Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 increase girls' access to mental health services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Health policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. In England, through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is providing record levels of investment and increasing the mental health workforce, to expand and transform National Health Service mental health services in England. Almost £16 billion was invested in mental health in 2022/23, enabling 3.6 million people to be in contact with mental health services, a 10% increase on the previous year. Of these, nearly 560,000 were females under the age of 18 years old, a 12% increase on the previous year.
We are rolling out mental health support teams to schools and colleges in England. There are now around 400 mental health support teams in place, covering 3.4 million children, or approximately 35% of pupils. We estimate that this will increase to 44% by April 2024, and we are working to increase this coverage to 50% of pupils by March 2025.
In addition, we announced in October 2023 that £4.92 million would be available for 10 early support hubs in England. We are now providing an additional £3 million to expand the number of hubs to 24 across the country. This £8 million overall package will improve access for children and young people to vital mental health support, offering early interventions to improve wellbeing before their condition escalates further.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 improve girls' health.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Health policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. The Women’s Health Strategy for England sets out our plans for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls. It takes a life course approach, focused on understanding the changing health and care needs of women and girls across their lives, from adolescents and young adults to later life. We recently set out our priorities for 2024, which include actions to improve girls’ health, such as improving care for menstrual problems like endometriosis, continuing to roll out women’s health hubs, and boosting research.
In addition, the Department and the National Health Service have a number of universal public health interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of all children, and respond to further needs and safeguarding concerns. This includes investing approximately £300 million over three years to improve support for families though the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, the Family Nurse Partnership to support vulnerable young mothers, the Healthy Start scheme to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from low-income households, and Mental Health Support Teams in schools.
To support our ambition to eliminate cervical cancer, all children aged 12 to 13 years old are offered the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Due to the success of the adolescent HPV programme, there has been an 87% reduction in cervical cancers for those vaccinated when compared to previous generations.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to introduce similar restrictions on nitrites in processed meat products to those set out in European Commission Regulation No 231/2012 on food additives nitrites (E 249-250) and nitrates (E 251-252), published on 1 June 2023.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) considers that existing levels of nitrites and nitrates in the United Kingdom are sufficiently protective for consumers, and they remain important preservatives in a range of foods that control a range of harmful micro-organisms. However, as with all additives, this remains under review.
Given the European Union (EU) changes to levels, the FSA wishes to ensure there are no unintended food safety consequences. The FSA is engaging with stakeholders across the UK to understand the implications of the EU changes on nitrates in processed meat, cheese and fish products and any impacts they may have on industry. It is necessary to understand the ability of industry to reformulate to meet the various transition periods, whilst ensuring foods remain safe. This will support formulation of a UK position on the use of nitrates/nitrites as a food additive in these commodities.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of lowering the legal limits on nitrites in processed meat products on public health.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which holds policy responsibility for the safety of food additives, is considering the impact of lowering nitrate levels from a food safety perspective. Nitrates are important additives that perform a range of technological functions, including control of microorganisms such as the pathogen Clostridium botulinum which is responsible for botulism, an often fatal condition. The FSA would wish to ensure there are no unintended food safety consequences related to lowering nitrate and nitrite levels before considering next steps.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the elective recovery taskforce's implementation plan, what steps her Department is taking to ensure equity in access for people who are unable to use (a) NHS Digital, (b) MyPlanned and (c) other online platforms relevant to healthcare.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In September 2023, NHS England published a framework for action on digital inclusion to help the system design and implement inclusive digital approaches and technologies, including actions to build digital skills and capability among patients and National Health Service staff. This covers all NHS digital platforms, including My Planned Care. Patients unable to use digital channels will continue to be able to access services via telephone and through face-to-face services. The elective recovery taskforce implementation plan will also ensure patients have the right to receive care at a provider of their choice.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 increase rates of early arthritis diagnosis.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is working to ensure and improve early diagnosis of people with arthritis, as well as treatment and care in England, through the Getting it Right First Time rheumatology programme. The programme published a national report on rheumatology in 2021, which makes a series of recommendations to support equitable and consistent access to diagnostic tests. Additionally, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a range of guidance to support early diagnosis of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
NICE’s quality standard on rheumatoid arthritis in people aged 16 years old or over [QS33] states that adults with suspected persistent joint inflammation, known as synovitis, in more than one joint, or the small joints of the hands and feet, should be referred to rheumatology services within three working days of presenting in primary care.
Quality standards are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners, and providers what a high-quality service should look like in a particular area of care. Whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to NICE quality standards in planning and delivering services, they do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory.
The Department has not made any assessment of the impact of waiting times for elective care on the mental health of people with arthritis. Cutting waiting lists is one of the Government’s top priorities. We are making good progress on tackling the longest waits, to ensure patients get the care they need when they need it.
To support the health of people with arthritis while they are waiting for elective treatment, NHS England has worked with Versus Arthritis on their Joint Replacement Support Package, which makes the case for local health systems, working with local communities and the voluntary sector, to deliver a support package to help to meet the needs of people with arthritis who are on surgery waiting lists. This includes mental health support to help people to manage their pain and any associated depression and anxiety.
