Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are compensation schemes available for people made ill by defective hip replacements supplied by DePuy.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHSR has confirmed that there is no specific NHS compensation scheme for claims relating to defective hip replacements supplied by DePuy.
While there is no specific compensation scheme for claims relating to defective hip replacements supplied by DePuy, NHSR’s website gives some general advice for claimants wishing to make a claim for clinical negligence, with further information available at the following link:
https://resolution.nhs.uk/services/claims-management/advice-for-claimants/
Anyone who is aware of complications or adverse events associated with hip replacement devices is encouraged to seek clinical advice from their responsible clinician and report the issue via the Yellow Card Scheme, which is available at the following link:
https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made with NHS England on rolling out the Fracture Liaison Service.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model, and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%.
The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures, and support the patients who sustain them. The Government is committed to ending the postcode lottery for access to FLS.
FLS are commissioned by integrated care boards, which make decisions according to local need. Officials are continuing to work closely with NHS England to consider how best to support systems to ensure better quality and access to these important preventative services.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what grants are available for (a) district and (b) borough councils to support mental health initiatives.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no grants available specifically to support mental health initiatives at this time; however, local authorities may decide to fund such initiatives from their Public Health Grant allocations.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that NHS patients who consent to have their data shared with UK medical institutions for research and development will not have their data shared overseas.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research studies in which patients choose to share their data must adhere to strict legal and ethical standards, including compliance with the United Kingdom’s General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the common law duty of confidentiality. As part of this, participants must be fully informed about how their data will be used, including with whom it might be shared, so they can make an informed decision about their participation.
The National Health Service and major UK research institutions are increasingly adopting secure data environments for data access, with researchers accessing data through secure online portals rather than it being directly shared with them. Each NHS and research organisation has its own processes when sharing data that ensure that they comply with legal requirements. Consent materials would explain the circumstances where data may be made available outside of the UK.
NHS England, for example, enters into formal data sharing agreements where it is sharing information with researchers, which specifies the geographical area within which data processing is permitted. Where data processing occurs outside the UK, additional conditions must be fulfilled to ensure researchers put in place adequate organisational and technical controls, and comply with their legal responsibilities in relation to overseas transfers that are required under UK GDPR.
NHS England undertakes routine audits of data sharing agreements to ensure that high standards are consistently maintained.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the uptake is of (a) Covid-19 and (b) flu vaccinations in Tunbridge Wells constituency .
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The information is not held in the format requested. Monthly data includes the numbers of those vaccinated, but the data is not extrapolated and is based on the response rate of those organisations responding to the monthly survey. NHS England and local authority data is not held for the Tunbridge Wells constituency.
National level COVID-19 and flu vaccine uptake percentages for eligible general practice (GP) patients are published weekly by the UK Health Security Agency for the 2024 to 2025 season. This includes a descriptive analysis comparing weekly uptake percentages to the same week in the previous season. The seasonal uptake reports for 2024 to 2025 are available at the following link:
Flu vaccine uptake data for GP patients, school-aged children, and frontline healthcare workers is published monthly. Healthcare worker data also includes COVID-19 vaccine uptake data. The data for the 2024 to 2025 season is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#seasonal-flu-vaccine-uptake:-figures
Regional level COVID-19 data for the Autumn 2024 campaign is published by the Office of National Statistics in the National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports for the 2024 to 2025 season, which are available at the following link:
https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/dfae04aa7f624cdd89af6903c76c0056/explore
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the powers of Coroners to include the investigation of stillbirths.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice jointly consulted on proposals to provide coroners with new powers to investigate term stillbirths in 2019. In 2023, a factual summary of responses to the consultation was published. The Government will provide an update on next steps at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
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 ensuring that private ambulance service personnel on NHS contracts receive (a) recognition and (b) honours.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the honours system of the United Kingdom, anyone can receive an award, and anyone can nominate someone if they demonstrate the exceptional contribution the person has made.
Recognition for those working in the private sector is primarily a matter for their employers.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for an autism diagnosis in Kent in (a) 2025 and (b) 2020; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for receiving an autism diagnosis.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not held centrally in the format requested, but may be held by individual providers or integrated care boards (ICBs). Some relevant information is available on autism assessment waiting times for the NHS Kent and Medway ICB.
In the NHS Kent and Medway ICB, the Autism Waiting Time Statistics published by NHS England show that there were a total of 8,695 patients with an open suspected autism referral in September 2024, the latest available data, and a total of 3,015 patients with an open suspected autism referral in September 2020. The median waiting time of all patients in this ICB with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 483 days in September 2024, and 139 days in September 2020.
Data on children and young people in this dataset is expected to be an underestimate and caution should be used when interpreting these statistics since they are experimental rather than official statistics.
It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and diagnosis, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
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 issuing guidance to hospitals on using withheld numbers to contact patients about appointments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Services may sometimes choose to use withheld numbers when contacting patients, including to protect patient privacy and confidentiality, but we appreciate the frustration that patients can feel when they are unable to contact clinical staff, especially following a call from a withheld number, and recognise the importance of patients being able to establish channels of two-way communication.
The Elective Reform Plan, launched as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, sets out the reform and productivity efforts needed to ensure patients are seen on time, but also to improve their experience of care, which includes enhancing and improving two-way communication between patients and NHS services, whether through digital options such as an enhanced NHS App or non-digital routes.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
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 ensure that people with long covid are adequately supported.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
I know firsthand how complex and debilitating long COVID can be.
Since 2020, specialist long COVID services have been made available in England, and NHS England is now completing a stocktake of these services.
This will provide an accurate national picture, identify key challenges and make strategic recommendations for future service improvement, development and assurance.
We have also invested over £57 million in long COVID research.