Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the adequacy of resources for tackling NHS waiting times in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Government stands ready to support the Executive to reduce unacceptably long waiting times. The Government has made £3.3bn available to the Executive to spend on its priorities, including over £30m to address healthcare waiting lists.
I am clear that tackling waiting lists and stabilising health services in Northern Ireland is the start of a much bigger challenge in transforming services for the longer term. Innovative strategic thinking is needed to find solutions that will balance budgets and improve all public services across Northern Ireland. The Government is excited to work with Executive Ministers on plans that will deliver for Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has taken steps with NHS England to ensure that parents who have experienced stillbirth or neonatal death are (a) encouraged and (b) supported to (i) ask questions and (ii) talk about their experience as part of the NHS review of their care.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Perinatal Mortality Review Tool (PMRT) provides robust and standardised reviews for bereaved parents about why their baby died. The tool’s aim is to also ensure local and national learning to improve care and prevent future baby deaths. All trusts and health boards across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are using the PMRT.
On 14 December 2023, Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK published their fifth annual PMRT report. The report found that most trusts and health boards ensure all bereaved parents were made aware of the PMRT and review process in their unit, and 95% reported that they offer parents the opportunity to share their thoughts, questions, or concerns about any aspect of their care for the review to address.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase girls' access to mental health services.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Health policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. In England, through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is providing record levels of investment and increasing the mental health workforce, to expand and transform National Health Service mental health services in England. Almost £16 billion was invested in mental health in 2022/23, enabling 3.6 million people to be in contact with mental health services, a 10% increase on the previous year. Of these, nearly 560,000 were females under the age of 18 years old, a 12% increase on the previous year.
We are rolling out mental health support teams to schools and colleges in England. There are now around 400 mental health support teams in place, covering 3.4 million children, or approximately 35% of pupils. We estimate that this will increase to 44% by April 2024, and we are working to increase this coverage to 50% of pupils by March 2025.
In addition, we announced in October 2023 that £4.92 million would be available for 10 early support hubs in England. We are now providing an additional £3 million to expand the number of hubs to 24 across the country. This £8 million overall package will improve access for children and young people to vital mental health support, offering early interventions to improve wellbeing before their condition escalates further.
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 discussions she has had with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on NHS dental provision.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 13 December 2023, I met with the Ministers and officials from across the four nations to discuss dentistry provision. There was an agreement to continue to work on a United Kingdom-wide basis for international recruitment initiatives. The Permanent Secretary of Northern Ireland's Department of Health, alongside Government officials, was present for the meeting. The Government's Chief Dental Officer for England also meets regularly with his counterparts in the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland administration on pay for (a) health and social care and (b) NHS workers.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
In the months leading up to the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland engaged with the Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on the issue of pay awards for healthcare workers in Northern Ireland. In addition to these meetings, he met with trade union representatives on this important matter.
Healthcare is a devolved matter and pay awards are ultimately a matter for the Department of Health. The UK Government has provided the Executive with a £3.3 billion financial package to stabilise Northern Ireland’s finances. This package includes £584m to provide public sector pay awards for 2023-24. It will be up to the Executive to decide on the level of pay awards and to balance these costs against other priorities.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
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 potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment (a) from the point of diagnosis, (b) throughout the duration of the cancer treatment and (c) without means testing.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.
The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.
The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with the Secretaries of State for (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Transport on financial support for people aged up to 25 with cancer for cross-border travel within the UK to receive treatment.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.
The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.
The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by (a) cancer patients up to 25 and (b) families of a child with cancer (i) in the UK and (ii) from Northern Ireland who travel to receive treatment in England.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.
The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.
The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
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 effectiveness of the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme in supporting (a) people with cancer aged up to 25 and (b) their families with the cost of travel to cancer treatment.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.
The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.
The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.
Asked by: Chris Grayling (Conservative - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there is a shortage of the drug Trulicity in the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has been working with Eli Lilly to address issues with access to glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) for type 2 diabetics. Issues with the supply of Trulicity (dulaglutide) have been driven by an increase in global demand. We have worked closely with Eli Lilly during this time to try to minimise risks to patients in the United Kingdom. As a result, patients stabilised on Trulicity (dulaglutide) should be able to continue to obtain their medicine. The supply of Trulicity will be intermittent throughout 2024 and patients are advised to speak to their prescriber if they have any concerns.
We issued updated guidance to healthcare professionals, in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert, on 3 January 2024, on how to manage patients requiring these medicines.
Our guidance is clear that GLP-1RAs that are solely licensed to treat type 2 diabetes should only be used for that purpose and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss. The General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have also issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards in relation to these medicines.