Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of ADHD medication.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has made substantial progress in improving the availability of medicines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), working closely with industry and key stakeholders to resolve previous supply challenges. Through intensive work with industry, NHS England and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have resolved most of the previous shortages. All strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine, both the capsules and the oral solution, guanfacine prolonged-release tablets, and methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets are now available.
There is a current supply issue with methylphenidate 30 milligram prolonged-release capsules, brand name Equasym XL, which is out of stock until late December. The Department has issued guidance to healthcare professionals with advice on how to manage patients until this shortage resolves.
We continue to work closely with suppliers to resolve the few remaining challenges and to strengthen resilience in the supply chain. This includes securing additional stocks, expediting deliveries, and expanding the United Kingdom supplier base to support future demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s ADHD taskforce and national data improvement plan, we are developing growth forecasts to improve demand planning and ensure a sustainable supply of ADHD medicines.
To support prescribers and dispensers, the Department maintains and regularly updates a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, at the following link:
www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has assessed the effectiveness of the Bradford Score Chart as a tool for monitoring short-term staff absences.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is aware of the Bradford Score relating to the management of short-term sickness absence.
We do not use the Bradford Score but we have a separate system for monitoring and managing sick leave.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Mozambique counterpart on reports of targeted attacks on Christians in Nampula; and what diplomatic steps she is taking with international partners to help ensure their protection.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is aware of a series of attacks by Islamic State Mozambique in Nampula. Our High Commission in Mozambique, in coordination with international partners, regularly engages with authorities and religious leaders as well as peacebuilding and humanitarian agencies both in the capital (Maputo) and Northern Mozambique, including Nampula, to address the problems of violence and instability. We also support partners to provide humanitarian assistance and to promote peacebuilding and resilience against violent extremism in the region.