Blog

  • Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Marie Morris on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of progress in the urgent and emergency care vanguard run by South Devon and Torbay System Resilience Group.

    George Freeman

    In July, NHS England and the NHS Five Year Forward View partners announced eight urgent and emergency care vanguards. This included the South Devon and Torbay System Resilience Group.

    The new care models programme team visited the vanguard on 21 October 2015. This was an opportunity for the new care models programme team and vanguard team to jointly explore the vanguard’s proposals in more detail and to better understand the challenges they may face in delivering them.

    As the vanguard is still in its mobilisation phase, the new care models team cannot, at this stage, comment in detail on progress. However, from visits and assessments carried out to date, the new care models programme team has stated that it is clear that the vanguard has ambitious plans, a clear vision and is moving at pace. This will enable it to establish the infrastructure required to deliver new models of care effectively, building on existing local relationships and structures and good practice.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that men make use of mental health services when they need them; and if he will make a statement.

    Alistair Burt

    We have committed to achieving parity of esteem for mental and physical health and improving access to mental health services for all people. We are implementing the first waiting times for mental health services to ensure more people have access to care when they need it and we have increased access to talking therapies through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.

    We know that men can sometimes be a hard to reach group for some mental health issues such as reducing the risk of suicide and reducing stigma and encouraging men to seek help for their mental health problems.

    We continue to provide financial support to the Time to Change programme which aims to reduce the stigma around mental health and we provide financial support to the National Suicide Prevention Alliance, which involves organisations from across Government, industry and the community, voluntary and charitable sectors to support delivery of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. Men are highlighted as a high risk group within the National Strategy for whom our suicide prevention activities should be prioritised.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial support his Department has provided to the National Suicide Prevention Alliance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department has provided the following financial support for the National Suicide Prevention Alliance since its establishment in 2012:

    Year

    Funding

    2013/14

    £60,000

    2014/15

    £60,000

    2015/16

    £60,000

    Total

    £180,000

    Source: Department of Health

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children in each parliamentary constituency are diagnosed with ADHD.

    Alistair Burt

    That information is not available centrally.

  • Oliver Heald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Oliver Heald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what checks locum agencies are required to make when they sub-contract the provision of staff to other locum agencies for temporary workers in the NHS or social services; what steps are taken to ensure proper checks are made on the quality and character of such staff; and if he will make a statement.

    Ben Gummer

    Providers of regulated health and social care services must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and comply with certain fundamental standards, including those relating to the employment of fit and proper persons.

    In the National Health Service, employing organisations have the overarching responsibility for auditing and monitoring compliance of third party suppliers of temporary workers (including locum doctors) to ensure that they operate to the same level of standards in relation to undertaking pre-appointment checks as outlined by the NHS Employment Check Standards. Under the framework agreements, all external staffing providers (including contractors and agencies) are required to provide assurances that they have robust recruitment processes in place in line with the NHS Employment Check Standards.

    Care workers also routinely use agencies to secure employment or apply to care homes and care providers directly. Employers in the care sector have a duty of care to patients and their families to take all appropriate action to ensure employees have the appropriate credentials to enable them to work in the sector. In cases of direct payment, where the council pays the care-recipient directly to employ a carer, this responsibility falls to the care recipient.

  • Oliver Heald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Oliver Heald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the quality and rigour of checks made by locum agencies of the character and credentials of staff to be provided to the NHS or social services; and if he will make a statement.

    Ben Gummer

    Providers of regulated health and social care services must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and comply with certain fundamental standards, including those relating to the employment of fit and proper persons.

    In the National Health Service, employing organisations have the overarching responsibility for auditing and monitoring compliance of third party suppliers of temporary workers (including locum doctors) to ensure that they operate to the same level of standards in relation to undertaking pre-appointment checks as outlined by the NHS Employment Check Standards. Under the framework agreements, all external staffing providers (including contractors and agencies) are required to provide assurances that they have robust recruitment processes in place in line with the NHS Employment Check Standards.

