Asked by: Kwasi Kwarteng (Conservative - Spelthorne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that maternity and neonatal complaints systems are (a) transparent and (b) compassionate for parents.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Anyone has the right to make a complaint about any aspect of National Health Service care, treatment, or service. The NHS Complaint Standards set out how organisations providing NHS services should approach complaint handling. They apply to NHS organisations in England, and independent healthcare providers that deliver NHS-funded care.
If complainants need assistance in making a complaint, officers from the Patient Advice and Liaison Service are available in most hospitals. Additionally, assistance can also be provided by the Independent NHS Complaints Advocacy Service.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with the General Medical Council on (a) regulating (i) physician and (ii) anaesthesia associates and (b) ensuring that increased use of these roles in hospitals does not impact (A) the professional competence of other healthcare professionals and (B) patient safety.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has been working closely with the General Medical Council (GMC) since 2019, on the regulation of Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) and Physician Associates (PAs). Regulation with the GMC will provide set standards of practice, education, and training for AAs and PAs, as well as requirements around continual professional development (CPD) and conduct. Regulation with the GMC will mean that individual AAs and PAs can be held to account if serious concerns are raised.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commits to growing these roles alongside recruiting and training more doctors, nurses, and allied health and other professionals. NHS England is working with partners, including the GMC, royal colleges, trade unions, doctors, and medical associate professional groups to develop comprehensive curricula, core capability frameworks, standards for CPD, assessment and appraisal, and supervision guidance for AAs and PAs, ensuring the roles are expanded safely and effectively.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage (a) schools, (b) prisons and (c) hospitals to serve British-caught fish.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has consulted on changes to the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF), including increasing the sourcing of local and sustainable food. The consultation sought views on sourcing, where possible, a diverse range of seasonally available seafood species from locally caught or produced sources. As the Government response to the consultation has not yet been published, it is too soon to pre-empt any specific findings.
We have also now appointed an independent advisor to support the Government’s ongoing work to improve food procurement in the public sector and make the system more accessible to small- and medium-sized businesses and, subject to domestic and international legal obligations, explore the benefits of and steps to getting more local-caught fish into schools, prisons and hospitals.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of allowing NHS patients to seek a second opinion on their (a) condition and (b) treatment.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The guidance Good Medical Practice, from the General Medical Council (GMC), sets out the standards of care and behaviour expected of all medical doctors practising in the United Kingdom. It states that doctors must recognise a patient’s right to choose whether to accept their advice, and respect a patient’s right to seek a second opinion. The GMC is an independent regulator and is responsible for operational matters, including any assessment of its policies and guidance. Managing second opinion requests is the responsibility of local National Health Service organisations.
On 21 February 2024, the Government announced that Martha’s Rule will be rolled out from April of this year, allowing at least 100 NHS trusts to introduce the rule during 2024/25, with the programme being evaluated throughout this year and next. This patient safety initiative will give NHS patients and families the right to obtain a rapid review outside of their immediate care team when a patient’s condition is thought to be deteriorating. The escalation process will be available around-the-clock to patients, families and NHS staff, and will be advertised throughout hospitals, making it quickly and easily accessible. Martha’s Rule will allow early intervention and rapid review, which may avoid harm to patients.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) legal and (b) other protections for the right of vegans and vegetarians to manifest their beliefs in care settings.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Ethical veganism has previously been found to be a philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010 by an employment tribunal, in an employment context. While this is not binding in other cases, all employers and service providers, including those who administer care homes and hospitals, should have regard to the differing dietary needs of people who they provide meals to, whether these are determined by health considerations, religious or philosophical belief. Providers should also recognise that food is not the only aspect of how ethical vegans conduct their lives and where possible should ensure that these other aspects are catered for.
Care providers should be aware that service users such as care home residents and ward patients may bring claims under the Act, where they consider they have been treated less favourably because of their belief in ethical veganism. In addition, public sector providers are subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty which requires them, in carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to achieve the objectives set out under s149 of the Equality Act 2010 to:
(a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. Specific duties, set out in regulations, ensure transparency, and assist in the performance of this duty.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulate care homes as well as other health and care providers. One of the fundamental standards is on nutritional and hydration needs. Please see the link below.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the harm caused by alcohol use; and what steps she taking to address that harm.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is aware of and continues to act to reduce levels of harm caused by alcohol use. The Department continues to promote the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines in England through online platforms, and local authorities continue to promote them as part of their public health duties. This provides the public with the most up-to-date scientific information to help people make informed decisions about their own drinking, including the health harms of alcohol consumption. The Government has also published guidance and worked with the alcohol industry to ensure that alcohol labels reflect these guidelines for drinks produced after September 2019. This ensures consumers have the best available information at the point of purchase or consumption.
The Government takes a wide-ranging approach to addressing alcohol-related harms, including the establishment of alcohol care teams in the 25% acute hospitals in England with the greatest need through the NHS Long Term Plan, and improvements to the alcohol and drug treatment system through the 10-year Drug Strategy.
Although the primary focus of the strategy is drugs, implementation of the strategy is also benefitting people seeking alcohol treatment, through mechanisms such as new commissioning standards and plans to build back the drug and alcohol treatment workforce. £532 million of additional funding is being invested in local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England between 2022/23 and 2024/25, to increase the number of people in substance misuse treatment by 54,500 over this period.
