Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on companies involved in supplying PPE which was subsequently marked as do not supply due to being unsuitable for use in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department holds all pertinent contractual detail on those companies who provided personal protective equipment (PPE) products that were considered unsuitable for use. Between 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024, approximately 432,700 pallets of unusable PPE have been disposed of.
It currently costs approximately £200,000 per week to store PPE unsuitable for National Health Service use. The figure is dynamic because the stock is reducing. NHS Supply Chain manages PPE product supply and logistics and they lease storage for PPE from the following companies GXO and Visku (Bis Henderson).
A programme of work is underway to reduce our excess stock. This work will significantly reduce the cost of our storage network and is due to be complete by January 2025 through sales, donations, recycling, and energy from waste.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse is of storing PPE unsuitable for NHS use; and which companies are contracted to provide such storage services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department holds all pertinent contractual detail on those companies who provided personal protective equipment (PPE) products that were considered unsuitable for use. Between 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024, approximately 432,700 pallets of unusable PPE have been disposed of.
It currently costs approximately £200,000 per week to store PPE unsuitable for National Health Service use. The figure is dynamic because the stock is reducing. NHS Supply Chain manages PPE product supply and logistics and they lease storage for PPE from the following companies GXO and Visku (Bis Henderson).
A programme of work is underway to reduce our excess stock. This work will significantly reduce the cost of our storage network and is due to be complete by January 2025 through sales, donations, recycling, and energy from waste.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much unusable PPE has been disposed of since November 2023.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department holds all pertinent contractual detail on those companies who provided personal protective equipment (PPE) products that were considered unsuitable for use. Between 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024, approximately 432,700 pallets of unusable PPE have been disposed of.
It currently costs approximately £200,000 per week to store PPE unsuitable for National Health Service use. The figure is dynamic because the stock is reducing. NHS Supply Chain manages PPE product supply and logistics and they lease storage for PPE from the following companies GXO and Visku (Bis Henderson).
A programme of work is underway to reduce our excess stock. This work will significantly reduce the cost of our storage network and is due to be complete by January 2025 through sales, donations, recycling, and energy from waste.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has (a) made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing the Liberty Protection Safeguards and (b) had discussions with relevant stakeholders on a timetable for replacing the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards with the Liberty Protection Safeguards.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The implementation of the Liberty Protection Safeguards was paused by the previous government. The previous government decided to focus on other priorities. No assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing the Liberty Protection Safeguards and there have been no discussions about a timetable to replace the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards at this time.
We do, however, recognise the vital importance of protecting the rights of people who lack mental capacity to consent to their care arrangements, and we are determined to tackle the challenges facing adult social care and to stabilise the system. In addressing these challenges, we will engage a wide range of adult social care stakeholders including people with lived experience of care and their families.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
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 improve pathways of care for young people with ADHD in Oxfordshire.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments and care pathways.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD care pathways, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England is establishing to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD and help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.
The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire ICB advises that it has implemented a new assessment model within its neurodevelopmental conditions service to enable the team to carry out additional assessments. It has also commissioned a Living Well with Neurodivergence offer for children and young people with diagnosed or suspected ADHD, launched a parent peer support network for families waiting for assessment, and partnered with Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum to provide a range of workshops for parents.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of establishing permanent Early Liver Disease Diagnostics centres to deliver non-invasive diagnoses (a) in Oxfordshire and (b) nationally.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early detection of liver disease is vital to enable interventions and encourage behavioural change that can potentially lead to recovery. The Community Liver Health Check programme was established in June 2022 and aims to support the early detection and diagnosis of liver cancer, including hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), the most common liver cancer. As of the end of July 2024, the programme has delivered over 66,000 FibroScans and referred over 4,700 people into six-monthly liver ultrasound surveillance. Across Thames Valley, which includes Oxfordshire, 1,430 FibroScans have been delivered, with 5% of people identified to be at risk of HCC.
The Community Liver Health Check programme has an evaluation underway, with the final report due in Spring 2025. The results of the evaluation will be considered by NHS England when deciding on next steps.
The Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing diagnostic centres specifically for the early diagnosis of liver disease, for either Oxfordshire or nationally. However, the National Health Service is continuing to roll out Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), many of which will have testing capability to support the early diagnosis of liver disease, including some CDCs that offer FibroScans. There are currently plans for 14 CDCs to offer FibroScans by the end of this financial year, 10 of which are currently providing the test, and have delivered 2,144 tests in 2024/25.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the pilot scheme for the Community Liver Health Check Programme.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early detection of liver disease is vital to enable interventions and encourage behavioural change that can potentially lead to recovery. The Community Liver Health Check programme was established in June 2022 and aims to support the early detection and diagnosis of liver cancer, including hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), the most common liver cancer. As of the end of July 2024, the programme has delivered over 66,000 FibroScans and referred over 4,700 people into six-monthly liver ultrasound surveillance. Across Thames Valley, which includes Oxfordshire, 1,430 FibroScans have been delivered, with 5% of people identified to be at risk of HCC.
The Community Liver Health Check programme has an evaluation underway, with the final report due in Spring 2025. The results of the evaluation will be considered by NHS England when deciding on next steps.
The Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing diagnostic centres specifically for the early diagnosis of liver disease, for either Oxfordshire or nationally. However, the National Health Service is continuing to roll out Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), many of which will have testing capability to support the early diagnosis of liver disease, including some CDCs that offer FibroScans. There are currently plans for 14 CDCs to offer FibroScans by the end of this financial year, 10 of which are currently providing the test, and have delivered 2,144 tests in 2024/25.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of access to defibrillators.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
To improve survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases, the Government launched a new £1 million one-off fund that will expand community access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). The grant was made available from September 2023.
We estimated 1,000 new defibrillators would be provided by the fund, with the potential for this to double, as most applicants would be asked to match the funding they receive partially or fully. To date, the grant has successfully delivered 2,000 AEDs.
Research has shown that those in the most deprived areas of England had to travel over one kilometre to their nearest accessible, nonstop service public access defibrillator, which tended to be 99.2 metres further away than in the least deprived areas.
Applications for AEDs are selected in line with criteria to provide AEDs where there is greatest need. The criteria include remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to bring waiting times for mental health patients in-line with waiting times for physical health patients.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
We remain committed to achieving parity between mental and physical health services, as outlined in the parity of esteem definition set out in a letter to the Public Accounts Committee in February 2024.
Given funding is important for reaching parity of esteem, we are making good progress with investment in National Health Service mental health services. Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, NHS spending on mental health has increased by £4.7 billion in cash terms, as compared to the target of £3.4 billion in cash terms set out at the time of the Long-Term Plan. For 2024/25, mental health spend is forecast to continue to grow, and will make up 9.01% of all recurrent NHS spending.
In February 2022, NHS England published the outcomes of its consultation on the potential to introduce five new access and waiting time standards for mental health services, as part of its clinically led review of NHS Access Standards. These are: for an urgent referral to a community based mental health crisis service, a patient should be seen within 24 hours of referral, across all ages; for a very urgent referral to a community based mental health crisis service, a patient should be seen within four hours of referral, for all age groups; patients referred from accident and emergency should be seen face to face within one hour by a mental health liaison or children and young people’s equivalent service; children, young people and their families and carers presenting to community-based mental health services, should start to receive care within four weeks of referral; and adults and older adults presenting to community-based mental health services should start to receive help within four weeks of referral.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of NHS provision for the diagnosis of ADHD in (a) Oxfordshire and (b) England.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. The NICE guideline on ADHD does not recommend a maximum waiting time from referral for an assessment of ADHD to the point of assessment or diagnosis. The Department has not made a specific assessment of the availability of National Health Service provision for the diagnosis of, or treatment of, ADHD in Oxfordshire.
In respect of the adequacy of ADHD service provision nationally, in December 2023, NHS England initiated a rapid piece of work to consider ADHD service provision within the NHS. The initial phase of work identified challenges, including with current service models and the ability to keep pace with demand. Following this initial review, NHS England is establishing a new ADHD taskforce alongside the Government, to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The new taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, and to help provide a joined up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.
Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England has announced that it will continue to work with stakeholders to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services, to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.
In respect of the availability of NHS provision for the treatment of ADHD nationally, the Department is aware of, and taking action to address, disruptions to the supply of medicine used for the management of ADHD. Disruptions to the supply of medicines have been primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. Nationally, the Department has been working hard with industry to help resolve those issues as quickly as possible. As a result of our ongoing activity, some issues have been resolved. However, we know that there continue to be disruptions to the supply of some other medicines, including methylphenidate and guanfacine. The latest information we have received from manufacturers is that these should largely be resolved by May 2024 and October 2024, respectively.