Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of comparative data for GPs undertaking advice and guidance with hospital specialists in different (a) geographical areas and (b) medical specialisms.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Elective Reform plan commits to expanding the use of Advice and Guidance to ensure two-way communication between general practitioners (GPs) and hospital specialists, and ensure more patients are seen in the right clinical setting.
Officials routinely review data on the variation in performance and delivery of interventions to reduce the waiting list. It is recognised that variation in the use of Advice and Guidance by specialty or within specialties, based on the local patient population, is to be expected. The Elective Reform Plan commits to actions to spread effective practices and address unwarranted variation, including in the uptake of Advice and Guidance, and will focus on the specialties where it demonstrates the most value to clinicians and to patients.
In order to optimise the use of Advice and Guidance for both GPs and hospital specialists, the Elective Reform plan commits to providing access to new metrics and dashboards on the Model Health System, and to providing and regularly updating resources on referral optimisation, as well as the NHS England Getting It Right First Time team’s Advice and Guidance toolkits and templates.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an estimate of the potential (a) savings to the NHS, (b) impact on waiting times and (c) impact on the workload of GPs of proposals to pay GPs £20 per request for undertaking advice and guidance with hospital specialists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Advice and Guidance services enhance two-way communication between clinicians in primary and secondary care, with a view to ensuring patients receive the right care, in the right clinical setting. The Elective Reform Plan has committed to ensuring general practitioners will receive £20 per Advice and Guidance request, to recognise the importance of the role that they play in the delivery of this important service.
The Government has not made a standalone estimate of the potential savings to the National Health Service. This is not a new policy. Advice and Guidance has been shown to be successful in reducing demand on elective care by diverting potential referrals, where specialist advice determines that the most appropriate setting for care is in primary or community care. Approximately half of Advice and Guidance requests were diverted in 2023/24. Where advice from a specialist results in a patient being treated in a primary or community care setting instead of a referral to the waiting list, patients should be seen sooner, in a suitable setting closer to home, with the right course of action, benefiting from specialist input.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 potential implications for his policies of the recent advice from the British Medical Association to stop engaging with advice and guidance pathways.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering on its commitment in the recently published Elective Reform Plan to increase the use of Advice and Guidance by general practitioners (GPs), where appropriate, to support them to deliver high-quality patient care. The plan commits to paying GPs £20 per Advice and Guidance request in recognition of the fact that whilst it is a clinically helpful when used in the right circumstances, it can be time consuming.
The consultation on the 2025/26 GP Contract has started with the General Practitioners Committee in England, of the British Medical Association, and a range of proposals will be considered, including Advice and Guidance arrangements. Ensuring Advice and Guidance arrangements are agreed as part of GP Contract negotiations is fundamental to ensuring that patients receive the right care, in the right clinical setting.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet (a) NHS England, (b) MHRA and (c) bodies supporting people affected by (i) Post-Finasteride Syndrome and (ii) Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction following the use of anti-depressant medication to discuss that issue.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers meet regularly with external stakeholders on a variety of issues, including with organisations such as NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and bodies representing patients affected by medicines and medical devices.
The MHRA, as the regulator for medicines and medical devices, ensures that appropriate information is provided for each medicine on the United Kingdom’s market. The MHRA is currently reviewing the existing warnings in relation to sexual dysfunction which may continue after stopping anti-depressant medication, and recently completed an extensive safety review of finasteride and persistent sexual dysfunction, including after stopping treatment with finasteride.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of referring the NHS Business Services Authority to the Pensions Regulator, in the context of concerns with the annual allowance.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority has proactively informed the regulator of an error in the pension growth calculations which affects 2023/24 Pension Savings Statements.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of age-related discrimination on (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the workplace.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government recognises the need to recruit on merit, irrespective of a persons' age. The 2010 Equality Act provides strong protection against direct and indirect age discrimination in employment, rendering it unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees or job applicants based on age.
Employers play a key role in helping older individuals in the workplace. Age diversity within the workforce brings numerous benefits to businesses, in addition to broader advantages such as fresh perspectives and knowledge-sharing.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is therefore working across government, and through regular engagement with employers, to encourage positive attitudes towards older people and has signed the Age-friendly employer pledge, a nationwide initative led by the Centre for Ageing Better, aimed at promoting age inclusive working practices.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide an update on negotiations with NHS England on the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have been clear that we want to work with the sector on a service fit for the future. Now that the Budget for the Government has been set, we will shortly be resuming our consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding the funding arrangements for community pharmacy.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure the long-term maintenance of the Local Authority Data Explorer following the closure of the Office for Local Government.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
It is right for government, the sector, and for the general public that there is transparency on the delivery of the Government’s key missions, objectives and outcomes. My department will measure and publish data related to these priorities. This will incorporate the benefits of the Office for Local Government’s measurement work to date. As this work develops, the Data Explorer will stay live and continue to be updated.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the role of pan-regional partnerships in encouraging regional economic growth in (a) the Midlands and (b) across the UK.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Pan regional partnerships have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. Moving forward, the government intends to support Mayors in collaborating at pan-regional level and creating convening bodies whose purpose, priorities and membership are decided at a regional level, and working with existing regional organisations such as Sub-National Transport bodies.
At the Autumn Budget, the government confirmed that it would consult on its minded to decision to cease funding for pan-regional partnerships at the end of this financial year. The consultation sought to gather views from all interested parties on the impacts of this decision, should it be taken forward, and closed on 16 December. The Department is currently considering the responses received and will confirm a final decision shortly.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Midlands Engine Strategy on economic growth in the Midlands.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Pan regional partnerships have made a valuable contribution, supporting collaboration and taking forward a breadth of work on shared growth opportunities. Moving forward, the government intends to support Mayors in collaborating at pan-regional level and creating convening bodies whose purpose, priorities and membership are decided at a regional level, and working with existing regional organisations such as Sub-National Transport bodies.
At the Autumn Budget, the government confirmed that it would consult on its minded to decision to cease funding for pan-regional partnerships at the end of this financial year. The consultation sought to gather views from all interested parties on the impacts of this decision, should it be taken forward, and closed on 16 December. The Department is currently considering the responses received and will confirm a final decision shortly.