Access to Migraine Treatment
Matthew Pennycook Excerpts(3 months, 1 week ago)
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Dehenna Davison
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for passing on Lisa’s remarks. She is one of millions in the country living with this condition and experiencing the debilitating effects. I hope that, following today’s debate, we will see improved access to treatment. I ask my hon. Friend please to pass that on to Lisa.
As I said, there are 10,000 people in every constituency but no debates in Parliament since the 1960s. I make special mention of Lord Londesborough for raising a question on migraine in the other place in October last year, rightly arguing that this invisible disability deserves much greater priority and resourcing across the NHS.
It is 60 years since the last parliamentary debate. Those suffering the crippling effects of migraine alone might feel that, even now after all that time, little progress has been made, but I am here to be optimistic. New treatments, such as CGRP blockers, are proving highly effective for many migraine patients, helping to reduce the severity, longevity and frequency of migraine attacks. For many taking CGRP blockers, they are often called a lifeline. One patient responded to our survey, saying that CGRP injections have “virtually eradicated my migraines”.
Although new effective treatments are being developed, they are not easy to access through the NHS. Across today’s debate, I will outline the key difficulties being faced by patients at each stage of the migraine journey, and will outline possible solutions to improving access to treatments and, ultimately, the lives of migraine patients. That is something that I think we can all agree is very much beyond politics.
Let us start with the basics and discuss what it is like to live with migraine. We had an example from Lisa, the constituent of my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr Hollobone). When experiencing a migraine attack, common symptoms can include a severe headache; nausea and/or vomiting; visual disturbance, such as blurry vision, spots of light or zig-zag lines; sensitivity to light and sound; an inability to concentrate and brain fog; difficulties forming words, which is not helpful in this place; and fatigue.
Interestingly, I had experienced migraine for years before I recognised some of the symptoms linked to it. I recall sitting at home reading “Managing Your Migraine” by Dr Katy Munro last autumn, with a coloured pen in hand, underlining all the symptoms that I experience when I get a migraine attack; and there were eight different symptoms. A severe attack can leave sufferers bed-bound in agony, with curtains closed, cowering in the darkness, unable to eat, unable to think clearly, and utterly miserable. Attacks can be completely debilitating, and I have experienced my fair share of them.
I am not the only hon. Member who lives with migraine. The hon. Member for Caerphilly (Wayne David) is unable to attend today but asked me to read his testimony in his absence. He said:
“I have suffered from migraine since I was a young man. It used to be extremely debilitating, but in recent years I have been able to minimise significantly the severity and frequency of attacks. There are so many different causes and triggers of migraine. For me, it is stress related. Manage my stress and I can usually manage my migraine.”
The hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (David Duguid) said:
“I first experienced migraine in my early teenage years, when I regularly had to be excused from school. I remember being particularly distressed at the disorientation and confusion, as well as the extreme headache and nausea, of course. Migraines have become no less debilitating as I have grown into adulthood but they have become less frequent, and I generally know what to expect when symptoms start, and what medication to take. Like my father before me, I now watch my 12-year-old son experiencing his first migraines and the confusion it brings. As much as I can empathise with my son, I am only too aware of how little I can do to relieve his distress.”
The frequency of migraine attacks can vary. Some people will experience a small number of attacks over a lifetime, some one or two a month, but for others migraine can become chronic, meaning that headache is present more than 15 days a month, with at least eight of those having other migraine symptoms. That is the condition that I live with, as do around a million other people in the UK. For me, that means that I have a headache all day, every single day. Although they vary in severity, they are none the less draining, particularly on the many days when they are coupled with other migraine symptoms.
Recently, I spoke to Mollie Campbell, a brilliant young woman who like me lives with chronic migraine. Her journey helps to outline some of the difficulties that patients face in accessing treatment. In her own words, she remembers her first attack vividly:
“on a normal day, I woke up in agonising pain in my eye, eyebrow, and head. When I say ‘pain’, I mean torturous and excruciating pain, the kind that makes you roll around on the floor sobbing in agony.”
