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Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department is taking steps to set a national standard for a maximum number of patients that GPs, nurses and other primary care professionals can reasonably deal with during any working day.

Alistair Burt

It is important that practices are free to meet the needs of individual patients according to clinical need. Therefore there is no requirement for general practitioner practices to offer appointments of a specific length or a specific mix of workforce to meet population need.

However, in recognition of the increased demands being placed on general practice, NHS England has:

1. Placed a requirement on clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in the NHS Planning Guidance for 2016/17 to develop and implement a local plan to address the sustainability and quality of general practice, including workforce and workload issues. This is the first time specific requirements have been placed on local commissioners to support and develop general practice.

2. Provided advice about specific ways to invest in general practice for National Health Service leaders as they prepare Sustainability and Transformation Plans for the future. In both of these, there is a dual focus on maintaining quality and access to care in existing services, while also supporting the introduction of new ways of working. Areas where support is required include increased funding, growth and diversification in the workforce, development of premises and information technology, and specific help to develop networks and federations with patient benefit at their heart.

The ‘General Practice Forward View’ released in April 2016, announced a major new programme of development and improvement support for practices over the next three years. This will help groups of practices to redesign care in order to simultaneously release staff time and improve care for patients. As part of the development programme, support and advice will be provided to federations and CCGs on ways to engage patients and voluntary and community sector groups as partners. This will help local people shape priorities, contribute to the co-design of improved services and build assets in the community.

01/01/2023
Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward proposals to change surrogacy law to give single parents with children born through surrogacy the same rights as couples.

Jane Ellison

The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.

01/01/2023
Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the declaration by Sir James Munby in the matter of Z (A Child) (No. 2), on 20 May 2016, that sections 54(1) and (2) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 are incompatible with rights under Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights taken in conjunction with Article 8.

Jane Ellison

The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.

01/01/2023
Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much Government funding has been allocated to the research of Type 1 Diabetes in each of the last 10 years.

George Freeman

The information requested is not available.

The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) was established in 2006 to increase the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, drive faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the economy, and develop and support the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. The NIHR spent £30.8 million on research relating to metabolic and endocrine disease in 2014/15 (the latest available figure). Most of this investment (£24.4 million in 2014/15) is in infrastructure for research in metabolic and endocrine disease where spend on specific disease areas such as type 1 diabetes cannot be separated from total infrastructure expenditure. This infrastructure including NIHR biomedical research centres and the NIHR Clinical Research Network.

The NIHR funds a wide range of research relating to type 1 diabetes and in 2014/15 the NIHR CRN supported 49 studies in this disease area.

The NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme is currently seeking to commission research on immunotherapy for type 1 diabetes.

01/01/2023
Debbie Abrahams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what decisions his Department has made on the distribution of funding to relieve the immediate pressures in general practice, set out in NHS England’s General Practice Forward View, published in April 2016.

Alistair Burt

The General Practice Forward View, published by NHS England on 21 April 2016, sets out that an extra £2.4 billion a year will be invested in general practice services by 2020/21, representing a 14% increase in real terms. This means that investment will rise from £9.6 billion a year in 2015/16 to over £12 billion a year by 2020/21.

There will be a national £508 million five year Sustainability and Transformation package for general practice to help support struggling practices, develop the workforce, stimulate care redesign and tackle workload. This package will include:

― £56 million, to include a new practice resilience programme starting in 2016/17, and the offer of specialist services to general practitioners suffering from burn out and stress;

― £206 million for workforce measures to grow the medical and non-medical workforce; and

― £246 million to support practices in redesigning services, including a requirement on clinical commissioning groups to provide around £171 million of practice transformational support and a new national £30 million development programme for general practice.

01/01/2023
Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of patients with long-term health conditions who cannot afford to pay the charges associated with their prescribed medication and subsequently require additional treatment.

Alistair Burt

We have made no such estimate. This information is not available in the format requested.

01/01/2023
Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding is allocated to each region for support services for people with motor neurone disease.

Jane Ellison

Clinical commissioning groups and NHS England are responsible for delivering services for people with motor neurone disease, funded from their annual funding allocations. Information on funding for motor neurone related services is not collected centrally.

01/01/2023
Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission research into the costs to the NHS of delayed discharges.

Alistair Burt

The Department and NHS Improvement are working together to implement Lord Carter’s recommendations on hospital productivity. As part of this the two organisations are working with providers to develop a richer dataset around all aspects of the patient pathway, including discharge.