    Care workers also routinely use agencies to secure employment or apply to care homes and care providers directly. Employers in the care sector have a duty of care to patients and their families to take all appropriate action to ensure employees have the appropriate credentials to enable them to work in the sector. In cases of direct payment, where the council pays the care-recipient directly to employ a carer, this responsibility falls to the care recipient.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Care Quality during Oral Questions on 17 November 2015 on the establishment of a working party to examine issues regarding the availability of off-patent, repurposed drugs, when the working party was established; what the working party’s scope and terms of reference are; which organisations and individuals have been invited to join the working party; and when the next meeting of the working party will be convened.

    George Freeman

    The Government has not established a working party in relation to the Off-Patent Drugs Bill. We did hold a roundtable event in February 2015 with key stakeholders including charities and agreed several follow up actions. We have now agreed additional further actions:

    – arrange a further roundtable event specifically for those charities who would like to explore the Bill in more detail;

    – input in to the work of the Off-Patent Drugs Bill All Party Parliamentary Group; and

    – hold a Ministerial drop-in session on 30 November, for those who would like to discuss the Bill further. This will be hosted by myself.

  • Maria Caulfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Maria Caulfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many student midwives were in receipt of a bursary in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; what the average bursary paid to a student midwife was in each of those years; and what the total cost to the public purse in bursaries paid to student midwives was in each such year.

    Ben Gummer

    The number of midwifery students who were in receipt of a bursary, the average bursary paid to those students and the total cost of all bursaries paid to student midwives in each of the last 10 academic years is shown in the following table.

    Year

    Number of Bursary Holders1

    Total-Amount Paid2

    Average amount paid per Bursary holder

    2005/06

    3,901

    £22,067,168

    £5,657

    2006/07

    3,812

    £21,787,618

    £5,716

    2007/08

    3,996

    £23,228,490

    £5,813

    2008/09

    4,265

    £24,373,689

    £5,715

    2009/10

    4,777

    £27,539,804

    £5,765

    2010/11

    5,218

    £29,854,947

    £5,722

    2011/12

    5,345

    £31,358,058

    £5,867

    2012/13

    5,448

    £33,344,511

    £6,121

    2013/14

    6,077

    £35,631,880

    £5,863

    2014/153

    6,305

    £35,591,467

    £5,645

    Source: NHS Business Services Authority

    Notes:

    1 The figures relate to the number of students whose academic year fell within the period 1 September to 31 August. Includes nil award holders (European Union fees only students and students whose living allowance element of the bursary has been reduced to nil after income assessment)

    2 Includes the basic award and all supplementary allowances and one off payments.

    3 Figures are provisional and may be subject to minor change as a result of subsequent retrospective payments.

  • Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) the UK were admitted to mental health hospitals outside of their local authority area in the last five years.

    Alistair Burt

    Information on the number of patients who were admitted to mental health hospitals outside their home local authority in St Helens North constituency, Merseyside and the United Kingdom in each of the last five years is not available. However, information on the number of people in non-specialist mental health beds treated out of area between September 2014 and July 2015 is set out in the attached table: the number of people in non-specialist mental health bed, placed out of area at the end of the month, for England and Mersey Care NHS Trust, September 2014-July 2015.

  • Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the appropriateness of the use of amalgam in dental fillings.

    Alistair Burt

    Dental amalgam has been in use for over 150 years to restore teeth in millions of patients and, apart from rare instances of hypersensitivity, no adverse reactions have been identified. Alternative dental restorative materials are not so easily, quickly and reliably placed. Neither are they so durable. Due to improvements in oral health, the number of restorations is decreasing with the result that the safe management and disposal of dental amalgam is more easily achieved.

    The World Health Organization report Future Use of Materials for Dental Restorations November 2009 concluded that dental amalgam remains a dental restorative material of choice in the absence of an ideal alternative. The Department concurs with the conclusions of the report which can be found at:

    http://www.who.int/oral_health/publications/dental_material_2011.pdf

    “