Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
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 support the introduction of defibrillators into public buildings.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government encourages organisations, including schools, to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of their first-aid equipment, particularly for places where there are high concentrations of people.
Automated external defibrillators are currently available for schools and other education providers in the United Kingdom to purchase through NHS Supply Chain at a reduced cost. These arrangements are available to all UK schools, including academies and independent schools, sixth-form colleges, further education institutions and early years settings (including holiday and out-of-school providers). These arrangements have been in place since November 2014.
The NHS Long Term Plan states fast and effective action will help save the lives of people suffering a cardiac arrest, and key measures include:
- a national network of community first responders and defibrillators will help save up to 4,000 lives each year by 2028, which will be supported by educating the general public, including young people of school age, about how to recognise and respond to out of hospital cardiac arrest;
- NHS England will also work with partners such as the British Heart Foundation to harness new technology and ensure that the public and emergency services are able to rapidly locate defibrillators in an emergency; and
- more effective mapping of data on incidence will help direct community initiatives to areas where they are most needed, and the British Heart Foundation-funded national Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Registry, based in Warwick, will allow NHS England to track survival rates and target unwarranted variation.
NHS England will continue to work closely with key partners and stakeholders, including the British Heart Foundation, as it supports the National Health Service to deliver the commitments set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the Health Service Investigation Branch took responsibility for investigating avoidable baby deaths; and what estimate he has made of the annual caseload in each of the next three years.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) began work in April 2017 to conduct high-level investigations of serious patient safety incidents in the National Health Service in England with a specific focus on system-wide learning and improvement.
In November 2017, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that, from April 2018, HSIB would investigate all cases of early neonatal deaths, term intrapartum stillbirths and cases of severe brain injury in babies, as well as all cases of maternal death in England. HSIB did not conduct investigations in these areas in 2017.
The new investigative approach will begin in a single region from April 2018 and rollout to all areas of England will be completed by the end of March 2019. It is estimated that there are approximately 1,000 cases of birth-related deaths or serious brain injuries in babies in England every year. The expectation is that the learning from investigations will spur system improvements leading to fewer deaths and injuries in the future.
The Secretary of State has been clear that the HSIB maternity investigations will involve patients and families in investigations. In carrying out the maternity investigations, the HSIB will consult and seek evidence or information from the patient, family members and staff involved in the care. In addition, the HSIB will share draft reports with family members, inviting comment, and provide family members with the final report.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what services and Government funding are available for women (a) in need of support throughout a crisis pregnancy and (b) after experiencing an abortion.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Impartial National Health Service or local authority funded information and support for women who are uncertain whether to continue with a pregnancy is available from general practice, sexual and reproductive health services and abortion clinics. All women requesting an abortion should be offered the opportunity to discuss their options and choices with, and receive support from, a trained pregnancy counsellor. Following an abortion all women should be able to access post-abortion support or counselling.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether parents will be involved in Health Service Investigation Branch investigations of avoidable baby deaths; and whether evidence collected during such investigations will be shared with parents.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) began work in April 2017 to conduct high-level investigations of serious patient safety incidents in the National Health Service in England with a specific focus on system-wide learning and improvement.
In November 2017, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that, from April 2018, HSIB would investigate all cases of early neonatal deaths, term intrapartum stillbirths and cases of severe brain injury in babies, as well as all cases of maternal death in England. HSIB did not conduct investigations in these areas in 2017.
The new investigative approach will begin in a single region from April 2018 and rollout to all areas of England will be completed by the end of March 2019. It is estimated that there are approximately 1,000 cases of birth-related deaths or serious brain injuries in babies in England every year. The expectation is that the learning from investigations will spur system improvements leading to fewer deaths and injuries in the future.
The Secretary of State has been clear that the HSIB maternity investigations will involve patients and families in investigations. In carrying out the maternity investigations, the HSIB will consult and seek evidence or information from the patient, family members and staff involved in the care. In addition, the HSIB will share draft reports with family members, inviting comment, and provide family members with the final report.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Health Service Investigation Branch investigations into late-term stillbirths were (a) undertaken and (b) completed in 2017.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) began work in April 2017 to conduct high-level investigations of serious patient safety incidents in the National Health Service in England with a specific focus on system-wide learning and improvement.
In November 2017, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that, from April 2018, HSIB would investigate all cases of early neonatal deaths, term intrapartum stillbirths and cases of severe brain injury in babies, as well as all cases of maternal death in England. HSIB did not conduct investigations in these areas in 2017.
The new investigative approach will begin in a single region from April 2018 and rollout to all areas of England will be completed by the end of March 2019. It is estimated that there are approximately 1,000 cases of birth-related deaths or serious brain injuries in babies in England every year. The expectation is that the learning from investigations will spur system improvements leading to fewer deaths and injuries in the future.
The Secretary of State has been clear that the HSIB maternity investigations will involve patients and families in investigations. In carrying out the maternity investigations, the HSIB will consult and seek evidence or information from the patient, family members and staff involved in the care. In addition, the HSIB will share draft reports with family members, inviting comment, and provide family members with the final report.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of deaths of young people from cardiac arrest.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The Government has provided £2 million to make Public Access Defibrillators more widely available and to increase the number of people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
In addition, the Fetal Anomaly and the Newborn and Infant Physical Examination screening programmes offer heart screening to detect abnormalities early.
The Department’s National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research in this area.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on fetal pain in the last three years.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department funds the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to improve the health and wealth of the nation. NIHR is a comprehensive health and social care research system which funds high quality early translational, clinical and applied research to improve health; trains and supports health researchers; provides world class research facilities; works with the life sciences industries and charities to benefit all; and involves patients and the public at every step. The Department has not commissioned research on foetal pain through the NIHR in the last three years.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what account he plans to take of public opinion in his policy decisions on the time limits on abortions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent from the public purse on the provision of abortion in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Information on public expenditure on the provision of abortion in England is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions performed later than 24 weeks gestation received funding from the public purse in the 2016-17 financial year.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Abortion data is collected for calendar year, rather than financial year. Abortions undertaken at 24 weeks and over can only be carried out in an National Health Service hospital. In 2016, 221 NHS funded abortions were performed for residents of England and Wales at 24 weeks’ gestation or later. An additional five abortions at 24 weeks or later were carried out in NHS hospitals but were privately funded.