Asked by: Jesse Norman (Conservative - Hereford and South Herefordshire)
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 increase the availability of covid-19 vaccines in Herefordshire.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Herefordshire has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country, with 94.5% of all over 50 year olds and those in at-risk groups having received at least one dose, 92.6% a second dose and 60.2% a booster, as of 26 November 2021.
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is ensuring it has the staff and volunteer capacity available to deliver additional vaccine appointments to meet demand. This includes a recruitment campaign for trained clinical staff to assist the programme.
Asked by: Jesse Norman (Conservative - Hereford and South Herefordshire)
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 of Odevixibat for treating processive familial intrahepatic cholestasis.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department has made no assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether licenced medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources.
NICE is currently appraising odevixibat for the treatment of progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis through its highly specialised technologies programme and expects to publish final guidance in January 2022.
Asked by: Jesse Norman (Conservative - Hereford and South Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he had made of the effect of prescription charges on nursing students with respiratory conditions who are required to work with covid-19 patients.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We have made no such assessment. Where a student has difficulty in paying for their prescriptions, they may be eligible for the National Health Service Low Income Scheme, which may provide exemption from the prescription charge and help with other health costs, on the basis of a means-tested assessment. They may also be entitled through other exemptions, such as a medical condition, maternity or through receipt of a qualifying benefit.
A prescription pre-payment certificate is also available where a holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.
Asked by: Jesse Norman (Conservative - Hereford and South Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential for virtual wards to improve health care delivery.
Answered by Alistair Burt
We recognise the importance of care at home and have identified 800,000 of the most vulnerable patients as part of the Proactive Care Programme.
Virtual wards could provide one way of reducing unplanned admissions by providing the staffing, systems and routines of hospital care in the patient’s own home.
Asked by: Jesse Norman (Conservative - Hereford and South Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of savings related to PFI contracts in the NHS since 2010.
Answered by Jeremy Hunt - Chancellor of the Exchequer
Since May 2010, £179 million of signed savings on National Health Service private finance initiative (PFI) contracts has been reported by the Department of Health to HM Treasury.
Our reforms have made it illegal for any government to drive the private sector into the NHS as Labour did, as Labour’s PFI deals are costing the NHS more than £1 billion a year.
Asked by: Jesse Norman (Conservative - Hereford and South Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that pregnant women living in England but registered with GPs in Wales have the option of a nuchal translucency scan as part of their antenatal care.
Answered by Dan Poulter
Nuchal translucency scans are offered to pregnant women as part of the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening programme (NHS FASP). This is a public health function of the Secretary of State which, through an arrangement under section 7A of the National Health Service Act 2006, is exercised by NHS England.
NHS England has confirmed that women living in England and registered with a GP in contract with the Welsh NHS who opt to give birth in an English hospital are offered nuchal translucency scans, in line with NHS FASP's 2011–2014 Model of Best Practice. I understand that nuchal transparency scans are not currently routinely offered by the Welsh NHS.
As part of its review of the protocol for cross-border healthcare, NHS England is giving consideration to a number of issues, including this one.
Asked by: Jesse Norman (Conservative - Hereford and South Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that people living in England but registered with GPs in Wales have full access to services provided by NHS England.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Department has asked NHS England to work with the Welsh Government to review the protocol for cross-border healthcare. NHS England aims to complete that work by the end of this calendar year.