Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
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 self-referral forms for family members of people with genetic cardiac conditions.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are not aware of plans to introduce a national leadership role for inherited cardiac conditions. However, NHS England, through the National Genomics Education Team, also deliver and advise on learning and development opportunities that prepare current and future National Health Service professionals to make the best use of genomics in their practice.
Furthermore, the National Genomic Test Directory sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing as well as the genomic targets to be tested, the method that should be used, and the healthcare professional that can request the test, including when a general practice can request testing.
This includes the development of resources to support the workforce across the entire care continuum, for example, in the case of familial hypercholesterolaemia this would include the whole multi-professional team, inclusive of primary care. Furthermore, the Genomic Training
Academy will begin offering education and training through virtual and in person learning for the specialist genomics workforce, including laboratory and clinical staff.
NHS Clinical Genomic Services deliver a comprehensive clinical genomic and counselling service that directs the diagnosis, risk assessment and lifelong clinical management of patients of all ages including families who have, or are at risk of having, a rare genetic or genomic condition. The Department does not have any direct plans to introduce self-referral forms for family members of people with genetic cardiac conditions.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
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 a national leadership role for inherited cardiac conditions.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are not aware of plans to introduce a national leadership role for inherited cardiac conditions. However, NHS England, through the National Genomics Education Team, also deliver and advise on learning and development opportunities that prepare current and future National Health Service professionals to make the best use of genomics in their practice.
Furthermore, the National Genomic Test Directory sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing as well as the genomic targets to be tested, the method that should be used, and the healthcare professional that can request the test, including when a general practice can request testing.
This includes the development of resources to support the workforce across the entire care continuum, for example, in the case of familial hypercholesterolaemia this would include the whole multi-professional team, inclusive of primary care. Furthermore, the Genomic Training
Academy will begin offering education and training through virtual and in person learning for the specialist genomics workforce, including laboratory and clinical staff.
NHS Clinical Genomic Services deliver a comprehensive clinical genomic and counselling service that directs the diagnosis, risk assessment and lifelong clinical management of patients of all ages including families who have, or are at risk of having, a rare genetic or genomic condition. The Department does not have any direct plans to introduce self-referral forms for family members of people with genetic cardiac conditions.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of targeted awareness campaigns for young people on the five main warning signs and symptoms of cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce has been set up to progress the Government’s mission to deliver world-leading cancer services. This dedicated work focusing on cancers affecting children and young people will explore detection and diagnosis, including improving awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer in young people, as well as genomic testing and treatment, and research and innovation.
NHS England is focused on accelerating earlier and faster cancer diagnosis to achieve the NHS Long Term Plan ambition of diagnosing 75% of people at an early stage by 2028. NHS England’s comprehensive strategy includes raising awareness of cancer symptoms, tackling barriers to help-seeking, and encouraging people to get checked. Targeted awareness campaigns such as Help Us, Help You are a crucial component of this work. The campaigns address specific symptoms, including those linked to common, rare, and less-common cancers, cancer screening, and the fear-related barriers to seeking help from the National Health Service across all cancer types.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
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 improve awareness of the (a) signs and (b) symptoms of cancer in young people.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce has been set up to progress the Government’s mission to deliver world-leading cancer services. This dedicated work focusing on cancers affecting children and young people will explore detection and diagnosis, including improving awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer in young people, as well as genomic testing and treatment, and research and innovation.
NHS England is focused on accelerating earlier and faster cancer diagnosis to achieve the NHS Long Term Plan ambition of diagnosing 75% of people at an early stage by 2028. NHS England’s comprehensive strategy includes raising awareness of cancer symptoms, tackling barriers to help-seeking, and encouraging people to get checked. Targeted awareness campaigns such as Help Us, Help You are a crucial component of this work. The campaigns address specific symptoms, including those linked to common, rare, and less-common cancers, cancer screening, and the fear-related barriers to seeking help from the National Health Service across all cancer types.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on (a) reducing alcohol harm among children and (b) providing effective education for young people on that subject.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Alcohol dependence is rare in children under the age of 18 years old, although they may be drinking problematically. Children may also experience harm associated with parental alcohol dependence. For those that do need support, the Department has allocated £532 million of additional funding through to 2024/25 to support improvements in treatment, including facilitating 5,000 more young people into age-appropriate alcohol and drug treatment.
