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Written Question
Surgical Mesh Implants: Compensation
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for making a decision on redress for people affected by mesh implants following the publication of The Hughes Report on 7 February 2024.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Government commissioned the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC) to produce a report on redress for those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. We are grateful to the PSC and her team for completing this report, and our sympathies remain with those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government is now carefully considering the PSC’s recommendations, and will respond substantively in due course.


Written Question
Care Homes: Kent
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many adult social care residential care home places there were in (a) Kent and (b) Canterbury in each year since 2015.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) publish the CQC Care Directory annually, which lists the number of care home registrations in the adult social care sector. This includes the number of care home beds, with or without nursing. The following table shows the number of CQC registered care home beds for Kent, on 1 January of each year from 2015 onwards:

Year

Registered Care Home Beds

2015

15,198

2016

15,131

2017

14,406

2018

14,590

2019

14,431

2020

14,610

2021

14,586

2022

14,598

2023

14,543

2024

14,638

The following table shows the number of care home beds for Canterbury, on 1 January of each year from 2015 onwards:

Year

Registered Care Home Beds

2015

943

2016

980

2017

973

2018

981

2019

1,020

2020

1,025

2021

1,007

2022

984

2023

976

2024

1,087

Note: This data is also from the CQC Care Directory but cross-referenced with postcode data to identify care home beds in Canterbury with or without nursing.


Written Question
Dental Services: Cancer
Monday 29th January 2024

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential relationship between the availability of NHS dentistry appointments and patient access to bone-strengthening medication to treat cancer.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Whilst the Department has not made a formal assessment, some integrated care boards (ICBs) may be looking at this, using the flexible commissioning model opportunity to meet the needs of their populations. Cancer services remain a priority for ICBs.

The Government has implemented a package of reforms to improve access to National Health Service dental care, which has had an effect with more patients being seen and a 23% increase in NHS activity in the past year. We know we need to do more, and the Department’s Dentistry Recovery Plan will be published shortly, setting out a big package of change.


Written Question
Prescription Drugs: Internet
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent the online sale of prescription drugs without a prescription.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the regulator in the United Kingdom for human medicines and is responsible for enforcing the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The MHRA has identified the illegal sale and supply of human medicines as a global challenge. This includes the sale of prescription drugs from unregulated sources. Criminal gangs, often based overseas, advertise medicines through illicit websites resembling those of legitimate pharmacies, while others exploit online marketplaces or sell social media platforms.

The MHRA has a dedicated Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) that works with partners across government and policing to prevent and disrupt this illegal trade and to bring to justice those involved. The CEU monitors online channels for evidence of illegal activity and takes proportionate regulatory action. This includes using the full range of the Agency’s powers to investigate and prosecute offenders where necessary and appropriate. The unit also works to remove illegally trading websites and remove criminal profits from offenders. Through its #Fakemeds communications campaign, the MHRA also provides quick and easy tools to help the public avoid buying illegally traded medicines when they shop online.


Written Question
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs
Wednesday 18th October 2023

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

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 adequacy of the availability of ADHD medication.

Answered by Will Quince

We are aware of supply issues affecting medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We have issued communications, in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert, to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients during this time. We continue to work closely with manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom.


Written Question
Headaches: Medical Treatments
Wednesday 13th September 2023

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of funding sphenopalatine ganglion block treatment on the NHS.

Answered by Will Quince

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not made an assessment.

NICE has published a clinical guideline (CG150) on the diagnosis and management of headaches in children aged over 12 years old and recommends several treatments for tension-type headache, migraine, cluster headache and medication overuse headache. If new evidence on the use of sphenopalatine ganglion block became available, then NICE would consider the impact it has on its current recommendations.

NHS England also carefully reviewed the evidence to commission Sphenopalatine Ganglion Stimulation for Refractory Chronic Cluster Headache (Adults) in 2018, and concluded that there is not enough evidence to consider making the treatment available at this time. More information on the NHS evidence review is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Sphenopalatine-Ganglion-Stimulation-for-Refractory-Chronic-Cluster-Headache-adults.pdf

NHS England can review this policy or consider a new policy for this treatment for a different clinical indication, in line with the published methods for clinical policy development, if a lead clinician considers that there is new published, peer reviewed evidence that should be considered.


