Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to establish specialist care pathways for people with bipolar to (a) improve treatment and (b) reduce misdiagnosis.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long, including for people with bipolar disorder. We are determined to change that.
As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, create a network of open access community Young Futures hubs, recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to cut wait times and provide faster treatment, and modernise the Mental Health Act.
We are also committed to new models of care for mental health, including reforming care for people experiencing a mental health crisis. We are testing neighbourhood mental health centres for people aged 18 years old and over with serious mental illness. These six pilot schemes are based in Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Sheffield, York, Birmingham, and Whitehaven.
These models will offer 24/7 open access care closer to home, with an integrated service including healthcare providers, local authorities, and the voluntary sector. These pilots build on international evidence which shows that similar models have led to a reduction in hospitalisation and waiting times, and support our efforts to move more care into the community.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
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 that all NICE-approved medicines for osteoporosis are included in (a) ICS and (b) local formularies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits.
The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by the NICE, usually within three months of final guidance.
The 2025/26 NHS Standard Contract, which applies to all contracts between NHS commissioners and providers, stipulates that, where any service involves or may involve the prescribing of medicines, the provider must ensure that its formulary reflects all relevant positive NICE technology appraisals.
The NICE has also published guidance on developing and updating local formularies, which is intended to support commissioners and healthcare providers, including those working within integrated care systems, in developing formularies that reflect local needs, reducing variation in prescribing, and allowing for the rapid adoption of new medicines and treatments. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/mpg1
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
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 maternity services in the Forest of Dean constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Several steps are being taken to support maternity services in the Forest of Dean constituency, in addition to those being delivered nationally through the three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services across England. These include, but are not limited to:
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
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 merits of developing a national strategy to place defibrillators in high need areas.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED fund, launched in in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the fund.
The Department selected a joint bid from Smarter Society as its independent partners to manage grant applications. Smarter Society has reviewed funding applications against requirements specified by the Department. Although no decision has been made to develop a national strategy to place defibrillators in high need areas, these requirements are to ensure that resources are allocated to where there is the greatest need, for instance remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
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 potential impact on health outcomes of universal access to Fracture Liaison Services.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and support the patients who sustain them. According to the Fracture Liaison Service Database 2022, at least 60 trusts in England had access to a Fracture Liaison Service. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is committed to rolling out fracture liaison services across every part of the country by 2030.
Costs and benefits will be assessed, taking into consideration the evidence gathered from the 60 services already in operation in England.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
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 potential impact on acute hospital bed usage of universal access to Fracture Liaison Services.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and support the patients who sustain them. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.
Impacts will be assessed, including on acute hospital bed usage, taking into consideration the evidence gathered from the 60 services already in operation in England.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
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 adequacy of the NHS sight test fee; and if he will take steps to increase that fee.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The level of the National Health Service sight test fee is considered annually and takes into account discussions with the Optical Fee Negotiating Committee, consideration of patient access to sight testing services, which continue to be widely available, and affordability for the NHS.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
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 tackle (a) staffing shortages and (b) infrastructure problems in hospitals in Gloucestershire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on local plans to tackle staff shortages is not collected centrally by the Department. National Health Service organisations are responsible for their own recruitment, and develop their own workforce plans based on service needs.
At a national level, we are committed to training the staff the NHS needs and will work closely with partners in education to do this. NHS England continues to lead a range of initiatives to boost the retention of existing staff and ensure the NHS remains an attractive career choice for new recruits.
Repairing and rebuilding our hospital estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan. That is why my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that health capital spending is set to increase to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, representing record levels of capital investment into healthcare.
This includes over £1 billion to continue to tackle dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance, repairs, and upgrades across the NHS estate.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
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 improve access to (a) treatment and (b) support services for people with arthritis; and what steps he is taking to increase awareness of the condition.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Services for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). The Department expects MSK services to be fully incorporated into integrated care system planning and decision-making.
As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England, Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT teams will deploy their proven Further Faster model to work with ICB leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with arthritis, and improve data and metrics and referral pathways to wider support services.
We will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments per week during our first year in Government, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. The Government announced £1.5 billion of new capital investment in the Autumn Budget, including investment for new diagnostic scanners and surgical hubs. This investment in scanners will build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online.
To support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and in the provision of services for people living with arthritis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published expert guidance for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, with both pieces of guidance available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng226
The Department funds research into MSK conditions, including arthritis, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Through this route, the Department spent approximately £26.3 million on MSK research in 2023/24, and £79.2 million since 2019/20. In particular, the Leeds Biomedical Research Centre aims to improve treatment for osteoarthritis. The NIHR, in collaboration with Versus Arthritis, also funds a dedicated UK Musculoskeletal Translational Research Collaboration, aligning investment in MSK translational research and creating a United Kingdom-wide ambition and focus to drive cutting edge research and improve outcomes for patients.
In order to improve awareness and understanding of arthritis amongst primary care professionals, including general practitioners, the Royal College of General Practitioners has produced an e-learning module on inflammatory arthritis, in partnership with the British Society of Rheumatology.
Asked by: Matt Bishop (Labour - Forest of Dean)
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 increase the availability of mental health support for winter 2024-25.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not underestimate how challenging winter will be again this year for the National Health Service. The national approach on priorities for winter planning was issued on 16 September 2024. As part of this, maintaining patient safety and experience will continue to be an overriding priority.
Building on what we know works, this winter the NHS is implementing a range of initiatives to support those who need care, including that patients will be assessed at the front door of accident and emergency units so that they can then be directed to the most appropriate place to get care, including mental health care.
People with common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies Services or be referred by their general practitioner. The Autumn Budget prioritised the funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the root cause of mental health issues.
Anyone in England experiencing a mental health crisis can now speak to a trained NHS professional at any time through a new mental health option on NHS 111. Trained NHS staff will assess patients over the phone and guide callers with next steps such organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternatives services, such as crisis cafés or safe havens which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or a hospital admission.