Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which mental health apps are (a) recommended and (b) linked to by the NHS on its website; and if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the promotion of these apps by the NHS.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service website does not currently display or recommend any mental health apps, as the commissioning of these digital tools is done locally. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Early Value Assessment conditionally recommends products for use in the NHS. So far five mental health topics have been assessed. These assessments have conditionally recommended a wide range of products to be used, while further evidence is generated.
The products that have been conditionally recommended within the five mental health topics can be found on the NICE website.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase the number of specialist practitioners (a) researching and (b) treating Tourette’s syndrome.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s e-Learning for Healthcare has produced modular online learning resources in relation to Tourette’s and other tic disorders within its neurodevelopmental disorder and healthy schools programme domains, which are freely accessible to all, including service providers.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and social care, including Tourette’s syndrome. These 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. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The NIHR has funded a number of research projects on Tourette’s syndrome. For example, the NIHR has funded the Online Remote Behavioural Treatment for Tics study to evaluate online behavioural interventions for children with tics and Tourette’s syndrome. Researchers at the NIHR’s Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre are also supporting the TIC Genetics programme, which aims to identify the genetic factors that cause Tourette Syndrome using a family-based approach.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase funding into (a) the causes of and (b) treatments for Tourette’s syndrome.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s e-Learning for Healthcare has produced modular online learning resources in relation to Tourette’s and other tic disorders within its neurodevelopmental disorder and healthy schools programme domains, which are freely accessible to all, including service providers.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and social care, including Tourette’s syndrome. These 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. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The NIHR has funded a number of research projects on Tourette’s syndrome. For example, the NIHR has funded the Online Remote Behavioural Treatment for Tics study to evaluate online behavioural interventions for children with tics and Tourette’s syndrome. Researchers at the NIHR’s Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre are also supporting the TIC Genetics programme, which aims to identify the genetic factors that cause Tourette Syndrome using a family-based approach.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to improve support for children and young people with Tourette’s syndrome.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s e-Learning for Healthcare has produced modular online learning resources in relation to Tourette’s and other tic disorders within its neurodevelopmental disorder and healthy schools programme domains, which are freely accessible to all, including service providers.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and social care, including Tourette’s syndrome. These 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. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The NIHR has funded a number of research projects on Tourette’s syndrome. For example, the NIHR has funded the Online Remote Behavioural Treatment for Tics study to evaluate online behavioural interventions for children with tics and Tourette’s syndrome. Researchers at the NIHR’s Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre are also supporting the TIC Genetics programme, which aims to identify the genetic factors that cause Tourette Syndrome using a family-based approach.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that respiratory conditions are prioritised in the new 10 year plan for the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will consider the changes needed to meet the three health mission goals, which are: a fairer system where everyone lives well for longer; a National Health Service that is there when people need it; and fewer lives lost to the biggest killers.
We will carefully be considering policies with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders, as we develop the plan.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Fit For Future Fund will include purchasing new equipment for endoscopy services used to diagnose bowel cancer.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Increasing capacity to meet demand for diagnostic services and returning to waiting time standards for cancer, including the Faster Diagnosis Standard, are both priorities for the Government.
It is our ambition to introduce a new Fit For the Future fund to provide the National Health Service with the latest technology and to replace outdated equipment to make diagnoses, including cancer diagnoses, more accurate and timely, and to improve the experience for patients.
More detailed plans for future funding will be informed by NHS England's assessment of priorities, and will be set out at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the specialised (a) challenges and (b) needs of young cancer patients are met.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In Spring 2024, the Department ran several workshops with colleagues in the health system, committed to improving cancer care for children and young people. The workshops identified key issues for exploration, and ministers are considering next steps to progress this important work.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of creating an NHS Never Event for discharging newborns home to temporary accommodation without a cot.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
No assessment has been made of the potential merits of creating an NHS Never Event for discharging newborns home to temporary accommodation without a cot. A consultation on the future of the Never Events Framework was conducted by NHS England, and ran between 5 February and 5 May 2024. The consultation sought views on whether the existing Never Events Framework remains an effective mechanism to drive patient safety improvement. NHS England will respond to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
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 merits of providing targeted support for (a) infant and (b) parental mental health while a family is experiencing homelessness.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
As part of NHS England’s Maternity and Neonatal Three-Year Delivery Plan, NHS England is working to rollout Maternal Mental Health Services for women experiencing mental health difficulties related to loss or trauma in the maternity or neonatal context. This may include those who experience post-traumatic stress disorder following birth trauma, perinatal loss, or severe fear of childbirth, known as tokophobia.
As of February 2024, 39 Maternal Mental Health Services have been established, which provide psychological therapy for women experiencing mental health difficulties related to their maternity experience. Every integrated care system area will soon have these services in place.
In December 2023, NHS England published new guidance for general practice (GPs) on the postnatal appointment women should be offered six to eight weeks after giving birth. This provides an important opportunity for GPs to listen to women in a discrete, supportive environment.
We also continue to engage with a number of other departments and representative groups to discuss what can be done to mitigate the effect of housing insecurity and homelessness on mental health and wellbeing.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Independent - Salford)
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 promote parental mental health (a) during pregnancy and (b) in the first two years of infancy.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
As part of NHS England’s Maternity and Neonatal Three-Year Delivery Plan, NHS England is working to roll out Maternal Mental Health Services for women experiencing mental health difficulties, related to loss or trauma in the maternity or neonatal context. This may include those who experience post-traumatic stress disorder following birth trauma, perinatal loss, or severe fear of childbirth, also known as tokophobia.
As of February 2024, 39 Maternal Mental Health Services have been established, which provide psychological therapy for women experiencing mental health difficulties related to their maternity experience. Every integrated care system area will soon have these services in place.
In December 2023, NHS England published new guidance for general practices (GPs) on the postnatal appointment women should be offered six to eight weeks after giving birth. This provides an important opportunity for GPs to listen to women in a discrete, supportive environment.
The guidance asks family doctors to provide personalised postnatal care for the mother’s physical and mental health, and to support them with family planning. This will include information and resources on assessing and addressing mental health needs and importantly sets out practical initiatives to improve access, experience, and outcomes.
Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, £100 million is being invested in bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support for the 1,001 critical days from pregnancy to a baby’s second birthday, in 75 local authority areas in England.