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  • 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 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of fees charged by medical professionals for death certification on those liable for such fees who are on low incomes.

    David Mowat

    There is no fee payable for completing the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD).

    When a patient dies it is the statutory duty of the doctor who has attended the patient in the last illness to issue an MCCD.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with NHS Improvement on Katrina Percy since 7 June 2016.

    Mr Jeremy Hunt

    NHS Improvement (NHSI) regularly updates me on the performance of both the organisations for which it has responsibility and those which it regulates using agreed frameworks. I meet regularly with the Chief Executive of NHSI as well as with a number of the organisation’s other senior leaders. Our discussions cover a number of issues falling under NHSI’s remit, including, where appropriate, the senior personnel in organisations for which it is responsible.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from clinical experts and health economists on prescription charges for people with long-term medical conditions.

    David Mowat

    The Department receives numerous representations on prescription charges for people in England with long-term medical conditions. It is not possible to say how many of these were from clinical experts or health economists, though the independent Commission on the Future of Health and Social Care in England’s report, A new settlement for health and social care, published in 2014, did have health economist input. There have also been representations from the Prescription Charges Coalition, but it is not certain to what extent these were informed by clinical experts or health economists.

    Arrangements are in place to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone, including those with a long-term condition. There are exemptions from the prescription charge for people with low income, including through receipt of specific benefits and through application to the NHS Low Income Scheme. For those who do not qualify for exemption, prescription prepayment certificates are also available, which allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost. To support those with high levels of need, the cost of the 12-month and 3-month certificates have been frozen since 2009 and 2011, respectively.

    The Department has not undertaken a formal impact assessment on the potential cost of eliminating or reducing prescription charges for people with long-term medical conditions. However, the Prescription Charges Review undertaken by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, and published in 2010, estimated that extending exemption to all those with a long-term condition would lead to a loss in revenue of between £360 and £430 million.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for people with long-term medical conditions.

    David Mowat

    The Department receives numerous representations on prescription charges for people in England with long-term medical conditions. It is not possible to say how many of these were from clinical experts or health economists, though the independent Commission on the Future of Health and Social Care in England’s report, A new settlement for health and social care, published in 2014, did have health economist input. There have also been representations from the Prescription Charges Coalition, but it is not certain to what extent these were informed by clinical experts or health economists.

    Arrangements are in place to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone, including those with a long-term condition. There are exemptions from the prescription charge for people with low income, including through receipt of specific benefits and through application to the NHS Low Income Scheme. For those who do not qualify for exemption, prescription prepayment certificates are also available, which allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost. To support those with high levels of need, the cost of the 12-month and 3-month certificates have been frozen since 2009 and 2011, respectively.

    The Department has not undertaken a formal impact assessment on the potential cost of eliminating or reducing prescription charges for people with long-term medical conditions. However, the Prescription Charges Review undertaken by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, and published in 2010, estimated that extending exemption to all those with a long-term condition would lead to a loss in revenue of between £360 and £430 million.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what impact assessment his Department has conducted on the potential cost of eliminating or reducing prescription charges for people with long-term medical conditions.

    David Mowat

    The Department receives numerous representations on prescription charges for people in England with long-term medical conditions. It is not possible to say how many of these were from clinical experts or health economists, though the independent Commission on the Future of Health and Social Care in England’s report, A new settlement for health and social care, published in 2014, did have health economist input. There have also been representations from the Prescription Charges Coalition, but it is not certain to what extent these were informed by clinical experts or health economists.

    Arrangements are in place to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone, including those with a long-term condition. There are exemptions from the prescription charge for people with low income, including through receipt of specific benefits and through application to the NHS Low Income Scheme. For those who do not qualify for exemption, prescription prepayment certificates are also available, which allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost. To support those with high levels of need, the cost of the 12-month and 3-month certificates have been frozen since 2009 and 2011, respectively.

    The Department has not undertaken a formal impact assessment on the potential cost of eliminating or reducing prescription charges for people with long-term medical conditions. However, the Prescription Charges Review undertaken by Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, and published in 2010, estimated that extending exemption to all those with a long-term condition would lead to a loss in revenue of between £360 and £430 million.

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the time period is within which NHS England has to respond to patients’ complaints.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 provide the legislative framework within which NHS complaints must be handled.

    There is no set timescale, though the body receiving the complaint must have arrangements in place to ensure it is dealt with efficiently, and the complainant receives a timely response.

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the numbers of staff at Pinderfields Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    This is a matter for Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust, which operates Pinderfields Hospital. Staffing levels are the responsibility of trust boards.

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Care Quality Commission report of December 2015, on Pinderfields Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    These are matters for the local National Health Service. It is the responsibility of the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust Board, its commissioners and regulators, and of the clinicians who work at the Trust, to ensure that the expected standards of care quality are being met.

    Patients at Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust deserve the highest quality care and there is no excuse for services to fall short of the standards. The Trust must take the necessary steps to improve its safety and leadership with the support of NHS Improvement.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has had any meetings with representatives of the Prescription Charges Coalition.

    David Mowat

    My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lord Prior) met with representatives of the Prescription Charges Coalition on 25 May 2016.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what public protection orders or other legal instruments are available to prevent adults without violent or sexual convictions working with children in non-governed extracurricular sports or activities.

    Sarah Newton

    The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is able to bar individuals who pose a risk from working in certain roles with children, regardless of whether they have committed an offence. In addition, individuals working with children are eligible for Enhanced DBS certificates which, alongside criminal records information, disclose any non-conviction information that a chief officer believes to be relevant, for example Sexual Risk Orders.

    The Government introduced Sexual Risk Orders (SRO) to protect the public from those who pose a risk of sexual harm but have not been convicted. The key elements of a SRO are that it may be made by the magistrates’ court on application by the police or National Crime Agency where an individual has done an act of a sexual nature and, as a result, is considered to pose a risk of harm to the public in the UK.

    An SRO can be applied to any individual who poses a risk of sexual harm in the UK or abroad, even if they have never been convicted. An SRO may prohibit the person from doing anything described in it and any prohibition must be necessary for protecting the public in the UK from sexual harm. The Home Secretary has issued statutory guidance in relation to the orders to the police and the National Crime Agency.