Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the NICE process for reviewing new treatments for rare diseases.
Answered by Steve Brine
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is the independent, expert body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether drugs and other treatments represent an effective use of NHS resources. The methods and processes it uses in the development of its guidance are internationally respected and have been developed through extensive engagement with a full range of stakeholders, including the Department, and are periodically reviewed to ensure that they remain fit for purpose.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to review the acceptable levels of exposure to radiofrequency radiation from mobile telephone base stations.
Answered by Steve Brine
Government policy is that exposures to electromagnetic fields from mobile phone masts and other radio-transmitting equipment should comply with the guidelines on limiting exposure from the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). This policy is reflected in the National Planning Policy Framework for England, which contains provisions in respect of ICNIRP compliance.
The former Health Protection Agency published a comprehensive review of the evidence prepared by its independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) in 2012. The Group’s overall conclusion was that although a substantial amount of research has been conducted in this area, there is no convincing evidence that electromagnetic field exposures below guideline levels cause health effects in either adults or children.
Included within the AGNIR report are many measurements that have been published showing that exposures of the general public living near to mobile phone masts are well within the ICNIRP levels.
Public Health England has committed to keeping emerging evidence under review and preparing another comprehensive review when sufficient new evidence has accumulated.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Releasing Time for Patients plans in reducing missed GP appointments.
Answered by David Mowat
Practices engaging in the Time for Care development programme (sometimes known as the Releasing Time for Patients programme) choose the areas for improvement that will best meet their specific needs. The majority of practices who have engaged so far in this three year programme are currently selecting their own priorities, with expert support from NHS England. When practices have undertaken their programme of changes, it will be possible to measure the impact. This will include any practices that choose to focus on reducing non-attendance.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve access to GPs.
Answered by David Mowat
The Government is committed to improving access to general practitioner (GP) services. By 2020, everyone will be able to access routine GP appointments at evenings and weekends.
On 21 April 2016, NHS England published the GP Forward View, a package of support to help get general practice back on its feet, improve patient care and access, and invest in new ways of providing primary care. The GP Forward View sets out that we are investing an extra £2.4 billion a year for general practice services by 2020/21 – this represents a 14% increase in real terms. The overall investment for general practice includes a £500 million national 'turnaround' package to support GP practices.
To implement the Government’s commitment to transform GP access, £175 million has been invested in the GP Access Fund to test improved and innovative access to GP services. Across the two waves of the Access Fund, there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices and 18 million patients – a third of the population – have benefited from improved access and transformational change at local level including evening and weekend appointments.
A wide variety of approaches are being tested through the Access Fund, including: opening 8am-8pm on weekdays and weekends; better use of telecare and health apps; more innovative ways to access services by video call, email or telephone; and developing more integrated services with a single point of contact to co-ordinate patient services.
In addition to the GP Access Fund, all GP practices have been given the opportunity to provide extended hours access under the Directed Enhanced Service.
The Government is also committed to having an extra 5,000 doctors working in general practice by 2020/21, as well as 5,000 extra other staff, for example clinical pharmacists and mental health therapists.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice is offered to expectant mothers on post-natal support for disabled children.
Answered by Philip Dunne
If testing during pregnancy indicates the baby will be born with a disability, the parents should be offered counselling to allow them to discuss the impact of the diagnosis. They may also be offered an appointment to meet a doctor or other health professional who works with children who are disabled, who can also tell them more about the condition and answer any questions they may have.
NHS Choices has extensive information on caring for ill and premature babies and has dedicated information on babies born with disabilities. It signposts some of the voluntary bodies that can be of assistance, for example, BLISS, Contact a Family and Disabled Living Foundation plus information available from local authorities on local organisations that may be able to help. This information can be found here:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/baby-special-intensive-care.aspx
Public Health England's Start4Life Information Service for Parents - a subscription email service for parents-to-be and parents of children aged up to five - includes guidance for parents of disabled children on the sources of support available, including financial assistance.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what help and advice on charitable post-natal support is available to expectant mothers who are due to give birth to a severely disabled child.
