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  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his oral contribution of 5 July 2016, Official Report, column 734, if he will accord consultant-led maternity services at the West Cumberland Hospital the same level of priority as those in North Devon.

    Ben Gummer

    Maternity safety is a priority for this Government and this applies to all maternity services nationally, including at West Cumberland Hospital.

    In November 2015, we announced an ambitious campaign to halve the national rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth, by 2030. The report of the National Maternity Review, Better Births was published in February. A Maternity Transformation Programme Board has been set up to drive forward the vision for maternity services as set out in Better Births. The Board is led by NHS England but it is cross-system and the Department will have an important role to play in leading the safety workstream, recognising that safety is a ‘golden thread’ running through the programme. The Board is independently chaired by Sarah-Jane Marsh and met for the first time on 8 June.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce health inequalities in areas of high deprivation.

    Jane Ellison

    Reducing health inequalities is a priority for this Government.

    The Department takes a comprehensive and strategic approach to tackling health inequalities that addresses the wider social causes of ill health, promotes healthier lifestyles for all, tackles differences in both access to, and outcomes from, health and public health services. Action is led locally to ensure that the solutions put in place reflect the needs of individual communities.

    Achieving measureable and sustained reductions in health inequalities is integral to the Department’s Shared Delivery Plan 2015-20, and reflected in the Government’s mandate to NHS England, Public Health England’s (PHE’s) Evidence into Action and supporting strategic and business plans at national and local level. NHS England’s Business Plan for 2016/17 prioritises closing the gap for groups experiencing poorer health outcomes, a poorer experience of, and access to, healthcare. PHE is supporting local and national efforts to address health inequalities by providing knowledge and intelligence, and evidence-informed tools and advice.

    To support this, the Department has published Improving outcomes and supporting transparency: A public health outcomes framework for England 2013-16. The framework’s vision is to improve and protect the nation’s health and wellbeing, and improve the health of the poorest fastest. It is focused on the two high-level outcomes we want to achieve across the public health system and beyond. The first is increased healthy life expectancy; the second is reduced differences in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy between communities through greater improvements in more disadvantaged communities.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he and his officials have had with Public Health England about the collection of data on secondary breast cancer in (a) the West Midlands and (b) England.

    David Mowat

    Ministers, officials, Public Health England (PHE) and breast cancer charities are in ongoing discussions about secondary breast cancer data.

    The National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS), which is part of PHE, is supporting the direct reporting of recurrence data by all hospital trusts, as part of the Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset (COSD). Since 2013 there has been the ability to report breast cancer recurrences in COSD, and in 2015 this was expanded to include all cancer recurrences, but these data are not yet being fully collected and submitted by all trusts.

    NCRAS is helping trusts improve their reporting by visiting, providing reporting guidance, and by giving rapid feedback on the number of recurrences they have submitted to NCRAS. To further support this work NCRAS is currently preparing to share new provider-level data for the whole of England on the data completeness of recurrence reporting within trusts.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions Ministers of his Department have had with their counterparts in other departments on the NHS England Five Year Forward View since the publication of that paper in February 2016.

    Alistair Burt

    We welcomed the recommendations of the Mental Health Five Year Forward View and are working with colleagues across Whitehall to embed these into our work programmes. We liaise regularly with other Government departments in developing our policies.

  • Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will encourage Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group to commission a minor eye conditions service in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency.

    Alistair Burt

    General practitioners (GPs), working with secondary care consultants, nurses and lay members, are best placed to co-ordinate the commissioning of high quality care for their patients. They ensure that commissioning decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local health care needs.

    Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have the freedom and autonomy to take responsibility for meeting the needs of local patients and the public by working closely with secondary care, other health and care professionals and with community partners to design joined up services. As such, while CCGs are led by primary care professionals, they are also guided by the expertise of other local clinicians.

    The current commissioning arrangements encourage innovation by placing commissioning with those who know patients best and are aware of the latest clinical evidence and technological advances in health and care.

    NHS England advises that Northern, Eastern and Western Devon CCG have no imminent plans to commission a specific minor eye conditions service at this time. CCGs are also able to commission services from local optometrists to provide treatment for minor eye conditions if they feel that is necessary to meet local needs.

    Those concerned they may have a minor eye condition can visit their GP, optical practice or pharmacy.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with cancer as a result of exposure to acetaldehyde in the (a) North East and (b) UK in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Jane Ellison

    Information concerning the number of people diagnosed with cancer as a result of exposure to acetaldehyde is not available.

  • Michael Dugher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Michael Dugher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he took the decision to undertake an impact assessment for the purposes of the Public Sector Equality Duty of the changes to the budget for community pharmacy in 2016-17; and when work on that assessment commenced.

    Alistair Burt

    The proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond that were published on 17 December 2015 were considered against my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health’s duties, which include the Public Sector Equality Duty. An impact assessment has been developed during the consultation period and the Department is committed to publishing the impact assessment alongside any Drug Tariff determination.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on workforce numbers in the NHS of the UK withdrawing from the EU.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    No immediate assessment has been made of the potential effect on workforce numbers in the National Health Service of the United Kingdom withdrawing from the European Union.

    As we plan a new relationship with the EU, this Government will continue to ensure the NHS is able to recruit and retain the workforce required to provide high quality care.

  • Derek Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Derek Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37122, on variations in access to transcatheter interventions for heart valve disease, whether the next iteration of the NHS England service specifications and policy for the surgical and interventional treatment of heart valve disease will take into account (a) the need to commission for a growing patient population, (b) anticipated doubling in the over-65 population in the UK by 2050 and (c) lower levels of transcatheter interventions performed in the UK compared to European comparator countries.

    Nicola Blackwood

    NHS England’s policy development process includes assessment of current published evidence nationally and internationally and will review population projections for up to five years.

    Decisions to set commissioning criteria for which patients will most likely benefit from the intervention will be based on a range of clinical, academic and financial information and a proposition will be put forward through the NHS England prioritisation process. Within the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) development process, NHS England accepts that there is an ageing population and it will review all available evidence including the encouraging results of the TAVI trials and consider the options around the best use of National Health Service resources. A policy proposition will be produced as part of the 2016/17 work programme.

  • Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of welfare reform on health inequalities in (a) Glasgow, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The policy responsibility for welfare reform sits with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The Department of Health (DH) has not made a separate assessment of the effect of welfare reform on health inequalities in England or Scotland. It is for the Scottish Government to assess the impact of welfare reform in Scotland.

    Although no assessment has been made in England, DWP has engaged across government on its proposals for welfare reform. DH has been involved in discussions on the introduction of Universal Credit and its impact on health inequalities for programmes such as Healthy Start and Help with Health Costs.

    Healthy Start is a United Kingdom-wide statutory benefit, funded by DH, which aims to provide additional support to improve the diets of low income pregnant women and families with children under the age of four years. Currently, regulations are being put in place which will enable the scheme to function under Universal Credit. An equality analysis, which will include a consideration of the impact on health inequalities, will be published shortly.

    Help with Health Costs is a set of arrangements which provide help with the cost of a range of National Health Services for example free NHS prescriptions or NHS dental treatment. On 1 November 2015, DH put in place criteria to determine entitlement to Help with Health Costs to those in receipt of Universal Credit. An equality analysis was produced to inform these changes, outlining the potential impact, including on health inequalities, on groups affected by the change from the previous benefits and tax credits exemption arrangements to the new criteria for Universal Credit exemption. A copy of the equality analysis is attached.