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  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the findings of Mental Health Foundation research into the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on the reduction in patient visits to the GP.

    Norman Lamb

    No such assessment of the saving to the National Health Service from the use of mindfulness interventions to reduce the number of general practitioner visits has been made.

    The Department is aware of the Mental Health Foundation’s research into the impact of mindfulness. The benefits of mindfulness are widely recognised. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance for the NHS has recommended Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression since 2004. MBCT is available through a number of Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services in England.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Details of United Kingdom-based visits undertaken by my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and his ministerial team since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was have been placed in the Library.

    The purpose of all these visits was to meet staff and patients and learn more about the service except where denoted with an asterisk.

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

  • Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to maintain the quality of services provided by children and adolescent mental health services in the UK.

    Norman Lamb

    NHS England has responsibility for commissioning Tier 4 (in-patient) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Tiers 1-3 CAMHS are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). There are a number of measures in place to ensure the quality of Tier 4 CAMHS provided by companies:

    – All providers of CAMHS need to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

    – National service specifications have been developed for Tier 4 CAMHS to which all service providers are required to adhere. These are used as part of the standard National Health Service contract. A copy of these documents can be found on NHS England’s website and accessed via the following links:

    www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-c/c07/

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/c07-tier4ch-ado-mh-aut.pdf

    – All providers are monitored against the standard contract through evidence based contract meetings. NHS England and the CQC may also undertake visits to the units to assess the quality of service being delivered.

    – Where concerns or issues are raised about a particular unit, such matters are referred to the Area Team Quality Surveillance Group, chaired by Directors of Nursing, for consideration and discussion.

    – Where there is significant cause for concern, NHS England may restrict or stop referrals to a particular unit. In extreme circumstances, the CQC has the powers to de-register a provider from being able to provide CAMH Services.

  • Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to increase the transparency of NICE’s decisions on the Cancer Drugs Fund to remove any restrictions on treatment use arising from budgetary pressures and increase its level of engagement with members of the public.

    Norman Lamb

    The operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund is the responsibility of NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence does not have a role in the management of the Fund.

    NHS England has a standard operating procedure for the Fund, which is available at:

    www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

  • Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to prevent NHS England from implementing restrictions on the use of new drugs for advanced prostate cancer, enzalutamide and abiraterone.

    Norman Lamb

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published technology appraisal guidance in June 2012 which recommends abiraterone (Zytiga) in its licensed indication for the treatment of castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen, subject to a patient access scheme agreed between the Department and the drug’s manufacturer.

    NICE is currently appraising (i) abiraterone for the treatment of metastatic hormone relapsed prostate cancer not previously treated with chemotherapy and (ii) enzalutamide for metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer in adults whose disease has progressed during or after docetaxel-containing chemotherapy.

    National Health Service commissioners are legally required to fund those treatments recommended by NICE in its technology appraisal guidance.

    In the absence of NICE technology appraisal guidance it is for the relevant NHS commissioner to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence. The NHS Constitution states that patients have the right to expect local decisions on the funding of drugs and treatments ‘to be made rationally following a proper consideration of the evidence’.

    We understand that abiraterone as a first-line treatment is available through the Cancer Drugs Fund to NHS patients in England who could benefit from it, and that enzalutamide is also available through the Cancer Drugs Fund to patients who meet specified clinical criteria.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total cost of GP visits was in each year since 1984 in which information is available.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Data on the total cost of general practitioner visits is not available. The Health and Social Care Information Centre collects data on the total expenditure on general practice, both including and excluding the cost of dispensed drugs. The latest available data is from 2012-13, and the earliest available data is 2003-04.

    Total Spend on general practice, 2003-04 to 2012-13 (£ million)

    Year

    Total Spend

    Total Net of Dispensing

    2003-04

    5,811

    5,006

    2004-05

    6,914

    6,061

    2005-06

    7,747

    6,864

    2006-07

    7,757

    6,943

    2007-08

    7,867

    7,053

    2008-09

    7,961

    7,145

    2009-10

    8,321

    7,514

    2010-11

    8,350

    7,543

    2011-12

    8,397

    7,607

    2012-13

    8,459

    7,690
  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average length of a GP consultation was in each year since 1984 for which data is available.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Data is not held centrally on the average length of general practitioner (GP) appointments.

    However, NHS England has advised that the latest information available indicates that the average consultation time with a GP is around 12 minutes (2006/07 GP Workload Survey).

  • Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the next British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey will be carried out.

    Norman Lamb

    The Department is currently looking at the options available for carrying out a new survey of children and young people’s mental health.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints his Department received from members of the public on care and treatment by Medway NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2010.

    Jane Ellison

    A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified 19 items of correspondence from members of the public received between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2010 which complain about care and treatment at Medway NHS Foundation Trust. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only.

  • Crispin Blunt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Crispin Blunt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what restrictions apply to the discretion of clinical commissioning groups to commission immunisation services.

    Jane Ellison

    Policy on what national immunisation programmes should be implemented and how best to implement them is the responsibility of the Department working with Public Health England and NHS England.

    Responsibility and funding for national immunisation programmes rests with NHS England. Clinical commissioning groups are free to consider the need and resourcing for local immunisation activity with their partners in local authorities, who are responsible for taking appropriate steps to improve local public health.