organisations representing patients on that strategy.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In July 2021, the Department commissioned Health Education England (HEE) to review long term trends for the health and regulated social care workforce and update the existing long term strategic framework, ‘Framework-15’. This review is nearing completion and we anticipate that the updated Framework-15 will be published in summer 2022.
As part of the development of Framework-15, over 1,000 senior leaders, frontline staff, the future workforce, academics and think tanks, trade unions and others were consulted. A call for evidence issued in the autumn of 2021 elicited 322 responses and three large, deliberative events saw engagement with over 200 senior leaders and professionals from the health and social care system.
In January 2022, the Department commissioned NHS England and NHS Improvement to develop a long-term workforce plan to supplement the NHS People Plan and develop themes in the recent Elective Recovery Plan. It will also align with the priorities in HEE’s forthcoming Framework-15. We intend to engage with a range of stakeholders in developing this plan and patient representative groups will be consulted where appropriate. Its conclusions will be made available in due course.