The Department launched its drug and alcohol treatment press partnership campaign on 18 January 2024. The content in the campaign will aim to build awareness of the effectiveness of drug and alcohol treatment, how it can help and how to access it. The Press Partnership is a programme run by the Department which works with over 350 national, regional, local and multicultural print newspapers, with a reach of over 34% of adults in England, or 17.7 million.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to increase awareness of (a) alcohol harm and (b) support services for alcohol abuse.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is aware of and continues to act to reduce levels of harm caused by alcohol use. The Department continues to promote the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines in England through online platforms, and local authorities continue to promote them as part of their public health duties. This provides the public with the most up-to-date scientific information to help people make informed decisions about their own drinking, including the health harms of alcohol consumption. The Government has also published guidance and worked with the alcohol industry to ensure that alcohol labels reflect these guidelines for drinks produced after September 2019. This ensures consumers have the best available information at the point of purchase or consumption.
The Government takes a wide-ranging approach to addressing alcohol-related harms, including the establishment of alcohol care teams in the 25% acute hospitals in England with the greatest need through the NHS Long Term Plan, and improvements to the alcohol and drug treatment system through the 10-year Drug Strategy.
Although the primary focus of the strategy is drugs, implementation of the strategy is also benefitting people seeking alcohol treatment, through mechanisms such as new commissioning standards and plans to build back the drug and alcohol treatment workforce. £532 million of additional funding is being invested in local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England between 2022/23 and 2024/25, to increase the number of people in substance misuse treatment by 54,500 over this period.
The Department launched its drug and alcohol treatment press partnership campaign on 18 January 2024. The content in the campaign will aim to build awareness of the effectiveness of drug and alcohol treatment, how it can help and how to access it. The Press Partnership is a programme run by the Department which works with over 350 national, regional, local and multicultural print newspapers, with a reach of over 34% of adults in England, or 17.7 million.
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 her Department plans to remove certain targets for (a) hospitals and (b) general practices.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Targets for hospitals and general practices (GPs) are regularly reviewed. Existing targets for the National Health Service are set out in several places, including in legislation, in the Government’s mandate to NHS England and in the ‘2023/24 priorities and operational planning guidance’. Targets for hospitals and GPs are further set out within the ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’, the ‘Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care’ and the ‘Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care’.
Asked by: Baroness Merron (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 9 December 2022 (HL3930), what assessment they have made of the impact of the helipad at Royal Sussex County Hospital on (1) safety relating to the cladding on the tower, and (2) noise.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust has undertaken remedial works to fix the issues with the cladding on the helipad at Royal Sussex County Hospital. However, additional surveys have identified concerns with the glazed curtain wall. The trust is discussing these with its building contractor to determine the likely extent of additional remedial works. Noise issues are considered as part of the design of helipads as referenced in the relevant guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority, Standards for helicopter landing areas at hospitals. A copy of the guidance is attached.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Goss Moor (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average waiting time for an ambulance (1) in the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, and (2) across all NHS trusts in England, in each year since 2000.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ambulance response time standards were reformed following the recommendations of the Ambulance Response Programme in 2017, including the publication of average response times.
We recognise the pressures the ambulance service is facing which is why we published our Recovery Plan for Urgent and Emergency Care Services. The ambition is to deliver one of the fastest and longest sustained improvements in emergency waiting times in the National Health Service's history. We aim to reduce average Category 2 response times to 30 minutes this year with further improvements towards pre-pandemic levels next year.
Ambulance response times are recorded at an ambulance trust level. Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust is served by South West Ambulance Service. The following table shows the South West Ambulance Service average response time since the introduction of the standards in August 2017.
South West Ambulance Service average response times (hh:mm:ss)
Year | Category 1 mean | Category 2 mean | Category 3 mean | Category 4 mean |
2017/18 (August-March) | 00:09:42 | 00:33:22 | 01:15:30 | 02:00:33 |
2018/19 | 00:07:18 | 00:27:26 | 01:12:09 | 02:06:25 |
2019/20 | 00:07:03 | 00:28:38 | 01:17:17 | 01:33:56 |
2020/21 | 00:07:35 | 00:23:30 | 01:00:03 | 01:23:46 |
2021/22 | 00:10:20 | 1:01:57 | 02:44:01 | 02:53:39 |
2022/23 | 00:11:05 | 1:09:04 | 02:41:37 | 02:45:25 |
2023/24 (so far) | 00:09:27 | 00:40:40 | 01:46:15 | 02:02:26 |
The following table shows the National average ambulance response time since the introduction of the standards in August 2017.
Year | Category 1 mean | Category 2 mean | Category 3 mean | Category 4 mean |
2017/18 (August-March) | 00:08:23 | 00:25:51 | 01:04:36 | 01:30:32 |
2018/19 | 00:07:18 | 00:21:47 | 01:01:46 | 01:25:42 |
2019/20 | 00:07:18 | 00:23:50 | 01:11:04 | 01:26:09 |
2020/21 | 00:07:03 | 00:20:57 | 00:54:41 | 01:22:51 |
2021/22 | 00:08:39 | 00:41:18 | 02:13:39 | 03:07:10 |
2022/23 | 00:09:18 | 00:50:01 | 02:35:19 | 03:07:43 |
2023/24 (so far) | 00:08:25 | 00:34:25 | 01:57:07 | 02:24:33 |