Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help increase public awareness of (a) polycystic ovary syndrome and (b) endometriosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Women’s Health Strategy for England aims to raise awareness of gynaecological conditions and ensure that women and girls can access the appropriate advice and treatment and to reduce diagnosis times. We have appointed a Women’s Health Ambassador for England to increase awareness of women’s health, including endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome and support implementation of the Strategy.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of effect that puberty blockers have on the (1) mental, and (2) physical, development of patients when given to them as children.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues are used in line with granted medical authorisations and ‘off label’ to treat several medical conditions in children and young people. These include precocious puberty, some forms of cancer, gender dysphoria and endometriosis.
The Department is supporting a review led by Dr Hilary Cass into the gender identity services provided to children and young people, including the use of hormone treatments. Dr Cass has recommended that the National Health Service consider establishing a formal research programme which would prospectively enrol young people where the use of puberty blockers is being considered and follow their development into adulthood. NHS England supports this recommendation and will work with the National Institute for Health and Care Research to design and commission the necessary research protocol.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of off-label puberty blockers; and how many children have been given off-label puberty blockers in the last five years.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Clinicians can prescribe medicines outside the licensed indication where it is considered the best treatment for the patient. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonists are used in line with granted medical authorisations and ‘off label’ to treat several medical conditions in children, including precocious puberty, some forms of cancer, gender dysphoria and endometriosis. Clinicians are professionally accountable for prescribing decisions and to service commissioners.
Dr Hilary Cass is currently reviewing how the National Health Service prescribes puberty blockers to children and young people with gender dysphoria. Her interim review concluded that there is insufficient evidence currently available for any firm recommendations on the routine use and that further research is needed. NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research are designing and commissioning a research protocol which will prospectively enrol young people being considered for hormone treatment. Information on prescriptions of puberty blockers dispensed in the community in England for gender dysphoria is not held centrally.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to ensure women in Northern Ireland with suspected or confirmed deep endometriosis involving the bowel, bladder or ureter are able to attend a BSGE specialist centre in accordance with NICE guidance.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The provision of specialist BSGE care in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Department of Health and a future Northern Ireland Executive. This is one of many examples of how the absence of a functioning Executive could delay action being taken to address pre-existing problems with healthcare in Northern Ireland.
The Government is acutely aware of the broader pressures facing the health service. A programme of reform at the devolved level is needed to tackle long-standing and systemic problems. Consecutive Executive Ministers have failed to adequately address this issue.
In the absence of an Executive, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has introduced a Bill that clarifies the powers for Northern Ireland Departments to maintain delivery of public services but these powers are limited. The Secretary of State has also set a Budget for this financial year. This Budget for Health provides £7.28bn in funding which is an increase of £228m above 2021/22 spending which included significant COVID-19 funding, or £786m if we compare to last year’s funding excluding the one-off COVID-19 funding. This will protect spending to address the critical health pressures in Northern Ireland.
The Government’s immediate priority remains facilitating the restoration of a fully functioning Executive that can progress long-term solutions to transform healthcare in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
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 help tackle stigmas associated with women’s health.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We have appointed the first Women’s Health Ambassador for England to work with women and girls, health and care professionals, professional bodies, the voluntary sector, industry and Government to champion women’s health and address stigmas which surround particular areas of women’s health, such as the menopause, endometriosis and mental health.
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, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a grant scheme to encourage medical students to choose a career in treating endometriosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No specific assessment has been made. The Women’s Health Strategy for England commits to improving education and training for healthcare professionals to encourage best practice in areas such as endometriosis.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 of the adequacy of endometriosis care in England; and what steps his Department plans to take to improve care for women and girls with severe endometriosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis, are a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy and we are currently considering priorities for its implementation.
NHS England is reviewing the service specification for severe endometriosis, including care pathways for thoracic endometriosis and expects to report on the outcome in 2023. This will ensure that specialist endometriosis services have access to the most recent evidence and advice and improve standards of care for women with severe endometriosis.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Women’s Health Strategy for England, published 20 July 2022, whether new NICE guidelines for gynaecological conditions have been developed since the publication of that strategy.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not published any new guidelines in this area since 20 July 2022. NICE has existing guidelines on gynaecological conditions and fertility, pregnancy, and childbirth and is developing new and updated guidelines on endometriosis; intrapartum care for healthy women and babies; menopause; ovarian cancer; fertility problems; and urinary tract infections. Additionally, NICE has published or is developing other guidance and quality standards in these areas.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) gynaecology specialist nurses with expertise in endometriosis and (b) gynaecologists with expertise in (i) diagnosing and managing endometriosis and (ii) training and skills in laparoscopic surgery were working in the NHS as of 2 November 2022.
Answered by Will Quince
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the potential merits of introducing guidelines on nonpharmacological ways to manage chronic pain related to endometriosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There have been no recent discussions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body responsible for determining whether its published guidelines require updating in light of new evidence or emerging issues. NICE recently reviewed its guideline on endometriosis and published a surveillance review on 3 November 2022 which states that it will update the sections on diagnosing endometriosis, surgical management and surgical management if fertility is a priority. NICE will also further explore the topic of mental wellbeing and support for people with suspected or confirmed endometriosis during scoping of the update.