Answered by Philip Dunne
If testing during pregnancy indicates the baby will be born with a disability, the parents should be offered counselling to allow them to discuss the impact of the diagnosis. They may also be offered an appointment to meet a doctor or other health professional who works with children who are disabled, who can also tell them more about the condition and answer any questions they may have.
NHS Choices has extensive information on caring for ill and premature babies and has dedicated information on babies born with disabilities. It signposts some of the voluntary bodies that can be of assistance, for example, BLISS, Contact a Family and Disabled Living Foundation plus information available from local authorities on local organisations that may be able to help. This information can be found here:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/baby-special-intensive-care.aspx
Public Health England's Start4Life Information Service for Parents - a subscription email service for parents-to-be and parents of children aged up to five - includes guidance for parents of disabled children on the sources of support available, including financial assistance.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what condition-specific strategies are in place for stroke care to help the Five Year Forward View to deliver its strategic aims.
Answered by David Mowat
The NHS Five Year Forward View recognises that quality of care, including stroke care, can be variable and that patients’ needs are changing and new treatment options are emerging. The Five Year Forward View sets out high level objectives to address these issues, but is not condition-specific.
Action is being taken to ensure the progress made on stroke continues. This includes;
- ongoing work in virtually all parts of the country to organise acute stroke care to ensure that all stroke patients, regardless of where they live or what time of the day or week they have their stroke, have access to high quality specialist care;
- publication of the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy in 2013, which includes many stroke specific strategic ambitions;
- a CVD collaborative group is being established to bring together relevant stakeholders in the field of CVD and provide a forum where relevant work being undertaken in this area and potential new initiatives can be discussed and responsibilities for action determined;
- NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Stroke is working with clinical networks, urgent and emergency care networks, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and Sustainability and Transformation Plan areas on how stroke care is best delivered to local communities; and
- services for the management of transient ischaemic attack (TIA) are changing in many areas to meet the new standard that all TIA patients should be seen and assessed within 24 hours, not just high risk patients. CCGs are being encouraged to increase the geographical coverage of early supported discharge services.
Prevention of stroke and other cardiovascular diseases is also a priority for NHS England, particularly reducing the very high prevalence of CVD in patients with mental health illness.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what activities have been undertaken by (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department to promote the benefits of children having the MMR vaccine since 2011.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Department was responsible for the policy and delivery of all vaccination programmes including the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) programme until 2013. It promoted these programmes in a variety of ways such as leaflets and posters.
In 2013, Public Health England (PHE) took on responsibility for the planning and implementation of these programmes. It has provided MMR related information in the form of media interviews, press releases, social media bulletins, advertising leaflets and posters as well as replying to public correspondence.
In April 2013, an MMR catch up campaign was launched in England in response to the measles outbreak in Wales and parts of England. A number of resources were produced for healthcare professionals and local authorities including:
- presentations and videos by immunisation leads in PHE and the Department;
- joint letter from the Chief Medical Officer, NHS England’s Medical Director and Nursing Director;
- MMR flyers and leaflets; and
- template letters for schools, parents, out of hours walk-in centres and accident and emergency departments.
In May 2013, an MMR National Action Plan was published. This was developed by PHE and NHS England in consultation with the Department. It set out a comprehensive set of local and national actions to increase MMR vaccine coverage among those most at risk.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of agency locums in each year from 2011-12 to 2015-16.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Last year the Government introduced a series of tough financial controls to help the National Health Service tackle overspending on agency staff, including an hourly price cap. NHS Improvement has confirmed that the NHS saved £300 million in 2015-16, with further savings forecast.
The information requested on costs of agency locums is not held centrally.
Asked by: Michelle Donelan (Conservative - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on improving cancer survival rates.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Cancer survival rates are at a record high and we are on track to save an estimated 12,000 more lives a year for people diagnosed between 2011 and 2015. However, there is more to do, and NHS England is leading the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Cancer Taskforce to save a further 30,000 lives a year by 2020.