Tag: George Howarth

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department gives to mental health trusts on (a) reducing did not attend cases and (b) ensuring risk assessments are carried out when young people fail to attend.

Alistair Burt

NHS England has issued guidance through the Local Transformation Plans for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing: Guidance and Support for local areas (published August 2015) that states that services should set out a clear plan to transform the design and delivery of a local offer of services for children and young people with mental health needs in line with the Future in mind report.

Future in mind was clear that services should monitor attendance and actively follow up families and young people who miss appointments, and that it may be necessary to find alternative ways to engage the child, young person or family. The Local Transformation Plans present an opportunity to make a step change in how agencies support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, especially the most vulnerable. This includes those who – for whatever reason – find it more difficult to engage with traditional models of service delivery and would instead benefit from seeing a clinician in a less conventional setting. Missed appointments should not lead to a family or young person being discharged from services, but instead be considered as an indicator of need and actively followed up, where necessary finding alternative ways to engage the child, young person or family.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the CLIC Sargent report of 1 September 2016, entitled Cancer costs: financial impact of childhood cancer revealed, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of cancer on young people and their families.

David Mowat

We know that cancer can affect all areas of a person’s life, including finances – 83% of people say they are financially impacted by cancer. People require holistic support from diagnosis onwards, encompassing their physical, financial, psychosocial, and information and support needs, throughout their entire cancer journey.

Children and teenagers with serious or critical illnesses such as cancer are also entitled to apply for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) (or a Personal Independence Payment if over 16). This is a tax free allowance, which contributes to the extra costs incurred by families in caring for children with additional needs and includes a mobility component. Children in receipt of DLA can receive up to £139.75 a week, and people who are terminally ill can have their claim fast tracked to access benefits sooner. Families and carers can also qualify for Carer’s Allowance and receive £62.10 a week if they meet the eligibility criteria, and some councils run Council Tax Reductions schemes for people on low incomes or who claim benefits.

We do not have any plans to review the hospital travel costs scheme – which provides financial assistance to those patients who do not have a medical need for ambulance transport, but who require assistance with their travel costs. This is part of the well-established NHS Low Income Scheme, in which patients on low incomes or receiving specific qualifying benefits or allowances can be reimbursed in part or in full for costs incurred in travelling to receive treatment at hospitals and this would include cancer treatment. It also can be claimed where the appointment has been made for a child or other dependent.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to replace the CAMHS strategy and framework; and when he plans to publish that document.

Alistair Burt

Children and young people’s mental health is a priority area for this Government and we are committed to delivering the vision set out in Future in mind, the report published jointly by the Department and NHS England in March 2015. Future in mind forms the basis of the Government’s plans for system wide transformation in children and young people’s mental health and is supported by an additional investment of £1.4 billion over the course of this Parliament. There are no plans to publish any further strategy or framework plans in addition to Future in mind.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the importance of direct long-haul air links with a hub airport for international trade.

Mr John Hayes

Evidence on the links between long-haul air connections and international trade was presented by the Airports Commission in its Final Report and supporting documents. The Government is considering all of this evidence very carefully before reaching a view on its preferred scheme. The Government is not providing a running commentary on this work before an announcement on its preference.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to collect data on the needs of (a) looked after children, (b) children in need, (c) victims of abuse and (d) children living in poverty in the prevalence survey on children and young people’s mental health.

Alistair Burt

The aim of the survey is to estimate the prevalence of mental health disorders in the general population aged two to 19 years. The survey will use a similar methodology to the last survey from 2004 to ensure comparability. A representative sample will be drawn from households in England (and Scotland). None of the specific groups listed in the question have been excluded from the survey.

The number of looked after children and children in need in the general population are relatively low. This may limit the amount of data the survey can collect on these groups.

We anticipate the final report of the survey will include some analysis of mental health disorders by characteristics including socio-economic factors. The contractor has also been asked to consider how to improve questions around the impact of abuse on children and young people’s mental health.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the number of cancelled elective operations in the (a) Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust, (b) St Helens and Knowsley Hospital Services NHS Trust, (c) Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, (d) Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, (e) Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust and (f) Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the last six months.

Mr Philip Dunne

NHS England publishes information each quarter on the number of last minute elective operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons. The following table shows this information for the specified trusts in the two most recent quarters. A last minute cancellation is defined as when a patient’s operation is cancelled by the hospital on or after the day of admission, including the day of surgery, for non-clinical reasons.

Number of last minute elective operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons for specified trusts, Quarter 4 2015/16 and Quarter 1 2016/17

	Quarter 4 2015/16	Quarter 1 2016/17
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust	113	93
St Helens and Knowsley Hospital Services NHS Trust	161	102
Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	67	39
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	55	61
Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust	77	27
Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	0	31

Source: Cancelled elective operations, NHS England

Note:

Quarter 2 data will be published on 11 November 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of China on its recent decision to land civilian planes on Fiery Cross reef in the disputed South China Sea.

Mr Hugo Swire

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) expressed our concerns about the situation in the South China Sea during his visit to Beijing on 5 January. He stressed the need to avoid raising tensions and underlined the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budget deficits are at the (a) Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust, (b) St Helens and Knowsley Hospital Services NHS Trust, (c) Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, (d) Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, (e) Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust and (f) Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Philip Dunne

The latest financial positions of individual National Health Service trusts are published in NHS trust Board papers, available on NHS trust websites.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-11-03.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects there to be an announcement on the extension of the Mersey Gateway free travel scheme to residents and businesses in Cheshire; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands

As announced at the Summer Budget, we have asked the Department for Transport to look at extending the Mersey Gateway local discount scheme to residents of Chester West & Chester and Warrington, as well as looking at help for small businesses. This work is ongoing.