Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 1 September, (b) 2 October, (c) 2 November and (d) 7 December 2023 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay, case reference JB42596.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
We replied to this correspondence and its three chasers on 21 December 2023. With apologies, this case was delayed as part of our continued backlog of cases following the pandemic and we are currently working through an urgent recovery plan to resolve this.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 3 September, 5 October, 2 November and 7 December 2023 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay, case reference JB42634.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
I responded to the hon. Member’s letter on 14 December 2023.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 1 August, (b) 5 September, (c) 5 October and (d) 19 October 2023 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay, case reference JB39890.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lord Markham) replied to the hon. Member on 10 November 2023.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System’s diagnostic funding was spent on diagnostic endoscopy procedures in Basildon and Brentwood constituency in 2022/23.
Answered by Will Quince
£2.3 billion was awarded at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years to increase diagnostic capacity, including for endoscopy services. This funding will also increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, including a number delivering endoscopy services.
In 2022/23, Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System spent a total of £53,950,546 on diagnostic services. Of this, £5,079,105 (9.4%), was spent on diagnostic endoscopy procedures in the Basildon & Brentwood Alliance.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System plans to take to increase the number of endoscopy procedures for patients in Basildon and Billericay constituency.
Answered by Will Quince
£2.3 billion was awarded at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years to increase diagnostic capacity, including for endoscopy services. This funding will also increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, including a number delivering endoscopy services.
Cutting National Health Service waiting lists, including for endoscopy services, is one of this Government’s top priorities. This is a shared ambition amongst integrated care systems (ICSs), including the Mid and South Essex ICS. Priorities are set locally through joint strategic needs assessments as part of joint forward plans across the ICS and partnering National Health Service trusts.
As the principal provider of diagnostic services in the ICB footprint, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is currently formulating and confirming its recovery plans with the integrated care board. The Trust intends to increase both internal capacity and insourcing with external support.
Additional endoscopy capacity from new Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) currently being established across the ICS will start to come onstream later this year. On the border of the Basildon and Billericay constituency, the Pitsea area will host Pitsea CDC. Once open, endoscopy services may be offered to the local population, where convenient, to improve their access to diagnostic care, including endoscopy services.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 reduce endoscopy waiting lists in (a) Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System and (b) Basildon and Brentwood constituency.
Answered by Will Quince
£2.3 billion was awarded at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years to increase diagnostic capacity, including for endoscopy services. This funding will also increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, including a number delivering endoscopy services.
Cutting National Health Service waiting lists, including for endoscopy services, is one of this Government’s top priorities. This is a shared ambition amongst integrated care systems (ICSs), including the Mid and South Essex ICS. Priorities are set locally through joint strategic needs assessments as part of joint forward plans across the ICS and partnering National Health Service trusts.
As the principal provider of diagnostic services in the ICB footprint, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is currently formulating and confirming its recovery plans with the integrated care board. The Trust intends to increase both internal capacity and insourcing with external support.
Additional endoscopy capacity from new Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) currently being established across the ICS will start to come onstream later this year. On the border of the Basildon and Billericay constituency, the Pitsea area will host Pitsea CDC. Once open, endoscopy services may be offered to the local population, where convenient, to improve their access to diagnostic care, including endoscopy services.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of (a) 14 March 2023, (b) 14 April 2023, (c) 16 May 2023 and (d) 16 June 2023 regarding his constituent, case reference JB40904.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
I replied to the hon. Member on 30 June 2023.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the early diagnosis of cancer.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The earlier we diagnose cancer, the better the outcomes for patients.
That’s why we’re speeding up diagnosis of the most common cancers e.g., skin cancer with tele-dermatology, bowel cancer through Faecal Immunochemical Testing, and prostate cancer through multiparametric MRI; increasing targeted screening for breast cancer and lung cancer; investing in 160 new community diagnostic centres; and tackling variation in cancer waiting times around the country.
Thanks to the hard work of so many people in cancer services around the country, the NHS hit the ‘faster diagnosis standard’ for the first time in February.
And – looking ahead - we’re investing in innovations like the Galleri blood test which may be able to detect cancer before people even have symptoms.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay dated (a) 23rd August, (b) 5th October, (c) 17th October, (d) 17th November and (e) 1st December, case reference JB38684.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
We replied to the hon. Member on 14 October 2022.
Asked by: John Baron (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to respond to letters dated (a) 6 January, (b) 8 February, (c) 9 March and (d) 11 April 2022 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay in respect of his constituent, reference JB35637.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.