Tag: Baroness Masham of Ilton

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of the price of five per cent coal tar ointment on the NHS Drug Tariff for England and Wales on Clinical Commissioning Groups’ decision to pay for that treatment.

Lord Prior of Brampton

We have made no such assessment.

In primary care, the prescribing decision rests with the patient’s general practitioner. The cost of any medicine has to be balanced against the importance of meeting the individual treatment needs of patients and potential adverse consequences for patients and additional costs to the National Health Service if supply is interrupted, for example the re-emergence of symptoms or relapse of the condition on stopping treatment.

Clinical commissioning groups can issue prescribing advice taking into account the cost of medicine.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2016-09-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the replenishment target of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is met at the Pledging Conference in Montreal on 16 September.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

My Right Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, announced an investment of £1.1billion in the Global Fund, including a commitment to double private sector contributions for tackling malaria, up to a maximum of £200million, and £90 million tied to successful delivery against a performance agreement.

The UK’s investment will fund 40 million bednets to tackle malaria; provide enough lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy for 1.3 million people with HIV; and support the treatment of 800,000 people with tuberculosis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2016-03-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how the price of 100 grams of five per cent coal tar ointment on the NHS Drugs Tariff for England and Wales compares with (1) the price of that treatment from manufacturing pharmacies, and (2) the price of that treatment on the Scottish NHS Drugs Tariff; and whether they will provide those figures.

Lord Prior of Brampton

No comparison has been made between the NHS Drug Tariff reimbursement price for England and Wales and the price of coal tar preparations produced by National Health Service hospital manufacturers. Any comparison would need to be treated with caution as some hospitals’ prices will not include the same overhead costs as commercial suppliers, nor might they have the infrastructure needed to supply to any pharmacy or indeed all pharmacies.

A comparison of the reimbursement prices of specials listed on the Scottish Drug Tariff with those on the English Drug Tariff in Autumn 2015 showed there were 40 products listed on both Tariffs that were the same or similar. Out of these, 50% were more expensive on the Scottish Drug Tariff in comparison with the English Drug Tariff. The products are not necessarily exactly the same and the reimbursement arrangements in Scotland operate in different ways to those in England.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2016-10-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the role of the school curriculum in educating children and young people about health promotion and preventing avoidable chronic disease in later life.

Lord Nash

All schools are required to teach a broadly balanced curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, and prepares them for adult life.

The national curriculum focuses on the essential knowledge children need so that teachers can design a wider school curriculum that is responsive to the needs of their pupils. This teaching can include a range of topics, including lessons about health and chronic disease. These topics can fall under Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. We have made it clear in the introduction to the national curriculum that all schools should make provision for high quality; age appropriate PSHE.

To help schools plan their provision, the PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study for schools to follow, which includes content about ‘Health and Wellbeing’.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2015-10-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last reviewed the evidence base relating to dietary sodium intake as part of a balanced diet.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The evidence base relating to dietary sodium intake was extensively reviewed in the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s (SACN) report ‘Salt and Health’, published in 2003. In reviewing the evidence, SACN noted that the greatest benefits were likely to be achieved by taking a population approach to reducing salt intakes rather than through individual targeted advice.

The SACN continues to monitor average salt intakes through a programme of dietary survey work.

New voluntary salt reduction targets have been developed for 76 specific food groups that contribute most to people’s salt intakes and major retailers, manufacturers and caterers are working to meet these targets by December 2017.

The SACN has also reviewed the evidence around the impact of low sodium intakes. It found no basis for changing the existing recommendation for a target reduction in average salt intake to 6 grammes per day for the adult population, equivalent to 2.4 grammes per day of sodium.

The SACN ‘Salt and Health’ report is attached and can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-salt-and-health-report

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ability of people living with HIV to experience continuity of HIV care across the numerous health services and providers that they access.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The National Health Service continues to offer world class Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) treatment services.

In its role as the commissioner of specialised HIV care and treatment, NHS England has a service specification which emphasises the responsibility of commissioned providers to collaborate with other health, social care and third sector organisations as appropriate to help ensure the holistic needs of patients are met. This includes ensuring people living with HIV and other comorbidities have access and referral to appropriate services.

The effectiveness of HIV treatment means that more people will live well with HIV in old age. As people living with HIV get older, they will require access to services for the other conditions they may experience. Good communication with their HIV provider is important and this is required in the service specification.

In line with the Five Year Forward View, NHS England will continue to work closely with HIV organisations in order to inform its commissioning responsibilities with regard to specialised HIV care and treatment as well as ensuring primary and secondary health care services respond to the wider health needs of people living with HIV.

The Government’s Improvement Framework for Sexual Health includes the ambition that “older people with diagnosed HIV can access the additional health and social care services they need”. A copy is attached.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2016-10-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to increase funding for preventative measures to support under 16 year olds to stay healthy and prevent avoidable chronic disease in later life.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Responsibility for commissioning public health services for children from 0-19 now lies with local authorities. This affords the opportunity to commission based on local need and recognises that local government is best placed to identify the needs of their populations and to influence many of the wider factors that affect health and wellbeing.

The Department launched Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action in August this year. The plan focuses on actions that are likely to have the biggest impact on reducing childhood obesity and maintaining a healthy weight. Physical activity is a key strand of the plan and, from September 2017, we will double the Primary Physical Education and Sport Premium funding to £320 million. A copy of the plan is attached.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timetable for (1) the completion, and (2) the publication, of the hepatitis C improvement framework.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Completion and publication dates for the hepatitis C framework have not yet been confirmed. In the meantime, Public Health England continues working with NHS England and Operational Development Networks to establish a process of monitoring treatment access and uptake.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, to date, how many patients have commenced treatment under NHS England’s commissioning policy for the treatment of cirrhosis in adults with hepatitis C, and how much that commissioning policy has cost.

Lord Prior of Brampton

NHS England has invested in two policies enabling access to some of the new treatments (in advance of the publication of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisals) for patients with hepatitis C with the greatest clinical need.

NHS England’s Interim Clinical Commissioning Policy Statement of April 2014 provided an Early Access Scheme for around 1,000 patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Then in June 2015, NHS England extended that policy so the next group of patients with the greatest clinical need, those with cirrhosis, could also benefit from the new Direct Acting Antivirals. A copy of both of these policies has been attached.

Between publication of the cirrhosis policy in June and 19 October, NHS England received over 1,900 notifications of decisions to treat under the policy. These notifications are submitted by treating clinicians and confirm that patients meet the policy criteria.

In order to confirm the actual cost of this policy, NHS England needs to complete a process of validating treatment notifications against actual trust reported activity and invoicing data on dispensed drugs. These data sources are submitted at different times and so an accurate assessment of the cost of the policy to date will not be able to be possible until the end of the year. Any data shared on the cost of the policy will need to observe commercial in confidence pricing agreements.

Based on preliminary modelling, NHS England set aside £190 million in 2015-16 for the treatment of hepatitis C.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Individual Funding Requests NHS England received in (1) 2013–14, (2) 2014–15, and (3) 2015–16 to date, and how many of those requests were accepted in each year.

Lord Prior of Brampton

NHS England has advised the following:

‒ In 2013-14, 1,283 Individual Funding Requests were received, of which 280 were accepted.

‒ In 2014-15, 1,436 Individual Funding Requests were received of which 535 were accepted.

‒ In 2015-16 (up to September 2015), 560 Individual Funding Requests were received of which 163 were accepted.