Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to assure the public of the safety and quality of laser eye surgery.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Providers of laser eye surgery are required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), as this is a regulated activity. All providers of regulated activities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and meet the new fundamental standards of safety and quality that came into force on 1 April this year. The CQC has a range of enforcement actions that it can take if providers do not meet the fundamental standards.
Doctors performing laser eye surgery in the United Kingdom must also be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). All registered doctors are expected to be familiar with the GMC’s publication Good medical practice and supporting guidance, which describes what is expected of them. This document makes clear that medical doctors must recognise and work within the limits of their competence.
It has now been agreed that work to improve the delivery, safety and standards for patient information for laser eye surgery will be taken forward separately from the work to implement the Keogh Review, and that, as the professional body for setting the standards of practice for refractive procedures, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists will lead on this work.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his timetable is for implementing the recommendations of the Keogh Review with regard to the safety and quality of laser eye surgery.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Providers of laser eye surgery are required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), as this is a regulated activity. All providers of regulated activities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and meet the new fundamental standards of safety and quality that came into force on 1 April this year. The CQC has a range of enforcement actions that it can take if providers do not meet the fundamental standards.
Doctors performing laser eye surgery in the United Kingdom must also be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). All registered doctors are expected to be familiar with the GMC’s publication Good medical practice and supporting guidance, which describes what is expected of them. This document makes clear that medical doctors must recognise and work within the limits of their competence.
It has now been agreed that work to improve the delivery, safety and standards for patient information for laser eye surgery will be taken forward separately from the work to implement the Keogh Review, and that, as the professional body for setting the standards of practice for refractive procedures, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists will lead on this work.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals offer breast reconstruction to breast cancer patients.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The attached table provides – for each trust where there is data showing that either primary breast reconstruction, secondary breast reconstruction, or both, were carried out – the hospitals within that trust that have a multi-disciplinary team treating breast cancer. There are 191 hospitals in the list, which is an approximate number and may vary.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals offer breast reconstruction to breast cancer patients.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The attached table provides – for each trust where there is data showing that either primary breast reconstruction, secondary breast reconstruction, or both, were carried out – the hospitals within that trust that have a multi-disciplinary team treating breast cancer. There are 191 hospitals in the list, which is an approximate number and may vary.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of Huntington's Disease there are in Plymouth.
Answered by George Freeman
There were less than six admissions with a primary diagnosis of Huntingdon’s Disease for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust in the year 2013-14; this is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one admission episode within the same time period. This does not include any cases there may have been with independent providers.
The Department published a UK Strategy for Rare Diseases in 2013 and established the UK Rare Disease Forum to monitor the progress against the UK Strategy. The UK Rare Disease Forum is due to report on the progress made against the recommendations made in the UK Strategy in 2016.
Patients with Huntington's disease already have access to a range of NHS services including those provided by general practitioners and associated health professionals, neurology services, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, local mental health services and palliative care where appropriate.
Patients with Huntington’s disease will benefit from the implementation of the UK Rare Disease Strategy that will lead to further improvements in the diagnostic pathway for this condition.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will establish a cross-government Huntington's Disease strategy.
Answered by George Freeman
There were less than six admissions with a primary diagnosis of Huntingdon’s Disease for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust in the year 2013-14; this is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one admission episode within the same time period. This does not include any cases there may have been with independent providers.
The Department published a UK Strategy for Rare Diseases in 2013 and established the UK Rare Disease Forum to monitor the progress against the UK Strategy. The UK Rare Disease Forum is due to report on the progress made against the recommendations made in the UK Strategy in 2016.
Patients with Huntington's disease already have access to a range of NHS services including those provided by general practitioners and associated health professionals, neurology services, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, local mental health services and palliative care where appropriate.
Patients with Huntington’s disease will benefit from the implementation of the UK Rare Disease Strategy that will lead to further improvements in the diagnostic pathway for this condition.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to assist Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust to deal with increased patient numbers at Derriford Hospital.
