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, what financial support his Department is providing to NHS trusts to help clear backlogs of asthma assessments.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Published data is not available on the number patients in England awaiting spirometry asthma assessments. NHS England is investing in additional diagnostic capacity for respiratory pathways as part of the £2.3 billion 2021 spending review capital investment in diagnostics.
Community Diagnostic Centres are being established to deliver additional, digitally connected, diagnostic capacity in England, enabling an accurate and fast diagnosis on a range of clinical pathways including people with chronic respiratory disease.
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, how many patients in England are awaiting spirometry asthma assessments; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for those assessments.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Published data is not available on the number patients in England awaiting spirometry asthma assessments. NHS England is investing in additional diagnostic capacity for respiratory pathways as part of the £2.3 billion 2021 spending review capital investment in diagnostics.
Community Diagnostic Centres are being established to deliver additional, digitally connected, diagnostic capacity in England, enabling an accurate and fast diagnosis on a range of clinical pathways including people with chronic respiratory disease.
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 the production of nitrogen oxides at waste incinerators in relation to (1) decreased lung function, (2) increases in respiratory symptoms, (3) asthma prevalence and incidence, (4) cancer incidence, (5) adverse birth outcomes, and (6) mortality.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) position on incinerators is that modern, well run and regulated municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) are not a significant risk to public health. This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and on the fact that these incinerators make only a very small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants.
Public Health England funded a study by the Small Area Health Statistics Unit at Imperial College London which found no link between exposure to emissions from, or living close to, MWIs and infant deaths or reduced foetal growth. The study also found no evidence of increased risk of congenital anomalies from exposure to MWI chimney emissions, but a small potential increase in risk of congenital anomalies for children born within ten kilometres of MWIs. A causal association between the increased risk of congenital anomalies for children born close to MWIs has not been established.
UKHSA has not received or commissioned any assessments on disposing of plastic waste by incineration. UKHSA’s position is that well run and regulated modern MWIs are not a significant risk to public health when incinerating the general municipal waste mix which includes plastic.
When consulted, UKHSA provides an expert and independent opinion to the regulator (Environment Agency) on the potential impacts on human health of emissions including nitrogen oxides arising from existing or proposed regulated facilities, such as MWIs. Emissions from existing regulated facilities are closely monitored and regulated by the Environment Agency.
Asked by: Lord Warner (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any adverse effects on children as a result of not establishing a consistent child identifier, especially those children with (1) complex needs and disabilities, (2) long-term conditions such as asthma, autism and epilepsy and (3) looked after children and those at risk; and whether they will publish such an assessment.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. Every child is assigned an National Health Service number at birth or the first time they have contact with NHS services. The NHS number acts as is a unique patient identifier and is used to share information within electronic healthcare records. This contributes to improved health outcomes for children, including looked after children and those with complex needs, disabilities and long-term conditions, by ensuring that health professionals identify patients correctly and have access to information to inform the delivery of appropriate care.
Through the Health and Care Act 2022, the Government has committed to report on Government’s policy on information sharing in relation to the safeguarding of children, including looked after children and those at risk, by summer 2023. The report will include an explanation of whether it is the Government’s policy that a consistent child identifier should be used across agencies.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the difference is between (a) emissions, (b) concentrations, (c) human exposures, (d) health impacts and (e) death outcomes when referring to air pollution in health statistics.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
When referring to air pollution in health statistics, emissions is the term used to describe the gases and particles that are released into the air or emitted by various sources, for example road transport. The concentration of a specific air pollutant is the amount of material per unit volume of air. Concentrations are most commonly expressed as mass per unit volume (for example, micrograms per cubic meter, µg/m3). Human exposure refers to any contact between an airborne contaminant and a surface of the human body, either outer, for example the skin, or inner, for example the respiratory tract. Health impacts are negative changes in health resulting from exposure to a source of pollution, such as exacerbation of asthma, increases in respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions and mortality.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 with Cabinet colleagues of the impact of air quality on the health and wellbeing of people under the age of 18.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the United Kingdom. Children are more vulnerable to the effects from air pollution exposure than adults due to their incomplete lung development, high physical activity and breathing rates, as well as lower height which increases exposure to traffic pollution.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has studied children’s exposure to air pollution in outdoor school environments in England. In 2017, around one third of schools in England, representing around 3.4 million pupils, were located in areas with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exceeding the World Health Organization’s previous guideline of PM2.5 of 10 µg/m3.
Long-term exposure to air pollution can suppress lung function growth in children. Children can be at risk from respiratory problems such as wheezing, asthma and respiratory infections, and reduced cognitive performance.
UKHSA has a Clean Air Programme which aims to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution, particularly the most vulnerable groups, including children. A copy of UKHSA’s ‘Chemical Hazards and Poisons Report’ of June 2022 is available at the following link:
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that (a) asthma, (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (c) other respiratory health diseases are priorities of the forthcoming Major Conditions and Disease Strategy.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work on the Major Conditions Strategy is ongoing and we are committed to ensuring that the Strategy’s approach is rooted in the best understanding of the evidence to tackle the major conditions which contribute to the burden of disease in England, including respiratory conditions. This includes seeking the views of and working closely with stakeholders, citizens and the National Health Service.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 the potential impact of e-cigarette smoke on people with asthma in enclosed public places.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Nicotine vaping in England: 2022 evidence update found that there is limited evidence that vaping negatively affects lung function among adults with asthma. In 2016, the Government published guidance to inform evidence-based policy making on vapes in public places. This included guidance that people with asthma and other respiratory conditions can be sensitive to a range of environmental irritants, which could include the vapour produced from a vape. The guidance noted that the interests of such individuals should be taken into account when developing policies and adjustments made where necessary. The best thing any smoker can do for their health is to quit smoking, and those with asthma will benefit hugely from stopping smoking.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact on air pollution on young people in education.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department has not made an assessment on the effects of air pollution on pupils. The Department is aware, as reported in the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2022, that air pollution can affect children’s lung development, asthma, development problems, wheezing and coughs among other health effects. This report can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1124738/chief-medical-officers-annual-report-air-pollution-dec-2022.pdf.
The Department is collaborating with other Government Departments and several academic institutions on air quality projects. The School Air Quality Monitoring for Health and Education project was initiated, with funding and support from the Department to understand the air quality in UK schools. The findings from these projects will inform our guidance and standards for school buildings.
In 2018, the Department published Building Bulletin 101 (BB101), establishing guidance for school design on ventilation, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality. This guidance sets out the World Health Organisation’s air quality guidelines and Air Quality Standards Regulation 2010 for indoor air quality. BB101 requires the indoor environment of new or refurbished school buildings to be monitored by recording temperature and levels of carbon dioxide.
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, with reference to the guidance from the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative, whether his Department is taking steps to minimise the use of Oral Corticosteroids as a maintenance treatment for asthma patients.
Answered by Will Quince
There are no plans to undertake an assessment of the prescribing of oral corticosteroids for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Reducing health inequalities amongst people with COPD and asthma is a key cross-cutting focus for NHS England. Respiratory clinical networks have been established to support delivery of the objectives set out in the Long-Term Plan, which includes a particular focus on reducing health inequalities.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the British Thoracic Society and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network provide clear guidance on the prescribing of oral steroids for both COPD and asthma. For both conditions, short courses only are recommended in cases of acute exacerbations.
For people with COPD, NICE do not normally recommend maintenance use of oral corticosteroid therapy. However, some people with advanced COPD may require maintenance oral corticosteroids when these cannot be withdrawn after an exacerbation. In these cases, the dose of oral corticosteroids should be kept as low as possible.