Mollie sought help from her GP, but it took months, several misdiagnoses, a number of unsuitable drugs being prescribed and, eventually, her paying to access a scan privately before she was eventually diagnosed with chronic migraine. Unfortunately, Mollie’s story is not uncommon. It can take patients months, if not years, to get a diagnosis.
A commonly expressed sentiment is that GPs do not always take the condition of migraine seriously. One patient who responded to our survey explained that they waited
“five and a half years from first presenting to a doctor taking them seriously and investigating”.
Another said that
“it took 19 years to be diagnosed with migraines”,
and another:
“Doctors just don’t seem to know or understand enough about it and I have been fobbed off a lot.”
Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
I was contacted by a constituent who wishes to remain anonymous and who suffers from debilitating hormonal migraines. She is frustrated by the lack of general awareness among medical professionals, GPs in particular, about the specific treatment and medication that those who suffer from that type of migraine need. Does the hon. Lady agree that to make progress in addressing the condition, we need to ensure greater knowledge among medical professionals about the specific treatments needed by those who suffer perimenopausal and menopausal migraines?
Dehenna Davison
I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman. He will be interested in a paragraph that I will be reading out shortly, which addresses his very point.
Another testimony said:
“I have suffered migraines for approximately four to seven years but never went to the doctors until recently through fear of being dismissed.”
Some believe that is because GPs across the board just do not know enough about migraines. One GP said to the Migraine Trust:
“In medical school, neurology is a small part. Unless you have specifically chosen to do neurology, you will not have any formal training.”
GP training on migraine and headache disorder is patchy at best, and often relies on local champions spearheading that, rather than a more formalised structured. Our clear ask to the Minister, therefore, is to ensure improved training on headache and migraine as part of the medical training for GPs, to ensure that early diagnosis is possible.
For those who get a diagnosis, seeing a neurologist or headache specialist is a crucial step in helping with ongoing management, not least because specialist treatments cannot be accessed through primary care—I will return to that point shortly. On waiting lists to see specialists, experiences vary, but the broader picture is not as positive as it could be. Two patients outlined how, after many years of waiting for a diagnosis, it took a further four years from that point until they saw a neurologist. One said:
“I waited five months to receive an appointment letter then another five months until the actual appointment date”,
and the other said that they:
“waited 15 months to see a neurologist who then referred me to a specialist. I have been waiting for seven months for that, with no appointment yet.”
Even when eventually under the care of a specialist, some outlined that the continuity of care was not there. One patient said:
“I was prescribed a treatment to try, and was discharged, and then I had to be re-referred to try and alternative when the first option didn’t work.”
Recent analysis from the Migraine Trust found that, on average, it takes 29 weeks to access a neurologist or headache specialist, which has doubled from 15 weeks in 2021. Even then, neurologists may specialise in other conditions such as stroke and Parkinson’s rather than headache and migraine. Part of the issue is a lack of neurologists and headache specialists around the country. The UK has around 1.1 full-time equivalent neurologists per 100,000 people, versus four per 100,000 in France and Germany. Regional variations mean a postcode lottery, with major disparities between waiting lists from trust to trust. Here, our key plea to the Minister is to ensure that more specialists are trained to plug the gaps in neurology and headache specialists and, ultimately, to speed up access to treatment.
Once a diagnosis is in place, the obvious next step is treatment. Often, GPs will prescribe acute medications such as triptans to help manage attacks when they occur. For those suffering more frequent migraine attacks, preventive medications can be prescribed, but many of those were not designed specifically for migraine, such as topiramate, an epilepsy drug, amitriptyline, an anti- depressant, or candesartan, for the treatment of high blood pressure. Some people do report an improvement in the severity and frequency of their migraine attacks, many do not, and can in fact experience negative side effects from such medications. Nevertheless, there are now treatments designed specifically for migraine, such as CGRP blockers, as already referenced, and there are many different kinds, such as wafers that dissolve on the tongue, injections or infusions.
However, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines are, for many, getting in the way of early treatment. Take, for example, the CGRP blocker erenumab—I always pronounce that wrong. A 2021 study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine by Maraia, Ricci and others found that, as a treatment for the prevention of migraine, erenumab successfully reduced the mean number of monthly migraine days and the acute medication used per month in 96% of cases—a real success story. However, NICE recommendations state that the drug
“is recommended as an option for preventing migraine in adults, only if…they have 4 or more migraine days a month”
and
“at least 3 preventive drug treatments have failed”.
Let us take a second to understand that. If someone is struggling with migraine, they must try three drugs that are not designed for migraine, usually for at least three months each, and if those are unsuccessful, they may be able to access a drug that is specifically designed to prevent migraine attacks. That makes little sense, and it can delay patients’ access to successful treatments for months, if not years. One survey respondent said:
“Getting treatment has been difficult. To access the latest treatments, you have to fail so many preventatives.”
The American Headache Society and migraine expert Professor Peter Goadsby suggest that CGRP blockers should be available as a first-line therapy, not as a last resort. We support that call, so I ask that the Minister requests that the NICE guidelines are updated to allow specialised treatments such as CGRP blockers to be accessible first, which would provide earlier, much-needed relief for migraine patients.
Similarly, despite NICE approval for many CGRP blockers, whether individual NHS trusts even allow access to them is a postcode lottery. One respondent said:
“Once help is found, though, it can be difficult to access as it depends on which area you live in.”
Another said that
“my NHS trust only allows the trial of one of the anti-CGRP drugs and if it doesn’t work you are not allowed to try another as it’s not funded.”
A Migraine Trust freedom of information request, which I found shocking, found that only 29% of trusts in England allow access to CGRP medications. Here we make yet another ask of the Minister: the postcode lottery in access to CGRP medications should be addressed and fixed, perhaps through fresh NICE guidance and a dedicated push from the Department of Health and Social Care for trusts to allow more access to these life-changing medications.
Another key change that could help those living with migraine to access positive treatment sooner would be allowing treatments such as CGRP medications to be prescribed by primary care practitioners. I have spoken of the success of some CGRP blockers, yet they can be prescribed only by specialists, such as neurologists, who can have extensive waiting lists, as we have discussed. Even if someone sees a specialist, they need to demonstrate that other treatments have been ineffective. If specialist drugs could be prescribed in primary care as a first resort, we could reduce dramatically the impact of chronic migraine on patients. Pilot work in Scotland has seen community pharmacy playing a greater role in prescribing drugs to prevent and manage migraine. A further ask for the Minister, if he will forgive me, is a review of CGRP blockers and other new treatment options, so that they can be prescribed in primary care.
Brain Tumour Research Funding
Matthew Pennycook Excerpts(1 year, 3 months ago)
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Mrs Flick Drummond (Meon Valley) (Con)
It is a privilege to speak in the debate. We have heard some excellent speeches. I wish Margaret all the best, and I also wish the Hopkins family all the best, because I have seen the devastation that brain cancer causes. I also lost a close family friend, Matthew Fearn, and I have seen that devastation in the Fearn family. It is horrible, because this is a horrible progressive disease.
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for St Ives (Derek Thomas) and the all-party group on their excellent report, which I have only just heard about and have been reading during the debate.
Brain tumour research is receiving growing support from the Government, which is welcome news, but, as we have heard, more can and should be done. Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of people under 40 in the UK, but most people only discover that they have a brain tumour when they turn up at A&E, as Margaret did. That is why Brain Tumour Awareness Month is so important.
Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
We have been talking about research funding specifically, but the hon. Lady is right: many sufferers will only find out that they have a brain tumour when they experience a significant medical event. For many others, however, the symptoms will be present for a number of weeks, if not months. Does she agree that more could be done to raise awareness, among both health professionals and those who are potentially at risk, of the common signs and symptoms of a tumour?
Mrs Drummond
Absolutely. I was going to come on to that. The bad news does not stop at a late diagnosis; the effects of being diagnosed too late are devastating. The bleak reality is that the likelihood of survival for 12 months for someone diagnosed with a brain tumour in A&E is about 30%. We must do better than this for the people who are diagnosed and for their families. All the cancer charities recognise the seriousness of the situation, and I know that the Health Secretary and his colleagues do as well, but how can we improve it? How can we identify the signs earlier?
