Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that patients receiving (a) stem cell transplants and (b) other cell therapies have access to specialist psychological support (i) before, (ii) during and (iii) after treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As stipulated by NHS England in the blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) service specification, BMT services, which include stem cell transplants, should ensure that a full range of support staff is available, including social workers, and psychological, physiotherapy, pharmacy, and radiology support, for stem cell transplant recipients. BMT service providers are also expected to be accredited by the Joint Accreditation Committee of the International Society for Cellular Therapy and the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (JACIE), and the requirement for psychology support staff is also reflected in the eighth edition of the JACIE standards. For wider cell therapies, psychological support has been a requirement as part of any CAR-T core multidisciplinary team since 2018. It is also an important component for any commissioned advanced therapy medicinal product.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 developing a cross-departmental strategy including the (a) Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and (b) NHS to (i) support and (ii) promote expertise in cell and gene therapy innovation.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Department recognises that advanced cell and gene therapies will be an important part of the future of healthcare and the life sciences industry. The Department has been considering the recommendations of the National Cell and Gene Therapy Vision for the UK, a report published by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult in March 2022, and the UK Strategic Stem Cell Forum’s latest report, A 10 Year Vision for Stem Cell Transplantation and Advanced Cellular Therapies, published in July 2022. As part of this we have been conducting stakeholder engagement across the cell and gene therapy ecosystem to further understand the challenges raised and whether there is a role for the Department in coordinating activity in this area. We will continue to work with our public sector partners to ensure a whole system approach to advanced therapies, building on existing strengths to ensure a joined-up research, regulatory, and health ecosystem.
Asked by: Jackie Doyle-Price (Conservative - Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will review the (a) terms of reference and (b) governance of the UK Stem Cell strategic forum.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The terms of reference and governance of the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum are reviewed periodically and on an ad hoc basis as required. The Forum published its latest report A 10 Year Vision for Stem Cell Transplantation and Advanced Cellular Therapies in July 2022 to address weaknesses in stem cell transplantation services. The Forum is working with the Department, NHS England, NHS Blood and Transplant, clinicians, industry, and representatives of patient groups to take the recommendations forward. An oversight committee and five working groups have been established in line with the current terms of reference.
Asked by: Jackie Doyle-Price (Conservative - Thurrock)
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 increasing self-sufficiency in UK stem cell donations.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum, a Departmental advisory body, has recommended in its report A 10 Year Vision for Stem Cell Transplantation and Advanced Cellular Therapies that donor to patient unrelated donations in the United Kingdom should be increased to 45%. This will improve the sustainability and resilience of UK stem cell supply, maintain the UK’s expertise in stem cell provision and support adoption of advanced cellular therapies. The Department is investing £2.4 million between April 2022 and March 2025 to recruit stem cell donors to improve resilience and help address health inequalities.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
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 potential support for UK leadership in the adoption of cell and gene therapies of the recommendations of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult’s National Cell and Gene Therapy Vision for the UK, published in March 2022.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department recognises that advanced cell and gene therapies will be an important part of the future of healthcare and the life sciences industry. We have been considering the recommendations of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult’s ‘National Cell and Gene Therapy Vision for the UK’, a report published by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult in March 2022 and the UK Strategic Stem Cell Forum’s latest report ‘A 10-year vision for stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies’ published in July 2022.
As part of this, we have been conducting stakeholder engagement to further understand the challenges raised and whether there is a role for the Department in coordinating activity in this area.