The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on the NHS of missed outpatient appointments due to (a) public transport and (b) other reasons.
Jane Ellison
The information requested is not held centrally and no assessment has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of services targeted at young people with dementia.
Jane Ellison
The Government is clear that all types of dementia remain a priority and will implement the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020 in full to make sure that dementia care, support, awareness and research are transformed by 2020. That is why on 21 February 2015, the 2020 Challenge was launched.
Under the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020, we wish to encourage greater personalisation in the provision of post-diagnosis services including for younger people with dementia – this means building support around the individual with dementia, their carer and family and providing them with more choice, control and flexibility in the way they receive care and support – regardless of the setting in which they receive it.
The Challenge recognises that local commissioners and providers need to continue to improve their understanding of the best ways to tailor post-diagnosis support services based on their local population’s needs.
It is therefore for clinical commissioning groups and local authorities, working together, to ensure that high quality, personalised services are delivered for people with dementia and their carers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will introduce a bill to reform the regulation of healthcare professionals; and if he will make a statement.
Ben Gummer
This Government is grateful for the work of the Law Commissions of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in reviewing the regulation of health and (in England) social care professionals.
The Law Commissions made 125 recommendations to reform the existing complex and burdensome regulatory system. The joint four UK country response to the Law Commissions was published on 29 January 2015 which accepted wholly or in part the vast majority of its recommendations.
The Department is currently reviewing how best to take forward the work of the Law Commissions. We hope to be able to provide an update on this work soon.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2015 to Question 11834 to the hon. Member for Salford and Eccles, on what date he plans to announce the consultation on reform of the scheme for support for people affected by contaminated blood products.
Jane Ellison
The Department is currently awaiting the conclusion of the Spending Review and so we cannot provide a date for the full consultation at this time. However, it remains a priority and will be publicly announced.
The consultation will allow individuals who are affected by this tragedy the opportunity to express their views on what support they would value in a reformed scheme. The details of the consultation will be published on the Government’s website, including details of how those who are interested can respond.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to work with businesses to improve the health of the workforce.
Jane Ellison
The Workplace Wellbeing Charter, published by Public Health England (PHE) provides a national standard for employers of all sizes and sectors with a systematic, evidence-based approach to workplace health improvement. The Charter is commissioned and coordinated by local authorities to support coherent action by businesses to improve the health of the local population.
The Workplace Wellbeing Charter consolidates the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance relating to employer action. Organisations are accredited across critical areas such as leadership, specific health issues, systems for absence management and health and safety at three levels; commitment, achievement and excellence.
PHE has worked with the Work@Health Centre, Alzheimer’s Society and British Heart Foundation and other partners to develop a series of topic based guides for businesses to support action on specific areas such as the food environment in workplaces and promoting physical activity and supporting carers.
PHE is currently working with Business in the Community on a new resource for businesses focused specifically on addressing mental health issues building on the existing best practice and considering the transferable learning between business sectors and businesses of different sizes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what timetable he proposes for legislative reform of the regulation of health care professionals.
Ben Gummer
This Government is grateful for the work of the Law Commissions of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in reviewing the regulation of health and (in England) social care professionals.
The Law Commissions made 125 recommendations to reform the existing complex and burdensome regulatory system. The joint four UK country response to the Law Commissions was published on 29 January 2015 which accepted wholly or in part the vast majority of its recommendations.
The Department is currently reviewing how best to take forward the work of the Law Commissions. We hope to be able to provide an update on this work soon.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the regulation of nurses and midwives remains appropriate for the health and social care environment as it evolves.
Ben Gummer
The Department is taking forward a Section 60 Order (of the Health Act 1999) which will remove statutory midwifery supervision from the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC’s) governing legislation.
The Department is also in discussions with the NMC on what other reforms may be achieved through the Order.
The Orderwill be subject to a full public consultation early next year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the Israeli government on the Children in Military Custody report, funded by his Department, which was published in June 2012.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have held roundtable meetings with Israeli officials to discuss the Children in Military Custody report, most recently on 19 May. Since the publication of the report, there has been some progress on the issue of children held in military detention. This includes piloting of sending summons instead of carrying out night-time arrests, changes to standard operating procedures on methods of restraint, and steps to reduce the amount of time a child can be detained before seeing a judge. There has also been a reduction in the use of solitary confinement and an increase in the use of Arabic to give notifications of arrest. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to push for further progress with Israeli officials. On 27 August, our Ambassador to Tel Aviv lobbied the Israeli Military Advocate General on Children in Detention where the issue of child detention was discussed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with the Moroccan ambassador to the UK Morocco’s ban on the UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy to the Western Sahara visiting Western Sahara during his visit to that region to facilitate negotiations called for by the UN Security Council.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
With Ambassadors of other members of the Group of Friends of Western Sahara, the British Ambassador to Morocco raised this issue with the Moroccan Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs on 13 November. The Group of Friends welcomed the assurances they received that the Secretary-General’s Envoy would not be prevented from visiting Western Sahara.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of continuing evictions of Palestinians from East Jerusalem on prospects for a two-state solution in that region.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are concerned about recent evictions of Palestinians from Silwan, and the threat of eviction of Palestinian families, from the Old City in Jerusalem. We view any attempts to change the facts on the ground as a serious provocation likely to raise tensions on the ground and cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians, as well as being harmful to the peace process and, of course, in contravention of international law. The UK’s remains committed to the achievement of a two-state solution.