When I spoke in the debate on brain tumour research in 2016, I praised the work of Professor Geoff Pilkington at the University of Portsmouth. In 2010, the university established a centre of excellence in conjunction with the charity Brain Tumour Research. Professor Pilkington has now retired, but the work that he did made much progress, and is now being continued in other research centres funded by the charity—although, sadly, I think no longer in Portsmouth.
Historically, brain cancer has received only about 1% of the total research funding of all cancers. As we have heard, that was increased with the announcement of a £65 million boost in 2018 from both the Department of Health and Social Care and Cancer Research UK. Centres of excellence need that money, because each brain tumour is unique and needs a different treatment pathway. The biggest gaps in research seem to involve childhood cancers, although brain tumours are the most common type of cancer in children. The understandable desperation of parents—and, as we have heard, of other patients too—has led to families’ seeking treatments, often overseas, that might not always be appropriate for this specific form of cancer, or even taking treatments that are unproven.
Inevitably, how the NHS treats brain tumours will be an area where there is much pressure on more funding. The history of healthcare in this country has always been one of improved diagnosis leading to more demand for clinical facilities, and research opening more treatment pathways. All of this costs money. In areas such as proton beam therapy, while it is good that we have The Christie centre in Manchester and that the UCLH centre is being added to it, it is difficult for patients to travel to those centres, particularly if they have been disabled by a brain tumour, and that is still an area where many people have to seek private treatment.
We need to develop both an academic and a medical pathway for people at the start of their careers to focus on brain tumour work in universities and clinical settings. As the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden (Siobhain McDonagh) said clearly in her amazing speech, we have some flagship research projects, but their existence is not as secure as that of establishments working on other cancers. One thing that could be done without costing huge amounts of money is support for early-career workers to build up institutional knowledge in the NHS, in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and in other guardians of healthcare, which would help to sustain a higher pace of research and development and deployment of treatments.
I end by thanking everyone for the work they are doing in this field. We are at a point where every small improvement in diagnosis and treatment makes a big difference to the lives of people with brain cancers and their families. That comes back the figure I quoted earlier about the time of diagnosis; we have to shift it much further forward from the A&E department, to give people support in dealing with a form of cancer that is so often extremely aggressive.
Huntington’s Disease
Matthew Pennycook Excerpts(1 year, 7 months ago)
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The Minister of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Helen Whately)
I congratulate the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn) on securing this debate on Huntington’s disease, and on shining a light on this condition, which we all recognise has a truly devastating impact on those affected by it and their loved ones. I also thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for his speech. It is a pleasure to be together in Westminster Hall for the second day running. The hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire North (Gavin Newlands) gave a perspective from Scotland, and we also heard from my right hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Philip Dunne) and the right hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Liz Saville Roberts), which shows the interest in and concern about care for people suffering from Huntington’s disease.
The right hon. Member for Leeds Central spoke powerfully and clearly drew on his own experience, as he mentioned that he knows somebody with Huntington’s disease. It is important that we all bring to this place our own experiences, whether they arise from speaking to our constituents or from contact with family and friends, because they add to what we can do here in Parliament.
The right hon. Gentleman gave a long list of the symptoms of Huntington’s and their consequences, and described how all that can play out for individuals with the disease—agonisingly slowly over 15 to 20 years. He also spoke about what that means for those around the sufferer, not only as carers, but as family members who might carry the gene, but who might choose not to have a test and to live without knowing whether they have it. Clearly, that brings its own challenges, including mental health challenges. He made a point that I found very powerful: he said that Huntington’s is a thief that slowly steals family, friends and the person someone used to be. I am sure that rings true to people who are suffering from the disease and those who love them. I thank him for bringing the issue here, and for speaking so powerfully.
