The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths from volatile substance abuse were recorded in each region of England and Wales for each (a) substance, (b) age and (c) gender in 2015.
Chris Skidmore
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans (a) NICE and (b) NHS England has to issue a consultation on changes to the highly specialised technologies evaluation programme.
Nicola Blackwood
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England launched a joint consultation on 13 October 2016 setting out proposed changes to the arrangements for the evaluation and adoption of new technologies, including on the methodology for the evaluation of highly specialised technologies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential for community pharmacies to (a) deliver early identification of medical complaints and ongoing patient monitoring and (b) help reduce hospital admission rates.
David Mowat
We want a clinically focussed community pharmacy service that is better integrated with primary care and public health in line with the Five Year Forward View. This will help relieve the pressure on general practitioners and accident and emergency, ensure better use of medicines and better patient outcomes, and contribute to delivering seven-day health and care services.
The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, Dr Keith Ridge has commissioned an independent review of community pharmacy clinical services. The review is being led by Richard Murray, Director of Policy at The King’s Fund. The final recommendations will be considered as part of the development of clinical and cost effective patient care by pharmacists and their teams.
NHS England is also setting up a Pharmacy Integration Fund to support the development of clinical pharmacy practice in a wider range of primary care settings, resulting in a more integrated and effective National Health Service primary care patient pathway.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to local NHS consortium formed of Lewisham and Greenwich Healthcare Trust, Local Care Networks and Oxleas Trust was of preparing their unsuccessful tender for the contract to provide musculoskeletal services in Greenwich; and if he will assess the effect of such spending on resources available for services to patients; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
The information requested is not centrally held and is a matter for the local National Health Service consortium which submitted the tender in question.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the implications are for patients who remain on the waiting list for orthopaedic surgery on 1 December 2016 of Circle Holdings PLC being awarded the contract for musculoskeletal services in Greenwich; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
We are advised by NHS England that patients already on the waiting list for orthopaedic surgery will continue on their pathway as planned as at 1 December 2016.
We are further advised by NHS England that Circle Health as the prime provider will liaise with the providers in question to change the pathway or expedite admission where clinical need arises.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS prescription charge penalty charge notices were issued in the last year for which figures are available; and how much was recovered in (a) prescription income and (b) penalty charges and surcharges in the last year for which information is available.
David Mowat
The number of National Health Service prescription charge penalty charge notices issued between September 2015 and August 2016, which is the most recent 12-month period for which we have complete data, was 780,953. Where no response was received to the initial penalty charge notice a follow up surcharge letter was issued to the patient. For the same period a total of 333,508 surcharge letters were issued.
The value of the recovered prescription income in this period was £2,556,941, and the value of the income from penalty charges and surcharges was £8,678,911 and £745,830, respectively.
Since taking over the administration of the Prescription Exemption Checking Service in September 2014, the NHS Business Services Authority has not issued any court proceedings for debt recovery in relation to NHS prescription charges and penalties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group on the capacity of local health providers meeting the Getting it Right First Time requirements in Greenwich since the contract to provide musculoskeletal services was awarded to Circle Holdings PLC; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
The provision of local health services is a matter for the local National Health Service.
There have been no meetings between Ministers at the Department of Health and Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) about the award of the contract to provide musculoskeletal services to Circle Holdings PLC regarding the Sustainability and Transformation Plans for elective orthopaedic surgery in Greenwich.
Neither have there been meetings between Ministers at the Department and Greenwich CCG regarding the capacity of local health providers meeting the Getting it Right First Time requirements in Greenwich since the contract to provide musculoskeletal services was awarded to Circle Holdings PLC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on improving the performance of ambulance services which are in special measures.
Mr Philip Dunne
Since entering Special Measures in November 2015, the London Ambulance Service has reduced the gap from 3% behind the national average for Category A Red 1 Calls 8 minute standard, to 1.3% in August 2016, and is consistently above the national average for the remaining Category A Red 1 and 2 performance standards.
The London Ambulance Service has met its A8 performance recovery trajectory each month from April to August 2016 in spite of growth in incidents of 5.4% above the original contract plan.
South East Coast Ambulance Service entered Special Measures in September 2016 and is now receiving a comprehensive package of support, including buddying with South Central Ambulance Service and an Improvement Director has been appointed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many proceedings for debt recovery the NHS has issued in the county court for NHS prescription charges and penalties in the last year for which information is available; how many such proceedings resulted in recovery of the outstanding money.
David Mowat
The number of National Health Service prescription charge penalty charge notices issued between September 2015 and August 2016, which is the most recent 12-month period for which we have complete data, was 780,953. Where no response was received to the initial penalty charge notice a follow up surcharge letter was issued to the patient. For the same period a total of 333,508 surcharge letters were issued.
The value of the recovered prescription income in this period was £2,556,941, and the value of the income from penalty charges and surcharges was £8,678,911 and £745,830, respectively.
Since taking over the administration of the Prescription Exemption Checking Service in September 2014, the NHS Business Services Authority has not issued any court proceedings for debt recovery in relation to NHS prescription charges and penalties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group since the award of the contract to provide musculoskeletal services to Circle Holdings PLC on the Sustainability and Transformation Plans for elective orthopaedic surgery in Greenwich; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
The provision of local health services is a matter for the local National Health Service.
There have been no meetings between Ministers at the Department of Health and Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) about the award of the contract to provide musculoskeletal services to Circle Holdings PLC regarding the Sustainability and Transformation Plans for elective orthopaedic surgery in Greenwich.
Neither have there been meetings between Ministers at the Department and Greenwich CCG regarding the capacity of local health providers meeting the Getting it Right First Time requirements in Greenwich since the contract to provide musculoskeletal services was awarded to Circle Holdings PLC.