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  • Graham Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Graham Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 25 April 2014, Official Report, column 717W, on human trafficking, what information her Department holds on the current safety of victims who received Conclusive Grounds decisions and returned home in (a) January, (b) February and (c) March 2014; and if she will make a statement.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government does not hold information on the whereabouts of victims once
    they have left the victim support service.

    Care and support for victims, once they receive a positive Conclusive Grounds
    decision is being considered as part of the review of the National Referral
    Mechanism and as part of the re-tender of the Government’s victim support
    service.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to continue to fund a regular national audit of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England intends to continue to fund the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) audit as part of the NCAPOP (National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme).

    The COPD and asthma outcomes strategy was published by the Department around the time of the National Health Service transition to the current structures. It was designed to help NHS commissioners understand the key evidence based and cost effective interventions which would improve the quality of care for patients with COPD. As such, it was not intended to be supported by an implementation plan.

    In May 2012, the Department published the NHS Companion Document to the Outcomes Strategy, setting out how the NHS can implement changes at a local level.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce premature mortality from respiratory disease in Peterborough constituency.

    Jane Ellison

    The NHS Outcomes Framework 2014/15 sets out the Department’s priority areas for the National Health Service. It includes reducing deaths from respiratory disease as a key indicator and highlights the need to reduce unplanned hospital admissions due to asthma.

    The Mandate for NHS England, set by the Government, requires NHS England to improve outcomes, including the prevention of premature deaths from respiratory disease and to support people with long term conditions.

    Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) plan, develop and improve local NHS services for their population, taking into account local priorities. We are advised by NHS England that reducing premature mortality from respiratory disease is included in one of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG’s key priorities – reducing coronary heart disease. Activity is concentrated in the more deprived areas of Cambridgeshire, including Peterborough.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding will be designated for basic and applied research into respiratory disease in 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of applied clinical research, but does not fund fundamental laboratory-based research, which is funded by other organisations including the Medical Research Council (MRC) and medical research charities.

    The usual practice of the NIHR and of the MRC is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available.

    The Department’s NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including respiratory disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the National Health Service, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

    Spend on research funded directly by the Department’s NIHR from 2010-11 to 2012-13 in respiratory disease is shown as follows. The complete information on NIHR spend in 2013-14 is not currently available. These figures do not take account of NIHR expenditure on research infrastructure and systems where spend cannot be attributed to health categories.

    Health category

    2010-11

    £

    2011-12

    £

    2012-13

    £

    Respiratory

    18,192,188

    20,234,850

    24,692,314
  • Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department’s submission to the Inter-Departmental Group for the Valuation of Life and Health review and all evidence submitted to the series of interviews with his Department’s staff conducted by researchers from the University of Leeds in 2008.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    I refer my Rt. hon. Friend to the answer given on 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 283W.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) interest rate and (b) repayment plans a clinical commissioning group is allowed to set when providing financial support to a neighbouring clinical commissioning group.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    NHS England has responsibility for clinical commissioning group (CCG) funding.

    We are informed by NHS England that there is no provision for financial support between CCGs, and therefore no regime for repayment and/or interest.

    CCGs are expected to live within the resources allocated to them, but in rare cases where this is not possible, and subject to detailed assurance by NHS England Area Teams, a deficit plan is agreed and centrally funded. CCGs are expected to repay such funding over an agreed timescale in accordance with an approved recovery plan. The same applies if a CCG with a planned surplus records a deficit in year.

    In some cases, neighbouring CCGs have opted to enter into risk sharing or investment pooling arrangements, for example, in the context of shared commissioning arrangements or to facilitate wider health economy transformation programmes. The precise arrangements for such risk sharing are a matter for local determination by the governing bodies concerned, and they would be expected to ensure that these agreements were transparently documented and did not impact adversely on patient services.

  • Mark Menzies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Menzies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make available additional funding to improve care for people with dementia.

    Norman Lamb

    Improving dementia care is a priority for the Government, and the Prime Minister. On the 28 February, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced his ambition for improving dementia care and support for people with dementia, their family and carers.

    NHS England has identified around £90 million annually that is available nationally to the National Health Service to support timely diagnosis of dementia and to ensure that by 2015, two-thirds of people with dementia have a diagnosis and receive appropriate support following diagnosis.

    The Department has committed to double funding for research for dementia by 2015.

    The Department has also provided major funding to improve dementia care for the following:

    – Dementia Friends programme, £2.4 million funded by Cabinet Office and the Department;

    – Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) £54 million in April 2012 and £108 million in April 2013;

    – Dementia Friendly Environments Capital Fund £50 million, October 2012;

    – Dementia Awareness Campaign £3.2 million, September 2012;

    – Dementia Workforce Development Fund for Social Care Staff (administered by Skills for Care) £2.4 million July 2012. In addition to this we have funded further Workforce Projects to the value of £1,640,000 since 2012-13 (£540,000 in 2012-13, £700,000 in 2013-14 and £400,000 planned for 2014-15);

    – Breakthrough Innovation Challenge Prize £1 million announced, June 2012; and

    – Social Services support to Memory Services £10 million, September 2011.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which NHS health trusts have (a) recruited and (b) advertised for staff outside the UK since 1 January 2013.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Department does not hold information on National Health Service trusts that have recruited or advertised for staff outside the United Kingdom since 1 January 2013.

    It is the responsibility of local NHS organisations to plan and deliver a workforce appropriate to the needs of their local population, based on clinical need and sound evidence.

    The nature of the NHS labour market means that supply shortages in specific specialisms and geographies do exist. It is likely that some overseas recruitment will be necessary to support the qualified workforce supply, however, the NHS now has many more healthcare professionals, and is much closer to self-sufficiency – in line with World Health Organization recommendations.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps so that Public Health England introduces a case-finding spirometry test component as part of the NHS Health Check for people aged between 40 and 74.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for advising the Department on potential content changes to the NHS Health Check programme. The agency has established an Expert Scientific and Clinical Advisory Panel to oversee this process. The panel includes representation from the National Screening Committee, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and wider experts.

    It is not feasible to make frequent changes to the programme. PHE reviews new content proposals every 12 months and will consider spirometry when it next begins this process in the winter of 2014.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he or other Ministers of his Department have visited a liver unit since taking office.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Since May 2010 the following visits were undertaken by Ministers in the Department to liver units.

    23 November 2010 Anne Milton King’s College Hospital

    Tour of our Haematology and Liver Transplantation

    departments

    13 January 2011 Mr Andrew Lansley King’s College Hospital NHS

    Foundation Trust

    Tour of Liver Intensive Therapy Unit (LITU) on Cheyne Wing

    Since May 2010, the following visits were undertaken by Ministers in the Department to alcohol dependency units that also specialise in liver treatment.

    16 December 2010 Anne Milton Hope House in Clapham

    (Drugs/alcohol dependency)

    21 July 2011 Earl Howe Royal Bolton Hospital

    (Alcohol dependency)

    1 March 2012 Mr Andrew Lansley The Carpenters Arms

    (Rehabilitation charity for alcohol and drugs)

    25 October 2012 Anna Soubry Bristol Tranquiliser Project

    (Drugs/alcohol dependency)

    29 March 2012 Earl Howe Mossley Hill Hospital

    (Alcohol dependency treatment centre)

    24 January 2013 Anna Soubry Mount Carmel (charity)

    (Alcohol Treatment Centre)

    6 June 2013 Dr Daniel Poulter Brighton Housing Trust

    (Meeting Community Alcohol NHS Team)

    13 February 2014 Dr Daniel Poulter The Habour centre, Alcohol and drug service, Plymouth