Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance she issues to mental health services on their obligations to a people that (a) police and (b) local authorities find too unwell to be in the community.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
On 26 January 2024, new statutory guidance was published for those being discharged from mental health inpatient settings. This sets out how health and care systems can work together effectively to support the discharge process from all mental health inpatient settings, and ensure the right support in the community. The guidance also includes best practice on how patients and carers should be involved in discharge planning. There are currently no plans to update this guidance covering the process for discharge.
The Mental Health Act Code of Practice provides statutory guidance on the care and treatment of patients detained under the Mental Health Act, including consideration of whether someone is ready to be discharged, and who should be involved in making this decision.
As part of its planning guidance, NHS England has asked all local systems to review their community mental health services to ensure that they have clear policies and practice in place for patients with serious mental illness, who require intensive community treatment and follow-up, but where engagement is a challenge. NHS England plans to provide national guidance by Autumn 2024, to support these reviews. NHS England will consider further steps as appropriate, following the completion of the reviews.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to require an independent second assessment prior to discharging a person from mental health services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
On 26 January 2024, new statutory guidance was published for those being discharged from mental health inpatient settings. This sets out how health and care systems can work together effectively to support the discharge process from all mental health inpatient settings, and ensure the right support in the community. The guidance also includes best practice on how patients and carers should be involved in discharge planning. There are currently no plans to update this guidance covering the process for discharge.
The Mental Health Act Code of Practice provides statutory guidance on the care and treatment of patients detained under the Mental Health Act, including consideration of whether someone is ready to be discharged, and who should be involved in making this decision.
As part of its planning guidance, NHS England has asked all local systems to review their community mental health services to ensure that they have clear policies and practice in place for patients with serious mental illness, who require intensive community treatment and follow-up, but where engagement is a challenge. NHS England plans to provide national guidance by Autumn 2024, to support these reviews. NHS England will consider further steps as appropriate, following the completion of the reviews.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that mental health discharge processes protect the (a) patient and (b) community.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
On 26 January 2024, new statutory guidance was published for those being discharged from mental health inpatient settings. This sets out how health and care systems can work together effectively to support the discharge process from all mental health inpatient settings, and ensure the right support in the community. The guidance also includes best practice on how patients and carers should be involved in discharge planning. There are currently no plans to update this guidance covering the process for discharge.
The Mental Health Act Code of Practice provides statutory guidance on the care and treatment of patients detained under the Mental Health Act, including consideration of whether someone is ready to be discharged, and who should be involved in making this decision.
As part of its planning guidance, NHS England has asked all local systems to review their community mental health services to ensure that they have clear policies and practice in place for patients with serious mental illness, who require intensive community treatment and follow-up, but where engagement is a challenge. NHS England plans to provide national guidance by Autumn 2024, to support these reviews. NHS England will consider further steps as appropriate, following the completion of the reviews.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) an ageing population and (b) trends in the level of comorbidities on demand for rehabilitation services.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Effective capacity and demand planning supports the provision of adequate rehabilitation packages. The 2023-2025 Better Care Fund Policy Framework requires local areas to agree and submit a plan showing:
- expected demand for intermediate care services, and other short-term care, to help people to remain independent at home;
- services to support this recovery, including rehabilitation and reablement;
- expected capacity in the health and wellbeing board area to meet this demand.
Appropriate capacity should be commissioned, within available budgets, for people with step-down intermediate care needs. This includes, but is not limited to, older people and those with comorbidities.
In addition, the Major Conditions Strategy outlines our approach in tackling six groups of major health conditions, by creating a health and care system that is faster, simpler, and fairer, focusing on prevention, proactive care and more person-centred care.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that people experiencing acute or chronic side effects from taking gabapentin do not have to wait for a (a) referral and (b) assessment by mental health services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
While we have no specific plans to do so, we are committed to expanding and transforming mental health services in England through the NHS Long Term Plan, so that more people, including those experiencing side effects from taking gabapentin, can get the mental health help and support that they need.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is held accountable for its decisions.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) performs the functions of my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, under United Kingdom legislation, relating to the regulation of medicines, medical devices, and blood products for transfusion. The MHRA also performs the functions of my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in relation to the standardisation and control of biological medicines including vaccines, blood products, and other substances which cannot be characterised chemically, and which require special testing measures to ensure their safety and efficacy.