The right hon. Gentleman asked several questions, which I will come to, but I want to start from the top: Huntington’s disease is estimated to affect one person in 10,000 in the UK, so it is a rare disease. Rare diseases are those that affect fewer than one person in 2,000. While rare diseases are individually rare, sadly, they are all too common collectively. One person in 17 will be affected by a rare disease at some point in their life, and in the UK that amounts to more than 3.5 million people. We must ensure that they get the best possible diagnosis, treatment and support.
Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
The Minister is generous in giving way. The available figures suggest that 8,000 people are affected by this truly awful disease, but in truth, owing to the problems with diagnosis that have been described, and due to stigma and misrecorded deaths, the prevalence of Huntington’s is uncertain. Will she give us a sense of what the Department is doing to secure a more accurate estimate of the figure, which would give us a better grasp of the scale of the challenge?
Helen Whately
The hon. Gentleman makes a good point. As the right hon. Member for Leeds Central said, some people choose not to find out whether they carry the gene. Let me look into the hon. Gentleman’s question. I am happy to write to him with an answer.
Research is the key to swifter diagnosis, for those who want to know whether they carry the gene, and to better treatment of Huntington’s, which will ultimately give those who carry the gene the hope of better prospects. Through research, we are making major advances in diagnosing and treating Huntington’s disease. The Government primarily fund research on rare diseases such as Huntington’s via the National Institute for Health and Care Research, as well as through UK Research and Innovation. We have funded £32.6 million-worth of research on Huntington’s disease through those organisations over the past five years. Through its clinical research network, the NIHR has supported 43 studies into the disease over that period, particularly ensuring that scientific breakthroughs can be translated into treatments that will actually benefit patients. An example of that comes from researchers at the NIHR’s biomedical research centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust, who have pioneered research on diagnosis of Huntington’s disease. Their work has led to the world’s first genetic test using nanopore-based DNA sequencing technology, which may be able to diagnose even the most complicated cases of Huntington’s disease in a matter of days, instead of weeks.
As part of England’s first rare diseases action plan, published in February this year, we announced £40 million of new funding for the NIHR BioResource, a bank of genetic data that is helping us understand the genetics of rare diseases. That action plan commits us to mapping the rare disease research landscape, so that we can identify gaps and priorities for future research funding. The results of that analysis will be published in the new year. NHS England recently published “Accelerating genomic medicine in the NHS”, a five-year strategy that sets out an ambition to accelerate the embedding of the use of genomic medicine across the health service. That includes continuing to deliver equitable genomic testing for improved prediction and diagnosis of conditions such as Huntington’s disease.
Many Members spoke about the experience of caring for people with Huntington’s, and the challenges involved in navigating the health and social care system. As this rare disease has such a complex range of symptoms, people have to navigate physical and mental healthcare, and of course social care. The right hon. Member for Leeds Central called for a Huntington’s care co-ordinator in every community. The current approach to improving care for people with Huntington’s and other neurological conditions is in the NHS England neurosciences transformation programme, which is identifying and setting out what good care looks like for people with neurological conditions, and what services they need. Those findings will be used to inform and advise integrated care systems on the services that they commission. The ICCs should then commission that range of services for people with diseases such as Huntington’s, who can then better access the support that they need. However, I will take away the right hon. Gentleman’s specific request for care co-ordinators, look into the matter, and get back to him.
The right hon. Gentleman also spoke about NICE guidelines, as did my right hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow and the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Leicester West (Liz Kendall), and it is true, as was stated in the answer to his parliamentary question, that there is no NICE guideline specific to Huntington’s. In advance of this debate, I looked into that, and the expert view that I have been given is that Huntington’s sits under a recent NICE guideline on a range of neurodegenerative conditions that are grouped together, albeit that we recognise the differences in progression, prevalence and severity of those conditions. That said, I have heard the argument made by the right hon. Member for Leeds Central, and I will ask again about the case for doing something more specific to Huntington’s.
