Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Capita plc in managing the process of applications to the National Dental Performers List.
Answered by David Mowat
NHS England is responsible for the National Dental Performers list and currently does not hold information centrally on how many applications have been received from individuals wishing to join the National Dental Performers list. Information on the length of time to process applications is therefore currently not available.
Capita took on the contract for Primary Care Support Services on 1 September 2015, replacing a number of diverse local arrangements, and over the next two years are transforming the way services are delivered to make them more consistent, efficient, reliable, and ultimately better for end users. This includes administering the National Dental Performers List.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding provided to researching age-related macular degeneration.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Investment in eye-related research by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has more than tripled from £7 million in 2010/11 to £22 million in 2015/16. This investment includes a wide range of research relating to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Current investment in AMD research through NIHR programmes includes:
- a £2.2 million trial of stereotactic radiotherapy for wet AMD;
- a £2.2 million study of early detection of neo-vascular AMD; and
- a £0.9 million study of the efficacy of the telescopic mirror implant for AMD.
The NIHR also funds AMD research through infrastructure including the NIHR biomedical research centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and University College London. Current funding for this centre ends in March 2017, and the NIHR has recently awarded a total of £19 million over five years from April 2017 to the centre.
The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including AMD. 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 disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of womb cancer.
Answered by David Mowat
Public Health England (PHE) runs the ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of specific cancers, and to encourage those with symptoms to see their doctor promptly. There are a number of cancers that are not covered by ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ including womb cancer.
A number of factors are taken into account when deciding which campaigns to develop and run, with one of the main criteria being the scope to save lives through earlier diagnosis and whether the cancer has a clear early sign or symptom that the general public can act upon should it arise. Given this, PHE is looking at developing an approach to raise awareness of generic symptoms that can indicate a wider number of cancers and the need to visit the doctor promptly with these symptoms. This work is currently in development with the input of a wide range of experts.
The decision on which cancers should be the focus of ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns is informed by a steering group, whose members include primary and secondary care clinicians, and key voluntary sector organisations.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons womb cancer is not included by name in the Be Clear on Cancer campaign run by Public Health England.
Answered by David Mowat
Public Health England (PHE) runs the ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of specific cancers, and to encourage those with symptoms to see their doctor promptly. There are a number of cancers that are not covered by ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ including womb cancer.
A number of factors are taken into account when deciding which campaigns to develop and run, with one of the main criteria being the scope to save lives through earlier diagnosis and whether the cancer has a clear early sign or symptom that the general public can act upon should it arise. Given this, PHE is looking at developing an approach to raise awareness of generic symptoms that can indicate a wider number of cancers and the need to visit the doctor promptly with these symptoms. This work is currently in development with the input of a wide range of experts.
The decision on which cancers should be the focus of ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns is informed by a steering group, whose members include primary and secondary care clinicians, and key voluntary sector organisations.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Nursing and Midwifery Council about the adequacy of their disciplinary and enforcement powers; and what plans he has to reform their fitness to practice arrangements.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent body responsible for the regulation of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the way it discharges its statutory duties including in relation to fitness to practise investigations.
The Department has been working with the NMC on a number of proposed legislative changes which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its fitness to practise processes and officials have regular discussions with the NMC regarding its powers. The Department has recently consulted on these proposed changes and is currently considering the responses received.
The Government is committed to ensuring that professional regulation continues to provide effective protection for patients.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the ability of hospitals to meet the nutritional and hydration needs of patients admitted to hospital; and what plans he has to review the (a) effectiveness of hospitals in meeting such needs and (b) adequacy of the Care Quality Commission inspection regime in this respect.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The Department has worked with NHS England to ensure that food standards are written into the NHS Standard Contract 2016/17. Irrespective of the food service type, all National Health Service providers are obliged, under the terms of their legally-binding contracts with commissioners, to adhere to the recommendations of the Hospital Food Standards Panel in August 2014. These are published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/establishing-food-standards-for-nhs-hospitals.
The Department introduced Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) in April 2013 to assess the quality of the patient environment, including hospital food. The food and hydration section provides a detailed assessment of the quality of the food and food services being provided. PLACE assesses compliance with four food standards relevant to patient nutrition and hydration as recommended by the Hospital Food Standards Panel.
The existing registration system, established under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, requires all providers of health and adult social care regulated activities to meet essential levels of safety and quality, and nutrition and hydration is a part of this.
Led by the Chief Inspector of Hospitals, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for developing and consulting on its methodology for inspecting compliance with this fundamental standard and has complete independence in the decisions it makes about how to do this. The CQC’s inspections make use of a highly skilled inspection resource that includes specialist inspectors, clinical and other experts and people with experience of care. These inspections have increased the confidence that the public has in the CQC’s judgements. The CQC may prosecute providers who breach this standard without first issuing a warning notice.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve education and training for care staff on continence and toilet support.
Answered by David Mowat
NHS England’s Excellence in Continence Care guidance, published in November 2015, provides a framework that enables commissioners to work in collaboration with providers and others to make a step change to address shortfalls so that safe, dignified, efficient and effective continence care is consistently provided. This guidance is aimed at commissioners, providers, health and social care staff and also provides information for the public. The guidance was produced in partnership with patient and public advocates, clinicians and partners from the third sector. A copy of the guidance can be found at the following link:
In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced a range of guidance for clinicians to support them in the diagnosis, treatment care and support of people with continence problems e.g. Urinary incontinence in women (September 2013), Faecal incontinence in adults (June 2007), Urinary incontinence in neurological disease: assessment and management (August 2012) and Lower urinary tract symptoms in men: management (May 2010).
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve education and skills training for health care professionals on continence and toilet support.
Answered by David Mowat
NHS England’s Excellence in Continence Care guidance, published in November 2015, provides a framework that enables commissioners to work in collaboration with providers and others to make a step change to address shortfalls so that safe, dignified, efficient and effective continence care is consistently provided. This guidance is aimed at commissioners, providers, health and social care staff and also provides information for the public. The guidance was produced in partnership with patient and public advocates, clinicians and partners from the third sector. A copy of the guidance can be found at the following link:
In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced a range of guidance for clinicians to support them in the diagnosis, treatment care and support of people with continence problems e.g. Urinary incontinence in women (September 2013), Faecal incontinence in adults (June 2007), Urinary incontinence in neurological disease: assessment and management (August 2012) and Lower urinary tract symptoms in men: management (May 2010).
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the next set of National Diet and Nutrition Survey data is planned to be published.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The next report of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey is being prepared and will be published as an Official Statistic; the publication date will be announced in advance in accordance with the Official Statistics Code of Practice.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North East Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on patient welfare of proposals made by some clinical commissioning groups to discontinue funding IVF treatment.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The level of provision of infertility treatment, as for all health services they commission, is decided by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and will take into account the needs of the population overall. The CCG’s decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs. As such, provision of services will vary in response to local needs.
The Government has made it clear that blanket restrictions on treatment are unacceptable and all decisions on treatment should be made by doctors based on a patient's individual clinical needs and in line with the National Institute for health and Care Excellence guidelines.