My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has ministerial responsibility for, and oversight of, the MHRA’s delivery and performance. The MHRA seeks ministerial agreement for policy and legislative framework changes. Ministers are not involved in individual decisions made by the MHRA. The MHRA is held to account through regular established mechanisms including quarterly and annual accountability reviews. A framework agreement between the Department and the MHRA also sets out the governance structure within which both parties operate, with further information available at the following link:
The MHRA also publishes performance figures each month, as well as its annual report and accounts, and the minutes of the latest Annual Accountability Review with the MHRA is available at the following link:
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is she taking to review the decisions of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) performs the functions of my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, under United Kingdom legislation, relating to the regulation of medicines, medical devices, and blood products for transfusion. The MHRA also performs the functions of my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in relation to the standardisation and control of biological medicines including vaccines, blood products, and other substances which cannot be characterised chemically, and which require special testing measures to ensure their safety and efficacy.
My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has ministerial responsibility for, and oversight of, the MHRA’s delivery and performance. The MHRA seeks ministerial agreement for policy and legislative framework changes. Ministers are not involved in individual decisions made by the MHRA. The MHRA is held to account through regular established mechanisms including quarterly and annual accountability reviews. A framework agreement between the Department and the MHRA also sets out the governance structure within which both parties operate, with further information available at the following link:
The MHRA also publishes performance figures each month, as well as its annual report and accounts, and the minutes of the latest Annual Accountability Review with the MHRA is available at the following link:
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to educate people about the use of synthetic drugs in vapes.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The health advice is clear, if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape. Vaping can play a role in helping adult smokers to quit, but the number of children using vapes has tripled in the past three years, and a staggering 20.5% of children had tried vaping in March to April 2023
Drugs education is a mandatory component of the Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education curriculum taught in schools. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has commissioned the PSHE Association to publish teaching resources for schools on drug and alcohol use, and vaping. These resources are in the process of being updated, and there will be increased emphasis on the risks of synthetic drugs, including vapes.
Information on the dangers of using THC vapes is available on FRANK, the Government’s drug information and advisory website, which signposts users to support services and provides an around the clock and free-to-use confidential helpline, text and email message services, and an online chat.
Where there are incidents of synthetic cannabinoids in THC vapes, it is for the local authority public health team and the police force to take appropriate actions to warn and protect their at-risk populations, supported by regional teams.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 her policies on health outcomes for children who live in poverty.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department delivers programmes to support the most vulnerable children and families, and reduce health inequalities. The Government published the Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days, in March 2021. This sets out six action areas for improving support for families during the 1,001 critical days, to ensure every baby in England is given the best possible start in life, regardless of background.
The Government is investing an additional £300 million to improve support for families though the joint Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Education Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. It is implementing many elements of the Best Start for Life Vision, delivering a step change in outcomes for babies, children, and their parents and carers in 75 local authorities in England, including those with high levels of deprivation. The Government has commissioned two in-depth independent evaluations of the programme.
The Healthy Start scheme helps to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children aged under four years old from very low-income households. The latest Healthy Start data was published on 28 March 2024, with an uptake of 66%. Healthy Start now supports approximately 366,000 beneficiaries.
In November 2022, NHS England published Core20PLUS5, an approach to reducing health inequalities for children and young people at both a national and system level. The approach defines a target population cohort, and identifies five clinical areas requiring accelerated improvement, which are asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, oral health, and mental health. Where possible, indicators in the Child and Maternal Health Profile provide a breakdown by the index of multiple deprivation, which is available at the following link:
https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/child-health-profiles
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to tackle health inequality due to childhood poverty.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department delivers programmes to support the most vulnerable children and families, and reduce health inequalities. The Government published the Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days, in March 2021. This sets out six action areas for improving support for families during the 1,001 critical days, to ensure every baby in England is given the best possible start in life, regardless of background.
The Government is investing an additional £300 million to improve support for families though the joint Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Education Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. It is implementing many elements of the Best Start for Life Vision, delivering a step change in outcomes for babies, children, and their parents and carers in 75 local authorities in England, including those with high levels of deprivation. The Government has commissioned two in-depth independent evaluations of the programme.
The Healthy Start scheme helps to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children aged under four years old from very low-income households. The latest Healthy Start data was published on 28 March 2024, with an uptake of 66%. Healthy Start now supports approximately 366,000 beneficiaries.
In November 2022, NHS England published Core20PLUS5, an approach to reducing health inequalities for children and young people at both a national and system level. The approach defines a target population cohort, and identifies five clinical areas requiring accelerated improvement, which are asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, oral health, and mental health. Where possible, indicators in the Child and Maternal Health Profile provide a breakdown by the index of multiple deprivation, which is available at the following link:
https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/child-health-profiles