Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with NHS England on the Kooth mental health platform.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
While there have been no ministerial discussions with NHS England about the Kooth mental health platform, Departmental officials have had discussions with NHS England about the platform.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to use (a) screening and (b) enhanced testing to increase early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not currently recommend screening for prostate cancer as the current test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, does not meet the required accuracy for use in a national screening programme. Current methods offer insufficient benefit in relation to harms caused by overdiagnosis, which may lead to invasive investigative procedures and unnecessary treatment, to warrant roll out as an organised screening programme. The UK NSC is due to review prostate cancer again in 2024 and will consider new evidence published between the two reviews.
In November 2023 we announced we will be funding a £42 million screening trial with Prostate Cancer UK to find ways of detecting country’s most common male cancer earlier. The first-of-its-kind trial, called TRANSFORM, will use innovative screening methods like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning to detect prostate cancer, and it will see hundreds of thousands of men across the country participating.
Steps have been taken to use enhanced testing to increase early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer; NHS England have streamlined cancer pathways, including implementing a best timed prostate cancer diagnostic pathway so that those suspected of prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric MRI scan first, which ensures only those men most at-risk undergo an invasive biopsy. Furthermore, to boost early diagnosis NHS England is supporting three pilots, including the Man Van as part of the COVID-19 catch up cancer initiative. The Man Van was launched in March 2022 to provide free health checks for men and boost early diagnosis of prostate cancer.
In addition, backed by £2.3 billion capital funding, the department is expanding diagnostic capacity across the National Health Service by rolling out more Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), delivering vital tests, scans and checks. With 150 CDCs open already and up to 160 set to open by March 2025, these offer millions of patients the chance to access quicker, more convenient checks outside of hospitals, with capacity prioritised for cancer. This is contributing to the elective recovery delivery plan ambition for 75% of patients urgently referred by their general practice for suspected cancer to receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take to improve early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not currently recommend screening for prostate cancer as the current test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, does not meet the required accuracy for use in a national screening programme. Current methods offer insufficient benefit in relation to harms caused by overdiagnosis, which may lead to invasive investigative procedures and unnecessary treatment, to warrant roll out as an organised screening programme. The UK NSC is due to review prostate cancer again in 2024 and will consider new evidence published between the two reviews.
In November 2023 we announced we will be funding a £42 million screening trial with Prostate Cancer UK to find ways of detecting country’s most common male cancer earlier. The first-of-its-kind trial, called TRANSFORM, will use innovative screening methods like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning to detect prostate cancer, and it will see hundreds of thousands of men across the country participating.
Steps have been taken to use enhanced testing to increase early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer; NHS England have streamlined cancer pathways, including implementing a best timed prostate cancer diagnostic pathway so that those suspected of prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric MRI scan first, which ensures only those men most at-risk undergo an invasive biopsy. Furthermore, to boost early diagnosis NHS England is supporting three pilots, including the Man Van as part of the COVID-19 catch up cancer initiative. The Man Van was launched in March 2022 to provide free health checks for men and boost early diagnosis of prostate cancer.
In addition, backed by £2.3 billion capital funding, the department is expanding diagnostic capacity across the National Health Service by rolling out more Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), delivering vital tests, scans and checks. With 150 CDCs open already and up to 160 set to open by March 2025, these offer millions of patients the chance to access quicker, more convenient checks outside of hospitals, with capacity prioritised for cancer. This is contributing to the elective recovery delivery plan ambition for 75% of patients urgently referred by their general practice for suspected cancer to receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a national screening programme for prostate cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended in the United Kingdom. This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, PSA.
The Government recently announced its intention to undertake a ground-breaking prostate cancer screening trial in the UK, using a combination of PSA testing and magnetic resonance imaging, to look for prostate cancer in men that otherwise do not have any symptoms.
