Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
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 estimate of the number children who are able to access mental health support at their secondary school or college.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Latest data from the Department for Education, published in May 2023, shows that there are around 400 mental health support teams in operation in schools and colleges. These cover an estimated 3.4 million children, which is approximately 35% of pupils. This includes primary schools, secondary schools, and further education colleges. Nationally there are on average 8,500 pupils and 17 schools and colleges per mental health support team. We estimate that around 500 teams will be operational, covering 44% of pupils by April 2024, and we are working to increase this coverage to 50% of pupils by March 2025. This data is available at the following link:
Mental health support teams work alongside existing wider pastoral and other support in and around educational settings. Schools and colleges are best placed to decide what support to provide to respond to the social, emotional, and mental health needs of their pupils. This can include the provision of school-based mental health professionals such as counsellors and working with external providers and, where necessary, specialist services within the National Health Service.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental health support teams are in operation in schools and colleges as of 7 November 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Latest data from the Department for Education, published in May 2023, shows that there are around 400 mental health support teams in operation in schools and colleges. These cover an estimated 3.4 million children, which is approximately 35% of pupils. This includes primary schools, secondary schools, and further education colleges. Nationally there are on average 8,500 pupils and 17 schools and colleges per mental health support team. We estimate that around 500 teams will be operational, covering 44% of pupils by April 2024, and we are working to increase this coverage to 50% of pupils by March 2025. This data is available at the following link:
Mental health support teams work alongside existing wider pastoral and other support in and around educational settings. Schools and colleges are best placed to decide what support to provide to respond to the social, emotional, and mental health needs of their pupils. This can include the provision of school-based mental health professionals such as counsellors and working with external providers and, where necessary, specialist services within the National Health Service.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to identify new uses for AI in the public sector.
Answered by Paul Scully
The UK government is taking a leading role promoting ethical, safe and responsible adoption of AI, as illustrated by our leadership of the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park last week. This includes the use of AI to improve public services and boost public sector productivity.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is looking to identify new uses for AI in the public sector. Examples include: the AI Life Sciences Accelerator Mission giving £100 million of funding to capitalise on AI’s game-changing potential in healthcare; the Department for Education providing up to £2million to Oak National Academy to improve and expand Artificial Intelligence tools for teachers; the Department of Health and Social Care using AI to identify language indicating mental distress in public social media posts and signposting people to a NHS-endorsed mental health service; and the Royal Navy using AI to connect with potential recruits faster through an AI-driven virtual recruiter.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the prevalence of degenerative brain conditions in former rugby union players.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety, wellbeing, and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is paramount. My department is committed to working alongside the Department for Health and Social Care on issues relating to head injuries in sport, and have ongoing official level engagement on this issue.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has worked with sporting bodies and others to develop a single set of shared concussion guidelines for grassroots sport across the UK, which were published on 28 April 2023. We continue to encourage sports governing bodies to adapt the guidelines to their own sport where appropriate.
Further research on the links between health, dementia and contact sport is needed to better understand the issue. My department has established a new Sports Concussion Research Forum to identify key research questions that need answering in this important area.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to NICE's draft for consultation entitled Harmful gambling: identification, assessment and management, published in October 2023, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on that consultation's draft guidance on GPs asking patients presenting with a mental health issue about their potential gambling habits.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is the government lead for treatment of gambling-related harms and commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to develop a new clinical guideline on gambling which is currently out for consultation and will close on 15 November. Following the gambling white paper published in April, DCMS has launched a public consultation on the statutory levy charged to gambling operators which proposes clear, ringfenced investment for the NHS to lead the commissioning of treatment services for gambling-related harm.
The Secretary of State has not recently had any such discussions, but DCMS officials will continue to work closely with DHSC to ensure that the latest evidence on the health harms associated with gambling and effective treatment resulting from that consultation is closely considered.
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 steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of gut health.
Answered by Will Quince
Information on digestive health is published by the National Health Service and is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/digestive-health/
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published best practice guidance, and a corresponding quality standard, on diagnosing and managing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in people aged 18 and over [CG61 and QS114]. These set out recommendations and quality standards for clinicians on the care for patients with IBS by promoting effective management using dietary and lifestyle advice, pharmacological therapy and referral for psychological interventions.
To assist with increasing the visibility of its guidance, NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters and other media. It also publishes information for the public, which explains the care people with IBS should receive as set out in the NICE guideline.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
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 merits of implementing a public health campaign to raise awareness of coeliac disease and its symptoms.
Answered by Will Quince
We have made no assessment of the potential merits of assisting primary healthcare professionals to carry out clinical audits for coeliac disease, or the effectiveness of dietetic-led services across the country for people with coeliac disease. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including the diagnosis and ongoing management of coeliac disease.
In making commissioning decisions, we would expect ICBs to consider relevant guidance, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on the recognition, assessment, and management of coeliac disease [NG20]. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20
Whilst there are no current plans to instigate a public awareness campaign around coeliac disease, to help raise awareness, NICE promotes its guidance on coeliac disease, which includes information for the public via its website, newsletters, and other media.
Information for the public on coeliac disease is also published by the National Health Service and is available on the NHS.UK website.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
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 merits of assisting primary healthcare professionals to carry out clinical audits for coeliac disease.
Answered by Will Quince
We have made no assessment of the potential merits of assisting primary healthcare professionals to carry out clinical audits for coeliac disease, or the effectiveness of dietetic-led services across the country for people with coeliac disease. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including the diagnosis and ongoing management of coeliac disease.
In making commissioning decisions, we would expect ICBs to consider relevant guidance, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on the recognition, assessment, and management of coeliac disease [NG20]. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20
Whilst there are no current plans to instigate a public awareness campaign around coeliac disease, to help raise awareness, NICE promotes its guidance on coeliac disease, which includes information for the public via its website, newsletters, and other media.
Information for the public on coeliac disease is also published by the National Health Service and is available on the NHS.UK website.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
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 effectiveness of dietetic-led services across the country for people with coeliac disease.
Answered by Will Quince
We have made no assessment of the potential merits of assisting primary healthcare professionals to carry out clinical audits for coeliac disease, or the effectiveness of dietetic-led services across the country for people with coeliac disease. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including the diagnosis and ongoing management of coeliac disease.
In making commissioning decisions, we would expect ICBs to consider relevant guidance, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on the recognition, assessment, and management of coeliac disease [NG20]. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20
Whilst there are no current plans to instigate a public awareness campaign around coeliac disease, to help raise awareness, NICE promotes its guidance on coeliac disease, which includes information for the public via its website, newsletters, and other media.
Information for the public on coeliac disease is also published by the National Health Service and is available on the NHS.UK website.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for a winter increase in cases of respiratory syncytial virus..
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department, through its arm’s length bodies, prepares for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) through a combination of surveillance, public health communications, and a targeted immunisation programme.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors weekly levels of RSV and bronchiolitis, a condition associated with RSV in young children. UKHSA also leads public health messaging on social, national, and regional media, highlighting the signs and symptoms of RSV and the steps that can be taken to reduce infections, including reducing risks to babies. In addition, the existing, targeted RSV immunisation programme protects infants who are at high risk of complications if infected.
Work has also been done to ensure high-impact interventions for those with RSV who require medical care, such as expanding the use of Acute Respiratory Infection Hubs across every part of England, where patients can get urgent, same-day, face-to-face assessment for RSV, amongst other respiratory illnesses.