Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with ambulance trusts on ensuring that new build residential properties appear on the navigation software used by ambulance crews.
Answered by Will Quince
No such discussions have taken place.
All ambulance services use Ordnance Survey (OS) maps for their mapping and address systems. OS maps are updated with new addresses as they are registered and made available to ambulance services for download every six weeks.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 ear syringing treatment through the NHS in West London; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department has not assessed the availability of ear syringing treatment on the NHS in West London. In June 2018 the National Institute for Health Care Excellence (NICE) updated its guidance ‘Hearing loss in adults: assessment and management’ so that it no longer recommends manual ear wax syringing. This is due to risks associated with the treatment such as trauma to their ear drum or infection. Instead, NICE guidance suggests alternative arrangements, such as ear irrigation using an electronic irrigator, micro suction, or another method of earwax removal, such as manual removal using a probe.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
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 treatment by NHS England for people with long covid.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No assessment has been made. The Government has invested more than £50 million in 22 research projects for Post COVID-19 conditions to improve understanding and treatment of these conditions. We are also monitoring research being undertaken internationally. The National Institute for Health and Care Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Post COVID-19 conditions.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to support further research into the treatment of long covid.
Answered by Will Quince
Over £50 million has already been invested in long COVID-19 research projects to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care.
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, including long COVID-19. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. 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: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the (a) treatment and (b) support available for NHS staff experiencing the menopause.
Answered by Will Quince
There are over 70 Hormone Replacement Therapy products with the vast majority in good supply.
To help ensure employees experiencing the menopause feel well informed and supported while at work, NHS England has signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge. NHS England has also published guidance for line managers and colleagues on supporting National Health Service staff through the menopause. This guidance helps NHS organisations, line managers, and those working in the NHS understand more about the menopause, how they can support colleagues at work and those experiencing menopause symptoms.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dementia diagnoses were made in (a) the London Borough of Hounslow and (b) Greater London in each of the last five years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England collect data on the number of patients with a diagnosis of dementia. The data is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/primary-care-dementia-data
NHS England are not able to provide the data for Borough of Hounslow. The closest geography that we are able to provide is NHS North West London Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) from March 2019 to March 2022 and for NHS North West London Integrated Care Board (ICB) for March 2023. The following table shows the data for of the number of dementia diagnosis in such area.
Year | Area | Number of dementia diagnoses |
March 2023 | NHS North West London ICB | 12,410 |
March 2022 | North West London Health and Care Partnership STP | 12,558 |
March 2021 | North West London Health and Care Partnership STP | 11,993 |
March 2020 | North West London Health and Care Partnership STP | 12,896 |
March 2019 | North West London STP | 13,007 |
Year | Area | Number of dementia diagnoses |
March 2023 | London | 40,894 |
March 2022 | London | 49,866 |
March 2021 | London | 47,709 |
March 2020 | London | 51,707 |
March 2019 | London | 51,727 |
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include in the upcoming NHS workforce plan an estimate of the number of NHS staff who have left the NHS a result of (a) their mental health and (b) symptoms of the menopause in the last 12 months.
Answered by Will Quince
The health and wellbeing of all National Health Service staff is a priority for the Government. NHS England have developed a number of health and wellbeing initiatives which include a wellbeing guardian role, a focus on healthy working environments, empowering line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their wellbeing, and a comprehensive emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support package.
While the Long Term Workforce Plan will include material about how to improve retention of staff, it will not include specific estimates of why staff have left within the last 12 months.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of menopause clinics through the NHS in England.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No specific assessment has been made. Menopause clinics are not commissioned by NHS England, they are commissioned by integrated care boards and implemented as local services. Integrated care boards have a statutory responsibility to commission healthcare services that meet the needs of their whole population.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many menopause clinics are available through the NHS in England; and where these clinics are located.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This information is not held by NHS England. The menopause is a priority area within the Women’s Health Strategy, and the Government and National Health Service are implementing an ambitious programme of work to improve menopause care so all women can access the support they need. The NHS England National Menopause Care Improvement Programme is working to improve clinical menopause care in England and reduce disparities in access to treatment. The NHS is also developing an education and training package on menopause for healthcare professionals.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the average waiting time for patients to get an appointment with an NHS dentist in (a) Hounslow Borough (b) London.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No assessment has been made. Patients do not routinely join National Health Service dental waiting lists and are only registered with a dental practice for a course of treatment.
The Government has taken steps to address the challenges facing NHS dentistry, and the package of reforms announced last July is an important first step. We know we need to do more and will announce further changes soon. Patients who are struggling to find a local dentist can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance or contact NHS 111 if seeking urgent care.