Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 potential impact of cycle commuting on (a) mental health and (b) healthy behaviours.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Public Health England’s 2018 cycling and walking evidence review confirms positive impacts on both mental health and healthy behaviours. This review is available at the following link:
Evidence shows that cycling can reduce stress and lower risk factors for mental health conditions. It can also encourage other healthy behaviours by integrating physical activity into daily routines.
The Department of Health and Social Care is currently working with the Department for Transport and Active Travel England on an evidence review, which will further examine active travel’s effects on mental health, physical health, and health inequalities as well as effective behaviour-change techniques. Findings are expected by mid-2025.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to promote awareness of World Hepatitis Testing Week in November 2024.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will be supporting the World Hepatitis Testing Week’s drive to increase testing for hepatitis by promoting the campaign materials through our social and stakeholder channels. This will follow the publication of the latest evaluation of the NHS England funded emergency department opt-out testing programme for bloodborne viruses, and will be accompanied by media activity.
The UKHSA previously published a range of promotional material on awareness of viral hepatitis, including testing for hepatitis C and testing and vaccination for hepatitis B, on World Hepatitis Day in July this year.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 plan for the sustainable maintenance of hepatitis C elimination in England.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) supports and monitors progress towards the World Health Organisation’s goal of eliminating the hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a public health threat by 2030. As part of disease surveillance, the UKHSA monitors HCV prevention, testing, diagnoses and treatment, and longer-term outcomes in England.
The UKHSA supports and monitors progress towards ending the transmission of HCV within England by 2030. The UKHSA will continue to publish HCV surveillance and monitoring reports during the maintenance phase. The UKHSA’s HCV reports and supporting documents are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hepatitis-c-in-the-uk
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to continue the Hepatitis C opt-out testing programme beyond March 2025.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Opt-out testing in emergency departments for bloodborne viruses, including hepatitis C, is live at 34 sites in areas of extremely high prevalence of HIV, and is expanding to areas of high prevalence of HIV. A further 47 emergency department sites will be funded for a 12-month period across the financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26.
On 9 November 2023, the UK Health Security Agency published a report evaluating the first 12 months of the NHS England funded emergency department opt-out testing programme for bloodborne viruses. The initiative has so far been successful, with 499 people being diagnosed with hepatitis C in the first year of the testing. Further information on this programme is available at the following link:
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 access to NHS mental health services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over a million people with mental health issues are not getting the support they need. The Government will fix our broken National Health Service, in part by recruiting 8,500 mental health workers, introducing specialist mental health professionals in every school, and rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community. In addition, as announced in the King’s Speech, we are bringing forward legislation to modernise the Mental Health Act.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to help improve access to NHS dentistry in Exeter constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments, and to recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. The NHS Devon ICB is responsible for having local processes in place to identify areas of need, and determine the priorities for investment across the ICB area.
Patients unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through an NHS dental practice are advised to contact NHS 111 for assistance. NHS dentists are now required to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have access to up-to-date information on where they can access care.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 community pharmacies open in the Exeter constituency on the (a) most recent date for which figures are available and (b) same date in 2010.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.
On 30 June 2024 there were 13 pharmacies in the Exeter constituency. Nine out of 10 people in Exeter live within a mile or a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy. The Department does not hold data on how many pharmacies there were in the Exeter constituency in 2010.
The need for pharmaceutical services is best decided at a local level, which is why Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Boards are required to publish Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments every three years. In certain rural areas people may also be able to access Dispensing Doctors, and everyone can access Distance Selling Pharmacies, who provide services nationally, and must send medicines to a patient’s home free-of-charge.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 estimate of the number of pharmacies needed for residents in England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.
On 30 June 2024 there were 13 pharmacies in the Exeter constituency. Nine out of 10 people in Exeter live within a mile or a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy. The Department does not hold data on how many pharmacies there were in the Exeter constituency in 2010.
The need for pharmaceutical services is best decided at a local level, which is why Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Boards are required to publish Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments every three years. In certain rural areas people may also be able to access Dispensing Doctors, and everyone can access Distance Selling Pharmacies, who provide services nationally, and must send medicines to a patient’s home free-of-charge.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to support community pharmacies in the Exeter constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.
On 30 June 2024 there were 13 pharmacies in the Exeter constituency. Nine out of 10 people in Exeter live within a mile or a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy. The Department does not hold data on how many pharmacies there were in the Exeter constituency in 2010.
The need for pharmaceutical services is best decided at a local level, which is why Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Boards are required to publish Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments every three years. In certain rural areas people may also be able to access Dispensing Doctors, and everyone can access Distance Selling Pharmacies, who provide services nationally, and must send medicines to a patient’s home free-of-charge.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
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 open dentistry practices that accept new adult NHS patients in Exeter constituency on the (a) most recent date for which figures are available and (b) same date in 2010.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While data for 2010 is not available, as of 10 July 2024, there were 16 open dentistry practices in the Exeter constituency, two of which were showing as accepting new adult patients when availability allows, and two of which were showing as accepting new child patients when availability allows. This data is sourced from the Find a Dentist website, and is matched to constituencies based on the postcode data shown on the website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist