Asked by: Mike Wood (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what response his Department plans to make to the findings and recommendations of the All-Party Parliamentary Hepatology Group's recent report into liver disease, Today's Complacency, Tomorrow's Catastrophe, published on 25 March 2014; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Improving outcomes for people with liver disease is a priority and tackling it is reflected in the NHS Outcomes Framework, the Public Health Outcomes Framework and in the Government's mandate to the National Health Service.
Building on last year's ‘Call to Action', Living Well for Longer: National Support for Local Action to Reduce Premature Avoidable Mortality brings together the national actions which will be taken by the Department and wider Government, NHS England and Public Health England (PHE), to reduce premature mortality in England. It focuses on the five big killers including liver disease and includes a system wide delivery plan for 2014-15. This plan reflects the key actions which will be taken to reduce premature mortality taking into account the commitments that each of these organisations have made in their 2014-15 business plan. Progress against these commitments will be tracked and reported on next year.
In addition, PHE is meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Hepatology Group, and other stakeholders, in July to discuss the recommendations of its recent report into liver disease.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department, NHS England, Public Health England, clinical commissioning groups and local authorities co-ordinate a national approach to improving the prevention, testing, diagnosis and treatment of Hepatitis C.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Public Health England is currently working with NHS England and other partners to reduce the burden of disease from hepatitis C through a suite of activities to improve awareness, prevention, testing and diagnosis, referral into care, and treatment outcomes. The Department is supportive of this work, and is helping to facilitate it.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of effectively eliminating Hepatitis C in the UK in the next 15 to 20 years.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Public Health England (PHE) is committed to working with NHS England and other partners to reduce the burden of disease from hepatitis C through a suite of activities to improve awareness, prevention, testing and diagnosis, referral into care, and treatment outcomes
The feasibility of elimination – that is the reduction to zero of the incidence of disease or infection in England - has not been formally assessed and it is likely to be difficult in the absence of an effective vaccine. However, PHE has recently completed modelling work to assess the potential impact of increased uptake and new therapies on reducing the future burden of hepatitis C-related end stage liver disease in England. This work is being finalised and will be published shortly.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of progress in reducing avoidable deaths from liver disease as set out in his call to action to reduce avoidable premature mortality; and what further steps his Department will be taking.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Improving outcomes for people with liver disease is a priority and tackling it is reflected in the NHS Outcomes Framework, the Public Health Outcomes Framework and in the Government's mandate to the National Health Service.
Building on last year's ‘Call to Action', Living Well for Longer: National Support for Local Action to Reduce Premature Avoidable Mortality brings together the national actions which will be taken by the Department and wider Government, NHS England and Public Health England (PHE), to reduce premature mortality in England. It focuses on the five big killers including liver disease and includes a system wide delivery plan for 2014-15. This plan reflects the key actions which will be taken to reduce premature mortality taking into account the commitments that each of these organisations have made in their 2014-15 business plan. Progress against these commitments will be tracked and reported on next year.
In addition, PHE is meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Hepatology Group, and other stakeholders, in July to discuss the recommendations of its recent report into liver disease.