Tag: Andrew Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department’s report, Hepatitis C in the UK, published in July 2014, what steps he is taking to approve for use new treatments for people with hepatitis C-related liver damage.

George Freeman

The Government is committed to ensuring that patients have access to clinically and cost effective treatments, including those for hepatitis C.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing advice to the National Health Service on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health technologies.

NICE is currently appraising a number of new drugs for use in the treatment of hepatitis C under its technology appraisal process. These are shown in the following table.

Drug/indication	Expected date of final guidance
sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) for treating chronic hepatitis C	February 2015
simeprevir (Olysio) for treating genotype 1 or 4 chronic hepatitis C	February 2015
ledipasvir-sofosbuvir (Harvoni) for treating chronic hepatitis C	June 2015
daclatasvir (Daklinza) for treating chronic hepatitis C	August 2015
ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (Viekirax) with or without dasabuvir (Exviera) for treating chronic hepatitis C	September 2015

More generally, we have launched an Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for NHS patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices.

The review will examine the pathway from ‘first in human’ trials, through licensing and health technology appraisal, to commissioning and clinical practice. It will set out both short and long-term options for action by Government and relevant bodies, including NICE, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NHS England, and mark a major contribution to the policy debate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department is providing to research into the treatment of Crohn’s disease.

Jane Ellison

The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of research relating to treatment of Crohn’s disease.

The NIHR has awarded nearly £1.5 million over five years to August 2018 for a research professorship at the University of Oxford. This is focussed on re-defining Crohn’s disease at a molecular level to identify new biomarkers and therapies.

The NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme is seeking to commission a systematic review looking at whether patients can be identified who may need early intensive treatment in Crohn’s disease.

The NIHR Clinical Research Network is currently recruiting patients to six studies relating to treatment of Crohn’s disease.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Crohn’s disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the provision of counselling and support to those with Crohn’s disease.

Norman Lamb

The Department has made no assessment of the incidence of Crohn’s disease. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2012 guideline Crohn’s Disease Management in Adults, Children and Young People, states that there are currently at least 115,000 people in the United Kingdom with Crohn’s disease.

The NICE guideline sets out best practice on the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with Crohn’s disease. This includes, ‘Minimising psychological concerns and possible side effects of treatment are fundamental to best practice for all people with Crohn’s disease, whatever their age’, which could include access to psychological support, if appropriate. The guideline also recommends that clinicians give patients with Crohn’s disease contact details for relevant support groups. The full guideline can be found at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg152.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Israeli government on extending to UK citizens of Palestinian origin visiting Israel similar concessions to those Israel has offered to the US administration in exchange for Israel’s entry to the US visa waiver scheme.

Hugh Robertson

We have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on diabulimia in teenagers and young adults.

Dr Daniel Poulter

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) for South Yorkshire from 2008 to 2013. The CLAHRC carried out a programme of research on young people with Type 1 diabetes including research relating to eating disorders in this patient group. Outputs include papers published in the journal Diabetic Medicine.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the additional costs resulting from Israeli border, access and planning controls to UK-funded development projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Mr Alan Duncan

No such assessment has been possible. UK aid helps to finance the Palestinian Authority’s fiscal deficit, which would significantly decrease if Israeli movement and access restrictions in the OPTs were lifted. The World Bank estimates that if Israeli restrictions were lifted in ‘Area C’ of the West Bank alone, the Palestinian economy would expand by more than a third and potentially would not require international donor assistance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the European Commission and her counterparts in EU member states on compensation requests to Israeli authorities for EU-funded aid projects demolished by the Israeli authorities.

Mr Alan Duncan

DFID and the EU regularly lobby Israel against the illegal demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure, and the forced transfer of people in Area C and East Jerusalem.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications have been made in Oxfordshire under the National Assistance Act 1948 by people without resources to meet their requirements or whose resources must be supplemented in order to meet their requirements in the last five years.

Norman Lamb

Information on the number of adult social care clients receiving council-funded services, including residential and domiciliary care, is collected by the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

The HSCIC has provided the available information for Oxfordshire County Council over the five years 2008-09 to 2012-13. This is shown in the table.

Type of service	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13
Residential care	1,350	1,245	1,155	1,170	1,120
Domiciliary care, of which:
Home care	4,625	5,010	3,675	3,125	2,820
Day care	1,880	1,820	1,680	750	630
Meals	465	330	295	175	155
Short term residential care (not respite)	0	0	0	0	0
Direct payments	925		1,040	1,400	1,530
Existing/new direct payments and personal budgets		1,050
Professional support	12,485	12,315	5,750	1,760	1,275
Equipment and adaptations	1,000	1,305	1,270	875	865
Other	1,125	1,045	2,285	505	445

Notes:

1. Data relates to adults 18 and over

2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5

3. All data are published and final

4. The ‘Existing/new direct payments and personal budgets’ columns in return P2f was introduced in 2009-10 to capture personal budgets and reverted back to direct payments in 2010-11. Service users who were receiving council commissioned services via a personal budget or direct payment were only included under this heading and not under the specific service received.

Sources:

Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care (RAP) returns, tables P1 and P2f