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David Amess – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when NHS England plans to publish its five year strategy for specialised services; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

NHS England established the specialised commissioning taskforce to make some immediate improvements to the way in which NHS England commissions specialised services, and to put commissioning arrangements on a stronger footing for the longer-term. The task force is not conducting a complete review of specialised commissioning, although there are some aspects of this work which will require some specific services or arrangements to be reviewed. The life of the task force was originally three months running from May to July 2014: this has now been extended to the end of October 2014.

The publication and application of the specialised services strategy have been paused while the task force undertakes its work. At this stage, NHS England is yet to confirm when the strategy will be published. However, many aspects of the work of the taskforce will contribute to taking the strategy work forward later in the year.

Information on the work on development of the mission and vision and service-level planning elements of the specialised services strategy, prior to the pause, is available on the following webpages:

www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/five-year-strat/mission-vision/

www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/five-year-strat/service-level-plan/

NHS England has advised that the A3 change proposals were a pilot process to establish how NHS England might be able to achieve multiple stakeholder involvement on future service change. Proposals that demonstrate good opportunities to increase value and contain cost have moved into the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programme for specialised services. Other proposals which support strategic service planning continue to be considered. Authors with proposals that do not meet the objectives of QIPP or strategic services planning will be informed within the next few weeks.

02/11/2022
David Amess – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how NHS England evaluates service specific A3 change proposals for its five-year strategy development for specialised services; when authors of those proposals will learn the outcomes of their proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

NHS England established the specialised commissioning taskforce to make some immediate improvements to the way in which NHS England commissions specialised services, and to put commissioning arrangements on a stronger footing for the longer-term. The task force is not conducting a complete review of specialised commissioning, although there are some aspects of this work which will require some specific services or arrangements to be reviewed. The life of the task force was originally three months running from May to July 2014: this has now been extended to the end of October 2014.

The publication and application of the specialised services strategy have been paused while the task force undertakes its work. At this stage, NHS England is yet to confirm when the strategy will be published. However, many aspects of the work of the taskforce will contribute to taking the strategy work forward later in the year.

Information on the work on development of the mission and vision and service-level planning elements of the specialised services strategy, prior to the pause, is available on the following webpages:

www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/five-year-strat/mission-vision/

www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/five-year-strat/service-level-plan/

NHS England has advised that the A3 change proposals were a pilot process to establish how NHS England might be able to achieve multiple stakeholder involvement on future service change. Proposals that demonstrate good opportunities to increase value and contain cost have moved into the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programme for specialised services. Other proposals which support strategic service planning continue to be considered. Authors with proposals that do not meet the objectives of QIPP or strategic services planning will be informed within the next few weeks.

02/11/2022
Henry Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England plan to take to reduce premature mortality from respiratory disease.

Jane Ellison

The NHS Outcomes Framework 2014-15 sets out the Department’s priority areas for the National Health Service and includes reducing deaths from respiratory disease as a key indicator. In addition to this, the Mandate sets out the requirements for NHS England to improve outcomes in a range of areas, including preventing premature deaths from the biggest killers (including respiratory) and supporting people with long term physical and mental health conditions.

Living Well for Longer: National Support for Local Action to Reduce Premature Mortality, launched in April, sets out what the health and care system will do to achieve the Government’s ambition to be amongst the best in Europe at reducing levels of premature mortality. It brings together in one place the national actions taken by the Department of Health and wider Government, NHS England and Public Health England, in prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, focusing on the five big killers, including lung disease, and shows how they will support local leadership and interventions.

The Department has supported a number of initiatives to help improve outcomes for people with respiratory disease. In July 2011, it published an outcomes strategy for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma in England, which sets out six high-level objectives to improve outcomes in these areas through high quality prevention, detection, treatment and care services. The Department has also supported the publication of a good practice guides on services for adults with asthma, which was published in 2012.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published Quality Standards for COPD and for asthma setting out the markers of high-quality, cost-effective care and the implementation of these will also raise the standard of care people with these conditions receive.

The Department has collaborated with the National Review of Asthma Deaths which is examined the circumstances surrounding deaths from asthma from 1 February 2012 to 30 January 2013 and reported on its findings in May of this year. Lessons learnt about the factors that contribute to asthma deaths will inform the NHS about what constitutes good care, and encourage the development of appropriate services for people with asthma.

Public Health England recently ran a local pilot campaign in Oldham and Rochdale to raise awareness amongst the public about the importance of visiting their general practitioner with symptoms of breathlessness.

02/11/2022
Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on (a) the current waiting time following referral for a first appointment at Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic (GIC), (b) how many people are currently receiving treatment at that clinic and how long the average wait is between appointments; what assessment his Department has made of how many patients Charing Cross GIC can treat in a year according to best practice guidelines and within existing resources; what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of NHS England on the steps necessary to increase provision of services for trans people; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb

We are advised by NHS England that there are currently seven gender identity clinics (GICs) in England and three providers of gender reassignment surgery. The nearest GIC to Brighton and Hove is located in London. These GIC clinics have considerable experience of delivering this highly specialised service and are able to accept referrals from all over the United Kingdom. At present there are no plans to undertake a procurement exercise to increase the number of providers.

NHS England report that waiting times for pre-surgical assessment at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust one of the three NHS England commissioned providers of gender surgery are currently running at around 12 months, compared to 10 months in 2013-14. The increase in waiting times is due to the increase in demand for the service nationally that has seen referrals increase from 195 in 2011-12 to 300 in 2013-14.