Written Question
Shingles: Vaccination
Tuesday 12th September 2023

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the guidance issued by the NHS entitled Introduction of Shingrix® vaccine for the whole programme and expansion of eligible cohorts, published on 4 July 2023, on people who turned 65 before 1 September 2023.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advised the Government on the implementation of the Shingrix vaccine and the rollout of the cohort expansion. This advice was based on various considerations, including population impact. The Government accepted this advice, and it is the basis of NHS England guidance on the Shingles programme.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Friday 30th June 2023

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help people who are clinically vulnerable to access a covid-19 booster vaccination.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is the independent body made up of scientific and clinical experts who advise Government on which authorised vaccines the United Kingdom should use and which groups in the population should be offered initial or further doses of a particular vaccine.

The JCVI identified a number of groups in the population at higher clinical risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. These were originally described as clinically vulnerable but are now referred to as people in clinical risk groups. The full list of clinical risk groups is defined in tables three and four of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guide to vaccinators known as the Green Book.

The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to be the prevention of severe disease, such as hospitalisation and mortality, arising from COVID-19 and risk is strongly linked to age and clinical condition.

All those in clinical risk groups will have been offered a COVID-19 vaccine dose in autumn 2022. Earlier this year the Government accepted advice from the JCVI to offer an additional spring 2023 booster dose to those at highest risk in the population from severe COVID-19. This highest risk group includes all adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in a care home for older adults and immunosuppressed individuals aged five years old and over. The JCVI has also advised that there should be a booster campaign targeted to persons at higher risk of severe COVID-19, in autumn 2023. The JCVI is expected to provide advice ahead of autumn on which risk groups should be included.

The NHS continues to emphasise the role of clinicians in proactively identifying clinically vulnerable cohorts and are working alongside patient charities and professional bodies to ensure anyone eligible is identified and referred for vaccination. Tailored communications have been developed for specialists caring for each group of eligible patients within the immunosuppressed cohort, such as template referral letters to make it as easy as possible for clinicians to signpost people to get their vaccination. The Government is also working with the NHS and UKHSA to provide advice and information at every possible opportunity to support those getting the vaccine and to anyone who might have questions about the vaccination process.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Thursday 29th June 2023

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of covid-19 booster vaccines for people who are clinically vulnerable.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The United Kingdom has sufficient supply of vaccines to meet the current advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation for the 2023 spring and autumn booster campaigns. This includes agreements with Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Sanofi/GSK and Novavax, which the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved for use in the UK. We remain in regular contact with the vaccine manufacturers to ensure the future supply of vaccines to the UK.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Tuesday 27th June 2023

Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of recognising people who have severe learning disabilities as being clinically vulnerable for the purposes of the eligibility criteria for covid-19 booster jabs.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is the independent body made up of scientific and clinical experts who advise Government on which authorised vaccines the United Kingdom should use and which groups in the population should be offered initial or further doses of a particular vaccine.

The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to be the prevention of severe disease, such as hospitalisation and mortality, arising from COVID-19. The JCVI identified at the start of the programme a number of groups in the population at high clinical risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. One of these clinical risk groups covers those with chronic neurological disease. This includes all those with severe learning difficulties. The full list of conditions covered is defined in tables two and four of the UK Health Security Agency guide to vaccinators known as the Green Book.

For each new COVID-19 booster campaign the JCVI considers which groups should be recommended for a further booster. For the current spring campaign, the JCVI has recommended boosters were needed only for those at the very highest risk of serious outcomes. This covered those in care homes for older people, all those aged 75 years old or over and all those aged 5 or over who are immunosuppressed. The JCVI has advised that there should be a further booster programme in autumn 2023 for those at higher risk of severe COVID-19. Advice from the JCVI on which risk groups are recommended for a booster dose in autumn 2023 is expected ahead of autumn.