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  • Michael Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Michael Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions Public Health England has had with NHS England on the commissioning of school nurses offering level one paediatric continence services since the transfer of school nurse commissioning responsibilities to local authorities.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England is a member of NHS England’s Complex Health Needs Board, which discusses matters such as continence support through school nurses.

    As continence services fall outside of the public health grant, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility for commissioning continence services and will have discussions with local partners regarding commissioning within the school nursing service. Public Health England’s communication with NHS England has been to stress the importance of promoting this partnership approach by CCGs to ensure that local school nursing services are able to incorporate appropriate levels of continence support.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what data his Department collects on the number of people who use electronic cigarettes.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department does not collect any data on the number of people who use electronic cigarettes. The Department makes use of various data sources, including that published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre and the Office for National Statistics as an evidence base for policy making. This includes the Opinions and Lifestyles Survey for electronic cigarette use by adults and the Smoking, Drinking and Drugs survey for use by young people.

  • Michael Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Michael Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of school nurses to offer basic support for children with continence problems since the transfer of school nurse commissioning to local authorities.

    Jane Ellison

    Responsibility for commissioning of continence services lies with clinical commissioning groups, who should lead local negotiations with local authority partners and school nurse providers to determine the level of service. Public Health England has developed commissioning guidance to support local delivery. As local delivery and capacity will vary according to local needs and resources, no national assessment has been undertaken.

  • Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many claims were made against GPs working outside of regular hours in each of the last five years; and what the average amount is for which the claim was made in that period.

    Ben Gummer

    Information on claims made against general practitioners (GPs) is not held centrally. In relation to clinical negligence claims made against GPs working outside of regular hours, these are in the main covered by the Medical Defence Organisations.

  • Michael Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Michael Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on ensuring that children attending educational settings have access to on-site support for continence problems.

    Jane Ellison

    There have been no recent discussions between the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Education on this issue. The Department for Education has published guidance for schools and the support that should be provided for pupils with medical needs which is set out in the document Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions, available at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions–3

    “

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the combined effect of the (a) increase in national insurance contributions and (b) one per cent 2015-16 pay increase for NHS staff which both took effect from 1 April 2016 on the take-home pay of NHS nurses.

    Alistair Burt

    The impact on take-home pay for National Health Service nurses, of the combined effect of these measures will depend on individual circumstances, in particular how much they are paid, whether they are members of the NHS Pension Scheme, whether they also received an annual increment and their personal tax allowance.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Written Statement to the House of 16 July 2015, HCWS113, on Publication of Learning not Blaming and Review of NHS Leadership, what assessment he has made of the consistency of the abolition of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s statutory Midwifery Committee with his plan to end the statutory supervision of midwives.

    Ben Gummer

    In the ‘Learning not blaming: The government response to Freedom to Speak Up, the Public Administration Select Committee report on clinical incidents, and the Morecambe Bay Investigation’, the Government accepted the recommendation to remove the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) current responsibility and accountability for statutory supervision of midwives in the United Kingdom and committed to changing the law as speedily as possible.

    The abolition of the statutory Midwifery Committee at the NMC is a consequence of the Law Commission review of professional regulators. The Midwifery Committee does not have a role in the statutory supervision of midwives. The NMC is considering how midwifery advice will be secured by the NMC if the Midwifery Committee is, after consultation, abolished. It has set up a Midwifery Panel of interested parties to do this.

    The proposals for a new design of supervision for midwifery, incorporated setting up a task force in each country of the UK under the auspices of each UK Chief Nursing Officer. They are currently working through plans to create new mechanisms and considering what systems and processes will replace the Local Supervising Authorities.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Written Statement of 16 July 2015, HCWS113, on Publication of Learning not Blaming and Review of NHS Leadership, what plans he has for a reporting mechanism to replace Local Supervising Authorities following the implementation of his plan to end statutory supervision of midwives.

    Ben Gummer

    In the ‘Learning not blaming: The government response to Freedom to Speak Up, the Public Administration Select Committee report on clinical incidents, and the Morecambe Bay Investigation’, the Government accepted the recommendation to remove the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) current responsibility and accountability for statutory supervision of midwives in the United Kingdom and committed to changing the law as speedily as possible.

    The abolition of the statutory Midwifery Committee at the NMC is a consequence of the Law Commission review of professional regulators. The Midwifery Committee does not have a role in the statutory supervision of midwives. The NMC is considering how midwifery advice will be secured by the NMC if the Midwifery Committee is, after consultation, abolished. It has set up a Midwifery Panel of interested parties to do this.

    The proposals for a new design of supervision for midwifery, incorporated setting up a task force in each country of the UK under the auspices of each UK Chief Nursing Officer. They are currently working through plans to create new mechanisms and considering what systems and processes will replace the Local Supervising Authorities.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to allow NHS bodies to designate people other than midwives as the lead clinical practitioner for women in pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal period.

    Ben Gummer

    There are no such plans. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has recently written to its external partners to provide reassurances about the proposed changes to midwifery supervision regulation and confirmed that there will be:

    ― No change to the protected title of ‘midwife’. Also the protected function of ‘attendance on a woman in childbirth’ will remain. Other than in an emergency or as part of training, only a midwife or medical practitioner can deliver a baby.

    ― No change to the scope of midwifery practice, which is much wider than the narrow protected function and is reflected in the standards of competence for registered midwives and their Code.

    On 21 April, the Department launched a consultation on the proposed changes to the NMC’s governing legislation to remove midwifery supervision from statute. The proposals do not suggest that midwifery supervision and the education and training to support this role will cease to exist, but that the additional tier of regulation for midwives will be removed resulting in a clear separation of the role and purpose of the supervision and regulation of midwives. The consultation closes on 17 June 2016.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on the University of Bristol study of the mortality rates of people with learning disabilities in NHS care, commissioned by NHS England and announced on 18 June 2015.

    Alistair Burt

    The University of Bristol has appointed the programme team who will oversee the mortality review programme and has consulted with interested parties on the methodologies and approaches to be used. A pilot review programme is underway in the North East and Cumbria which will be used to inform how the programme operates as it is rolled out. A plan is now in place to roll out the review across all regions of England between now and 2018, with pilots starting in other parts of the country during 2016/17. Additional resources have been made available to support regions in this work.