More generally, we have made it clear to local commissioners that we expect NHS talking therapies to be integrated into physical healthcare pathways. Our NHS Long Term Plan commits to an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion of mental health services by 2024, so that an additional two million people can access National Health Service-funded mental health support.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's webpage entitled Diagnosis and referral of inflammatory arthritis, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of people with suspected inflammatory arthritis who receive referral to rheumatology services within three working days.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is working to ensure and improve early diagnosis of people with arthritis, as well as treatment and care in England, through the Getting it Right First Time rheumatology programme. The programme published a national report on rheumatology in 2021, which makes a series of recommendations to support equitable and consistent access to diagnostic tests. Additionally, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a range of guidance to support early diagnosis of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
NICE’s quality standard on rheumatoid arthritis in people aged 16 years old or over [QS33] states that adults with suspected persistent joint inflammation, known as synovitis, in more than one joint, or the small joints of the hands and feet, should be referred to rheumatology services within three working days of presenting in primary care.
Quality standards are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners, and providers what a high-quality service should look like in a particular area of care. Whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to NICE quality standards in planning and delivering services, they do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory.
The Department has not made any assessment of the impact of waiting times for elective care on the mental health of people with arthritis. Cutting waiting lists is one of the Government’s top priorities. We are making good progress on tackling the longest waits, to ensure patients get the care they need when they need it.
To support the health of people with arthritis while they are waiting for elective treatment, NHS England has worked with Versus Arthritis on their Joint Replacement Support Package, which makes the case for local health systems, working with local communities and the voluntary sector, to deliver a support package to help to meet the needs of people with arthritis who are on surgery waiting lists. This includes mental health support to help people to manage their pain and any associated depression and anxiety.
More generally, we have made it clear to local commissioners that we expect NHS talking therapies to be integrated into physical healthcare pathways. Our NHS Long Term Plan commits to an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion of mental health services by 2024, so that an additional two million people can access National Health Service-funded mental health support.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2023 to Question 193651 on Arthritis: Mental Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of waiting times for elective care on the mental health of people with arthritis.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is working to ensure and improve early diagnosis of people with arthritis, as well as treatment and care in England, through the Getting it Right First Time rheumatology programme. The programme published a national report on rheumatology in 2021, which makes a series of recommendations to support equitable and consistent access to diagnostic tests. Additionally, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a range of guidance to support early diagnosis of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
NICE’s quality standard on rheumatoid arthritis in people aged 16 years old or over [QS33] states that adults with suspected persistent joint inflammation, known as synovitis, in more than one joint, or the small joints of the hands and feet, should be referred to rheumatology services within three working days of presenting in primary care.
Quality standards are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners, and providers what a high-quality service should look like in a particular area of care. Whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to NICE quality standards in planning and delivering services, they do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory.
The Department has not made any assessment of the impact of waiting times for elective care on the mental health of people with arthritis. Cutting waiting lists is one of the Government’s top priorities. We are making good progress on tackling the longest waits, to ensure patients get the care they need when they need it.
To support the health of people with arthritis while they are waiting for elective treatment, NHS England has worked with Versus Arthritis on their Joint Replacement Support Package, which makes the case for local health systems, working with local communities and the voluntary sector, to deliver a support package to help to meet the needs of people with arthritis who are on surgery waiting lists. This includes mental health support to help people to manage their pain and any associated depression and anxiety.
More generally, we have made it clear to local commissioners that we expect NHS talking therapies to be integrated into physical healthcare pathways. Our NHS Long Term Plan commits to an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion of mental health services by 2024, so that an additional two million people can access National Health Service-funded mental health support.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made on delivering the Government's dementia moonshot commitment; and what recent estimate he has made of when that commitment will be delivered, in the context of the finding in Alzheimer's Research UK's report entitled Tipping Point: The Future of Dementia, published in September 2023, that every £1 invested in dementia research is expected to generate an average of £2.91 of economic benefits in the UK between 2020 and 2040.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government is strongly committed to supporting research into dementia. In 2019, we committed to double funding for dementia research to £160 million per year by 2024/25. The Government spent over £413 million on dementia research from 2017/18 to 2021/22.
On 14 August 2022, the Government launched the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, along with £95 million of funding. The Mission is part of the commitment to double dementia research funding. The Mission aims to speed up the development of new treatments.
On 20 March 2023, we announced the appointment of two co-chairs of the mission, Hilary Evans, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, and Nadeem Sarwar, of Novo Nordisk. The Mission chairs have developed a roadmap that sets out their ambition to work with industry and other United Kingdom initiatives by developing innovations in biomarkers, data and digital sciences, and increasing the number and speed of clinical trials in dementia.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to make primary care optometry the default option for glaucoma care.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
In England, optometrists and ophthalmic medical practitioners play a vital role in the early detection of glaucoma, which is usually picked up during a routine sight test. Patients with suspected glaucoma will be referred for further investigation and any clinically necessary treatment.
Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning secondary care services and are also able to commission out-of-hospital services from primary eye care providers to meet local needs, which could include the ongoing management and monitoring of selected glaucoma patients.