Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 geographical variation in (a) the provision and (b) delivery of liver care services in England; and what plans his Department has to (a) reduce that variation and (b) improve liver disease survival rates.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is not possible to disaggregate the number of people with liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer who have died as a result of COVID-19 infection, nor the number of COVID-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom. This is due to the way data is collected
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of preventing avoidable liver disease through targeted policies to address alcohol consumption and obesity. As the NHS recovers from the impact of the pandemic, specialised commissioning teams will be refocusing their efforts on achieving the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan and working with local systems and clinical networks to improve outcomes for people with preventable and complex conditions, including liver disease.
NHS England is developing liver networks in England, supported by the Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group, to enable quicker access to specialised liver services, as well as providing clinical advice on disease prevention and referral practice. To address geographical variation, NHS England and NHS Improvement, with support from Public Health England, are helping acute hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm to establish or improve specialist alcohol care teams. Areas at highest need will be supported by targeted national investment. To improve survival rates and support earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease, NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a commissioning for quality and innovation scheme to incentivise increased cirrhosis and fibrosis tests for alcohol dependent patients in acute and mental health services.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 that comprehensive care pathways for liver patients are implemented by each Integrated Care System in England.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is not possible to disaggregate the number of people with liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer who have died as a result of COVID-19 infection, nor the number of COVID-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom. This is due to the way data is collected
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of preventing avoidable liver disease through targeted policies to address alcohol consumption and obesity. As the NHS recovers from the impact of the pandemic, specialised commissioning teams will be refocusing their efforts on achieving the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan and working with local systems and clinical networks to improve outcomes for people with preventable and complex conditions, including liver disease.
NHS England is developing liver networks in England, supported by the Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group, to enable quicker access to specialised liver services, as well as providing clinical advice on disease prevention and referral practice. To address geographical variation, NHS England and NHS Improvement, with support from Public Health England, are helping acute hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm to establish or improve specialist alcohol care teams. Areas at highest need will be supported by targeted national investment. To improve survival rates and support earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease, NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a commissioning for quality and innovation scheme to incentivise increased cirrhosis and fibrosis tests for alcohol dependent patients in acute and mental health services.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to include liver services in NHS covid-19 recovery plans.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is not possible to disaggregate the number of people with liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer who have died as a result of COVID-19 infection, nor the number of COVID-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom. This is due to the way data is collected
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of preventing avoidable liver disease through targeted policies to address alcohol consumption and obesity. As the NHS recovers from the impact of the pandemic, specialised commissioning teams will be refocusing their efforts on achieving the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan and working with local systems and clinical networks to improve outcomes for people with preventable and complex conditions, including liver disease.
NHS England is developing liver networks in England, supported by the Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group, to enable quicker access to specialised liver services, as well as providing clinical advice on disease prevention and referral practice. To address geographical variation, NHS England and NHS Improvement, with support from Public Health England, are helping acute hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm to establish or improve specialist alcohol care teams. Areas at highest need will be supported by targeted national investment. To improve survival rates and support earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease, NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a commissioning for quality and innovation scheme to incentivise increased cirrhosis and fibrosis tests for alcohol dependent patients in acute and mental health services.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of covid-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all covid-19 deaths in the UK.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is not possible to disaggregate the number of people with liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer who have died as a result of COVID-19 infection, nor the number of COVID-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom. This is due to the way data is collected
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of preventing avoidable liver disease through targeted policies to address alcohol consumption and obesity. As the NHS recovers from the impact of the pandemic, specialised commissioning teams will be refocusing their efforts on achieving the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan and working with local systems and clinical networks to improve outcomes for people with preventable and complex conditions, including liver disease.
NHS England is developing liver networks in England, supported by the Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group, to enable quicker access to specialised liver services, as well as providing clinical advice on disease prevention and referral practice. To address geographical variation, NHS England and NHS Improvement, with support from Public Health England, are helping acute hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm to establish or improve specialist alcohol care teams. Areas at highest need will be supported by targeted national investment. To improve survival rates and support earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease, NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a commissioning for quality and innovation scheme to incentivise increased cirrhosis and fibrosis tests for alcohol dependent patients in acute and mental health services.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of people with (a) liver cirrhosis, (b) liver failure and (c) liver cancer who have died as a result of a covid-19 infection.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is not possible to disaggregate the number of people with liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer who have died as a result of COVID-19 infection, nor the number of COVID-19 deaths of patients with liver failure as a proportion of all COVID-19 deaths in the United Kingdom. This is due to the way data is collected
The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of preventing avoidable liver disease through targeted policies to address alcohol consumption and obesity. As the NHS recovers from the impact of the pandemic, specialised commissioning teams will be refocusing their efforts on achieving the ambitions set out in the Long Term Plan and working with local systems and clinical networks to improve outcomes for people with preventable and complex conditions, including liver disease.
