Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming NHS 10-year plan will include commitments to reform funding for (a) palliative and (b) end-of-life care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our partners, including those in the hospice sector.
Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the National Health Service is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it. We have established 11 working groups to take forward policy development that will feed into the plan. This includes working groups focused on how care should be designed and delivered to improve healthcare equity, alongside ensuring that access to healthcare services is effective and responsive.
We have launched a significant public engagement process, and we would encourage all those with an interest in palliative and end of life care to take part in that process so that we can fully understand what is not working as well as it should and what the potential solutions are. This public engagement process is available at the following link:
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Casey Commission on social care will consult local government.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will begin in April 2025.
The commission will start a national conversation about what care and support working age adults, older people, and their families should expect from adult social care. Chaired by Baroness Louise Casey and reporting to the Prime Minister, we expect the commission will work with people who draw on care, their families, staff, politicians, and the public, private, and third sector to make clear recommendations for how to rebuild the adult social care system to meet the current and future needs of the population. This will include local government. The details of this will be developed by the commission in due course.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 help support people in rural and farming communities to see their GP when they develop cancer symptoms.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Increasing the diagnostic rates of cancer is a priority for the Government, and general practices (GPs) are key in achieving this goal. To encourage a wide range of groups, including people in rural and farming communities, to see their GP, NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase the knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their GP. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms as well as encouraging body awareness to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.
The Government is also increasing capacity in GPs, so patients have better access to GPs. We will recruit over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, which will increase the number of appointments delivered in GPs, secure the future supply of GPs and appointments, and take pressure off those currently working in the system. We will also bring back the family doctor by incentivising continuity of care so patients can see the same doctor at each appointment, which is key to managing ongoing conditions.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commission research on potential steps to improve outcomes for cancer patients in rural areas.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Reducing unwarranted variation in cancer treatment and outcomes is a strategic priority for the NHS Cancer Programme. NHS England commissioned the Royal College of Surgeons to deliver 10 cancer clinical audits. Outcomes from the audits will support the National Health Service to increase the consistency of access to treatments and help guide quality improvement initiatives. Officials within the Department and NHS England are in the process of considering the audit’s findings and next steps.
Furthermore, the Department supports statutory integrated care systems (ICSs) in delivering NHS services across England. ICSs are partnerships of organisations which come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services, to improve the lives of the people who live and work in their area. This includes considering adequate healthcare provision for populations in towns and rural areas and working collaboratively to plan for population change.
The organisations within an ICS include the NHS, local government, social care providers, charities, and other organisations working together to provide more joined up care for people, and to improve the outcomes for their populations.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures are in place to support an (a) ageing and (b) isolated population in (i) remote and (ii) rural areas to attend hospital appointments for cancer (A) diagnosis and (B) treatment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring healthcare needs of local communities are met. These responsibilities include considering adequate healthcare provision, care, and wider support for local populations, including in remote and rural areas, and for those in the community who have needs linked to ageing and isolation.
There are two National Health Service schemes in England which provide assistance for travel to hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, as set out below.
The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients in England who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The NHS Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services provide funded transport where a medical condition means that a patient would struggle to safely attend their treatment independently.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report published by his Department entitled Tackling antimicrobial resistance 2019–2024: the UK's 5-year national action plan, published on 24 January 2019, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance and (b) embed support for antimicrobial stewardship in his Department's work.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The United Kingdom’s antimicrobial national action plan aims to reduce the need for and unintentional exposure to antimicrobials by lowering the burden of infection; optimise the use of antimicrobials; and invest in innovation, supply and access of new diagnostics, therapies and vaccines.
Diagnostics and antimicrobial stewardship leads have been appointed in NHS England regional teams and national toolkits, decision aids and guidelines to support the appropriate use of antimicrobials have been developed and published. Commissioning for Quality and Innovation schemes for management of urinary tract infection and reducing antimicrobial use in secondary care have also been implemented.