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, whether he has had discussions with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) Genomics England, (c) UK Biobank and (d) NIHR BioResource on (i) BGI Group, (ii) MGI Tech and (iii) other state-linked genomics companies blacklisted by the USA.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Through the delivery of the UK Biological Security Strategy, the Government is committed to ensuring the United Kingdom is resilient to a spectrum of biological threats, as well as being a world leader in innovation. As part of this strategy, the Government is undertaking a programme of work to assess how we can minimise the risks from biological data to protect our burgeoning bioeconomy and build confidence in sharing personal data, to improve health outcomes in the UK and across the world.
Department officials are working closely with UK Biobank, Genomics England, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Bioresource on this programme of work, and there will be continued engagement with my Cabinet colleagues.
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, if he will exclude (a) BGI Group, (b) MGI Tech and (c) other state-linked genomics companies blacklisted by the United States from public sector health bodies.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government continues to review the evolving national security risks in the life sciences sector, including engaging with partners and allies, while ensuring that the United Kingdom is at the forefront of innovation.
The Procurement Act will come into force in 2025 and will include a Debarment Review Service, which aims to safeguard public procurement from suppliers deemed to pose a risk. As with all national security risks, there will be engagement with colleagues across Cabinet and Parliament to ensure we maintain a robust approach to managing these risks as they evolve.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 10931 on Audiology: Paediatrics, what recent assessment his Department has made of whether all providers of audiology services for children will meet the UK Accreditation Services Improving Quality in Physiological Services Accreditation standards; and whether his Department has set a date by which they must do so.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England issued a letter to all integrated care boards (ICBs) in August 2023 which included the recommendation that all trusts should be working towards the United Kingdom Accreditation Service’s (UKAS) Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) accreditation, as part of the Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme. This includes that ICBs should ensure that there are plans in place to implement, achieve, or maintain accreditation using the available tools, and that there is oversight of quality management systems. Further information on NHS England’s issued letter is available at the following link:
As part of the programme, NHS England is working with the Care Quality Commission to increase uptake of the UKAS’s IQIPS accreditation and ensure compliance with national diagnostic regulatory standards, alongside a range of other interventions to improve the quality and resilience of these services.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2024 to Question 10930 on Audiology: Paediatrics, how many children have been (a) recalled for reassessment and (b) needed onward referral to clinical services following the review by the NHS England National Paediatric Hearing Improvement Programme.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this information.
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 recent progress has been made by the NHS England National Paediatric Hearing Improvement Programme; and what the findings were of its review of data for new-born babies.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS England Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme, led by the National Health Services’ National Medical Director and Chief Scientific Officer, undertook a comprehensive review of all 140 paediatric audiology services across England to identify services not meeting the recommended standards of care.
NHS England is working with integrated care boards to ensure individual cases are reassessed and, where appropriate, that children are recalled for reassessment and onward referral to clinical services as necessary. NHS England aims to complete these reassessments by March 2025. In addition, NHS England has put in place workstreams to ensure high quality professional standards are adhered to in hospitals and in community services, and that the right workforce is in place to deliver these services. A national External Quality Assessment scheme is in development to improve diagnostic consistency and to highlight any areas for early intervention.
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, how many paediatric audiology departments there are in England; and how many of those meet the UK Accreditation Services Improving Quality in Physiological Services Accreditation standards.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are 140 providers of audiology services for children in England. Currently, 30 providers meet the UK Accreditation Services Improving Quality in Physiological Services Accreditation standards. Two providers are pending re-instatement of accreditation, and a further 16 have applied for accreditation.
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 he has made of the adequacy of (a) GP and (b) dental provision in Whitehill and Bordon; and if he will take steps to improve that provision.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government knows that patients are finding it harder than ever to access general practices (GP) and is committed to fixing the the crisis in GPs to secure the long-term sustainability of the National Health Service.
Our plan to restore GPs will require both investment and reform. We have committed to training thousands more GPs, ending the 8:00am scramble for appointments by introducing a modern booking system, and trialing new neighborhood health centers to bring community health services together under one roof. Furthermore, the Government will also bring back the family doctor by incentivising GPs to see the same patient.
Whitehill and Bordon sits within the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), where the percentage of appointments delivered within two weeks of booking is 8.2% lower than the national average.
The Government knows that getting an NHS dentist has become increasingly difficult, and is aware that there are many areas of the country where these difficulties are particularly pronounced. The Government will tackle the immediate dental crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments, and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most.
Our annual statistics show that in 2023 only 36% of the adult population in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB were seen by an NHS dentist in the last two years, compared with 41% nationally.
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, if he will will take steps to improve the provision of primary healthcare in Whitehill and Bordon.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government knows that patients are finding it harder than ever to access general practices (GP) and is committed to fixing the the crisis in GPs to secure the long-term sustainability of the National Health Service.
Our plan to restore GPs will require both investment and reform. We have committed to training thousands more GPs, ending the 8:00am scramble for appointments by introducing a modern booking system, and trialing new neighborhood health centers to bring community health services together under one roof. Furthermore, the Government will also bring back the family doctor by incentivising GPs to see the same patient.
Whitehill and Bordon sits within the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), where the percentage of appointments delivered within two weeks of booking is 8.2% lower than the national average.
The Government knows that getting an NHS dentist has become increasingly difficult, and is aware that there are many areas of the country where these difficulties are particularly pronounced. The Government will tackle the immediate dental crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments, and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most.
Our annual statistics show that in 2023 only 36% of the adult population in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB were seen by an NHS dentist in the last two years, compared with 41% nationally.