At the same time, the Department continues to work closely with the National Health Service and local government to help local areas improve transfers out of hospital, share best practice, and reduce unnecessary delays.

01/01/2023
Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with whom on future provision of services at Warrington Hospital; and when the decision on future provisions of services at that hospital will be announced.

Ben Gummer

No such discussions have taken place.

The provision of front line health services is a matter for the National Health Service locally.

01/01/2023

Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will undertake a review of the reasons for the length of time taken by NHS Property Services to take decisions related to property in (a) West Sussex, (b) Mid Sussex and (c) East Grinstead.

George Freeman

Officials at NHS Property Services (NHSPS) are not aware of any undue delays with regard to decision making in these areas.

As a publically funded company, NHSPS takes its duty to ensure that properties are managed efficiently and that its services and transactions achieve best value both on behalf of the National Health Service and the taxpayer. NHSPS undertakes comprehensive due diligence on all property transactions to ensure all risks and liabilities are managed appropriately before legal documents are executed.

Forthcoming planned work at East Grinstead Health Clinic forms part of a programme of works that is being worked up for 15 properties across Sussex. At East Grinstead, this is likely to focus on:

― Equality Act compliance;

― Fire safety improvement; and

― Roof insulation.

The following table summarises the capital projects underway, planned or proposed for the Mid and West Sussex area. The Company’s primary customers for these projects are Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Horsham and Mid-Sussex CCG who commissioner clinical services and lead development of Local Estate Strategies for the areas they cover.

Location	Project	Value	Current Position
Sidney West Primary Care Centre	Diagnostics refurbishment	To be confirmed	This does not have an approved business case. Confirmation is being sought from the CCGs as to the specification of works they would wish us to undertake. Timescales for delivery cannot be confirmed at this point.
Horsham Hospital	Landlord works: Flooring, windows and roofing	£0.61 million	NHSPS are investing in a package of landlord works within Horsham Hospital including the gym refurbishment, new flooring in key areas and the refurbishment of windows. The works will start in June 2016 and are expected to be complete in October 2016.
Horsham Hospital	Muskoskeletal Physiotherapy (MSK)	£1.20 million	NHSPS are currently delivering the final phase of the MSK programme. The £2.4 million construction works at Horsham and Crawley are being managed by NHS PS as a single project and are due for completion on 20 July 2016.
Crawley Hospital	MSK	£1.20 million	Please see above Horsham MSK position.
Crawley Hospital	Sub-acute ward refurbishment	£3.97 million	This project is for development of a 26 bed step-up/step-down facility housed within the Crawley Hospital red wing 6th floor. Works have been designed and priced. Discussions are expected to conclude in the near future between NHSPS and the CCG on agreed terms of commissioner commitment. It is anticipated that formal approval for the investment will be signed off in June 2016 with works to be completed in November 2016.
Crawley Hospital	Transforming Urgent Care refurbishment	£4.53 million	This project is for development of a combination of a clinical assessment unit, extend paediatrics, urgent treatment centre and an upgraded reception. Works have been designed and priced. Discussions are expected to conclude in the near future between NHSPS and the CCG on agreed terms of commissioner commitment. It is anticipated that formal approval for the investment will be signed off in June 2016 with works to be completed in November 2016.
Crawley Hospital	Landlord works associated with the Sub-acute and Transforming Urgent Care projects	£0.70 million	Subject to the final approval of the Sub-acute and Transforming Urgent Care customer projects NHSPS intend to invest in additional landlord works to ensure the supporting infrastructure matches the updated patient facilities.
Crawley Hospital	Landlord works: Fire compartmentalisation and safety upgrade	£2.50 million	The Crawley Hospital red wing is viewed strategically as the core building of the hospital complex. NHSPS are investing in essential landlord works to guarantee the safe and effective back office functions of the hospital infrastructure. Included within this scheme are a review and reconfiguration of fire safety zones, replacement of fire doors, removal of asbestos and improvements to the water supply system. These works will be complete in October 2016.
Crawley Hospital	Theatre Air Handling Unit lifecycle replacement	£0.36 million	NHSPS have addressed the end-of-life-status of physical assets, with planned investment that future proofs the Crawley Hospital facilities. An example the planned renewal of the theatre air conditioning systems which will accommodate increased theatre activity and utilise energy efficient systems to improve upon the previous infrastructure. Installation is expected to be completed in November 2016.

01/01/2023