The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects NICE to publish its final guidance on the Vimizim treatment.
George Freeman
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence currently expects to publish its final guidance on elosulfase alfa (Vimizim) for mucopolysaccharidosis (type IVA) or Morquio Syndrome in December 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations (a) NHS England and (b) NICE have received from (i) drug companies and (ii) patient groups on the treatment of uveitis.
Alistair Burt
NHS England has received 12 letters from hon. Members and has met with key stakeholders, including patient organisations and charities such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People and Olivia’s Vision. This followed their decision in July not to fund Infliximab (Remicade) and Adalimumab (Humira), Anti-TNF drugs, as a treatment for adults and children with severe refractory uveitis.
NHS England has also been in discussion with Abbvie, a Pharmaceutical Research and Development Company which is due to report on their trial of Adalimumab in adults in early 2016.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is developing technology appraisal guidance on the use of the drugs dexamethasone and sorolimus for the treatment of uveitis. NICE develops its technology appraisal guidance in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders and the representations it receives in the development of its guidance will be available on the NICE website at:
http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta10007
NICE has not received any representations about uveitis not related to this ongoing technology appraisal.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people with uveitis; and what treatment is available for that condition at what cost.
Alistair Burt
Patients with uveitis are usually diagnosed and treated in primary care and no data is collected which would identify how many patients with this condition are seen and treated. