Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to take steps to provide blood testing for veterans who have developed cancer and had sustained exposure to Sea King helicopter exhaust fumes.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
There is not a simple test or surveillance procedure of reliably mass screening for any exhaust associated rare cancers over an extended time period.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s ongoing VPAS pre-negotiation workshops, whether he plans to make the outputs of those discussions publicly available.
Answered by Will Quince
The objective of the pre-negotiation workshops was to enable a mutual understanding of the impact of the current voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access (VPAS) upon the different organisations represented and to discuss the potential objectives and priorities for a new voluntary scheme. The discussions in the workshops will feed into the upcoming negotiation of a successor to the 2019 VPAS. In order to facilitate a transparent and candid discussion, participants agreed that all contributions and resulting outputs would be kept confidential to those who attended.
The following organisations were invited to the workshops:
Industry bodies (including representatives of their member companies):
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry;
- British Generic Manufacturers Association;
- Ethical Medicines Industry Group;
- BioIndustry Association.
Patient organisations and civil society organisations:
- Cancer52;
- The Blood Cancer Alliance;
- The Charity Medicines Access Coalition;
- National Voices;
- The Patients Association;
- Alzheimer’s Research UK;
- Anthony Nolan;
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust;
- Genetic Alliance UK;
- The Association of Medical Research Charities;
- Breast Cancer Now;
- Myeloma UK;
- Office of Health Economics;
- King’s Fund;
- NHS Confederation.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s ongoing VPAS pre-negotiation workshops, if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) attendees of those workshops.
Answered by Will Quince
The objective of the pre-negotiation workshops was to enable a mutual understanding of the impact of the current voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access (VPAS) upon the different organisations represented and to discuss the potential objectives and priorities for a new voluntary scheme. The discussions in the workshops will feed into the upcoming negotiation of a successor to the 2019 VPAS. In order to facilitate a transparent and candid discussion, participants agreed that all contributions and resulting outputs would be kept confidential to those who attended.
The following organisations were invited to the workshops:
Industry bodies (including representatives of their member companies):
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry;
- British Generic Manufacturers Association;
- Ethical Medicines Industry Group;
- BioIndustry Association.
Patient organisations and civil society organisations:
- Cancer52;
- The Blood Cancer Alliance;
- The Charity Medicines Access Coalition;
- National Voices;
- The Patients Association;
- Alzheimer’s Research UK;
- Anthony Nolan;
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust;
- Genetic Alliance UK;
- The Association of Medical Research Charities;
- Breast Cancer Now;
- Myeloma UK;
- Office of Health Economics;
- King’s Fund;
- NHS Confederation.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish (a) the minutes from and (b) a list of attendees at the workshops his Department has been running ahead of negotiations on a new Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access.
Answered by Will Quince
The objective of the pre-negotiation workshops was to enable a mutual understanding of the impact of the current voluntary scheme upon the different organisations represented, and to discuss the potential objectives and priorities for a new voluntary scheme. The discussions in the workshops will feed into the upcoming negotiation of a successor to the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access. In order to facilitate a transparent and candid discussion, participants agreed that all contributions would be kept confidential to those who attended.
The following external organisations were invited to the workshops:
Industry bodies:
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
- British Generic Manufacturers Association
- Ethical Medicines Industry Group
- BioIndustry Association
Patient organisations and civil society organisations:
- Cancer52
- The Blood Cancer Alliance
- The Charity Medicines Access Coalition
- National Voices
- The Patients Association
- Alzheimer’s Research UK
- Anthony Nolan
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust
- Genetic Alliance UK
- The Association of Medical Research Charities
- Breast Cancer Now
- Myeloma UK
- Office of Health Economics
- King’s Fund
- NHS Confederation
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish information about the outcomes from the workshops that his Department has been running ahead of negotiations on a new Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access.
