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  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has on (a) raising awareness of severe and complex disabilities suspected of having a genetic syndrome for which it is not currently possible to confirm a diagnosis and (b) helping to ensure that patients and their families that are affected by such disabilities have access to appropriate care and support.

    George Freeman

    The Department is committed to improving the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, including those severe and complex conditions caused by genetic disorders, through implementation of the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases, published in November 2013. The UK strategy includes specific recommendations to improve awareness amongst service providers and others of the effects that rare diseases can have on a person’s education, family, social relationships and ability to work. There is also a specific recommendation to improve education and awareness across the healthcare professions and to improve the co-ordination of care, recognising that some patients have complex needs and require expertise from a number of specialists and carers.

    The UK Rare Disease Forum will monitor progress against the recommendations in the strategy and is due to produce its first report in early 2016.

  • Dr Lisa Cameron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dr Lisa Cameron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Lisa Cameron on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the ability of homeless people to access addiction services; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The ministerial working group on homelessness report ‘Addressing complex needs – improving services for vulnerable people’ (2015) highlighted significant levels of substance misuse among the homeless population. Homeless people often have multiple health needs, and the report showed how vulnerable people can become trapped in a cycle of homelessness because of their overlapping and complex problems.

    Improving access to specialist substance misuse services for homeless people can also help to facilitate access to the help they need to find accommodation. This includes both in-house services and onward referral routes to external organisations, such as local authority housing services or other housing support services.

    Public Health England (PHE) supports local authorities to help them understand better the needs of homeless people with addictions, in addition to working with key stakeholders such as the Faculty for Homeless and Inclusion Health and membership organisation Homeless Link. PHE commissioned Homeless Link to carry out a rapid evidence assessment of homelessness prevention. PHE has also supported Homeless Link to update the Homeless Health Needs Audit toolkit, an important tool that can help areas understand the scale and nature of homelessness, the health inequalities experienced by single homeless people, and to monitor any changes in the health of this population. It is designed to be used by anyone with responsibility for carrying out needs assessments, designing and commissioning services, or delivering services within a health or homelessness setting.

  • Oliver Heald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Oliver Heald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 3 December 2014 to Question 216204, what progress the working group on vaginal tapes and mesh has made concerning transvaginal mesh implants; and if he will make a statement.

    George Freeman

    The working group on vaginal tapes and mesh is now finalising its interim recommendations which NHS England expects to publish in November 2015, subject to its internal governance processes.

  • Dr Lisa Cameron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dr Lisa Cameron – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Lisa Cameron on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children have received a diagnostic assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the last five years.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department of Health does not collect data on the number of children who have received a diagnostic assessment of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

    The Department for Education collects data on children’s primary special educational need (SEN).

    The table below shows those children in schools in the last five years who had a statement or who were on school action plus, whose primary need was autistic spectrum disorder. These figures do not include pre-school children with autism, young people in further education, or children with autism who had a different primary need.

    2010

    56,250

    2011

    61,575

    2012

    66,195

    2013

    70,785

    2014

    76,015

    In 2015, the primary need was collected also for those children on SEN support. Including this additional group, 90,775 children were recorded as having a primary need of autistic spectrum disorder in 2015, but given the change in collection methodology, this cannot be compared with the earlier years.

  • Maria Caulfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Maria Caulfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations his Department has received on stem cell donation and transplantation.

    Jane Ellison

    A search of the Department’s central correspondence database has identified 99 items of correspondence received between 8 May and 27 October 2015 about stem cell donation and/or transplantation. Around two-thirds of this correspondence related to the Anthony Nolan report ‘Destination Care’.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average age was of general practitioners in London in each year since 2010.

    Ben Gummer

    The information requested is shown in the following tables:

    Average age of all general practitioners (GPs) (including retainers and registrars) in London 2010-14

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    46

    45.9

    45.7

    45.3

    45.2

    Average age of GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) in London 2010-14

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    47.6

    47.5

    47.4

    47.3

    47.1

    Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

    Note: all figures shown are as at 30 September for each year.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what role his Department played in NICE’s decision not to publish safe nurse staffing guidance in accident and emergency departments along with four evidence reviews of safe nurse staffing; and if he will make a statement.

    Ben Gummer

    Responsibility for developing safe staffing guidance in a number of clinical areas passed from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to NHS England in June 2015, and is being led by Dr Mike Durkin working with others across the National Health Service. This work will include guidance on safe staffing in accident and emergency departments, and the guidance will draw on the earlier work undertaken by NICE. When the responsibility for this work was transferred, NICE concluded that it would be unhelpful, ahead of the further work to be done on the guidance, to publish the material that it had brought together. The Department discussed these options with NICE and agreed with their decision.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have died as a result of a heroin overdose in each of the last 15 years.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the time taken to decide on patient access scheme applications for drugs through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

    George Freeman

    Within the framework set out in the 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, a Patient Access Scheme (PAS) can be proposed by a pharmaceutical company and agreed by the Department to improve the cost-effectiveness of a medicine as part of a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal.

    A PAS proposal can only be submitted for a medicine that is available through the Cancer Drugs Fund if that product is also scheduled for appraisal or review by NICE and no assessment has been of the time taken to consider any such PAS proposals.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the local government public health grant will be in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    No decisions have yet been made on the public health grant for future years. This is being considered as part of the Spending Review.