Latest Posts – Page 12398

Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to roll out mobile telephone blocking technology across HM prisons estate.

Jeremy Wright

The National Offender Management Service is committed to addressing the risks that mobile phones present in prisons. Part of its response is to deploy technology in prisons that prevents mobile phones from working.

In 2012 the government enacted the Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy) Act 2012. The Act places the use of mobile phone signal interference technology in prisons on a clear legal footing, enabling maximum use of such technology and to enable private prisons to use it.

A number of prisons are equipped with ‘fixed’ (as opposed to ‘portable’) signal interference technology. Since 21 October 2013 around 300 short-range portable blockers have been deployed to 88 public sector prisons.

01/11/2022

Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2014-04-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library a copy of the business case for the outsourcing of compliance checks on tax credits claims.

Nicky Morgan

From April to July 2013, HMRC carried out a trial to test whether it would be feasible to increase the number of compliance checks on tax credits claims, through the use of private sector resource. HMRC will publish the evaluation of the trial and the customer research report in due course.

It is not appropriate to place the business case in the public domain given the commercial sensitivities and the risk of prejudice to HMRC’s ability to tackle tax credits error and fraud.

In terms of the external costs of the trial, I refer the Hon Member to the Thirty-Fourth Report of the Committee of Public Accounts [2013/14] into HMRC Tax Collection: Annual Report & Accounts 2012–13, which may be found at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmpubacc/666/66602.htm. All internal HMRC operating costs are published annually in the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts.

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01/11/2022

Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2014-04-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the performance of the Tax Credit Error and Fraud Adding Capacity trial involving the private company Transactis in 2013.

Nicky Morgan

From April to July 2013, HMRC carried out a trial to test whether it would be feasible to increase the number of compliance checks on tax credits claims, through the use of private sector resource. HMRC will publish the evaluation of the trial and the customer research report in due course.

It is not appropriate to place the business case in the public domain given the commercial sensitivities and the risk of prejudice to HMRC’s ability to tackle tax credits error and fraud.

In terms of the external costs of the trial, I refer the Hon Member to the Thirty-Fourth Report of the Committee of Public Accounts [2013/14] into HMRC Tax Collection: Annual Report & Accounts 2012–13, which may be found at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmpubacc/666/66602.htm. All internal HMRC operating costs are published annually in the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts.

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01/11/2022

Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2014-04-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been spent by HM Revenue and Customs on preparatory work for the outsourcing of Tax Credit Error and Fraud Adding Capacity to date.

Nicky Morgan

From April to July 2013, HMRC carried out a trial to test whether it would be feasible to increase the number of compliance checks on tax credits claims, through the use of private sector resource. HMRC will publish the evaluation of the trial and the customer research report in due course.

It is not appropriate to place the business case in the public domain given the commercial sensitivities and the risk of prejudice to HMRC’s ability to tackle tax credits error and fraud.

In terms of the external costs of the trial, I refer the Hon Member to the Thirty-Fourth Report of the Committee of Public Accounts [2013/14] into HMRC Tax Collection: Annual Report & Accounts 2012–13, which may be found at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmpubacc/666/66602.htm. All internal HMRC operating costs are published annually in the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts.

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01/11/2022

Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2014-04-29.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if HM Revenue and Customs will share the evaluation of the Tax Credit Error and Fraud Adding Capacity trial with recognised trade unions.

Nicky Morgan

From April to July 2013, HMRC carried out a trial to test whether it would be feasible to increase the number of compliance checks on tax credits claims, through the use of private sector resource. HMRC will publish the evaluation of the trial and the customer research report in due course.

It is not appropriate to place the business case in the public domain given the commercial sensitivities and the risk of prejudice to HMRC’s ability to tackle tax credits error and fraud.

In terms of the external costs of the trial, I refer the Hon Member to the Thirty-Fourth Report of the Committee of Public Accounts [2013/14] into HMRC Tax Collection: Annual Report & Accounts 2012–13, which may be found at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmpubacc/666/66602.htm. All internal HMRC operating costs are published annually in the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts.

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01/11/2022

Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Gibb on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the waiting time is for a routine new referral to Ophthalmology in the Western Sussex Hospitals Trust area; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter

Information on the median average waiting time for patients waiting to start consultant-led ophthalmology treatment for all National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts in England is shown in the following table.

Latest data for February 2014 shows that the median average waiting time for patients waiting to start consultant-led ophthalmology treatment in the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is 8.6 weeks.