NHS England is developing liver networks in England, supported by the Hepatobiliary Clinical Reference Group, to enable quicker access to specialised liver services, as well as providing clinical advice on disease prevention and referral practice. To address geographical variation, NHS England and NHS Improvement, with support from Public Health England, are helping acute hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol harm to establish or improve specialist alcohol care teams. Areas at highest need will be supported by targeted national investment. To improve survival rates and support earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease, NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a commissioning for quality and innovation scheme to incentivise increased cirrhosis and fibrosis tests for alcohol dependent patients in acute and mental health services.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to provide additional support to people in the northern regions to improve (a) physical and (b) mental health care in light of the health, economic and social effects of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England (PHE) works with NHS England and NHS Improvement to support and assure the delivery of the health inequalities ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. The support programme includes Communities of Improvement forums as well as bringing together expertise from around the country and local academia. Programmes to address health inequalities include those covering cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory health, health checks, mental health, drugs and alcohol, social prescribing and numerous others. Work in each locality is delivered through local constructs such as the sustainability and transformation partnership, the health and wellbeing board and individual local organisations.
We are committed to supporting everyone’s mental health and wellbeing in all parts of the country throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the winter period and beyond. We have published our Wellbeing and Mental Health Support Plan for COVID-19, which sets out the support available for individuals and we are working with the National Health Service, PHE and others to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term mental health impacts of COVID-19. Additional funding for 2020/21 announced in the Spending Review will be used to address waiting times for mental health services, give more people the mental health support they need, and invest in the NHS workforce.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the £1 billion from the Spending Review 2020 for tackling the health screening backlog will be used to increase the number of NHS staff working on breast cancer.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Spending Review 2020 provides £260 million to continue to grow the National Health Service workforce and support commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan, including continuing to take forward the cancer workforce plan phase one. Full details on funding allocations towards NHS workforce budgets, including Health Education England, in 2021-22 will be subject to a detailed financial planning exercise and finalised in due course.
We have confirmed an additional £3 billion for the NHS next year to support the recovery from the impact of COVID-19. This includes around £1 billion to begin tackling the elective backlog, around £500 million for mental health services and investment in the NHS workforce and around £1.5 billion to help ease existing pressures caused by COVID-19.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what priority his Department has accorded to ensuring that psychological support services are available for people diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The NHS Long Term Plan sets a clear ambition that where appropriate every person diagnosed with cancer should have access to personalised care by 2021. Over the next five years, Cancer Alliances will be embedding personalised care interventions, which will identify and address the changing needs of cancer patients from diagnosis onwards.
National Health Service mental health services, including Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services, have remained open for business throughout this time, including delivering support digitally and over the phone where possible. For those with severe needs or in crisis, NHS England has instructed all NHS mental health trusts to establish 24 hours a day, seven days a week mental health crisis lines, clearly accessible from trust websites.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the £750 million package of support for charities has been allocated to ophthalmology charities.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recognise that many charities are facing difficult decisions at the exact time their services are needed most and, on 8 April 2020 the Chancellor announced £750 million to support for the charity sector in response to COVID-19. This includes up to £200 million for hospices and £22 million for health and social care charities. The £22 million includes:
- £4.2 million to support mental health charities and charities within the National Bereavement Alliance;
- Up to £6.8 million to support St John Ambulance;
- £6 million to support Air Ambulances;
- £6 million to support various charities, including those working with people with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs, those working to support people with cancer and stroke and dementia charities, and those that support the adult social care system; and
- This funding will also go to charities supporting pregnant women, babies in neonatal intensive care and those affected by stillbirth and neonatal deaths and support for specialist addiction and recovery charities.
To this date there has been no funding agreed for ophthalmology charities.
There is still an opportunity for charities to apply directly for funding from the National Lottery’s £200 million Coronavirus Community Support Fund. This fund is supporting charities working with vulnerable people. The criteria for this fund are set out at the following link:
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allocate funding to ensure that ophthalmology charities can continue to run their services.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We recognise that many charities are facing difficult decisions at the exact time their services are needed most and, on 8 April 2020 the Chancellor announced £750 million to support for the charity sector in response to COVID-19. This includes up to £200 million for hospices and £22 million for health and social care charities. The £22 million includes:
- £4.2 million to support mental health charities and charities within the National Bereavement Alliance;
- Up to £6.8 million to support St John Ambulance;
- £6 million to support Air Ambulances;
- £6 million to support various charities, including those working with people with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs, those working to support people with cancer and stroke and dementia charities, and those that support the adult social care system; and
- This funding will also go to charities supporting pregnant women, babies in neonatal intensive care and those affected by stillbirth and neonatal deaths and support for specialist addiction and recovery charities.
To this date there has been no funding agreed for ophthalmology charities.
There is still an opportunity for charities to apply directly for funding from the National Lottery’s £200 million Coronavirus Community Support Fund. This fund is supporting charities working with vulnerable people. The criteria for this fund are set out at the following link:
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/