Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the sustainability of the demand for sexual health services as set out in the sexual health statistics released by Public Health England on 4 June.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Increases in rates of syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia are likely to be due to a number of factors. These include increases in both the number of people attending sexual health services and the number of tests for sexually transmitted infections. Other factors include, better detection of infection and behavioural changes such as an increase in partner numbers and condomless anal intercourse, as well as, for some men who have sex with men, ‘chemsex’ and group sex facilitated by geosocial networking applications.
Local authorities will receive £3.1 billion in 2019/20, ring-fenced exclusively for use on public health, including sexual health. We are investing over £16 billion in local authority public health services over the five years of the 2015 Spending Review until 2020/21. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, including the need for sexual health services taking account of their statutory duties.
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had numerous discussions with cabinet ministers to discuss a range of topics in advance of the Spending Review. Public health funding for 2020 onwards, including for sexual health services, will be considered carefully in the next Spending Review, in the light of the available evidence.
Local authorities are required by regulations to provide comprehensive open access sexual health services, including provision for sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment and contraception.
The latest statistics show that more people are now accessing sexual health services. Attendances have increased by 7% between 2017 and 2018 (from 3,337,677 to 3,561,548). This continues the trend of increases in attendances seen over the past five years. To help manage the overall increase in demand, local authorities are increasingly commissioning online services to manage lower risk and asymptomatic patients. These services have the potential to reach groups not currently engaged with clinic services.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has plans to record the number of children of parents with mental health problems.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
There are no plans to record this information.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to add a body map insert page to the Personal Child Health Record to improve recognition of neurofibromatosis.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The content of the Personal Child Health Record (PCHR) is overseen by a multi-disciplinary group hosted by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). The inclusion of a body map in the paper-based version of the PCHR to help improve recognition of conditions such as neurofibromatosis has previously been discussed.
Whilst it is recognised that some areas choose to include a body map in the paper-based version of the PCHR they issue to new parents/carers at a child’s birth, the RCPCH hosted committee rejected a request for it to be included universally. The matter has subsequently been referred to the UK National Screening Committee for further consideration.
An electronic version of the PCHR is being piloted and will be further developed. Access to information on neurofibromatosis and other conditions which can be accessed by parents, carers or health professionals will be considered as part of this process.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide an update on progress towards recommendation 54 in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health on introducing the regulation of psychological therapy services.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Recommendation 54 in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health states that this Department should consider how to introduce the regulation of psychological therapy services, which are not currently inspected unless they are provided within secondary mental health services.
The Government has accepted all of the recommendations in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, including Recommendation 54. We are currently considering how to implement this recommendation.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Care of 8 May 2019, Official Report, column 432, when the data on autism diagnosis waiting times will be published.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department is determined to drive up performance on autism diagnosis nationally. To support this NHS Digital began formally collecting autism diagnosis waiting time data from mental health provider trusts for the first time through the Mental Health Services Data set in April 2018. Data is submitted on behalf of autism diagnostic services, in line with issued guidance. We expect to publish a report after a year’s data has been collected and analysed, this autumn. As this is the first time this data is being submitted some work to improve its quality may be necessary.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many CCGs (a) achieved and (b) did not achieve the turnaround target of 98 per cent of patients receiving their cervical screening results within 14 days of having a test in the last month for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Data is reported by local authority and published annually by NHS England, with the most recent information available at the following link:
However, data by clinical commissioning group (CCG) was published by the National Audit Office (NAO) Investigation into the Management of Health Screening and is available at the following link:
https://www.nao.org.uk/report/investigation-into-adult-health-screening/
The data published by the NAO shows the target for delivering cervical screening results letters within 14 days was not met in 189 out of 207 CCGs in 2017-18.
The 2016 announcement of the planned introduction of human papillomavirus primary screening and planned reconfiguration of laboratories has impacted on cytology workforce retention and recruitment rates. This led to an increase in the turnaround times of cervical screening samples in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
NHS England is taking steps to make sure the delivery, performance and oversight of screening services meet the high standard NHS patients rightly expect. This includes moving samples around the country to reduce the burden on those laboratories most under pressure. Professor Sir Mike Richards has also been commissioned to undertake a major review of cancer screening as part the NHS Long Term Plan’s renewed drive to improve care and save lives.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of state for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of waiting times to access NHS specialised gender services in the North East.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
NHS England has launched an ambitious programme to tackle waiting times, overseen by a Programme Board for Gender Identity Services. NHS England agreed new service specifications for gender dysphoria services in 2018 following a process of extensive stakeholder engagement and public consultation.
In April 2019 NHS England began a process of national procurement that will determine which organisations are best able to deliver specialist gender services in the future against the new service specifications, and this process is open to new providers. NHS England has also announced plans to establish for evaluation new gender services in primary care settings and other community care settings which if positively evaluated could be rolled out nationally, thereby helping to increase clinical capacity.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has plans to bring forward secondary legislation to implement proposed Medical Examiner reforms set out in the Coroners Act 2009 before 2020-21.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government is committed to introducing the reforms to death certification and to the introduction of a medical examiner system, as detailed in the Government’s response to consultation published in June 2018. Draft regulations were published alongside that consultation and it remains the intention to bring these forward when Parliamentary time allows for amendment to the primary legislation, to enable the reforms fully to be delivered.
With the introduction of a statutory scheme of medical examiners, the Government is committed to reform of the cremation regulations, removing the requirement for separate cremation medical certification and the fees associated with that function.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has plans to amend regulations in relation to cremation fees to enable the implementation of the Medical Examiner reforms set out in the Coroners Act 2009.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government is committed to introducing the reforms to death certification and to the introduction of a medical examiner system, as detailed in the Government’s response to consultation published in June 2018. Draft regulations were published alongside that consultation and it remains the intention to bring these forward when Parliamentary time allows for amendment to the primary legislation, to enable the reforms fully to be delivered.
With the introduction of a statutory scheme of medical examiners, the Government is committed to reform of the cremation regulations, removing the requirement for separate cremation medical certification and the fees associated with that function.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the changes required to cremation fee regulations to enable the implementation of the Medical Examiner reforms set out in the Coroners Act 2009.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government is committed to introducing the reforms to death certification and to the introduction of a medical examiner system, as detailed in the Government’s response to consultation published in June 2018. Draft regulations were published alongside that consultation and it remains the intention to bring these forward when Parliamentary time allows for amendment to the primary legislation, to enable the reforms fully to be delivered.
With the introduction of a statutory scheme of medical examiners, the Government is committed to reform of the cremation regulations, removing the requirement for separate cremation medical certification and the fees associated with that function.