Answered by Jane Ellison
We are advised by NHS England that it has provided two tranches of resilience funding to Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust totalling £4,885,000, and that the Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has provided an additional £1,500,000 in recognition of the impact of the additional activity pressures.
The following actions have been taken to reduce demand to the hospital site and facilitate discharge from the hospital:
- Detailed Activity Management Plan agreed between the providers and the CCG which is being monitored through the integrated performance and assurance meeting process and the System Resilience Group/Urgent Care Partnership;
- Additional investment to an in-hours general practitioner (GP)/paramedic visiting service in order to bring primary care visits forward in the day and stagger demand (demand reduction of c. 12 patients per day);
- GP practice (30,000 patients) has been operating an in-hours visiting service and has reduced c. 12 admissions per month. This is continuing;
- Establishment of an “alternative front door” to emergency department reduced in the region of 30 non-elective admissions in one week;
- Increased consistency of minor injuries unit service across Devon to increase dispositions from 111, reducing accident and emergency attends;
- 96 additional GP appointments per weekend funded from the Prime Ministers’ Challenge Fund;
- £140,000 allocated through winter monies for 111 Clinical Streaming by Devon Doctors Ltd; and
- Consistent use of the Special Patient Message (SPM) service with GP out-of-hours service to ensure SPMs are in place for at least the 2% of people.
The NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA) advises that a number of steps are being taken to address increased demand, including opening 68 extra beds and increasing accident and emergency capacity through the use of Trust and agency staff.
NHS TDA further advises that a de-escalation plan has been developed by the Trust with the support of NHS England’s Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Area Team, and is intended to be submitted to the CCG shortly.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to review the regulatory framework for the dental profession.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The Law Commissions’ completed a review of the regulation of all health and social care professionals including dentists and reported in April 2014. They made 125 recommendations to improve the legislative framework and we published the Government response on 29 January 2015, accepting the vast majority of these recommendations.
The Government remains committed to legislate on this important issue when parliamentary time allows and are working closely with the regulatory bodies and the Professional Standards Authority to build on the important work the Law Commissions have done.
In the meantime we are taking forward a section 60 Order to amend the Dentists Act 1984 to make changes to the General Dental Council’s (GDC’s) investigation stage fitness to practise processes. A consultation has recently been undertaken on these measures which will be introduced subject to Parliamentary approval. It is expected the provisions should lead to the swifter resolution of complaints, as ultimately they will improve the efficiency of the GDC’s fitness to practise processes, whilst also enhancing patient protection and public confidence in dental regulation.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2014, Official Report, column 710W, on pharmacy, what progress his Department has made on the introduction of data-sharing between GPs and pharmacists.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The Proof of Concept (POC) project is making good progress. The project has completed the implementation stage of providing Summary Care Record (SCR) access for community pharmacies.
By the end of 2014, 135 pharmacies across all five areas (West Yorkshire, Sheffield, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire and Somerset), have been enabled to have access to the SCR. The pharmacies involved include independent pharmacies, national multiple providers, and representatives from the major supermarkets. Over 1,300 patient SCRs have been accessed to date to support direct patient care.
The POC project team are now working on the findings and associated recommendations. Initial analysis is promising and the final report is due in the coming months.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many days of staff sickness absence there were in (a) Derriford Hospital and (b) Mount Gould Hospital in 2014.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.
NHS Hospital and Community Health Service monthly workforce statistics: Full Time Equivalent Days Lost to Sickness Absence in selected trusts, 12 month period from October 2013 to September 2014 | |
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Organisation | October 2013 to September 2014 |
Plymouth Community Healthcare CIC | 30,236 |
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust | 77,215 |
Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC)
Notes: 1. While lower sickness absence figures, in general, indicate lower levels of sickness absence it should be noted that lower figures can also indicate under reporting of sickness absence. 2. Data presented is Full Time Equivalent Days Lost to Sickness Absence (includes non-working days). 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 1. 4. The HSCIC seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. | |