Individual patient waits vary according to the needs of the patient. Currently, the average wait for surgery is just under a year from the point at which funding is confirmed.

Information from the website of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust shows that there are currently 279 patients approved for this surgery and that it carried out 178 male to female gender reassignment operations in 2013-14.

Following a change in staffing, Imperial appointed a new gender reassignment surgeon who will start performing gender reassignment surgeries in September 2014. As a temporary measure, the trust is referring a small number of patients who have waited longer than others to a private provider under a sub-contracting arrangement with that provider, Imperial retain responsibility for managing all patient pathways.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has published an update of the position on its website, which can be viewed at the following link:

www.imperial.nhs.uk/aboutus/news/news_044629

The trust is also sending this information directly to patients.

These issues have not been the subject of discussions between Ministers and the Chief Executive of NHS England.

02/11/2022
Joe Benton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joe Benton on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department’s publication, Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2013, published in June 2014, which method of stopping the fetal heart besides feticide is referred to in paragraph 2.25.

Jane Ellison

No other such method is referred to or required as the publication refers to cases where the procedure is undertaken under general anaesthesia i.e. patient and fetus are anaesthetised.

02/11/2022
Joe Benton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joe Benton on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women who underwent an abortion in 2013 had previously had an ectopic pregnancy.

Jane Ellison

Information on women who had an abortion and had previously had an ectopic pregnancy is not available.

02/11/2022
Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether patients and their families are entitled to receive copies of consent forms they have signed.

Jane Ellison

It is a general legal and ethical principle that valid consent must be obtained from an individual before starting a treatment or physical intervention. For consent to be valid it must be given voluntarily by an appropriately informed person who has the capacity to consent to the intervention in question.

It is the responsibility of the doctor undertaking the treatment or investigation to ensure that they (or someone they delegate) obtain valid consent. The key elements of the discussion with the patient, including any specific requests by the patient, should be properly recorded in a person’s medical record or in a consent form. This might include that a copy of a consent form has been requested by, or given to, the patient or to their family should the patient agree to that.

The General Medical Council’s professional guidance on obtaining and recording consent, Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together , can be found at:

www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/consent_guidance_index.asp

Other sources of guidance for healthcare professionals on obtaining consent include the Department’s Reference guide to consent for examination or treatment (Second Edition) which can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/138296/dh_103653__1_.pdf

and the British Medical Association’s consent toolkit which can be found at:

http://bma.org.uk/practical-support-at-work/ethics/consent

02/11/2022
Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the British Medical Association and cancer groups on studies of the potential effects of aspirin on cancer.

Jane Ellison

We know that research carried out so far shows that taking a low dose of aspirin daily may lower the risk of getting cancer and it may lower the risk of some cancers spreading to other parts of the body. However, aspirin can cause serious side effects such as internal bleeding and we have to be certain that the benefits of taking aspirin outweigh the risks.

The third annual report of Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer, published in December 2013 reported that an international consensus statement on the use of aspirin in the general population has been developed by experts around the world, but is awaiting publication. Once the international consensus statement is published, we will assess what this means for policy in England, such as when the benefits might be outweighed by the disadvantages (particularly, the increased risk of gastric bleeds) and how best to manage the use of aspirin for prevention and treatment of cancer.

Cancer Research UK advises that anyone thinking of taking aspirin to reduce the risk of getting cancer should talk to their doctor first.

02/11/2022
Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that the operation to remove fibroids by MR Guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (MRgFUS) be available on the NHS.

Jane Ellison

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for determining clinical commissioning policy (including the availability of, or eligibility for, NHS funded treatment) on fibroid treatments. Local CCGs decide on how to best use funding allocated to them, underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs.

The Department is aware that in November 2011, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published Interventional Procedures Guidance [IPG413]: Magnetic resonance image-guided transcutaneous focused ultrasound for uterine fibroids.

The Department expects CCGs to consider any relevant NICE guidance as they design services to meet the needs of patients.

02/11/2022
Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to facilitate the establishment of a gender identity clinic in Brighton and Hove; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb

We are advised by NHS England that there are currently seven gender identity clinics (GICs) in England and three providers of gender reassignment surgery. The nearest GIC to Brighton and Hove is located in London. These GIC clinics have considerable experience of delivering this highly specialised service and are able to accept referrals from all over the United Kingdom. At present there are no plans to undertake a procurement exercise to increase the number of providers.

NHS England report that waiting times for pre-surgical assessment at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust one of the three NHS England commissioned providers of gender surgery are currently running at around 12 months, compared to 10 months in 2013-14. The increase in waiting times is due to the increase in demand for the service nationally that has seen referrals increase from 195 in 2011-12 to 300 in 2013-14.

Individual patient waits vary according to the needs of the patient. Currently, the average wait for surgery is just under a year from the point at which funding is confirmed.

Information from the website of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust shows that there are currently 279 patients approved for this surgery and that it carried out 178 male to female gender reassignment operations in 2013-14.

Following a change in staffing, Imperial appointed a new gender reassignment surgeon who will start performing gender reassignment surgeries in September 2014. As a temporary measure, the trust is referring a small number of patients who have waited longer than others to a private provider under a sub-contracting arrangement with that provider, Imperial retain responsibility for managing all patient pathways.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has published an update of the position on its website, which can be viewed at the following link:

www.imperial.nhs.uk/aboutus/news/news_044629

The trust is also sending this information directly to patients.

These issues have not been the subject of discussions between Ministers and the Chief Executive of NHS England.

02/11/2022