Answered by Will Quince
The objective of the pre-negotiation workshops was to enable a mutual understanding of the impact of the current voluntary scheme upon the different organisations represented, and to discuss the potential objectives and priorities for a new voluntary scheme. The discussions in the workshops will feed into the upcoming negotiation of a successor to the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access. In order to facilitate a transparent and candid discussion, participants agreed that all contributions would be kept confidential to those who attended.
The following external organisations were invited to the workshops:
Industry bodies:
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
- British Generic Manufacturers Association
- Ethical Medicines Industry Group
- BioIndustry Association
Patient organisations and civil society organisations:
- Cancer52
- The Blood Cancer Alliance
- The Charity Medicines Access Coalition
- National Voices
- The Patients Association
- Alzheimer’s Research UK
- Anthony Nolan
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust
- Genetic Alliance UK
- The Association of Medical Research Charities
- Breast Cancer Now
- Myeloma UK
- Office of Health Economics
- King’s Fund
- NHS Confederation
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
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 20 February 2023 to Question 148627 on Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access, which (a) industry bodies, (b) patient organisations and (c) relevant civil society organisations have been invited to the workshops.
Answered by Will Quince
The following organisations have been invited to one or more of the stakeholder workshops:
Industry bodies
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry;
- British Generic Manufacturers Association;
- Ethical Medicines Industry Group; and
- BioIndustry Association.
Patient organisations and civil society organisations
- Cancer52;
- The Blood Cancer Alliance;
- The Charity Medicines Access Coalition;
- National Voices;
- The Patients Association;
- Alzheimer’s Research UK;
- Anthony Nolan;
- Cystic Fibrosis Trust;
- Genetic Alliance UK;
- The Association of Medical Research Charities;
- Breast Cancer Now;
- Myeloma UK;
- Office of Health Economics;
- King’s Fund; and
- NHS Confederation.
Asked by: Lord Mendelsohn (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they will (1) assess, and (2) report on, the effectiveness of COVID-19 Medicine Delivery Units (CMDUs) in providing treatments for COVID-19 to vulnerable patients; and whether they have any plans (a) to disband CMDUs and devolve this responsibility to a primary care model, or (b) implement any other change of process.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England regularly meets with patient groups and charities, such as Blood Cancer UK, to hear feedback on the experience of individuals who have sought and/or received treatment via a COVID-19 Medicine Delivery Unit (CMDU), and with representatives of the care home sector to identify ways to facilitate timely contact and clinical assessment for potentially eligible individuals in their care. Publications reporting on treatment via CMDUs are available in an online-only format on the National Health Service website.
In the future, access to COVID-19 treatments will be determined by the guidance of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which is currently undertaking a multiple technology appraisal covering a range of potential COVID-19 treatments. Once its final determination has been made and published, setting out which COVID-19 treatments should be made routinely available by the NHS, it will be for local integrated care boards to determine access pathways for these medicines within their local communities. The expectation is for treatment to be deployed through more routine access routes, including through GPs and other forms of primary care.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
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 December 2022 to Question 108144 on NHS: Staff, with which (a) trades unions, (b) medical royal colleges, (c) NHS system leaders, (d) voluntary organisations his Department consulted on the NHS workforce plan.
Answered by Will Quince
The following table shows the organisations that have been engaged. This list is not exhaustive because NHS England and Health Education England leaders and programme teams are also working with external stakeholders and their contribution is also informing the plan’s development.
