To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Veteran: Hearing Impairment
Thursday 1st February 2024

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on integrating commissioning for veteran-specific hearing (a) treatments and (b) equipment in the NHS.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Veterans' Hearing Fund was a time-limited fund set up in 2015 to provide support for veterans with noise induced hearing loss and to provide equipment not available on the National Health Service to support veterans’ wellbeing needs, such as peripheral devices to connect to televisions and telephones. This fund has now closed and there are currently no plans to re-establish it. Commissioning of general hearing services and audiology takes place at a local level, based on the needs of the local population.

The Department has not made any assessment of the effectiveness of the Veterans’ Hearing Fund, however following its closure, we have worked with NHS England to ensure that there is no gap in provision and support for those who relied on this Fund to support their clinical needs.

No discussions have been held between my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Defence on integrating commissioning for veteran-specific hearing treatments and equipment in the NHS. The Government has not made any assessment of the impact of the closure of the Veterans Hearing Fund on NHS auditory services.

Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A Framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups was published in July 2016. This framework supported the former clinical commissioning groups and the newly established integrated care boards in England to make informed decisions on maximising value for local populations and provide consistent, high quality, integrated care. It also addresses inequalities in access and outcomes between hearing services.


Written Question
Veteran: Hearing Impairment
Thursday 1st February 2024

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to re-establish the Veterans Hearing Fund.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Veterans' Hearing Fund was a time-limited fund set up in 2015 to provide support for veterans with noise induced hearing loss and to provide equipment not available on the National Health Service to support veterans’ wellbeing needs, such as peripheral devices to connect to televisions and telephones. This fund has now closed and there are currently no plans to re-establish it. Commissioning of general hearing services and audiology takes place at a local level, based on the needs of the local population.

The Department has not made any assessment of the effectiveness of the Veterans’ Hearing Fund, however following its closure, we have worked with NHS England to ensure that there is no gap in provision and support for those who relied on this Fund to support their clinical needs.

No discussions have been held between my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Defence on integrating commissioning for veteran-specific hearing treatments and equipment in the NHS. The Government has not made any assessment of the impact of the closure of the Veterans Hearing Fund on NHS auditory services.

Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A Framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups was published in July 2016. This framework supported the former clinical commissioning groups and the newly established integrated care boards in England to make informed decisions on maximising value for local populations and provide consistent, high quality, integrated care. It also addresses inequalities in access and outcomes between hearing services.


Written Question
Veterans: Hearing Impairment
Thursday 1st February 2024

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the impact of the closure of the Veterans Hearing Fund on NHS auditory services.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Veterans' Hearing Fund was a time-limited fund set up in 2015 to provide support for veterans with noise induced hearing loss and to provide equipment not available on the National Health Service to support veterans’ wellbeing needs, such as peripheral devices to connect to televisions and telephones. This fund has now closed and there are currently no plans to re-establish it. Commissioning of general hearing services and audiology takes place at a local level, based on the needs of the local population.

The Department has not made any assessment of the effectiveness of the Veterans’ Hearing Fund, however following its closure, we have worked with NHS England to ensure that there is no gap in provision and support for those who relied on this Fund to support their clinical needs.

No discussions have been held between my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Defence on integrating commissioning for veteran-specific hearing treatments and equipment in the NHS. The Government has not made any assessment of the impact of the closure of the Veterans Hearing Fund on NHS auditory services.

Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A Framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups was published in July 2016. This framework supported the former clinical commissioning groups and the newly established integrated care boards in England to make informed decisions on maximising value for local populations and provide consistent, high quality, integrated care. It also addresses inequalities in access and outcomes between hearing services.


Written Question
Veterans: Hearing Impairment
Thursday 1st February 2024

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

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 effectiveness of the Veterans Hearing Fund.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Veterans' Hearing Fund was a time-limited fund set up in 2015 to provide support for veterans with noise induced hearing loss and to provide equipment not available on the National Health Service to support veterans’ wellbeing needs, such as peripheral devices to connect to televisions and telephones. This fund has now closed and there are currently no plans to re-establish it. Commissioning of general hearing services and audiology takes place at a local level, based on the needs of the local population.

The Department has not made any assessment of the effectiveness of the Veterans’ Hearing Fund, however following its closure, we have worked with NHS England to ensure that there is no gap in provision and support for those who relied on this Fund to support their clinical needs.

No discussions have been held between my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Defence on integrating commissioning for veteran-specific hearing treatments and equipment in the NHS. The Government has not made any assessment of the impact of the closure of the Veterans Hearing Fund on NHS auditory services.

Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A Framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups was published in July 2016. This framework supported the former clinical commissioning groups and the newly established integrated care boards in England to make informed decisions on maximising value for local populations and provide consistent, high quality, integrated care. It also addresses inequalities in access and outcomes between hearing services.


