Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a national screening programme for Type 1 Diabetes.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and supports implementation.
A proposal for screening for neonatal diabetes mellitus was submitted to the UK NSC via its 2021 annual call process. An evidence-mapping exercise was conducted at that time which concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to recommend screening for this condition.
We are aware that the UK NSC received a submission via its 2024 annual call process to consider screening for autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes through blood testing. The UK NSC is currently reviewing all annual call proposals. More information on the annual call process is available at the following link:
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
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 the potential merits of implementing routine screening for Type 1 Diabetes to reduce the incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and supports implementation.
A proposal for screening for neonatal diabetes mellitus was submitted to the UK NSC via its 2021 annual call process. An evidence-mapping exercise was conducted at that time which concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to recommend screening for this condition.
We are aware that the UK NSC received a submission via its 2024 annual call process to consider screening for autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes through blood testing. The UK NSC is currently reviewing all annual call proposals. More information on the annual call process is available at the following link:
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
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 develop guidelines for (a) general practitioners and (b) diabetes care teams on managing type one diabetes and disordered eating.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service recognises the impact that type 1 diabetes with disordered eating can have on people and their families, which is why it has been piloting services to support those with the condition, and integrating care to help people improve their confidence and ability to manage their diabetes alongside their mental wellbeing. These pilots have shown improved outcomes for patients and cost effectiveness, and the NHS has now expanded sites to every region of the country, so that even more people can benefit from them.
The Department, in partnership with NHS England and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, produced the Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders guidance in May 2022, which has a full annexe on type 1 diabetes and eating disorders, and they are currently working to roll out the guidance to all systems.
NHS England is continuing to expand community-based eating disorder service capacity, including crisis care and intensive home treatment, to improve outcomes and recovery, reduce rates of relapse, prevent eating disorders continuing into adulthood and, if admission is required as a very last resort, reduce lengths of stay. NHS England has asked local health systems, through this year’s NHS operational planning guidance, to focus on improving performance against the waiting time standards for children’s eating disorders services of 95% of urgent cases seen within one week, and 95% of routine cases seen within four weeks.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
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 expiry of funding for T1DE pilot services on the health and well-being of patients in (a) Bournemouth and (b) London.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service recognises the impact that type 1 diabetes with disordered eating can have on people and their families, which is why it has been piloting services to support those with the condition, and integrating care to help people improve their confidence and ability to manage their diabetes alongside their mental wellbeing. These pilots have shown improved outcomes for patients and cost effectiveness, and the NHS has now expanded sites to every region of the country, so that even more people can benefit from them.
The Department, in partnership with NHS England and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, produced the Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders guidance in May 2022, which has a full annexe on type 1 diabetes and eating disorders, and they are currently working to roll out the guidance to all systems.
NHS England is continuing to expand community-based eating disorder service capacity, including crisis care and intensive home treatment, to improve outcomes and recovery, reduce rates of relapse, prevent eating disorders continuing into adulthood and, if admission is required as a very last resort, reduce lengths of stay. NHS England has asked local health systems, through this year’s NHS operational planning guidance, to focus on improving performance against the waiting time standards for children’s eating disorders services of 95% of urgent cases seen within one week, and 95% of routine cases seen within four weeks.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
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 ensure individuals with type one diabetes and disordered eating have access to integrated care for both their (a) physical and (b) mental health needs.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service recognises the impact that type 1 diabetes with disordered eating can have on people and their families, which is why it has been piloting services to support those with the condition, and integrating care to help people improve their confidence and ability to manage their diabetes alongside their mental wellbeing. These pilots have shown improved outcomes for patients and cost effectiveness, and the NHS has now expanded sites to every region of the country, so that even more people can benefit from them.
The Department, in partnership with NHS England and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, produced the Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders guidance in May 2022, which has a full annexe on type 1 diabetes and eating disorders, and they are currently working to roll out the guidance to all systems.
NHS England is continuing to expand community-based eating disorder service capacity, including crisis care and intensive home treatment, to improve outcomes and recovery, reduce rates of relapse, prevent eating disorders continuing into adulthood and, if admission is required as a very last resort, reduce lengths of stay. NHS England has asked local health systems, through this year’s NHS operational planning guidance, to focus on improving performance against the waiting time standards for children’s eating disorders services of 95% of urgent cases seen within one week, and 95% of routine cases seen within four weeks.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of GP-to-patient ratios in (a) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency and (b) North Yorkshire in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Each general practice (GP) is required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of their patients. There is no recommendation from NHS England for how many patients a GP should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients.
The demands each patient places on their GP are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole, not only the GPs but also including the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients. The following table shows the full-time equivalent (FTE) doctor to patient ratios in the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, for the last five years:
Date | Median number of GP FTE doctors per 10,000 registered patients |
September 2020 | 6.9 |
September 2021 | 6.3 |
September 2022 | 6.8 |
September 2023 | 6.4 |
September 2024 | 6.7 |
While it is not possible to provide data specifically for the county of North Yorkshire, the following table shows the FTE GP doctor to patient ratios within the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), for the last five years:
Date | Median number of GP FTE doctors per 10,000 registered patients |
September 2020 | 5.8 |
September 2021 | 5.6 |
September 2022 | 5.7 |
September 2023 | 5.8 |
September 2024 | 6.2 |
Notes:
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
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 improve outcomes for bowel cancer.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service is taking crucial steps to improve cancer outcomes for patients across England, including for bowel cancer. We will improve cancer survival rates and hit all NHS cancer waiting time targets, so no patient waits longer than they should.
The NHS will maximise the pace of roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and ensuring timely implementation of new CDC locations and upgrades to existing CDCs, with capacity prioritised for cancer diagnostics.
The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening program currently invites people aged between 56 and 74 years old for screening every two years. However, this age cohort is increasing to people aged between 50 and 74 years old by 2025 with the use of Faecal Immunochemical Test kits which can be sent directly to people's homes.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
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 increase the early diagnosis rate for bowel cancer.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is taking steps to improve the rate of early diagnosis for all cancers, including bowel and bowel-related cancers. We will support the National Health Service to transform diagnostic services by spending £1.5 billion on new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners, to build capacity for over 30,000 more procedures and 1.25 million diagnostic tests.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of bowel cancer.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Lord Darzi’s report has set out the scale of the challenges we face in fixing the National Health Service, and the need to improve cancer waiting time performance and cancer survival. In particular, he has highlighted the need to improve the number of patients starting their treatment within 62 days of referral, and increase the number of patients diagnosed at an earlier stage.
The NHS will maximise the pace of the roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) and ensuring timely implementation of the new CDC locations, and upgrades to existing CDCs, with capacity prioritised for cancer diagnostics.
We are committed to transforming diagnostic services, and will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. Furthermore, in 2024/25, we will continue to extend the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to additional cohorts, specifically to 50 to 52-year olds.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to reduce the number of people waiting more than 6 weeks for a colonoscopy in England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. It is unacceptable that some patients are waiting over six weeks for a diagnostic test, including for a colonoscopy. To cut waiting lists for diagnostic tests, each integrated care board will have a recovery plan for diagnostic services, including endoscopy as needed.
NHS England is continuing to develop gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy networks across the country, which will address variations in care, including in the timely access to care. The Department is supporting NHS England in completing the rollout and expansion of the community diagnostic programme, including delivering additional endoscopy capacity closer to patients in the community. GI endoscopy training academies have also been established, with one per region, to enable the training and education of the required workforce.
The National Health Service is delivering on a number of specific steps to reduce waiting times for GI endoscopy services, including colonoscopy procedures. This includes the establishment of a national transformation project to enable and support the timely recovery of GI endoscopy services, and investment into an expected net increase of 80 additional dedicated endoscopy rooms to expand capacity, as well as a number of Community Diagnostic Centres offering endoscopy services.