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Tag: 2015

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what targets his Department has set for the uptake of seasonal influenza vaccination in each at-risk group for the winter of 2015-16.

    Jane Ellison

    A copy of the Annual Flu Plan and Annual Flu letter 2015/16 is attached, this provides guidance on the seasonal flu vaccination programme. In 2015-16, the seasonal flu vaccination will be offered to the following at risk-groups:

    – people aged 65 years and over;

    – people aged six months to under 65 with long-term conditions;

    – pregnant women;

    – people living in a residential or nursing home; and

    – the main carer of an older or disabled person.

    We also encourage all frontline health and social care workers to get the flu vaccination to help protect themselves, their families and the vulnerable patients they come into contact with.

    This year we aim to reach a minimum 75% uptake for those aged 65 years and older, and frontline health and social care workers.

  • Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect that the proposed contract changes will have on the NHS’s ability to retain doctors.

    Ben Gummer

    The proposed new contract arrangements are informed by recommendations and observations by the independent review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB). The DDRB’s standing remit includes a requirement to consider the need to recruit, motivate and retain doctors.

    NHS Employers are working with the British Medical Association to finalise agreement on an amended consultant contract, which will provide fairer terms and conditions that are better suited to a seven day National Health Service and go further than the existing arrangements to reward those who contribute the most and who work the most onerous hours. The proposals include a suite of safeguards designed to protect the wellbeing of doctors and to support patient safety. This includes no requirement to work more than 13 weekends in a year – effectively 1 in 4 weekends – (employers’ proposal); and no requirement to work more than a 40 hour week without consent.

    This is part of a more professional contract overall that would support consultants as clinical leaders and engage consultants with the objectives of their employer. Features include a spot salary set at a rate that would allow consultants to reach a level of basic pay in an average of five years that would currently take 14 years, the introduction of locally driven performance payments that would reward excellent performance in year, would provide potential earnings of overall £120,000 for an average experienced consultant and offers three years of transitional protection for those who move onto the contract.

    The proposed new contract for doctors and dentists in training will introduce stronger limits on working hours with: 48 weekly hours on average (56 for those who opt-out of Working Time Regulations); a maximum of 72 hours in any week (lower than the current 91); no shift rostered to exceed 13 hours; no more than five long shifts consecutively; no more than four night shifts consecutively; and no more than seven consecutive on-call periods. It will also introduce work schedules tailored to individual educational needs and a strong system requiring the employer to review when hours or training opportunities vary from the work schedule.

    The contract 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 NHS: and pay a higher rate for work at the most unsocial times. In addition, flexible pay premia will apply for: general practitioner trainees, to maintain current earning levels; other shortage specialties who would otherwise lose out under the new pay structure; those switching to shortage specialties; clinical academic trainees and public health trainees undertaking PhDs etc; and those undertaking approved academic/other work that benefits the wider NHS and improving patient care.

  • 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 progress NHS England has made on making care for people with long-term conditions (a) more personalised and (b) better coordinated in the last year.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England’s Five Year Forward View sets out a number of high level objectives that will support better long term condition (LTC) care. Delivery of these objectives is being supported in a number of ways across NHS England and with partners. These include improving professional and public awareness of person centred co-ordinated care and supporting commissioners through the development of a LTCs commissioning toolkit, a LTC dashboard and personalised care and support planning handbooks.

    In January 2015 NHS England and the Coalition for Collaborative Care published the personalised care and support planning handbooks which were coproduced with representatives from commissioning organisations, care practitioners, patients, carers and policy experts. The handbooks provide practical information and theory on how to introduce personalised care and support planning and encourage reflection and innovation for local approaches to implementation and include supplementary information for commissioners, advice on practical delivery and effective multi-disciplinary working. The Integrated Personal Commissioning Programme, a joint NHS England and Local Authority led programme, began in April 2015 and aims to better coordinate an individual’s health and social care funding, giving them more control over how this money is used through person-centred care planning and personal budgets.

