Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 ensure that the NHS long-term health plan complements the National Cancer Strategy in the context of the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of (i) radiographers and (ii) radiologists.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver three big shifts in the focus of healthcare, from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.
The Department will also refresh the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to fit the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, so the National Health Service has the staff it needs to treat patients on time again. NHS England continues to lead on a range of initiatives to boost retention of existing staff and ensure the NHS remains an attractive career choice for new recruits.
The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and to improve outcomes for people living with cancer. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new national cancer plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients. We will continue to ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it, and the cancer plan will reflect this.
We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and will provide updates on this in due course.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 ensure that patients requiring radiotherapy start their treatment with 31 days of a doctor deciding on their treatment plan.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We understand that cancer patients are waiting longer than they should for the care they need, and we are taking action to address this. The Government is committed to improving cancer care and reducing waiting times for treatment, including for radiotherapy. We will also be spending £70 million on new radiotherapy machines, to ensure that the most advanced treatment is available to patients who need it.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with local partners to ensure the availability of (a) parenting and (b) other programmes to improve the mental health of (i) infants, (ii) children and (iii) young people mental health.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has a bold new ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. Launched in August 2022, the three-year Family Hubs and Start for Life programme provides approximately £300 million to 75 local authorities in England with high levels of deprivation, to improve outcomes for families with babies. This includes £100 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support, laying the foundations for cognitive, emotional, and physical development.
Nationally, we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across children and adult mental health services to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on busy children and young people’s mental health services.
We will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school in England, so that mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, can be identified early on and prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life. We will also roll out open access Young Futures hubs for children and young people in every community. This national network is expected to bring local services together to deliver support for teenagers at risk of being drawn into crime or facing mental health challenges.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of allegations of fraudulent claims submitted through the Pharmacy First programme.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.
The detail of the pharmacy contract is set out in regulations and in the Drug Tariff. These stand until they are changed. We are looking to finalise the consultation on funding for the sector for 2024/25 with Community Pharmacy England, as a matter of urgency.
Over 95% of pharmacies are signed up to deliver the Pharmacy First Service, and together they have delivered three quarters of a million consultations as of June 2024, taking pressure off general practices. The Department and NHS England are closely monitoring the service and working with Community Pharmacy England to support contractors in delivering this increased access to National Health Service care.
The Department and NHS England are aware of significant outliers in claims submitted through the Pharmacy First programme. These are being investigated through the appropriate routes, as set out in the service outline, and will be handled accordingly. If the investigation leads to concerns about fraud these will be escalated appropriately. Such processes help protect the public and contractors and give us confidence as we look to develop our services in the future.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 publish the contract for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.
The detail of the pharmacy contract is set out in regulations and in the Drug Tariff. These stand until they are changed. We are looking to finalise the consultation on funding for the sector for 2024/25 with Community Pharmacy England, as a matter of urgency.
Over 95% of pharmacies are signed up to deliver the Pharmacy First Service, and together they have delivered three quarters of a million consultations as of June 2024, taking pressure off general practices. The Department and NHS England are closely monitoring the service and working with Community Pharmacy England to support contractors in delivering this increased access to National Health Service care.
The Department and NHS England are aware of significant outliers in claims submitted through the Pharmacy First programme. These are being investigated through the appropriate routes, as set out in the service outline, and will be handled accordingly. If the investigation leads to concerns about fraud these will be escalated appropriately. Such processes help protect the public and contractors and give us confidence as we look to develop our services in the future.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) impact and (b) effectiveness of the Pharmacy First programme.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.
The detail of the pharmacy contract is set out in regulations and in the Drug Tariff. These stand until they are changed. We are looking to finalise the consultation on funding for the sector for 2024/25 with Community Pharmacy England, as a matter of urgency.
Over 95% of pharmacies are signed up to deliver the Pharmacy First Service, and together they have delivered three quarters of a million consultations as of June 2024, taking pressure off general practices. The Department and NHS England are closely monitoring the service and working with Community Pharmacy England to support contractors in delivering this increased access to National Health Service care.
The Department and NHS England are aware of significant outliers in claims submitted through the Pharmacy First programme. These are being investigated through the appropriate routes, as set out in the service outline, and will be handled accordingly. If the investigation leads to concerns about fraud these will be escalated appropriately. Such processes help protect the public and contractors and give us confidence as we look to develop our services in the future.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-2024 on the number of community pharmacies in England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.
The detail of the pharmacy contract is set out in regulations and in the Drug Tariff. These stand until they are changed. We are looking to finalise the consultation on funding for the sector for 2024/25 with Community Pharmacy England, as a matter of urgency.
Over 95% of pharmacies are signed up to deliver the Pharmacy First Service, and together they have delivered three quarters of a million consultations as of June 2024, taking pressure off general practices. The Department and NHS England are closely monitoring the service and working with Community Pharmacy England to support contractors in delivering this increased access to National Health Service care.
The Department and NHS England are aware of significant outliers in claims submitted through the Pharmacy First programme. These are being investigated through the appropriate routes, as set out in the service outline, and will be handled accordingly. If the investigation leads to concerns about fraud these will be escalated appropriately. Such processes help protect the public and contractors and give us confidence as we look to develop our services in the future.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
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 implications for his policies of the contribution of community pharmacies to local healthcare systems.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.
We are currently consulting with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to support community pharmacies.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.
We are currently consulting with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25.