The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of medication given to patients with 22q11 syndrome; and if he will make a statement.
George Freeman
No such assessment has been made. There are no medicines currently licensed to treat 22q11 syndrome, but many of the problems experienced by people with the condition can be monitored and treated if necessary.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in (a) St Albans, (b) Hertfordshire, (c) East of England and (d) the UK have Lyme disease; and what steps is he taking to better treat such people.
Jane Ellison
In 2014, there were 730 laboratory confirmed Lyme disease cases reported in England & Wales. The data submitted is at the level of referring hospital; it does not indicate either where the patient lived or where they were when they contracted the disease and is not recorded at county or regional level. Most Lyme disease cases are diagnosed clinically and treated by general practitioners (GPs).
The National Health Service provides treatment for Lyme disease following current international best practice, and Public Health England (PHE) have issued guidance notes for medical professionals aimed at improving recognition, as well as a referral pathway for GPs to follow to seek specialist help for patients who suffer complications from the disease. PHE are investigating the feasibility of creating a network of physicians to develop standardised investigation and treatment protocols for Lyme disease patients with the aim of improving outcomes.
With Liverpool University and partners internationally, the rare and imported pathogens laboratory is setting up a research programme into the diagnosis of Lyme disease.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of womb cancer.
Jane Ellison
Public Health England (PHE) runs the ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaigns to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of specific cancers, and to encourage those with symptoms to see their doctor promptly.
Although womb cancer is not covered by ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ specifically, Public Health England is looking at developing an approach to raise awareness of generic symptoms that can indicate a wider number of cancers and the need to visit the doctor promptly with these symptoms. This work is currently in development, with the help of a number of experts, including clinicians and charities.
The NHS Choices website provides information on the symptoms of womb cancer and when to seek medical advice. This can be found by searching ‘womb cancer symptoms’ on NHS Choices: http://www.nhs.uk/pages/home.aspx
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve protection from meningococcal disease; and what steps he plans to take to protect people with low immunity from contracting meningococcal disease.
Jane Ellison
Proptection from meningococcal disease is provided through our successful vaccination programmes. The vaccination programme was recently extended to include vaccines against meningitis B and A,C,W and Y.
We also provide information in our resources on the signs and symptoms of meningitis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to make a cheaper, more effective vaccine against pneumococcal meningitis available on the NHS.
Jane Ellison
The availability and pricing of vaccines, including any targeting pneumococcal meningitis, are primarily matters for vaccine manufacturers. Available vaccines, and those close to being licensed, are considered and assessed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises the Department of Health, on their potential use in the national immunisation programme. Vaccines used in the national immunisation programme are chosen following stringent procurement processes, which include competitive tendering, in order to achieve best value for money.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department is encouraging the use of medical nutrition as a integral part of healthcare where there is an identified clinical need; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
Doctors are able to advise patients on any aspect of diet relevant to the treatment and management of a medical condition as part of their normal practise.
The Government also takes active steps to support healthy eating and vitamin supplementation as a protective measure. The Healthy Start scheme is a United Kingdom wide government scheme to improve the health of low income pregnant women and families on benefits and tax credits. Women who are at least 10 weeks pregnant and families with children under four years old get vouchers to spend on milk, plain fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables (with nothing added). They also receive a voucher to swap, free of charge, for Healthy Start vitamins. Healthy start vitamins contain the supplements recommended by the Department to prevent deficiency; Vitamins D and C and folic acid for pregnant women and vitamins A, C and D for children.
Hospital food standards for the National Health Service are written into the NHS Standard Contract 2015/16 which is the key document governing the purchase and provision of NHS services. Providers are obliged under the terms of their legally-binding contracts with commissioners to adhere to these requirements. The five food standards are:
For patient catering:
– The 10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care, NHS England
– Nutrition and Hydration Digest, British Dietetic Association
– Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool or equivalent, British Association for Parental and Enteral Nutrition.
For staff and visitor catering:
– Healthier and More Sustainable Catering – Nutrition Principles (for staff and visitor catering), Public Health England.
For all catering:
– Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services, Defra.
For patients whose dietary requirements are not represented by the ‘eatwell plate’, a personal nutritional care plan should be implemented and tailored dietetic advice sought. The specific nutritional needs of individual patients should always supersede the application of blanket principles.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 27 February 2015 to Question 225126, what steps he is taking to ensure growth in investment to increase endoscopy unit capacity in line with the recommendations of Professor Sir Mike Richards, Gateway Reference 16973, of 8 December 2011; and what assessment he has made of progress with planning for 10 to 15 per cent year-on-year increase in lower gastro intestinal endoscopy actively in reducing waiting times and ensuring high quality care.
Jane Ellison
Health Education England has pledged to fund the training of 200 non-medical endoscopists, which will significantly increase endoscopy capacity in England. The first cohort will begin training in January 2016. NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement Team (formerly NHS Improving Quality) is working intensively with trusts that have significant endoscopy waiting lists, in order to improve performance. NHS England is also exploring ways to improve endoscopy performance through pricing changes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Scully on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on implementing the plan for community pharmacists to access Summary Care Records; and if he will make a statement.
George Freeman
NHS England is now working with stakeholders to develop guidance and the arrangements for deployment so that all community pharmacists in England have access to the Summary Care Record. As this continues to be rolled out, it will enable more pharmacies to provide increased clinical services, helping to reduce the burden on other health and social care providers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with clinical commissioning groups on the implementation of recommendations contained in NHS England’s Nutrition and Hydration Commissioning Guidance.
Jane Ellison
Several clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) worked with NHS England to develop the guidance (Stafford, Leicesterand Rutland, Gateshead and Salford) and discussions continue with them about the ongoing implementation of the guidance.
NHS England’s patient experience team has had discussions with Sutton CCG about implementation of the guidance as part of the Care Home Vanguard programme there.
The five CCGs which make up North Central London Strategic Collaborative Commissioning Group are proposing to have one CQUIN to ensure they are ‘commissioning excellent nutrition and hydration’ services. This will be used for all nine acute providers that cover Barnet, Camden, Islington, Haringey and Enfield. They are going to share their proposed outcome measures as soon as they have been agreed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of meningococcal disease there have been in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) England since 2010.
Jane Ellison
National and regional data on the number of cases of invasive meningococcal disease in England are published by Public Health England based on the number of laboratory confirmed cases. There are no published figures by constituency, data are not reported against these boundaries because of the risk of deductive disclosure.
Number of laboratory confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease, Yorkshire and Humber and England: 2009/10 to 2014/15
|
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
|
|
Yorkshire and Humber |
82 |
105 |
69 |
95 |
67 |
|
England |
858 |
1009 |
730 |
769 |
636 |