Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities timescales are for publishing its response to the consultation entitled Youth vaping.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government will respond to the youth vaping call for evidence in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 monitor the potential health implications of increases in the number of young people using vapes.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We are concerned about the rise in the number of young people using vapes. There is well established concern about the addictive harms and risks from vaping, specifically associated with children and young people. Nicotine is highly addictive and there are unanswered questions on the effects of longer-term use.
That is why the Government ran a call for evidence on youth vaping which closed on 6 June 2023. This will identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products and explore where the government can go further to protect children from the harms of vaping.
We will respond to the call for evidence in due course.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Departments has to produce guidelines on the treatment of Huntingdon’s disease.
Answered by Will Quince
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent, expert body responsible for translating evidence into authoritative guidance on best practice for the health and care system in England.
NICE has published a number of guidelines relevant to the management of patients with Huntington’s disease, including on the recognition and referral of neurological conditions and depression in adults with a chronic physical health problem. A NICE guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, including acquired brain injury, is expected to be published in January 2025, and will include a specific category on progressive neurological diseases such as Huntington’s disease.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has shared recommendations from the Getting It Right First Time Rheumatology with devolved institutions.
Answered by Will Quince
The recommendations of the NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) 2021 national report on rheumatology are publicly available, including to the devolved Governments.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of the effectiveness of the UK Measles and Rubella elimination strategy 2019.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department remains committed to the UK Measles and Rubella elimination strategy and is supporting the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to refresh an implementation plan that includes short-, medium- and long-term actions related to key areas in the Strategy for England. The effectiveness of this strategy is continuously reviewed, including through regular publications of uptake data and attitudinal surveys.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 NHS Continuing Healthcare assessments for those people in residential or nursing homes are only carried out by staff who have been briefed on the National Framework.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, the Department of Health and Social Care is responsible for National Health Service continuing healthcare (CHC) policy and legislation which includes the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care. In Northern Ireland, CHC is the responsibility of Department of Health Northern Ireland. More information on the National Framework is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-framework-for-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-care
In England, paragraph 122 of the National Framework sets out clearly that the Checklist can be completed by staff who have been trained in its use. Once an individual has been referred for a full assessment of eligibility for CHC, a multidisciplinary team must assess whether the individual has a primary health need using the Decision Support Tool.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of when the trialling of hydrogenated vegetable oil as a fuel source for NHS vehicles will be completed.
Answered by Will Quince
Unipart Logistics completed a trial of HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) on four vehicles for a period of 40 days across February and March 2023. Whilst this found a major reduction of 90% in carbon dioxide impact, the trial also found a 62% increase in fuel costs and highlighted the operational challenge of HVO not being available at fuel retailers. The results are currently being considered.
The National Health Service is committed to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels across its estate and will continue to explore new options and innovations.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 20 December to Question 102798 on Streptococcus: Screening, whether he expects the Group B Strep trial to report before the end of 2024.
Answered by Will Quince
The clinical and cost-effectiveness of testing for Group B Streptococcus: a cluster randomised trial with economic and acceptability evaluations (GBS3) trial is currently still recruiting participants. We expect these findings, as with all research funded via the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to be published following a full analysis of the trial data.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 implications for his policies on dementia of the PROTECT study.
Answered by Will Quince
While no specific assessment has been made of the PROTECT study, we welcome research that will help us to understand how brain functioning changes as we age and that could lead to further research to prevent conditions such as dementia.
We have committed to double funding for dementia research to £160 million per year by 2024/25. This will span all areas of research from causes and prevention to treatment and care, delivering evidence to help prevent, diagnose, and treat dementia, enabling the best possible care and quality of life for people with dementia.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) funding and (b) initiatives are planned for Northern Ireland under the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want all parts of the United Kingdom to play a role in the delivery of the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, and for patients and communities across the UK to benefit from its work. However, expenditure and delivery plans are still in development and we cannot at this stage confirm what funding or initiatives are planned for Northern Ireland.