The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications for retrospective reviews for continuing healthcare have been refused in each of the last five years; and what the reasons were for each such refusal.
David Mowat
NHS England does not collect this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to ensure that public consultations on local NHS changes involve patients and the public.
Mr Philip Dunne
National Health Service bodies have a statutory duty to engage with patients and the public about service change. Principles for service change are enshrined in the four reconfiguration tests as mandated by the government to NHS England. All local reconfiguration plans should satisfy these tests which are: (i) strengthened public and patient engagements, (ii) support from GP commissioners, (iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base and (iv) support for patient choice.
NHS England guidance on service change states that “effective involvement means being open and transparent about proposals enabling local stakeholders to have the opportunity to influence change.”[1]
[1] Planning, assuring and delivering service change for patients, NHS England, October 2015 Pg 14
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the introduction of the national living wage on the cost of care paid for by local authorities.
David Mowat
Social care continues to be a key priority for the Government. This is why, against the context of tough public sector finances; the Government has taken steps to protect social care services. The Government is giving local authorities access to up to £3.5 billion of new support for social care by 2019/20. This should mean local government has access to the funding to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament. This will support councils to continue to focus on core services and to pay fees which reflect provider costs including the National Living Wage.
The spending took into account a range of financial and economic factors, including projections and data on the National Living Wage from the Office of Budget Responsibility and Skills for Care.
The National Living Wage is an important step in rewarding the valuable contribution made by care workers, who often fall into the lowest earning occupations. Out of an estimated 1.16 million workers in adult social care in England, up to 900,000 people are expected to benefit.
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities must have regard to fostering an effective workforce with the appropriate capabilities when shaping their local markets. The Act and its statutory guidance make clear that prices and fee rates agreed with providers must reflect these new duties, including the National Living Wage. The Department continues to monitor the whole of the market of care providers and engage with the sector to better understand the challenges they face and support local authorities who purchase services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Government plans to introduce a cap on care bills for the elderly.
David Mowat
The Government is committed to ensuring that those in old age can access care that is both affordable and dignified. The position on the care cost cap has not changed. The 2015 Spending Review reaffirmed our commitment to implementing these reforms in April 2020, making funding available in 2019/20 to help local authorities prepare for implementation.
Until then, financial support remains available on the basis of the current means test to help people pay for care to meet their eligible needs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Kinnock on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on evidence that was made available to the Government on the dangers of the pregnancy testing drug Primodos in 1967; and what steps he has taken as a result of those representations.
Nicola Blackwood
The Government has maintained an ongoing and close dialogue with campaigners over the course of the last eight years, involving face to face meetings and extensive correspondence. As a result of these discussions, the Government committed to an independent review of all the evidence relating to a possible link between hormone pregnancy tests and adverse effects on pregnancy. An ad-hoc Expert Working Group of the Commission on Human Medicines is conducting this review and has so far met on five occasions. It is anticipated that the review will be complete early in 2017, at which time a report of the Group’s findings will be published.
The Government remains committed to open engagement on this important issue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures his Department has in place to (a) monitor and (b) limit the amount of profit which pharmaceutical wholesalers are able to make from the NHS each year.
David Mowat
The Department introduced the Health Service Supplies (Costs) Bill on 15 September. This Bill is intended to enable my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State to make regulations to obtain information from across the supply chain to assure itself that all parts of the supply chain provides value for money to the National Health Service and the taxpayer. We expect everyone in the NHS and the supply chain should play its part in achieving efficiency savings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making savings in the pharmaceutical supply chain instead of reducing funding to community pharmacies.
David Mowat
The Department introduced the Health Service Supplies (Costs) Bill on 15 September. This Bill is intended to enable my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State to make regulations to obtain information from across the supply chain to assure itself that all parts of the supply chain provides value for money to the National Health Service and the taxpayer. We expect everyone in the NHS and the supply chain should play its part in achieving efficiency savings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of profit made from the NHS by companies that own both a pharmaceutical wholesaler and a large multiple pharmacy chain in their (a) wholesale business and (b) pharmacies in each of the last five years; and what the permitted profit margins are in both parts of those businesses.
David Mowat
The Department has not made such an estimate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 48024, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the costs to health service providers of tendering for contracts and the implications for paying for patient services; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
We do not collect information on which providers have been awarded contracts or the costs to providers of tendering for contracts, but commissioners are required to publish information on the contracts they award.
The NHS Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition (No2) Regulation 2013 to requires Monitor, now working with the NHS Trust Development Authority as NHS Improvement, to ensure that choice and competition operate in the best interests of patients, that procurement decisions by commissioners achieve the best results, and that all providers are treated fairly.
In making judgements on which services to commission, clinical commissioning groups should take all possible steps to ensure that they are buying the best services for patients from the best providers available. It remains for commissioners to decide how best to procure services in the interests of their patients while seeking best value for taxpayers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more regular blood pressure checks as a means of reducing costs to the NHS of conditions that otherwise remain undetected.
Nicola Blackwood
Public Health England (PHE) established the Blood Pressure System Leadership Board (BPSLB) to help drive improvements in the prevention, detection and management of high blood pressure. In 2014 the group published ‘Tackling high blood pressure: From evidence into action’, which sets out priority interventions required and key partner commitments. In the same year, PHE commissioned an assessment of the cost effectiveness of selected blood pressure interventions to help inform the work of the BPSLB.
Between April 2013 and June 2016, 4.58 million people have benefitted from a blood pressure check as part of their NHS Health Check. Recent evaluation of the programme demonstrated that one case of hypertension was diagnosed in every 27 people receiving a check.
PHE and partners have developed a Heart Age Tool, designed to help people understand their heart health and cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure. Over one million people have used the tool to date.