Supported by £16 million of funding from the Government, Prostate Cancer UK's £42 million trial could help us find a way of catching prostate cancer in men as early as possible before the cancer spreads and could save thousands of lives. The UK National Screening Committee will review the findings when the research is completed.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to question 4006 on GP Practice Lists: Gender, whether the NHS has made an assessment of the potential medical impact of allowing people to register with their GP as a person of the opposite sex.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The National Health Service has not made a formal assessment of the medical impact allowing people to register or change their gender to that with which they identify at their general practice.
When a transgender person changes their name and gender on their NHS record, they are issued with a new NHS number. As part of this process, the patients' previous medical records are copied across to their new NHS number, ensuring continuity of care. NHS England has advised that there should, therefore, be no medical impact of the changes made.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of allowing patients to register with their GP as a gender which is different to the one they were assigned at birth.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Patients can request to register or change their gender to that with which they identity. No formal assessment has been made, however the Government is clear that biological sex matters and that there are different health needs between the sexes. It is important that patients continue to receive the right care for their need whilst feeling comfortable and confident to access the healthcare they need.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Government to deliver 160 community diagnostic centres a year early, published on 31 October 2023, which community diagnostic centres in Yorkshire are (a) already operational and (b) due to open in the next twelve months.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has confirmed it is now on track to meet its target to open 160 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) by March 2025, and expects to achieve this a year early in March 2024. 10 CDCs are currently operational in Yorkshire, with a further eight due to open ahead of November 2024, and a further final CDC planned to open by March 2025. In total, 19 CDCs are due to open in Yorkshire by March 2025. CDCs in Yorkshire have been defined as those open under the following integrated care boards (ICBs):
- Humber and North Yorkshire ICB;
- South Yorkshire ICB; and
- West Yorkshire ICB.
The following CDCs in Yorkshire are already operational:
- Armley Moor Health Centre CDC;
- Askham Bar Community Care Centre CDC;
- Barnsley Glassworks CDC;
- Bradford District and Craven CDC;
- East Riding Community Hospital CDC;
- Huddersfield CDC;
- Leeds CDC;
- Montagu Hospital CDC;
- Rotherham Diagnostics CDC; and
- Selby War Memorial CDC.
The following CDCs in Yorkshire are due to open in the next twelve months:
- Beeston Village Centre CDC;
- Halifax CDC;
- Hull & East Riding CDC;
- North Lincolnshire CDC;
- Ripon CDC;
- Scarborough Gateway CDC;
- Wakefield CDC; and
- Withernsea Community Hospital CDC.
The CDC in Hull & East Riding is due to open by March 2025.
The Department and NHS England count CDCs delivering activity and accessing national CDC revenue funding as open. This may include activity delivered in temporary facilities while the full CDC is built.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of hospital trusts run specialist in-patient smoking cessation services; and what recent estimate he has made of when all hospital trusts will provided these services.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of September 2023, 74% of trusts were delivering an inpatient smoking cessation service. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, it has been agreed that integrated care boards will determine locally when they achieve a 100% level of trusts providing this service.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
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 improve the quality of care for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership commissions, develops and manages the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme, on behalf of NHS England, Wales and other devolved administrations.
This includes five national clinical audits focused on priority cancers, including one looking at prostate cancer. These audits have been introduced to reduce variation in treatment by demonstrating where care is being provided in line with standards and where a service is doing well or could be improved.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to increase (a) rates of early detection and (b) diagnostic times for prostate cancer in the last 12 months.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working with NHS England to improve early detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer. To increase rates of early detection for prostate cancer, NHS England is redesigning pathways to maximise capacity. In October 2022 NHS England published ‘Best Practice Timed Pathway’ for suspected prostate cancer. This guidance sets out how diagnosis can be achieved within 28 days for the suspected prostate cancer pathway. The guidance includes using a magnetic resonance imaging first strategy to reduce biopsy and move necessary biopsies from theatre into clinic. NHS England and NHS Improvement introduced a new financial incentive for 2022/23 through the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme to support the delivery of the pathway.