Trade unions, royal colleges and representative bodies | Regulators | Members of Cancer Charities Group |
Unison | Professional Standards Authority | Alike |
Unite | General Medical Council | AMMF – the cholangiocarcinoma charity |
GMB | Care Quality Commission | Anthony Nolan |
Managers in Partnership | Healthcare and Professions Council | Blood Cancer UK |
British Medical Association | Nursing and Midwifery Council | Bloodwise |
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges | Think tanks | Bone Cancer Research Trust |
Royal College of Nursing | Nuffield Trust | Bowel Cancer UK |
Royal College of Midwives | The Health Foundation | Brain Trust – the brain cancer people |
Royal College of Physicians | The King’s Fund | The Brain Tumour Charity |
Royal College of Surgeons | Regulators | Brain Tumour Research |
Royal College of General Practitioners | Professional Standards Authority | British Liver Trust |
Royal College of Psychiatrists | General Medical Council | Breast Cancer Now |
Royal College of Anaesthetists | Care Quality Commission | Cancer 52 |
Royal College of Pathologists | Healthcare and Professions Council | Cancer Research UK |
Royal College of Ophthalmologists | Nursing and Midwifery Council | CATTS (Cancer Awareness for Teens & Twenties) |
Royal College of Occupational Therapists | Think tanks | Chai Cancer Care |
Royal Pharmaceutical Society | Nuffield Trust | Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group |
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists | The Health Foundation | CLIC Sargent |
Royal College of Ophthalmologists | The King’s Fund | CoppaFeel! |
Royal College of Emergency Medicine |
| DKMS |
Royal College of Podiatry |
| Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust |
The Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine |
| Eve Appeal |
The Society of Radiographers |
| Fight Bladder Cancer |
Institute of Osteopathy |
| GO Girls Support |
College of Operating Department Practitioners |
| Guts UK |
British Association of Art Therapists |
| Haven House |
British Association of Drama therapists |
| Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust |
British Association for Music Therapy |
| Kidney Cancer UK |
The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists |
| Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce |
British Dietetic Association |
| Leukaemia Care |
British and Irish Orthoptic Society |
| Leukaemia UK |
British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists |
| Lymphoma Action |
College of Paramedics |
| Macmillan Cancer Support |
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy |
| Maggie's – everyone’s home of cancer care |
College of General Dentistry |
| Marie Curie |
Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive healthcare |
| MDS UK Patient Support Group |
Queen’s Nursing Institute |
| Melanoma Focus |
Institute of Health Visiting |
| Melanoma UK |
British Society of Rheumatology |
| Mesothelioma |
The Richmond Group of Charities (including Macmillan Cancer Support, Diabetes UK, Asthma UK, Age UK) |
| Mylenoma UK |
Cancer Charities Group (*see separate list for members) |
| National Cancer Research Institute |
Council of Deans of Health |
| Neuroendocrine Cancer UK |
Medical Schools Council |
| OcuMel UK |
Universities UK |
| Ovacome |
University Alliance |
| Ovarian Cancer Action |
Office for Students |
| Pancreatic Cancer Action |
Skills for Care |
| Pancreatic Cancer UK |
Local Government Association |
| Paul's Cancer Support |
Association of Directors of Adult Social Services |
| Penny Brohn UK |
Social Partnership Forum |
| Prostate Cancer Research |
NHS providers |
| Prostate Cancer UK |
NHS Employers |
| Race Against Blood Cancer |
The Shelford Group |
| Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation |
ICS leaders |
| Salivary Gland Cancer UK |
NHS Confederation |
| Sarcoma UK |
Community Providers Network |
| Shine Cancer Support |
|
| Solving Kids Cancer |
|
| Target Ovarian Cancer |
|
| Teenage Cancer Trust |
|
| Trekstock |
|
| The Joshua Tree |
|
| WMUK – The charity for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia |
|
| World Cancer Research Fund |
Further discussions will take place before the plan is finalised. This will include engagement with patient representative groups. NHS England can discuss with any organisations interested in the development of the Plan.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
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 impact of delays in diagnosis on the treatment of blood cancers.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No formal assessment has been made. The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including in cancer services. NHS England is providing additional support for trusts to deliver the commitments for cancer services in the plan.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the 10-year cancer plan will include specific plans to support patients with blood cancer.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the call for evidence for a 10 year cancer plan earlier this year, we received over 5,000 submissions. We are currently reviewing these responses.