Tag: 2015

  • David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to increase the awareness of autism among the public and encourage patients to request a referral for diagnosis from their GP.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department has discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis in a timely manner. With support from the Department, NHS England and the Association of Directors of Social Services will undertake a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to gather information that can be shared between areas that have arrangements in place to meet National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard 51 Autism: support for commissioning, and those that do not, with the aim of supporting more consistent provision. These NICE guidelines already recommend that there should be a maximum of three months between a referral and a first appointment for a diagnostic assessment for autism. We expect the National Health Service to be working towards meeting the recommendations.

    NHS England has also been working with the Health and Social Care Information Centre to develop the Mental Health Minimum Data Set. This will include provision for the diagnosis of autism to be recorded. This mandatory data set will, for the first time, provide data about diagnosis rates. The data will be published and available for everyone to use to support and develop services. NHS England has a commitment, over the next five years, to improve waiting times and this data will be invaluable for this. Information on average waiting times for autistic diagnosis in each clinical commissioning group area is not collected centrally.

    The Department issued new statutory guidance in March this year for local authorities and NHS organisations to support the continued implementation of the 2010 Autism Strategy, as refreshed by its 2014 Think Autism update. This guidance sets out what people seeking an autism diagnosis can expect from local authorities and NHS bodies including general practitioners.

    We are due to consult on how we set the mandate to NHS England prior to publication of the mandate itself. The mandate will be published following the Government’s Spending Review which is due to complete on 25 November.

  • Liam Byrne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liam Byrne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what forecast his Department has made of the cost of alcoholism over the next 20 years.

    Jane Ellison

    Estimates for the cost of alcoholism over the next 20 years are not available centrally.

  • Michael Fabricant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Michael Fabricant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on (a) the mandatory display by restaurants of ratings and (b) empowering local authorities to charge restaurants for reassessment under the Food Standards Agency’s food hygiene rating scheme; if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make the display of such ratings by restaurants mandatory; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The Food Standards Agency is collecting evidence on the effectiveness of the mandatory display of Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme ratings. The Government will consider this evidence carefully once it is available.

  • David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of junior doctors likely to lose income as a result of proposed contractual changes.

    Alistair Burt

    The proposed contractual changes will be cost-neutral and average pay for junior doctors will not reduce. This is not a cost-cutting exercise and we are not seeking to save any money from the junior doctors’ pay bill. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has given the British Medical Association a public, categorical assurance on this and made clear that the details of the new contract should be developed to ensure that the great majority of junior doctors are at least as well paid as they would be now.

    The proposed new contract for doctors and dentists in training will: ensure that pay relates more fairly to actual work done; increase basic pay, recognising the professional nature of the role in a seven day National Health Service and pay a higher rate for work at the most unsocial times

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the aggregate income of all hospital trusts was from private patients, excluding overseas patients in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13, (e) 2013-14 and (f) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

    Alistair Burt

    The table below shows the aggregate revenue from private patients excluding overseas patients for all hospital trusts in England for 2009-10 to 2014-15.

    Year

    Aggregate Non NHS: Income from private patients £000s

    2009-10

    408,583

    2010-11

    428,641

    2011-12

    452,491

    2012-13

    478,649

    2013-14

    501,708

    2014-15

    526,138
  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason NHS England has not published its report on the stakeholder responses and findings of the Call to Action on improving eye health and provision of NHS eye health services.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England received 330 responses to the Call to Action on improving eye health and provision of NHS eye health services.

    The total identifiable spend by NHS England on the Call to Action was £34,184. This consisted of £25,950 for engagement events and £8,234 for the compilation of responses. Figures provided are exclusive of VAT. No consultants were employed.

    There are no current plans for NHS England to publish a report on the Call to Action, however, the findings have been discussed with commissioners and stakeholders. Work is underway to develop local and national responses to the findings as part of NHS England business plan for 2016/17.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential of existing digital technologies to (a) improve care for people with long-term conditions and (b) empower patients who are not yet digitally enabled.

    Jane Ellison

    It is estimated that around 9.5 million people in the United Kingdom lack basic digital literacy skills and 6.5 million have never been online in their lives. Those experiencing digital exclusion tend to be older, poorer, and are more likely to be disabled than the rest of the population. Digital health training has the potential to reduce demand on face-to-face health services by helping people identify the most appropriate way to seek non urgent medical advice. It can also empower people who have a long term condition (LTC) with the knowledge to better manage their health.

    NHS England is working on building digital skills for people who have never used the internet as part of its Widening Digital Participation. This provides assisted digital access in community settings such as libraries, community centres and general practitioner practices. Since 2013, NHS England has been working with a social enterprise, the Tinder Foundation, to support people in getting online and gaining basic digital skills for their own health. To date over 250,000 people have been engaged in the Widening Digital Participation programme.

    In November 2014, the National Information Board published Personalised Health and Care 2020. This sets out how the NHS and social care will harness the information revolution to support the delivery of high quality safe and effective treatment and new models of care that will provide more integrated and co-ordinated care closer to home.

    People living with LTCs will have the opportunity to take greater agency and control over their own health and wellbeing by utilising bespoke endorsed apps, using remote and assistive technologies, accessing key information in their care record and drawing that information into a personal health record. Mobile digital technology can support clinicians to enable patient self-care, access expertise and increase capacity via virtual consultations, and utilise decision support tools.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Libyan personnel formerly based at Bassingbourn Barracks are currently claiming asylum; and on what ground each such application has been made.

    James Brokenshire

    It is long-standing Government policy not to comment on individual cases. The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection and every claim will be considered on its individual merits.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria she will use to determine where in the UK refugees from Syria will be placed.

    Richard Harrington

    The UK has been operating resettlement schemes for many years and we already have established and effective networks to accommodate and support resettled people.

    Our existing dispersal policy, which has been in place since 1999, is aimed at ensuring an equitable distribution of refugees across the country so that no individual local authority bears a disproportionate share of the burden.

    That is why we will be talking to local authorities and other partners to ensure that capacity can be identified and the impact on those taking new cases can be managed in a fair and controlled way.

  • Angela Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Angela Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides for farmers on reducing soil erosion on their land.

    George Eustice

    The Government published Cross Compliance in England: soil protection standards 2015 in January 2015. The guidance provides advice on how to identify soil erosion and on how to minimise erosion from cropping practices, livestock and vehicles.

    Farmers can access advice from the Farming Advice Service (FAS). The FAS is a service funded by Defra to help farmers understand and meet the requirements of Cross Compliance and other regimes, including the European Directives on water protection.

    Farmers can also seek advice under the Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) project, which is run by Natural England in partnership with the Environment Agency and Defra. CSF raises awareness of diffuse water pollution from agriculture by giving free training and advice to farmers in priority catchments.