The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the likely annual cost to the NHS of treating age-related macular degeneration by 2050.
Alistair Burt
From the data collected it is not possible to identify how much was spent specifically on treating patients with age-related macular degeneration.
No estimate has been made of the annual cost of treating age related macular degeneration by 2050.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce regional variation of access to (a) minimally invasive technology and (b) drug eluting stents designed to tackle peripheral arterial disease.
George Freeman
Vascular services manage the treatment and care of patients with diseases related to disorders of the arteries, veins and lymphatic system. These can be managed by medical therapy, minimally-invasive catheter procedures and surgical reconstruction. NHS England commissions these services as part of its specialised commissioning portfolio.
The vascular disease specialised commissioning clinical reference group has prepared a service specification for specialised vascular services. This aims to ensure that services deliver improved patient experience, provide equality of access to the full range of vascular diagnostics and interventions, and ensue that patients are receiving a high quality of service, with access to the most modern techniques.
Implementation of the service specification for specialised vascular services through the local service review processes is designed to reduce regional variation.
The service specification can be found at:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a04-spec-vascu-adult.pdf
The Government has made no assessment of the effects of drug eluting stents on lower limb amputation rates.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes in funding for pharmacies on patient safety.
David Mowat
The Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond, on which we have consulted, are being considered against the public sector equality duty, the family test and the relevant duties of my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health under the National Health Service Act 2006. The latter includes the duty as to improvement in quality of services, such as the safety of services.
All pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacies in England are regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council, which protects, promotes and maintains the health, safety and wellbeing of members of the public by upholding standards and public trust in pharmacy. Also, under NHS pharmaceutical services, community pharmacies are required to meet clinical governance requirements, which encourage continuing quality improvement, including through risk management.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-11-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is giving to strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene services in countries affected by Ebola.
Mr Nick Hurd
Prior to, during and following the Ebola outbreak, DFID has provided funding and technical assistance to increase access to water, sanitation services and hygiene education (WASH) in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Between 2012-2016, DFID has committed through our country programmes up to £71.3m for WASH programmes in Sierra Leone and £4.75m for Liberia. We have no bilateral programme in Guinea.
During the Ebola outbreak our existing WASH programmes were adapted to help Sierra Leone and Liberia respond to the crisis. The above figure includes DFID assistance to improve water and sanitation facilities in schools and health facilities as part of our support to the post-Ebola recovery.
The President of Sierra Leone has identified water as one of his top six priorities for the post Ebola recovery period. DFID has committed to support delivery of this agenda and we are working with them to define high quality programmes that will increase access to clean water.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department issues guidance to schools on how to identify and manage incidences of parental alienation.
Edward Timpson
Protection from abuse and neglect is a fundamental right of all children and young people, regardless of their family situation, and the government will continue to review how schools, police, social services and other agencies work together to protect all children.
The Department published updated statutory guidance in 2015 on Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working Together to Safeguard Children. Schools and colleges must have regard to this guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. All school and college staff should be aware of the various forms of abuse, including emotional harm, so that they are able to identify children in need of help and support and know what action to take. This would include recognising where children are suffering as the result of family relationship breakdown.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the illegal killing of hen harriers.
Dr Thérèse Coffey
All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with strong penalties for committing offences against birds of prey and other wildlife.
The Government takes wildlife crime very seriously and raptor persecution is a UK wildlife crime priority and has a delivery group led by a senior police officer to consider what action should be taken, and develop a plan to prevent crime, gather intelligence on offences and enforce against it. It focuses on the golden eagle, goshawk, hen harrier, peregrine, red kite and white tailed eagle.
The National Wildlife Crime Unit, which Defra funds jointly with the Home Office, monitors and gathers intelligence on illegal activities affecting birds of prey and provides assistance to police forces when required.
The Government has also published the Hen Harrier Action Plan, setting out proposals to increase hen harrier populations in England and includes measures to stop illegal persecution. A copy of the plan can be accessed at www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/491818/hen-harrier-action-plan-england-2016.pdf.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-11-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that every young person covered by the youth obligation receives appropriate financial advice, education and support for the first six months as part of their preparation for work.
Priti Patel
From April 2017, we will be introducing the new Youth Obligation for Universal Credit claimants aged 18-21 who we expect to look for work. This new programme of support will help young people develop skills and experience to get on in work.
The first three weeks of this will be a Work Coach led Intensive Activity Period (IAP), where young people on the Youth Obligation will complete a set curriculum of activity designed to help establish them as effective full time job-seekers straight away and support them into work as soon as possible.
Once the claimant has completed the curriculum they will continue to see a dedicated IAP Work Coach who will work with them, continuously reviewing what was achieved during the intensive start-up period.
We will be conducting a stakeholder engagement exercise to help inform the design of the Youth Obligation and will be inviting stakeholders with an interest in the provision of financial advice.
We will set out our policy design for the Youth Obligation in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue guidance to NHS trusts on ensuring future reductions in frontline staff numbers are not made for the purpose of reducing trusts’ deficits.
Ben Gummer
The National Health Service has taken a number of steps to reduce trusts’ deficits. We have introduced tough new financial controls to cut down on waste in the NHS – including clamping down on rip-off staffing agencies and expensive management consultants, and introducing central procurement rules.
We are also introducing a £2.1 billion Sustainability and Transformation Fund in 2016/17 to support providers to move to a financially sustainable footing. This will give the NHS the space to transform services so they are world class for decades to come.
The purpose of these actions is to put NHS finances on a sustainable footing to ensure high quality care, now and in the future.
Trusts should focus on the numbers and skillmix needed to deliver quality care, patient safety and efficiency, taking into account local factors such as acuity and casemix.
Two communications to NHS trusts (a letter on safe staffing and efficiency dated 13 October 2015 from NHS Improvement, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), NHS England, Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; and a letter dated 15 January 2016 from Chief Executive-designate of NHS Improvement, Jim Mackey, and the CQC’s Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards) asked trusts to consider quality and finances on an equal footing in their planning decisions; stated that it is not the case that NHS trusts could only achieve their financial targets at the expense of quality, or that improving quality is more important than staying in financial surplus; and emphasised that responsibility for staffing rests (as it has always done) with trust boards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to review the decision no longer to fund second stem cell transplants for blood cancer patients.
David Mowat
The commissioning of stem cell transplantation is managed as part of the overall system to deliver specialised services. To ensure that investment decisions are affordable and offer value for money, NHS England has established a defined prioritisation process. This involves assessment of all proposals based on clinical benefit and cost. On 2 August 2016, NHS England announced a re-run of the prioritisation process carried out earlier this year.
The Department is not planning to review the decision related to the commissioning of second stem cell transplants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-11-24.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to (a) contribute to the delivery of the Financial Capability Strategy for the UK and (b) ensure that vulnerable young people have the requisite financial skills necessary for working life.
Harriett Baldwin
The government recognises the importance of impartial financial guidance and that increased financial capability for consumers will lead to better outcomes for both consumers and the wider economy. Helping hard-working people achieve their aspirations at every stage of their lives is at the heart of our long term plan. That is why we launched the Public Financial Guidance consultation in October 2015 to seek input on what role the government should play in promoting financial capability, and how the public provision of free-to-client, impartial financial guidance should be structured to give consumers the information they need to make financial decisions. In addition, the government recognises the importance of giving young people the skills they need to make financial decisions, which is why financial education has been on the national secondary school curriculum in England since September 2014.