The right hon. Gentleman spoke about symptoms, and about mental healthcare for people with Huntington’s, as did the shadow Minister. The right hon. Gentleman talked about the mental health ramifications of the disease, which are an aspect of it that makes it so distressing and difficult for those who have it and their loved ones. People with Huntington’s should of course receive mental healthcare and support, and the Government are investing in mental health: an extra £2.3 billion per year will go into mental healthcare by 2023-24 to improve access and capacity in our mental health system. That said, I was concerned to hear from him that some people might not be receiving mental healthcare, and might be being excluded as a matter of policy, because of the nature of Huntington’s. I will take that point up with the mental health Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Lewes (Maria Caulfield).
The right hon. Member for Leeds Central spoke about the Ministry of Defence. I reassure Members that the armed forces do not conduct genetic testing for Huntington’s disease in their medical assessments. That said, I am told that if a candidate knows of a family history of Huntington’s, it is for the candidate to provide medical evidence that they are unlikely to develop the disease in the service. I am aware that the genetics of Huntington’s disease are complex, and that the likelihood of an armed forces candidate developing the disease and the likely age of presentation depend on the number of repeating sections in the gene responsible for it. More repeats cause an earlier age of onset. I am sure that the right hon. Member knows that, as will other experts in the condition. I am told that, if there is clear evidence that a candidate is unlikely to develop Huntington’s disease during a service career, they may, on a case-by-case basis, be considered medically fit for service; however, the right hon. Member made an important point about young people being able to fulfil their dream of serving in our armed forces, and I will take that message to my colleagues in the Ministry of Defence, as he asked me to.
Once again, I thank the right hon. Member for leading today’s important debate, and other Members who spoke in it. I too extend my thanks to the rare diseases community, including carers, clinicians, patient organisations, Huntington’s disease charities across the UK, and the researchers who work tirelessly to improve the lives of people affected by Huntington’s disease and all other rare conditions. It has been very helpful to have this debate. The right hon. Member made specific points that I will take away and respond to. Overall, it is a very good thing that we have shone a light on what people suffering from Huntington’s disease, and their family and friends, are going through. I will do all that I can as the Minister with oversight of this area to make things better for them.
Covid-19 Update
Matthew Pennycook Excerpts(2 years, 6 months ago)
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Sajid Javid
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. That is exactly the purpose of the plans we have set out and the measures we will be debating in the House tomorrow, and also of the action we are taking on the booster programme to get more people protected so that they can enjoy their freedoms.
Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
To my frustration, it was only immediately prior to this statement that I was able to obtain a copy of the regulations we are voting on tomorrow, so could the Secretary of State provide me with clarity with regard to mandatory passes, in two respects? First, will an individual no longer be able to demonstrate their covid status on the basis of natural immunity via a positive PCR test as regards accessing these high-risk venues? Secondly, can he reassure me that those who do not have access to computers or smartphones will still be able to apply for and obtain an NHS covid pass letter to gain access to the venues he has in mind?
Sajid Javid
There will be two ways to access high-risk events, be it a nightclub or larger events. The main way will be to take a lateral flow test and get a negative result, which would need to be registered through the NHS website and the proof could be through the pass or a text message result, for example. There will be an exemption from that for someone who is double-vaccinated. The proof of vaccination can also be given through the letter process.
Covid-19
Matthew Pennycook Excerpts(4 years, 3 months ago)
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Matt Hancock
Yes. We are keen to see further production of hand sanitiser. There are not many hand sanitiser production plants in the UK, and I would add that soap is better than hand sanitiser. Nevertheless, it is something we are working on.
Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
Will the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care please speak to his right hon. Friend the Environment Secretary about what more can be done to guarantee essential food supplies to those who are symptomatic and self-isolating? In the absence of the Health Secretary’s national volunteering scheme, which is not yet in operation—at least, not in my part of south-east London—people were phoning me over the weekend to say that they cannot get essential home deliveries. They have been cancelled and they cannot get them for three weeks. They have no friends or family around and they are too sick to go out.
Matt Hancock
I talk to the Environment Secretary almost daily about this issue. It is obviously incredibly important, and it is important that within communities people help each other to be able to get essential supplies.
