NHS in London

Debate between Jane Ellison and Andrew Turner

Thursday 24th March 2016 Westminster Hall

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Jane Ellison)]

On that specific point, as I am conscious that my hon. Friend might not be back, my noble Friend Lord Prior in the other place took a debate on this topic this week and undertook to set up a meeting with the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and interested peers should there be any slippage in the timetable set out today by NHSI for approval of this important project. I know that that invitation will be extended to my hon. Friend as well, to give him a little assurance on that.

[Mr Andrew Turner (in the Chair)]

I call the Minister—no, Mr Blackman.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jane Ellison and Andrew Turner

Tuesday 25th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight) (Con)]

7. What proportion of medicines prescribed in the NHS are alternative medicines; and what the annual cost is of dispensing such prescriptions.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Jane Ellison)]

The net ingredient cost to the NHS of homeopathic preparations dispensed in the community in England was £143,000 in 2012, which represents 0.002% of the overall NHS prescription cost in the community for the same period. The prescription cost analysis data from which we extract this information do not separately identify other alternative medicines.

[Mr Turner]

I thank the Minister for that answer. At the urging of Councillor John Nicholson, Isle of Wight council has asked the health and wellbeing board to recognise the value of alternative and complementary therapies and elect a representative to the board. Will the Minister and her Department work with that representative to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of such treatments?

[Jane Ellison]

I am aware that there has been interest in this matter in my hon. Friend’s clinical commissioning group. The provision of alternative and complementary therapies is decided by CCGs, which have to take into account National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance and local health needs and priorities. The responsibility is with CCGs to achieve value for money and to make sure that they are delivering improvements in the quality of care and patient outcomes, and it is against those standards that we would expect them to measure those therapies.

Cycling

Debate between Jane Ellison and Andrew Turner

Monday 2nd September 2013 Commons Chamber

[Jane Ellison (Battersea) (Con)]

I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak in the debate and very pleased that the Backbench Business Committee could find the time for it. It follows a very successful and over-subscribed debate in Westminster Hall last year and perhaps illustrates the point that very over-subscribed debates in Westminster Hall can transfer to the main Chamber and attract even more speakers, as today’s debate has done.

I speak as an occasional cyclist daughter of a serious veteran road-racing cyclist father. I want to talk today about London in particular and some of the measures that have been adopted here.

I will first say a bit about why cycling is so important in my constituency. There was an enormous reaction last year in Battersea to The Times’ “Cities Fit for Cycling” campaign. The average age of people who live in Wandsworth is 32, so that is probably also typical of my constituency. Many people cycle to work and for pleasure, and from quite a wide demographic range, although I agree about the need to widen it, which will set up a virtuous circle. As an occasional cyclist, I know that it can be very off-putting to go into a cycling shop with an old bike and hear three young men in Lycra leaning against the counter saying, “Poor old girl”—I am never quite sure whether they are talking about me or the bike. I encourage all cycling shops to remember that they will do better if they are open for business to everybody, including those who might not be such serious cyclists.

[Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight) (Con)]

Will my hon. Friend give way?

[Jane Ellison]

I will give way, but only once.

[Mr Turner]

One thing to consider is that in the UK there are around 25,000 bicycles but in Germany there are 360,000, and the difference is that many of those bicycles are electric, which can help even the elderly to cycle.

[Jane Ellison]

I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. Electric bikes have had a few honourable mentions in the debate so far, although I am not an expert.

In London, cycling is set to double over the next 10 years. However, as was pointed out earlier, cities such as London were not designed for cycling; it is a very old city. We must therefore take every opportunity offered by redevelopment to make it more suitable for cycling. We are certainly seeing some innovative thinking in my borough, as I mentioned earlier.