Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pharmacies have closed in Worthing West constituency since 2019; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of these closures on NHS primary care services in Worthing West constituency.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There were 19 pharmacies in Worthing West constituency on 31 December 2023. Between 31 December 2019 and 31 December 2023, three pharmacies closed and no new pharmacies opened in Worthing West.
Access to pharmaceutical services remains good. 99 percent of the population in Worthing West live within a 20-minute walk from a pharmacy. This exceeds the national average of 80 percent. In addition, residents of Worthing West can access distance selling pharmacies that operate nationally.
It is the role of local authorities in England to undertake pharmaceutical needs assessments for their areas, every three years, to ensure provision continues to meet their population’s needs. Integrated care boards have regard to those assessments when commissioning services and where a pharmacy closure impacts on the access to services, a new contractor can apply to open a pharmacy in the area.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
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 impact of community pharmacy closures on other NHS services.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There were 19 pharmacies in Worthing West constituency on 31 December 2023. Between 31 December 2019 and 31 December 2023, three pharmacies closed and no new pharmacies opened in Worthing West.
Access to pharmaceutical services remains good. 99 percent of the population in Worthing West live within a 20-minute walk from a pharmacy. This exceeds the national average of 80 percent. In addition, residents of Worthing West can access distance selling pharmacies that operate nationally.
It is the role of local authorities in England to undertake pharmaceutical needs assessments for their areas, every three years, to ensure provision continues to meet their population’s needs. Integrated care boards have regard to those assessments when commissioning services and where a pharmacy closure impacts on the access to services, a new contractor can apply to open a pharmacy in the area.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of health commissioners for (a) identifying local demand and (b) implementing the right services and support for people with autism in (i) West Sussex, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) Surrey.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There are no current plans to make this specific assessment. NHS England publish quarterly data on how many people are waiting for an autism assessment, and for how long, by local area. The data provides useful information to support local areas to identify local demand.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population in line with relevant guidance, including assessments and services of support for autistic people.
In 2021, Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership published the Autism Strategy for Surrey (2021-26). Sussex Health and Care Integrated Care System have been implementing the Sussex All Age Learning Disability and Autism Strategy (2021-2024) since 2021.
The Provider Collaborative for Wessex and Dorset, responsible for Hampshire, are working in partnership with relevant ICBs on Dynamic Support Registers to ensure young people are assessed at an early point and there are timely interventions that will prevent escalation. Additionally, where gaps in commissioning are identified, system partners are working together to address these.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many places in residential care settings dedicated for profoundly autistic adults there are in (a) West Sussex, (b) Hampshire and (c) Surrey.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not available. The Department does not collect data on care settings places for autism only. The following table shows data on total capacity in care homes that are able to serve users with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder.
Local authority | Hampshire | Surrey | West Sussex |
Number of beds in care homes that can serve users with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder | 1,659 | 2,338 | 1,585 |
All Care Home Beds in local authority | 14,127 | 13,567 | 9,950 |
Source: The CQC Care Directory data as of 1 March 2023.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
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 potential impact of ending current pensions abatement for NHS staff in October 2022 on levels of (a) workforce retention and (b) patient care.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Pension abatement was temporarily suspended as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to resume in October 2022. The Department is keeping the position under review.
Abatement normally applies to staff who return to NHS service before the age of 60 years old having used a special reserved right to retire early from the age of 55 years old without a reduction in their pension. Staff with these ‘special class’ pension rights have not paid extra contributions for this benefit, which is unavailable to other staff in the National Health Service. Abatement therefore ensures there is fairness to all scheme members. Staff without these special retirement rights are not subject to abatement after taking their pension. However, where abatement applies, staff with long careers can perform substantial amounts of work. Typically they can work at least half-time before reaching their abatement ceiling and the Department will ensure that staff potentially affected by abatement are aware of the amount of work which can be undertaken.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
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 impact of rules relating to pensions abatement for NHS staff after October 2022 on those staff affected.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Pension abatement was temporarily suspended as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to resume in October 2022. The Department is keeping the position under review.
Abatement normally applies to staff who return to NHS service before the age of 60 years old having used a special reserved right to retire early from the age of 55 years old without a reduction in their pension. Staff with these ‘special class’ pension rights have not paid extra contributions for this benefit, which is unavailable to other staff in the National Health Service. Abatement therefore ensures there is fairness to all scheme members. Staff without these special retirement rights are not subject to abatement after taking their pension. However, where abatement applies, staff with long careers can perform substantial amounts of work. Typically they can work at least half-time before reaching their abatement ceiling and the Department will ensure that staff potentially affected by abatement are aware of the amount of work which can be undertaken.