Written Question
Influenza: Vaccination
Tuesday 11th July 2023

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with the Scottish government on the reasons for which they have decided to provide influenza vaccinations to people aged between 50 and 64.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Scottish Government is guided by the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). As a devolved power, all final policy decisions are made by the Scottish Government. Scottish Ministers wish to continue to offer an extended Seasonal Flu Immunisation Programme in 2023/24, to provide greater protection and in response to the earlier and more severe flu season experienced last winter. The United Kingdom Government remains in regular dialogue with Devolved Governments regarding public health, and works collaboratively across the UK in the provision of vaccination programmes, as evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Written Question
Influenza: Vaccination
Tuesday 11th July 2023

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he made an assessment of the potential merits of funding influenza vaccinations for 50 to 64 years olds; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department is guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the approach to the seasonal flu vaccination programme in England. Details about the flu vaccination programme for 2023/24, including which groups will be eligible for a free vaccine and the vaccines that will be reimbursable to National Health Service providers, were published on 25 May 2023. The groups eligible for a free flu vaccine for the 2023 to 2024 season include those aged 65 years and over and those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, eligibility for the influenza programme was temporarily extended to include all adults aged between 50 and 64 years of age to protect the population from the potential threat of cocirculation of COVID-19 and influenza and alleviate pressure on the NHS. In the JCVI’s advice for the 2023/24 programme published in November 2022, it stated that whilst there would be a health benefit in vaccinating low risk 50- to 64-year-olds, it is uncertain whether this would be cost effective, and that the overall priority should be to extend the childhood programme in secondary schools as this would be more cost effective and likely to have a greater impact on morbidity and mortality compared with vaccinating 50- to 64-year-olds. We will continue to be guided by the JCVI on eligibility for seasonal flu vaccination

Whilst there was no quantitative assessment made of additional indirect benefits to the economy of not offering flu vaccinations to 50- to 64-year-olds this year, we did take into consideration qualitative evidence including the benefits of seasonal flu vaccination on reducing winter pressures when making our overall assessment. The department will continue to be guided by JCVI advice on cost-effectiveness.


Written Question
Vaccination
Tuesday 11th July 2023

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

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 impact of changes to the eligibility criteria for (a) flu and (b) covid vaccines on (i) vaccine confidence and (ii) uptake rates.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Vaccine uptake rates and public confidence in vaccines are considered as part of planning for future vaccination programmes. However, no assessment has been made of the potential impacts of changes to the eligibility criteria for flu and COVID-19 vaccines on vaccine confidence and uptake rates. This is because the primary aim of the COVID-19 and flu vaccination programme continues to be the prevention of severe disease, including hospitalisation and mortality, and vaccination is therefore offered to those at greatest risk of serious disease.


Written Question
NHS Digital and NHS England: Data Protection
Friday 17th March 2023

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

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 help ensure (a) NHS Digital and (b) NHS England are compliant with their data protection obligations; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Will Quince

NHS Digital functions legally transferred to NHS England on 1 February 2023. NHS England is consequently responsible for ensuring it meets its obligations to protect people’s data. Data protection law will continue to apply. This means there must always be a valid, lawful basis for the collection and processing of personal information including special category information within federated data platforms and any other NHS England IT system, as defined under data protection legislation. Data protection impact assessments must be carried out and privacy notices published which explain what data is collected, analysed and shared and for what purposes.

NHS England must have regard to statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care under the power in section 274A of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, which sets out measures that the Secretary of State expects NHS England to take to protect confidential information. The draft guidance has been published on GOV.UK, and the finalised guidance will be published shortly, and kept under review.

NHS England is legally required to report annually to Parliament on how well it has discharged its data functions. NHS England also makes an annual Data Security and Protection submission which demonstrates how they meet data protection obligations.


Written Question
Influenza: Vaccination
Thursday 16th March 2023

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department prepared an impact assessment before deciding to delay the delivery of the flu vaccine for children and adolescents until the end of January 2023.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department did not take a decision to delay the delivery of the flu vaccine for children and adolescents until the end of January 2023. The National Health Service commissioned School Aged Immunisation Service providers to vaccinate as many children as possible before the onset of the flu season, which typically peaks between January and March, with a priority focus on vaccinating the youngest children first from primary school age and then move to secondary school children in years seven, eight and nine.


Written Question
Pharmacy: Private Sector
Wednesday 15th March 2023

Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department allows private businesses to change a patient's nominated pharmacy without seeking the patients permission; if he will make statement.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

The purpose of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is to allow prescribers to send prescriptions electronically to a pharmacy of the patient's choice. A patient can choose to nominate a pharmacy and all prescriptions will be sent to the nominated pharmacy until the patient chooses to change or remove this nomination.

Changes to a patient nomination should only be made with the patient’s consent. Although consent does not have to be provided in writing, there must be an auditable process in place.

Patients can change their current nomination using the National Health Service app or on the NHS website. General practitioners and pharmacies can also change a patient’s nomination but only with the patient’s consent. There are instances where prescriptions can be sent to another pharmacy as a one-off nomination instead of the patient’s nominated pharmacy, but this must be done at the request of the patient.

In the event a pharmacy business changes hands as an on-going concern, NHS England asks the outgoing owners to inform their nominated patients that the pharmacy is being taken over and by whom, and to offer those patients the opportunity, during a time-limited window, to opt out of their nomination being transferred to the new owner.

Additionally, patients can choose not to nominate a pharmacy, in which case patients will receive an EPS token that includes a barcode, allowing any pharmacy with access to the EPS to retrieve the electronic prescription.