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 steps his Department has taken to help increase chemotherapy capacity for prostate cancer patients in (a) the UK and (b) each integrated care system.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has set a target for systems to increase cancer treatment capacity by 13%, with the aim of further reducing cancer waiting lists. The latest statistics for February 2023 show that 98.04% of National Health Service patients have received their subsequent chemotherapy treatment within 31 days, against a target of 98%.
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 projects his Department is funding for research into (a) male and (b) female health; and what the cost of those programmes has been in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Will Quince
The National Institute for Health and Care Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including men’s health and women’s health issues. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
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 proportion of prescriptions in England were issued to (a) men and (b) women.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The proportion of prescriptions in England in 2022 issued to men and women is displayed in the table below.
Gender | Items Dispensed | Proportion (%) |
Female | 628,562,493 | 54.02% |
Male | 501,247,030 | 43.08% |
Unknown | 33,634,015 | 2.89% |
Indeterminate | 29,683 | 0.00% |
Source: NHS Business Services Authority Information Services Data Warehouse
“Unknown” is where no data is held. “Indeterminate” is where the data held does not confirm male or female.
Proportions have been rounded to two decimal places and may not total 100%.
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 GP surgery appointments were for (a) men and (b) women in England in the 2021-22 financial year.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
This data is not available in the format requested.
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 his Department's press release entitled £25 million for women's health hub expansion, published on 8 March 2023, whether he plans to allocate new funding to men's health hubs.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There are currently no plans to do so.
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 bed days were allocated to (a) men and (b) women in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.
Answered by Will Quince
The information requested is not collected centrally.
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 progress he has made on the target of achieving 75% of cancer diagnoses at stages 1 and 2 by 2028.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Achieving earlier and faster diagnosis of cancer is a priority for the National Health Service. That is why one of the core ambitions in the NHS Long Term Plan is to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2 by 2028. The latest published data shows this was at 52% between January 2020 to December 2020.
NHS England’s comprehensive Early Diagnosis strategy is based on six core strands of activity, from raising awareness of cancer symptoms and encouraging people to come forward, to implementing targeted interventions for particular cancer types that we know have previously experienced later stages of diagnosis.
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, when the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group will be specifically focussing on male suicide in their forthcoming meetings.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Agendas for future National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group meetings are yet to be confirmed. However, the Department will be working closely with the Advisory Group and wider stakeholders over the coming months as the new National Suicide Prevention Strategy is developed. This will include discussions on issues relating to high-risk groups, such as men.
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 a person can contact the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Membership of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group (NSPSAG) is arranged by direct appointment and reviewed regularly to ensure that it continues to reflect the strategic direction and priorities of the national suicide prevention strategy for England and subsequent progress reports. Final decisions on membership rests with the Department and the Chair of NSPSAG, Professor Sir Louis Appleby. We will also be considering NSPSAG membership as we develop our new suicide prevention strategy.
NSPSAG membership is made up of a wide range of experts, including those with lived experience, academics, the voluntary sector, public health and the National Health Service. Member organisations are: Association of Directors of Public Health; British Transport Police; Coroners’ Society of England and Wales; Harmless; Health Education England; If U Care Share; James' Place; Local Government Association; Mental Health Foundation; Mental Health Innovations; Ministry of Justice; Multicentre Study of Self-Harm in England; National Suicide Prevention Alliance; NHS England; Office for National Statistics; Papyrus; Royal College of General Practitioners; Royal College of Nursing; Royal College of Psychiatrists; Samaritans; Shout; The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities; Young Minds; and Zero Suicide Alliance.
Queries about the NSPSAG should be sent to the Department, which provides the secretariat function for the NSPSAG.
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 the (a) application process and (b) appointment criteria is for members of National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Membership of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group (NSPSAG) is arranged by direct appointment and reviewed regularly to ensure that it continues to reflect the strategic direction and priorities of the national suicide prevention strategy for England and subsequent progress reports. Final decisions on membership rests with the Department and the Chair of NSPSAG, Professor Sir Louis Appleby. We will also be considering NSPSAG membership as we develop our new suicide prevention strategy.
NSPSAG membership is made up of a wide range of experts, including those with lived experience, academics, the voluntary sector, public health and the National Health Service. Member organisations are: Association of Directors of Public Health; British Transport Police; Coroners’ Society of England and Wales; Harmless; Health Education England; If U Care Share; James' Place; Local Government Association; Mental Health Foundation; Mental Health Innovations; Ministry of Justice; Multicentre Study of Self-Harm in England; National Suicide Prevention Alliance; NHS England; Office for National Statistics; Papyrus; Royal College of General Practitioners; Royal College of Nursing; Royal College of Psychiatrists; Samaritans; Shout; The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities; Young Minds; and Zero Suicide Alliance.
Queries about the NSPSAG should be sent to the Department, which provides the secretariat function for the NSPSAG.