The most effective and sustainable approach to reducing alcohol harms in young people is by giving them the best start in life, the best education possible and by keeping them safe, well and happy. Statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) requires all primary and secondary school pupils to be taught the key facts and risks of alcohol use, as well as how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. The Department has worked with the Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education Association to develop the lesson plans on alcohol and is currently commissioning an update of the resources to be published later this year. Further information is available at the following link:
https://pshe-association.org.uk/drugeducation
The Department for Education is evaluating the delivery of RSHE. The findings and recommendations will progress our Drug Strategy commitment that all children and young people are provided with effective high quality education to prevent future alcohol and drug use. Our strategy is available at the following link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/629078bad3bf7f036fc492d1/From_harm_to_hope_PDF.pdf
The Government also has an information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce alcohol and drug use and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents and concerned others. Information on alcohol and its harms is available at the following link:
https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/alcohol
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on the agreements made at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15).
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK played a leading role at COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in securing agreement to a historic package of measures to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Our priority for COP16 and beyond is to drive global delivery of these agreements both at home and abroad, by working closely with our international partners.
Since COP15, we have worked internationally to drive delivery of the Kunming Montreal targets, including by:
Domestically we have:
The four nations of the UK are working together and aim to publish a UK-wide revised NBSAP (National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan) by May 2024, ahead of CBD COP16.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to investigate any possible link between COVID-19 vaccinations and increasing numbers of premature deaths from heart and circulatory conditions since 2020.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is no evidence linking excess deaths to the COVID-19 vaccine. Analysis from the Office for National Statistics, published on 25 August 2023, shows that people who died between 1 April 2021 and 31 May 2023 and who had a COVID-19 vaccine, had a lower mortality rate than those who had not been vaccinated.
Each COVID-19 vaccine is only authorised once it has met robust standards of effectiveness, safety and quality set by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). No medicine or vaccine is completely risk-free, but the MHRA continually monitors the safety of the vaccines through a comprehensive vaccine surveillance strategy. This monitoring strategy is proactive and based on a wide range of information sources, with a dedicated team of scientists continually reviewing information to look for safety issues or any unexpected, rare events. Any information indicating a possible new safety concern is thoroughly evaluated, including through a review by the independent expert working group for COVID-19. Updated advice for healthcare professionals and patients is issued where appropriate.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the availability of genomic testing.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Genomic Test Directory defines which genomic tests must be delivered by the NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs in England, as well as who is eligible for genomic testing. The directory currently covers testing for over 3,200 rare diseases and over 200 cancer clinical indications. NHS England regularly updates the directory, through a robust and evidence-based test evaluation process, to keep pace with scientific and technological advances, and to ensure that genomic testing is available for all patients for whom it would be of clinical benefit. Testing is available for all eligible patients across England.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of changes to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Methods and Process on patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A number of the changes made by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to its methods and processes for health technology evaluation are expected to benefit medicines for rare diseases, including the introduction of a severity modifier and greater flexibility in responding to uncertainty. NICE has committed to assessing the impact of the changes on patients with rare diseases.
Due to length of the medicine’s evaluation process and number of rare disease topics using older methods or processes, the analysis of the impact of changes will take some time to assess. Data is being collected which will allow, for example, the percentage of positive NICE recommendations made following old methods and processes compared with new methods and processes for rare diseases, to be assessed. NICE will be in a position to publish the impact of the 2022 manual changes in a report by the end of 2024.
Asked by: Elliot Colburn (Conservative - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure future NHS genomic testing publications include data on access to different cancer tests based on an individual's (a) ethnicity, (b) socioeconomic status and (c) type of cancer test.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service genomic testing activity data, collected from all seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs, is available on the NHS England website. NHS England will continue to publish this data on a quarterly basis. The published data indicates the total volume of genomic testing activity completed per month, broken down into cancer and rare and inherited disease. The cancer data is further separated into nine different categories of cancer. NHS England is looking into separating this further if there are other specific categories of cancer test type which would be of interest. The published data does not currently include data broken down by ethnicity or socioeconomic status, but NHS England’s ambition is to improve and expand future publications of the data, which may include areas relating to health inequalities.