Coronavirus
Matthew Pennycook Excerpts(4 years, 3 months ago)
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Matt Hancock
Absolutely. I agree very much with the hon. Lady about the importance of sign language and the signing of this session. I thank the House authorities for arranging it.
Yes, new guidance on care homes will be put out this week. If the hon. Lady passes on the details of her individual case to the Minister for Care, I am sure that my hon. Friend will be happy to look at it.
Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
Earlier today, I was contacted by a constituent who flew back from northern Italy yesterday evening. He told me that, on landing, there was a complete lack of information and no staff were on hand to offer any guidance. He proceeded to watch most people from that flight spill on to public transport.
I fully agree with the Secretary of State’s advice that we should follow the medical science, but, whether they have symptoms or not, people arriving back on flights from category 1 countries should not be met with that situation.
Matt Hancock
Today we have upgraded the response to flights coming back from Italy. I understand some of the concerns raised earlier in the week. We have put an awful lot of effort in with the Department for Transport, the Border Force and the airports authorities themselves— I pay tribute to them all—to address exactly the concerns that the hon. Gentleman raises.
NHS Long-term Plan
Matthew Pennycook Excerpts(5 years, 5 months ago)
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Matt Hancock
There is extra support for ambulance services in the plan, which is incredibly important. The targets and accountability measures for ambulances were reviewed this time last year, and we now need to make sure that the whole ambulance service gets the support it needs.
Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
Will the Secretary of State update the House on the review of the tariff process in relation to his statement? Specifically, what will be the impact on NHS trusts in London of changes to the market forces factor? I am concerned that those changes will mean that London loses out when it comes to the funding to be allocated in his plan.
Matt Hancock
Of course we want to make sure that the funding is allocated fairly, and we want to make sure that all the different factors that count towards and cause different costs in different parts of the country are properly taken into account, whether it is rurality or the market forces factor, so called because of the differences in relative costs. I will write to the hon. Gentleman with the full details in the coming days, but what matters here is to make sure that we are clearly led by the evidence.
Oral Answers to Questions
Matthew Pennycook Excerpts(5 years, 11 months ago)
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Caroline Dinenage
My hon. Friend is right to raise that issue. Those who have lost loved ones in that way need answers when things go wrong. The recent bereavement guidance is clear that, when notified of a death, families and carers should be told that they can comment on the care of the person who has died and raise any concerns. From next year, medical examiners will offer greater scrutiny for the bereaved, increasing transparency and offering them the opportunity to raise concerns.
Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
In a recent report, Healthwatch Greenwich drew attention to the fact that many local GP practices are still wrongly refusing to register patients, often vulnerable ones, unless they have ID or proof of address. What more can the Minister do to ensure that each and every GP practice is following the Department’s guidance?
Caroline Dinenage
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that question, and I will certainly look more closely at the issue.
Oral Answers to Questions
Matthew Pennycook Excerpts(6 years, 12 months ago)
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Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
T7. At the height of the recent election campaign, NHS England took forward plans to merge, in effect, six south London CCGs, including Greenwich CCG, under one single chief officer. Does the Minister agree that that would be a retrograde step, not only in terms of local accountability, but at a time when primary care has been devolved downwards and all the emphasis is on collaboration and integration at a local borough level?
Mr Hunt
I think the answer is that this varies from area to area. The CCGs grew up organically following the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Some parts of the country are discovering that the groups can be more effective if they combine forces, but these things have to be decided locally.
Oral Answers to Questions
Matthew Pennycook Excerpts(7 years, 3 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Mr Speaker
What a magnificently enjoyable life the Secretary of State has—not to mention Mrs Bone.
Matthew Pennycook (Greenwich and Woolwich) (Lab)
Last week, to the distress of its vulnerable residents, Aldingham House care home in Blackheath became the latest care home in south-east London to close. Do the Government accept that the care home industry is at breaking point, and, if so, what are they doing about it?
David Mowat
The number of care home beds in the country has remained broadly constant at just over half a million over the last 10 years. There is variation and churn between areas, but I believe that the 17% cash-terms increase that we have injected into the social care market in the Budget, and the better care fund that is to come, will make a difference.