The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS was of treating patients with diabetic retinopathy in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.
Jane Ellison
We do not hold this information in the format requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to improve the quality of adult social care; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
The Government is committed to improving the quality of adult social care. We have taken a number of recent steps to do so.
In October 2014, we introduced a tougher inspection system by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Following inspections, the CQC now also awards each care service a single quality rating with providers rated as “Outstanding”, “Good”, “Requires Improvement” or “Inadequate”. Services rated “Inadequate” are being placed into Special Measure which means they could face closure if they fail to improve.
These new ratings and other information about the type and quality of care at every care home and homecare service in the country are now available on NHS Choices and the MyNHS Transparency website, making it much easier for people to compare the quality of services.
This year we introduced a Certificate of Fundamental Care, now known as the Care Certificate. This will help ensure that care workers can deliver a consistently high quality standard of care.
The Department is funding and working with a number of organisations including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Skills for Care, the Social Care Institute for Excellence, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association on a range of projects to help adult social care organisations and staff improve the quality of care. These resources include new NICE Quality Standards and Guidelines which bring clarity to what excellence looks like in care and Commissioning for Better Outcomes – A Route Map* that sets out a series of commissioning standards that will be used as part of local government sector-led improvement to drive best practices in local authority commissioning under their new duties in the Care Act 2015.
*Available at:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Prime Minister’s comments on the PFI scheme at Calderdale Royal Hospital, reported in the Halifax Courier on 21 April 2015, what steps he is taking to restructure that PFI scheme.
Alistair Burt
This is a matter for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Calderdale Royal Hospital.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received from charities and patients’ groups on the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund; and if he will make a statement.
George Freeman
The Department has received a number of representations on this issue from a wide range of interested parties including hon. Members, noble Lords, patient representative groups and charities, the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals.
This Government is committed to continuing to invest in the Cancer Drugs Fund which has helped over 72,000 people in England to receive the life-extending cancer drugs that would not otherwise have been routinely available to them.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s policy is for the handling and release of patient data over the next five years; and what principles have informed that policy.
George Freeman
The Personalised Heath and Care 2020 National Information Board Framework for Action published in November 2014 outlined the Governments policy for handling and release of patient data over the next five years. The document is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personalised-health-and-care-2020
The principles supporting this policy were outlined in Dame Fiona Caldecott’s Information Governance Review published in March 2013. The document is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-information-governance-review
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Mackinlay on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will undertake an urgent review into the increased use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on people considered incapacitated without their consent; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a ban on the forced use of ECT.
Alistair Burt
The use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for patients who are detained for treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Act) and for all patients under 18 years is governed by section 58A of the Act. If a patient lacks the capacity to consent a second opinion appointed doctor (SOAD) must certify that the patient lacks the capacity to consent and that:
– the treatment is appropriate;
– no valid and applicable advance decision has been made by the patient under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) refusing the treatment in question;
– no suitably authorised attorney or deputy objects to the treatment on the patients behalf; and
– the treatment would not conflict with a decision of the Court of Protection which prevents the treatment being given.
The numbers of these second opinions involving ECT have been declining for the past decade though there has been an increase since 2012/13. It is not clear whether this is a change in overall trend.
The requirements of section 58A can only be overridden in emergency if the treatment is necessary to save the patient’s life and to prevent a serious deterioration of the patient’s condition, and the treatment does not have unfavourable physical or psychological consequences which cannot be reversed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will estimate the number of asylum seeker applicants in the UK who were living in poverty in each of the last five years.
James Brokenshire
If asylum seekers are destitute they are provided with support by the UK taxpayer. The support usually consists of accommodation and a cash allowance to cover essential living needs.
The cash allowance is also provided if the asylum seeker is living with friends or relatives but needs assistance to meet their essential living needs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of asylum seeker applications made by Syrian nationals in each of the last five years received a decision in (a) three, (b) six and (c) 12 months.
Mr John Hayes
The tables below shows the proportion of asylum claims from Syrian nationals which received an initial decision within 3 months, 6 months and 12 months from 2010 to 2013. This data is based on main asylum claimants who made a claim for asylum from 1 October 2010 to 31 December 2014. We aim to decide all straightforward asylum claims within six months. We recognise that asylum cases are often complex and require our full and thorough consideration, meaning that some decisions will take longer than six months. Those cases that do take longer than six months are actively managed to ensure they are concluded as promptly as possible.
|
Year Application made |
Time from Application to Date of Decision |
||||
|
Decision made within 3 Months |
Within 6 Months |
Within 1 Year |
More than 1 Year |
No Decision made |
|
|
2010 |
117 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
|
Grand Total |
117 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
|
2011 |
273 |
36 |
20 |
23 |
0 |
|
Grand Total |
273 |
36 |
20 |
23 |
0 |
|
2012 |
819 |
77 |
64 |
21 |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
819 |
77 |
64 |
21 |
1 |
|
2013 |
1130 |
157 |
203 |
97 |
29 |
|
Grand Total |
1130 |
157 |
203 |
97 |
29 |
|
2014 |
603 |
1036 |
177 |
34 |
143 |
|
Grand Total |
603 |
1036 |
177 |
34 |
143 |
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seeker applications were received from Syrian nationals in each of the last five years; and how many such applicants were (a) refused, (b) granted refugee status, (c) granted humanitarian protection and (d) granted discretionary leave to remain.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office publishes an analysis of applications for whole-year cohorts of asylum seekers to establish the overall success rates following appeal; this is available in Table as_06 (Asylum data table Volume 2) of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. For the latest years, some cases will still be outstanding. This cohort analysis is therefore not able to provide a complete picture for the latest applications but for most years will provide the most complete description of the outcome for asylum seekers. The analysis of the outcomes of asylum applications are the recorded outcomes of the group (or cohort) of applicants in any one year, at a particular time. This dataset is updated, in full, annually and is currently available up to 2014.
Insert Table
A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics April – June 2015, is available from https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-09-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she plans to have with Ministers of the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive when assessing which refugees from the Middle East will be settled in the UK.
Richard Harrington
The Prime Minister and First Minister of Scotland have exchanged correspondence on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. We are working closely with the Scottish administration on the arrangements for resettling refugees, with a Home Office official attending the Scottish refugee taskforce. Discussions have taken place with representatives of the administrations of Wales and Northern Ireland.