Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 20 December 2021 to Question 89536 on Mechanical Thrombectomy, how many of the 150 whole time equivalent interventional neuroradiologists required to deliver resilient and sustainable thrombectomy services have been recruited since 20 December 2021.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much capital investment funding has been allocated to expanding mechanical thrombectomy services in each of the last 5 years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Royal College of Radiologists’ Clinical radiology census report 2021, what assessment he has made of the conclusion that 55 per cent of clinical directors reported that they do not have enough interventional radiologists to deliver safe and effective patient care.
Answered by Will Quince
No specific assessment has been made. Individual employers are responsible for ensuring the appropriate staff are available and trained to undertake their duties. There has been an increase of 63% in entry points in clinical radiology specialty training places from 2016 to 2021. In addition, through the Spending Review there has been an increase in funding for ST6 year for interventional radiologists for 20 places in 2021/22 and 2022/23.
As of July 2022, there were 5,040 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the National Health Service in England in the sub-specialism of clinical radiology. This is an increase of 5.7% since July 2021 and 55.4% since July 2010 and includes doctors in training grades, specialists and doctors on other contracts. The consultant clinical radiologist workforce has increased by 4.3% since July 2021 and 53.7% since July 2010. Health Education England is implementing the priorities identified in the cancer workforce plan phase 1 and is investing an additional £50 million in 2022/23 to expand the cancer and diagnostics workforce, including postgraduate medical training of cancer-related medical professions, such as interventional radiologists.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
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 28 per cent shortfall of interventional radiology consultants as identified in the Royal College of Radiologists’ clinical radiology workforce census 2021.
Answered by Will Quince
No specific assessment has been made. Individual employers are responsible for ensuring the appropriate staff are available and trained to undertake their duties. There has been an increase of 63% in entry points in clinical radiology specialty training places from 2016 to 2021. In addition, through the Spending Review there has been an increase in funding for ST6 year for interventional radiologists for 20 places in 2021/22 and 2022/23.
As of July 2022, there were 5,040 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the National Health Service in England in the sub-specialism of clinical radiology. This is an increase of 5.7% since July 2021 and 55.4% since July 2010 and includes doctors in training grades, specialists and doctors on other contracts. The consultant clinical radiologist workforce has increased by 4.3% since July 2021 and 53.7% since July 2010. Health Education England is implementing the priorities identified in the cancer workforce plan phase 1 and is investing an additional £50 million in 2022/23 to expand the cancer and diagnostics workforce, including postgraduate medical training of cancer-related medical professions, such as interventional radiologists.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding the Government has provided to thrombectomy since the adoption of the NHS Long Term Plan.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The total investment in thrombectomy since 2017/18 will be £57.8 million by the end of 2021/22.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of interventional neuroradiologists required to meet NHS Long Term Plan commitments of providing a 24/7 mechanical thrombectomy service in all parts of the country; and how many practising interventional neuroradiologists there were as at 8 December 2021.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
It is estimated that approximately 150 whole time equivalent interventional neuroradiologists are required to deliver resilient and sustainable thrombectomy services and ensure access to 24 hours a day, seven days a week mechanical thrombectomy. The latest number of practising interventional neuroradiologists is not currently available. However, this information is being collated for regional thrombectomy quality reviews which will be published in spring 2022.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of stroke patients receive a thrombectomy in each region in England as of 8 December 2021.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The information is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions officials in his Department have had with the General Medical Council on the investment needed to support a credentialing process that will enable specialists from disciplines other than interventional neuroradiology to perform mechanical thrombectomy.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The General Medical Council (GMC) is developing a credential in interventional neuroradiology (acute stroke) to allow specialists in areas such as neurosurgery, neurology and stroke medicine, to train in the delivery of mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke.
The Department, the devolved administrations and statutory education bodies are discussing funding arrangements for medical credentials with the GMC, including for interventional radiology. We are committed to ensuring that there is equitable and proportionate funding arrangements for all credentials where they have been commissioned.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what modelling his Department has undertaken to estimate the capital investment required to (a) bring thrombectomy centres up to providing 24/7 provision and (b) establish thrombectomy centres in those areas that currently do not have them; and if he will publish that modelling.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Department has not undertaken any specific modelling regarding thrombectomy centres. These centres are not part of any central capital investment programmes. However, thrombectomy centres may be an area of prioritisation for local investment plans and therefore form part of a larger capital development scheme.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there is no policy lead for stroke within his Department; and if he will appoint that role.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Department's NHS Quality, Safety and Investigations Directorate is responsible for the oversight of policy related to strokes.