    NHS England is taking steps to roll out personal health budgets which will offer people with LTCs more choice and control over the care and support they receive.

  • 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, whether Libyan personnel formerly based at Bassingbourn Barracks and currently claiming asylum have had a (a) screening interview and (b) substantive asylum interview.

    James Brokenshire

    It is long-standing Government policy not to comment on individual cases.

  • Dr Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dr Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Tania Mathias on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the projected number of refugees eligible to travel to the UK under EU freedom of movement rules if they become naturalised citizens of other EU member states.

    James Brokenshire

    While the Home Office regularly monitors and analyses overall migration data to help inform policy decisions, it has not prepared forecasts of likely inflows from nationals who have been granted refugee status and may subsequently be naturalised in another EU Member State.

  • 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, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 10625, which organisations the Government has met to discuss amendments to the Hunting Act 2004.

    Rory Stewart

    Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published up to 31 March 2015 and can be accessed on GOV.UK at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-quarterly-transparency-information-january-to-march-2015

    Further publications of Ministerial meetings will be published in due course.

    “

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Russian intervention in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We remain committed to seeking a political solution to the conflict. Russia’s intervention in Syria, including targeting the moderate opposition, has complicated an already difficult situation. We are actively engaging with international partners to address this and to reinvigorate a political process that leads to a solution based on the principles of the Geneva Communiqué.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure that people who are homeless have access to talking therapies.

    Alistair Burt

    Homelessness can lead to significant physical and mental health problems, and without accommodation and support, the chances of recovery are very limited. The £10 million Homeless Hospital Discharge Fund promoted new ways of improving the discharge arrangements of homeless people from hospital by working with other local services to help their recovery and improve their health.

    In April, the £40 million Homelessness Change/Platform for Life programme was launched. This programme will join up health and housing services, and help support young people at risk of homelessness across the country. We will be announcing the successful programme bids shortly.

    Talking Therapies, like the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme are a key weapon in addressing the mental health needs of vulnerable groups, like homeless people. While the normal referral processes to IAPT services are through general practitioners (GPs), individuals can self-refer, meaning that homeless people can refer themselves to services without the need for a GP.

    Public Health England is also working with local authorities to help them understand better the physical and mental health needs of homeless people in which access to IAPT will play a part.

  • Barbara Keeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barbara Keeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barbara Keeley on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 6.34 of his Department’s Health Education England mandate: April 2015 to March 2016, published on 12 March 2015, what progress Health Education England has made on ensuring that a minimum of 3,250 trainees per year are recruited to GP training programmes in England by 2016.

    Ben Gummer

    Health Education England, NHS England, The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the British Medical Association published Building the Workforce in January 2015, which sets out plans for increasing the GP workforce, backed by £10 million worth of funding. This includes actions to boost recruitment, encourage experienced GPs to stay in the workforce and support experienced GPs to return to practice after a period of time out of the workforce.

  • Nigel Evans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nigel Evans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to ensure that delays in Disclosure and Barring Service checks by (a) the Metropolitan Police and (b) other constabularies are minimised.

    Karen Bradley

    The DBS is reliant on the police completing their checks in a timely manner. To support this, service level agreements are in place between the DBS and each police force. These include a requirement for forces to complete 100% of local checks within 60 days.

    There are a small number of forces, including the Metropolitan Police Service, experiencing difficulties in dealing with the volume of applications that have been referred to them. If police force performance falls below the standard agreed with the DBS, the DBS will work with the force concerned including, where appropriate, implementing a recovery plan.

    The DBS is working closely with the MPS to address its performance issues. An MPS Gold Group is overseeing the recovery plan and exploring all opportunities to process cases quickly. Measures include increasing recruitment, introducing an evening team to improve resilience, and prioritising and escalating cases where possible. All police disclosure units, including that of the MPS, are funded by the DBS which agrees a budget for each police force annually based on the expected numbers of local checks.