Monthly Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times for incomplete pathways in ophthalmology, February 2014

Provider Name	Average (Median) Waiting Time (In Weeks)
Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust	4.1
Ashford And St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
Barts Health NHS Trust	6.2
Bedford Hospital NHS Trust	6.0
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	7.3
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust	5.5
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
Brighton And Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust	5.7
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	10.2
Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.2
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.1
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.5
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust	5.1
Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.4
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust	6.8
Coventry And Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust	4.4
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust	4.9
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust	5.3
Doncaster And Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.0
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.9
Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust	8.8
East And North Hertfordshire NHS Trust	4.5
East Cheshire NHS Trust	6.1
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust	4.2
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	6.0
Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust	4.9
Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.5
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust	2.7
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.3
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	7.5
Guy’s And St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust	4.2
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust	5.5
Heart Of England NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust	3.6
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	3.0
Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	5.5
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust	5.1
Isle Of Wight NHS Trust	5.5
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.8
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.1
Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	4.6
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.0
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	4.8
Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Trust	5.1
Luton And Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.1
Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust	6.3
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust	5.7
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	5.4
Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	4.0
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	6.4
North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust	7.2
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust	6.0
North West London Hospitals NHS Trust	3.8
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust	4.2
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust	5.5
Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust	5.4
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	5.3
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust	8.5
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	5.4
Peterborough And Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.4
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust	5.8
Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust	5.6
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	8.8
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust	6.7
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust	5.5
Royal Devon And Exeter NHS Foundation Trust	4.8
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust	6.8
Royal Liverpool And Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust	4.6
Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.9
Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust	5.2
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust	4.0
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust	4.5
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust	10.4
South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	4.2
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	6.3
South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust	6.8
South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust	5.8
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.4
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust	4.4
Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust	3.5
St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust	7.0
St Helens And Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust	4.7
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust	6.7
Surrey And Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	6.2
Taunton And Somerset NHS Foundation Trust	8.3
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust	5.8
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.1
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	5.4
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust	3.2
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust	2.1
The Royal Bournemouth And Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.2
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust	4.5
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust	6.2
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.9
University Hospital Of North Staffordshire NHS Trust	4.8
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust	5.2
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust	5.8
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust	5.2
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust	5.5
Warrington And Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	3.4
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust	10.8
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust	3.1
Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	8.6
Weston Area Health NHS Trust	5.6
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.0
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	4.7
Worcestershire Health And Care NHS Trust	4.2
Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust	4.0
Wye Valley NHS Trust	5.6
Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	3.0
York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.4

Notes:

1. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits.

2. Median waiting times are not calculated for organisations (and treatment functions) with less than 50 pathways in the month.

3. The following trusts did not submit any RTT incomplete pathway data for February 2014:

– Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust;

– Barking, Havering & Redbridge NHS Trust;

– Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;

– Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;

– The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust; and

– Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust.

01/11/2022

Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Gibb on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the waiting time is for new routine referrals to Ophthalmology in each NHS hospital trust area.

Dr Daniel Poulter

Information on the median average waiting time for patients waiting to start consultant-led ophthalmology treatment for all National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts in England is shown in the following table.

Latest data for February 2014 shows that the median average waiting time for patients waiting to start consultant-led ophthalmology treatment in the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is 8.6 weeks.

Monthly Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times for incomplete pathways in ophthalmology, February 2014

Provider Name	Average (Median) Waiting Time (In Weeks)
Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust	4.1
Ashford And St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
Barts Health NHS Trust	6.2
Bedford Hospital NHS Trust	6.0
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	7.3
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust	5.5
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
Brighton And Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust	5.7
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	10.2
Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Calderdale And Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.2
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
Chelsea And Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.1
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.5
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust	5.1
Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.4
County Durham And Darlington NHS Foundation Trust	6.8
Coventry And Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust	4.4
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust	4.9
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust	5.3
Doncaster And Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.0
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.9
Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust	8.8
East And North Hertfordshire NHS Trust	4.5
East Cheshire NHS Trust	6.1
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust	4.9
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust	4.2
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	6.0
Epsom And St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust	4.9
Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.5
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust	2.7
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.3
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	7.5
Guy’s And St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust	4.2
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust	5.5
Heart Of England NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust	3.6
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	3.0
Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	5.5
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust	5.1
Isle Of Wight NHS Trust	5.5
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.8
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.1
Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	4.6
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.0
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	4.8
Lewisham And Greenwich NHS Trust	5.1
Luton And Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.1
Maidstone And Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust	6.3
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust	5.7
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	5.4
Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	4.0
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	6.4
North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust	7.2
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust	6.0
North West London Hospitals NHS Trust	3.8
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust	4.2
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust	5.5
Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust	5.4
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	5.3
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust	8.5
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	5.4
Peterborough And Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.4
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust	5.8
Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.7
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust	5.6
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	8.8
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust	6.7
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust	5.5
Royal Devon And Exeter NHS Foundation Trust	4.8
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust	6.8
Royal Liverpool And Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust	4.6
Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.9
Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust	5.2
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust	4.0
Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust	4.5
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust	10.4
South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	4.2
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	6.3
South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust	6.8
South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust	5.8
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.4
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust	4.4
Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust	3.5
St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust	7.0
St Helens And Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust	4.7
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust	6.7
Surrey And Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	6.2
Taunton And Somerset NHS Foundation Trust	8.3
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust	5.8
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.1
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	4.7
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	5.4
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust	3.2
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust	2.1
The Royal Bournemouth And Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.2
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust	4.5
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust	6.2
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	5.9
University Hospital Of North Staffordshire NHS Trust	4.8
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust	5.6
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	5.3
University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust	5.2
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust	5.8
University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust	5.2
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust	5.5
Warrington And Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	3.4
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust	10.8
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust	3.1
Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	8.6
Weston Area Health NHS Trust	5.6
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	6.0
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	4.7
Worcestershire Health And Care NHS Trust	4.2
Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust	4.0
Wye Valley NHS Trust	5.6
Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	3.0
York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	5.4

