Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of 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 include policies on prevention in the proposed ten-year plan for health and social care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the Government’s five long-term missions, we will launch a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed: moving healthcare from hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.
A core part of the development of the 10-Year Health Plan, including its approach to prevention, will be an extensive engagement exercise with the public, staff, and stakeholders, including the third sector. Further details on how to get involved will be set out in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 introducing of a polluter pays levy on tobacco company to fund smoking cessation services; and if he will make it his policy to increase funding for (a) the swap-to-stop scheme, (b) tobacco control enforcement and (c) the national smoke-free pregnancy incentive scheme.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government is funding a broad package of measures to tackle the harm caused by smoking, including additional funding for local authority Stop Smoking Services, more enforcement activity around illegal tobacco and vape products, as well as recently launching a national smoke-free pregnancy incentive programme.
On the issue of a polluter pays levy on the tobacco industry, the Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of public finances. The Government keeps all taxes under review during its yearly Budget process.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation response entitled creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, published on 12 February 2024, whether he plans to implement the policies set out in that response.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be the biggest public health intervention in a generation, improving healthy life expectancy and reducing the number of lives lost to the biggest killers.
Alongside introducing a progressive smoking ban to ensure the next generation can never legally be sold tobacco, the Bill will also stop vapes and other consumer nicotine products from being deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children. We are additionally considering a range of new measures to put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom and will set out more details soon.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to create a national allergy tsar within the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government recognises the challenges in allergy care and the need to address the rapid and continuing rise of allergies.
The Department’s officials continue to discuss with NHS England and other Government departments and agencies, as well as patient groups, how best to improve care and support for people with allergies, including their health outcomes and quality of life. We will be considering calls for the Government to appoint a national allergy lead this autumn.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he his taking to ensure the adequacy of primary care provision for pensioners in (a) City of Durham constituency and (b) County Durham in winter 2024-25.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government cares about pensioners and access to primary care services. We know that patients nationally and in Durham are struggling to access their general practitioner (GP), and that this can be worsened throughout the winter period when demand is higher. We have committed to restoring the front door of the National Health Service by shifting the focus of the NHS out of hospitals and into the community. We know when patients aren’t able to get a GP appointment, they end up in accident and emergency, which is worse for the patient, more expensive for the taxpayer, and creates additional winter pressures.
Durham sits within the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), where the percentage of appointments delivered within two weeks of booking is 1.7% lower than the national average. To address this, we will increase the proportion of funding for primary care, starting with a commitment to recruit over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. This will increase the number of appointments delivered in GPs, secure the future pipeline of GPs, and take pressure off those currently working in the system.
The Government will trial new neighbourhood health centres to bring community health services together under one roof. We will also bring back the family doctor, by incentivising GPs to see the same patient, so ongoing or complex conditions are dealt with effectively. In doing so, we will improve continuity of care, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer accident and emergency attendances.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of 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 (a) support people with and (b) raise awareness of endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Endometriosis is a common gynaecological condition, estimated to affect one in 10 women of reproductive age. Endometriosis can significantly impact women and girls’ physical and mental health, and anyone with symptoms of endometriosis should contact their general practice. Information on endometriosis symptoms and treatments can be found on the National Health Service website, available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/endometriosis/
Additionally, further information on endometriosis symptoms can be found on the NHS’ YouTube channel, specifically a video series on menstrual health, which is available at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnhASgDToTkvLigKt1XBE-iwZVJxd7Lto
To support people and raise awareness of endometriosis among healthcare professionals, endometriosis is included in the Royal College of General Practitioners’ curriculum. The General Medical Council is also introducing the Medical Licensing Assessment for students, which will include endometriosis. This assessment is mandatory for doctors who want to practice in the United Kingdom, and will be introduced for students graduating from 2024/25.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle health inequalities in the North East of England.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
As part of our health mission, the Government is committed to ensuring people live well for longer. This includes tackling the determinants that underpin stark health inequalities to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions, and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
Local authorities in the North East received a total of £238 million in Public Health Grant funding for 2024/25, with Durham County Council having received £53.9 million for 2024/25. This provides services such as stop smoking, drug and alcohol treatment, school health visits and nursing, and sexual health, among others, all of which contribute to addressing health inequalities. Additionally, Directors of Public Health from each local authority are working in partnership with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board to support action to address inequalities in access, experience, and outcomes associated with health care.
Durham County Council is one of 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation, receiving funding to improve outcomes for families with babies as part of the £300 million Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. This programme is creating a network of family hubs with services to support families from conception to the age of two years old.
The North East Mayoral Combined Authority was formed on 7 May 2024, and has also committed to creating a fairer North East, reducing inequalities, and improving health. Its priorities include work to address the causes of health inequalities, such as bringing investment into the region to boost economic growth, and improving available housing, education, inclusion, and skills. The Tees Valley Combined Authority also works to secure investment, create jobs, and grow the economy, helping to create the conditions in which health inequalities can be reduced.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of 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 adequacy of preparedness for future pandemics.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Department is embedding lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic within its approach to pandemic preparedness. This includes amending the approach to cover all five routes of communicable disease transmission, rather than focusing on planning for specific threats. We are working with partners in the health and social care system, including the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England, to maintain a flexible and scalable set of response capabilities that can be adapted to any future novel disease. The approach to pandemic preparedness also recognises that the underlying resilience of the health and social care system is crucial to the ability to respond to a novel disease threat.
The UK COVID-19 Inquiry published its first report on 18 July 2024, which focuses on resilience and preparedness for a pandemic, and the Department will consider the inquiry’s recommendations in full.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of 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 support adults affected by backlogs for ADHD assessments.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including support for those waiting for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, in line with the relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
We are supporting a cross-sector taskforce that NHS England has launched to explore challenges in ADHD service provision and to help provide a joined-up approach for the growing numbers of people coming forward for support.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for the implementation of the Women’s Health Strategy; and whether she plans to help tackle disparities in access to fertility services for LGBTQ+ couples.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Women’s Health Strategy is a 10-year strategy. On 17 January 2024, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out our priorities for implementing the Women’s Health Strategy in 2024. This statement is available at the following link:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-01-17/hcws192
Improving access to fertility treatment is a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy. On 15 May 2024, we laid a Statutory Instrument to update the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act to allow gamete donation for people with HIV, who have an undetectable viral load. It will also eliminate additional screening costs for female same sex couples undertaking reciprocal, or shared motherhood, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. This is part of wider work to improve access to IVF for everyone, and ensure same-sex couples have the same rights as a man and woman when accessing fertility treatment.