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  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health of 26 November 2015, Official Report, column 1481, what the (a) timetable and (b) terms of reference are of the review of blood donation policy by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs.

    Jane Ellison

    The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) decided at its meeting in January 2016 to carry out a review of deferral criteria for blood donors in relation to risks both from sexually transmitted diseases and from infections potentially transmitted by other routes, for example, tattooing or intravenous drug use.

    The process will fully involve stakeholders, and will be incremental, with published progress reports and any intermediate advice. The terms of reference will be published once approved by SaBTO.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to (a) measure and (b) evaluate the effect of the men who have sex with men human papillomavirus vaccination programme on reducing rates of infection.

    Jane Ellison

    In November 2015, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that a targeted human papilloma virus vaccination programme for men who have sex with men attending genito-urinary medicine and HIV clinics should be undertaken, subject to procurement of the vaccine and delivery of the programme at a cost-effective price. The Department and Public Health England are considering the JCVI’s advice, including how such a programme could be monitored and evaluated.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to prevent EU health tourism.

    Alistair Burt

    Since its inception in 2013, the Department’s Visitor and Migrant NHS Cost Recovery Programme has been working to design and implement key improvements to ensure that those people who should pay for National Health Service care are identified and charged.

    Achievements include:

    – The launch of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) reporting incentive on 1 October 2014. All EHIC activity correctly reported by NHS secondary providers, so that the UK is able to make appropriate reimbursement claims from other member states, allows them to access an additional 25% funding;

    – The revision of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations which came into force on 6 April 2015, reducing the number of exemption from charge categories and realigning the Regulations to the principle that the NHS is a residency-based healthcare system; and

    – Support and engagement with NHS providers through meetings with senior trust employees and the launch of a cost recovery support team to provide bespoke assistance to trusts to improve their processes for identifying chargeable patients and recovering funds owed, including those from Europe.

    The Department is currently consulting on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England. Part of the consultation proposes to amend the residence definition for EEA nationals, by which they qualify for free NHS treatment in England. The consultation is due to conclude on 7 March 2016.

    The Department does not hold information on the cost to the public purse of EU health tourism.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse of EU health tourism has been in each of the last three years.

    Alistair Burt

    Since its inception in 2013, the Department’s Visitor and Migrant NHS Cost Recovery Programme has been working to design and implement key improvements to ensure that those people who should pay for National Health Service care are identified and charged.

    Achievements include:

    – The launch of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) reporting incentive on 1 October 2014. All EHIC activity correctly reported by NHS secondary providers, so that the UK is able to make appropriate reimbursement claims from other member states, allows them to access an additional 25% funding;

    – The revision of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations which came into force on 6 April 2015, reducing the number of exemption from charge categories and realigning the Regulations to the principle that the NHS is a residency-based healthcare system; and

    – Support and engagement with NHS providers through meetings with senior trust employees and the launch of a cost recovery support team to provide bespoke assistance to trusts to improve their processes for identifying chargeable patients and recovering funds owed, including those from Europe.

    The Department is currently consulting on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England. Part of the consultation proposes to amend the residence definition for EEA nationals, by which they qualify for free NHS treatment in England. The consultation is due to conclude on 7 March 2016.

    The Department does not hold information on the cost to the public purse of EU health tourism.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding has been provided for (a) set-up costs and (b) ongong running costs of the Operational Delivery Networks established to support access to hepatitis C medicines.

    George Freeman

    NHS England initially allocated £1.2 million and is working with local commissioners to ensure that the necessary infrastructure and running costs are provided to the operational delivery networks.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when electrical impulse equipment for spinal injuries will be available on the NHS.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department is aware of a number of recent newspaper articles about research into the use electrical impulse devices for the treatment of spinal injuries. This research is at a very early stage and the technology has yet to demonstrate its efficacy and safety in clinical trials in humans.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in the UK have been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in each of the last five years.

    Alistair Burt

    We do not have information on the numbers of people diagnosed with age related macular degeneration in each of the last five years.

    What we do have is the number of finished admission episodes, for England, for the last five years, where the primary diagnosis was ‘degeneration of the macular and posterior pole’.

    Age group

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    0-4

    2

    2

    3

    2

    3

    5-9

    1

    2

    7

    3

    6

    10-14

    6

    9

    8

    8

    3

    15-19

    9

    18

    10

    11

    9

    20-24

    43

    32

    21

    36

    20

    25-29

    51

    29

    33

    47

    45

    30-34

    61

    42

    57

    56

    58

    35-39

    95

    73

    101

    100

    73

    40-44

    162

    156

    162

    229

    148

    45-49

    256

    254

    319

    377

    386

    50-54

    417

    439

    477

    636

    603

    55-59

    980

    812

    973

    1,216

    1,283

    60-64

    2,617

    2,589

    2,647

    2,833

    2,767

    65-69

    4,740

    5,153

    5,982

    6,427

    6,729

    70-74

    8,685

    8,937

    9,770

    9,847

    10,671

    75-79

    12,998

    14,051

    15,347

    14,506

    16,069

    80-84

    16,568

    17,083

    18,765

    17,747

    18,847

    85-89

    13,114

    13,960

    15,550

    14,262

    15,497

    90+

    5,382

    6,179

    7,320

    7,318

    8,580

    Unknown

    8

    6

    7

    11

    18

    TOTAL

    66,195

    69,826

    77,559

    75,672

    81,815

    This would include age related macular degeneration, as well as other conditions. It also only relates to people admitted to hospital not those seen in outpatients or primary care.

    Notes:

    A finished admission episode is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider.

    Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the same period.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recent finding by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine that pre-exposure prophylaxis could reduce HIV rates in men who have sex with men by between 40 and 60 per cent; and what steps he is taking to make pre-exposure prophylaxis available to people in this group.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is working with local authorities, clinicians, patient representatives and Public Health England to consider the clinical and cost effectiveness of providing Pre-exposure prophylaxis to at-risk groups to prevent them acquiring HIV. This includes a full review and analysis of published literature in this area.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the proposed hepatitis C improvement framework has not been published.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England’s work to deliver a framework for hepatitis C services has been progressed so far through the formation and implementation of operational delivery networks providing clinical leadership which has progressed in parallel with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence assessment of new drug therapies. NHS England and Public Health England are currently considering the best approach to build further development of hepatitis C services which cuts across a number of commissioning organisations and that NHS England will be publishing an update shortly.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2016 to Question 25603, on NHS: finance, with which seven trusts Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority have met since 15 January 2016.

    Ben Gummer

    Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority are unable to disclose the seven trust names that they have met since 15 January for commercial-in-confidence reasons.