Notes:

1. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits.

2. Median waiting times are not calculated for organisations (and treatment functions) with less than 50 pathways in the month.

3. The following trusts did not submit any RTT incomplete pathway data for February 2014:

– Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust;

– Barking, Havering & Redbridge NHS Trust;

– Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;

– Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;

– The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust; and

– Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust.

01/11/2022

Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the effects of the removal of the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee on (a) GP services and (b) the income of GPs; and if he will commission research on the range and extent on GP income in Tower Hamlets.

Dr Daniel Poulter

As part of the general practitioner (GP) contract settlement in 2013, the Department decided to phase out Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG) top up payments over a seven year period, starting in the coming financial year 2014-15. This means that MPIG payments to practices will be reduced by one-seventh every year from 1 April 2014.

The money released by doing this will be reinvested in the basic payments made to all General Medical Services practices, which are based on numbers of patients and key determinants of practice workload, such as patient age, health needs and the unavoidable costs of providing services in rural areas. The decision to implement the changes over a period of seven years is designed to allow those practices that will lose funding to adjust gradually.

GPs are independent contractors and are responsible for deciding their own levels of income. The decision on how to address specific local issues will be taken by NHS England’s area teams after a full assessment of local circumstances. We understand that NHS England’s primary care team in London is in regular contact with the Chief Officer of Tower Hamlets clinical commissioning group about this issue.

01/11/2022

Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on the (a) numbers of GP practices and (b) services offered by GP practices of removing performance indicators from the Quality Outcomes Framework.

Jane Ellison

We have reduced the number of indicators in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) by more than a third. This is intended to free up time for general practitioners (GPs) to provide more personalised care which includes the new responsibility of providing a named GP for all of their patients aged 75 and over. The money released from the QOF will be reinvested in general practice.

We understand that NHS England is currently developing the specifications and reporting protocols that will be required to capture the information provided by the retired QOF indicators.

This will enable NHS England’s commissioning teams, clinical commissioning groups and the Care Quality Commission to take this information into account in reaching rounded judgements about the quality of care provided by general practice. It will also be used to evaluate the impact of the indicators that were retired on 1 April 2014, and will inform future decisions about the development of QOF.

NHS England has recently undertaken an analysis to identify ‘outlier’ practices – those that will lose the largest amount of funding per patient as a result of the phasing out of the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee. Details of these practices have been sent to NHS England area teams.

In a small number of cases where there are exceptional underlying factors that necessitate additional funding – for example because a practice is serving an atypical population – it is anticipated that area teams will meet with the practices to discuss and agree arrangements to ensure that appropriate services for patients continue to be available.

01/11/2022

Fiona Bruce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance he gives on ensuring that all women seeking an abortion are given accurate, complete, balanced and up-to-date information regarding the potential health risks of the procedure.

Jane Ellison

Clinical guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion (November 2011) recommends that services should make sure that “written, objective, evidence-guided information is available for women considering abortion to take away before the procedure. Information should be in a variety of languages and formats”. In addition, “staff providing abortion services should provide up-to-date evidence-guided information, supported by local data where robust, about complications and sequelae of abortion”.

The Department requires independent sector providers to provide women with impartial evidence-based information (verbal and written) which includes “what to expect, during and after the abortion (to include potential side effects, complications and any clinical implications)”. Also the Care Quality Commission’s Essential Standards of Quality and Safety require that “the risks, benefits and alternative options are discussed and explained in a way that the person who uses the service is able to understand.”

01/11/2022

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