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  • Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the incidence of Crohn’s disease.

    Norman Lamb

    The Department has made no assessment of the incidence of Crohn’s disease. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2012 guideline Crohn’s Disease Management in Adults, Children and Young People, states that there are currently at least 115,000 people in the United Kingdom with Crohn’s disease.

    The NICE guideline sets out best practice on the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with Crohn’s disease. This includes, ‘Minimising psychological concerns and possible side effects of treatment are fundamental to best practice for all people with Crohn’s disease, whatever their age’, which could include access to psychological support, if appropriate. The guideline also recommends that clinicians give patients with Crohn’s disease contact details for relevant support groups. The full guideline can be found at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg152.

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to provide additional support for girls with autism.

    Norman Lamb

    National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on autism recommends a multi-disciplinary diagnostic pathway, involving different professionals according to the child’s presentation, and it highlights that girls are an at-risk group for under-diagnosis.

    Responsibility sits with clinical commissioning groups to ensure that diagnostic services are commissioned in their area in accordance with the NICE guidance.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with multiple sclerosis receive adequate treatment, care and support.

    Norman Lamb

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance Multiple sclerosis: management of multiple sclerosis in primary and secondary care, updated in October 2014, sets out best practice on the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The guidance makes a range of recommendations on drug based treatments for MS, but also highlights the importance of involving professionals who can meet the needs of the patient in the best way, such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

    With regard to early diagnosis, MS is a difficult condition to diagnose as a number of the symptoms such as fatigue, depression or dizziness may be unrelated. The guidance sets out a number of initial presentations that clinicians should be aware of when looking for signs of MS. It also recommends a number of assessments a clinician should make, including testing of vision and blood tests before referral to a consultant neurologist, who can confirm or exclude a diagnosis of MS, subject to investigation.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that multiple sclerosis is detected at the earliest possible stage.

    Norman Lamb

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance Multiple sclerosis: management of multiple sclerosis in primary and secondary care, updated in October 2014, sets out best practice on the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The guidance makes a range of recommendations on drug based treatments for MS, but also highlights the importance of involving professionals who can meet the needs of the patient in the best way, such as physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

    With regard to early diagnosis, MS is a difficult condition to diagnose as a number of the symptoms such as fatigue, depression or dizziness may be unrelated. The guidance sets out a number of initial presentations that clinicians should be aware of when looking for signs of MS. It also recommends a number of assessments a clinician should make, including testing of vision and blood tests before referral to a consultant neurologist, who can confirm or exclude a diagnosis of MS, subject to investigation.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many teenage girls and women died in each of the last five years from toxic shock syndrome caused by tampon use.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that the disability benefits regime takes into account the symptoms of multiple sclerosis which are sometimes hidden.

    Mr Mark Harper

    Eligibility for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not based on the type of health condition or impairment an individual may have but the impact it has on their everyday life or their capability for work.

    Individuals making a claim for these benefits are assessed by Healthcare Professionals who must complete comprehensive training in disability assessment, including fluctuating conditions; they have their work regularly audited and are required to keep their continuing professional education up to date.

  • Jon Trickett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jon Trickett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the meningitis B vaccine to be made available on the NHS; and what steps he is taking to make progress on price negotiations with Novartis for that vaccine.

    Jane Ellison

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 February 2015 to Question 222863.

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  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with the North West Amublance Service on ambulance cover and ambulance waiting times in (a) Preston and (b) the North West in 2014.

    Jane Ellison

    My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State chaired a teleconference with the heads of all regional ambulance services, including the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, on 12 October 2014 to discuss their contingency plans ahead of industrial action the following week.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rosie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the transfer of kidney dialysis commissioning to local clinical commissioning groups on future capital funding for maintenance and renewal of dialysis facilities and equipment.

    Jane Ellison

    Significant work has been undertaken by NHS England to analyse current specialised commissioning expenditure patterns at clinical commissioning group (CCG) level. This CCG level monitoring will continue in 2015/16 with the aim of improving commissioning decisions.

    There is no planned transfer of renal dialysis budgets from NHS England to CCGs in either the current financial year or during 2015-16. It is for Ministers to decide, with independent advice, the conditions that should be on the specialised commissioning list.

    Neither NHS England specialised commissioners nor CCGs have control over capital funding for dialysis facilities and maintenance. Capital funding for renewal of dialysis facilities and equipment remains with the incumbent providers. Ensuring that these facilities are of appropriate quality is achieved through the application of detailed service specifications which form part of the contract with providers.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rosie Cooper – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, columns 261-3W, on psoriasis, what development to Read codes was found to be necessary by the Health and Social Care Information Centre to support the indicators proposed for psoriasis.

    Norman Lamb

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Clinical Commissioning Group Outcome Indicator Set (CCG OIS) Advisory Committee considered the following draft psoriasis indicators, derived from the NICE Psoriasis Quality Standard, at its meeting in October 2014:

    – PSO 5.1 Psoriasis: assessment for psoriatic arthritis;

    – PSO 6.2 Skin disease: time off school or work due to skin disease;

    – PSO 6.3 Psoriasis: skin clearance; and

    – PSO 3.2 Psoriasis: Patient experience: access to secondary care services.

    It was the decision of the committee that the indicators did not meet the prioritisation criteria, as set out in the NICE Indicator Process guide. The primary reason for this was that the majority of care for people with psoriasis is provided in primary care and the CCG OIS is focused on care provided in secondary care. As such, the committee has not put forward any of the psoriasis indicators for further development and testing by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). The HSCIC has not, therefore, undertaken any further work on the development of Read Codes for this topic.

    The NICE indicator process guide and the NICE consultation document setting out those indicators which did meet the prioritisation criteria can be found at the links below:

    www.nice.org.uk/media/03E/31/Indicators_process_guide.pdf

    www.nice.org.uk/media/default/Standards-and-indicators/CCGOIS-indicator-consultation.pdf

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