Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will update the NHS website to include (a) hyperinsulinism amongst rare diseases and (b) what to do should you or someone you know exhibit symptoms of hyperinsulinism.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to update the National Health Service website to include information on hyperinsulinism. There are over 7,000 rare diseases often needing highly specialised input, and so the NHS website is not always the most appropriate platform to disseminate such information.
Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a rare and complex condition requiring specialised care through a multidisciplinary team led by an expert paediatric endocrinology service. CHI is present from birth, and a child usually starts to show symptoms within the first few days of life, although very occasionally symptoms may appear later in infancy. These patients may not be picked up in hospital after birth and will present often to their midwife or general practitioner with symptoms, and require referral to specialist care later on in infancy. Symptoms can include floppiness, shakiness, poor feeding, sleepiness, and seizures. It is important that anyone who is worried their child may be exhibiting these symptoms seeks urgent medical advice. Ideally, children with suspected CHI should be transferred to a specialist centre.
NHS England commissions this highly specialised service for CHI from three units: Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children; Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital; and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to standardise data systems for prescriptions between (a) health authority areas, (b) the NHS and (c) GP community services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Approximately 95% of all primary care prescriptions are standardised using the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS). The EPS allows prescribers to send prescriptions electronically to a dispenser, such as a pharmacy, nominated by the patient. This makes the prescribing and dispensing process more efficient and convenient for patients and healthcare workers. The EPS is a national service and transcends health authority or integrated care board boundaries, because a prescriber using the EPS can prescribe a prescription that can be dispensed in any pharmacy in England. The EPS can also be used by prescribers in urgent and emergency care, using the NHS 111 or 111 Online services.
The Digital Medicines programme is introducing this capability for secondary care, specifically acute and community hospital trusts and mental health trusts, so National Health Service trusts can implement and use EPS, where clinically and legally appropriate, meaning patients treated in secondary care settings will also be able to receive their medicines from any dispensary in England.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of prisoners diagnosed with Huntington's disease in the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Neither the Department nor NHS England holds the information requested centrally.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a Vape Licensing Scheme.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is concerned about the access of vapes to children, with a quarter of children aged between 11 and 15 years old having ever tried vaping in 2023, and acknowledges that a licensing scheme for the retail sale of vapes could help to strengthen enforcement and support legitimate businesses.
The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation. The Bill will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths each year, reduce the burden on the National Health Service and reduce the burden on the taxpayer.
We will set out more details soon.