Health Data: Research and Analysis
Debate between Lord Evans of Rainow and Lord Scriven
Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)
I am not aware that GPs are withholding such important data. If the noble Lord knows of any evidence, I ask him to let me know. I reassure the noble Lord, and indeed the House, that the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS in England have committed to transforming how NHS health and social care data is made available for secondary uses. Secure data environments allow data to be accessed for research in secure systems without people’s identifiable information being seen or the data having to be sent between individuals. If the noble Lord has any specific cases, I ask him please to write to me.
Lord Scriven (LD)
My Lords, the NHS dataset has been allocated to raise over £5 billion per annum by commercial organisations, if used appropriately. What provision are the Government making to ensure that the public also benefit from this £5 billion by potentially setting something up that is equivalent to a sovereign wealth fund to be invested for public use, particularly for health?
Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)
The noble Lord knows how to run a hospital, and I pay tribute to the work that he has done. On the point about a sovereign wealth fund, I shall take it back to the department—but this strategy will give the public greater access to and control over their own records. Healthcare staff will have easy access to the right information, and social care leaders and policymakers will have data to make effective decisions —so the noble Lord will know that the strategy will benefit all those who work in the NHS, but particularly it benefits patients in the United Kingdom.
Community Pharmacies
Debate between Lord Evans of Rainow and Lord Scriven
Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)
I thank my noble friend for that important question regarding pharmacies. Although we are yet to label our service offer as “pharmacy first”, we have already introduced and funded a range of services in community pharmacy that make use of the clinical skills of pharmacy teams and take the pressure off GPs and other parts of the NHS. We continue to discuss with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee how the Government can best support community pharmacies and the sector to provide services to patients.
Lord Scriven (LD)
Due to government policy, primary care networks are recruiting pharmacists from community settings. In January 2023, it was confirmed that about 4,100 pharmacies have been recruited into PCNs, with a large proportion of those being recruited from community pharmacy. Community pharmacy owners are now becoming more dependent on locum pharmacists to fill vacancies, and the fees have gone up by 80%. What will the Government do to deal with this problem as a matter of urgency to support local community pharmacists?
Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)
Health Education England’s 2021 community pharmacy workforce survey identified an increase in the number of pharmacists from 23,284 in 2017 to 27,406. From 2026, all newly graduated pharmacists will have a prescription qualification, and we will upskill the existing workforce. This will provide further opportunity for the community pharmacy sector to better support the delivery of primary care.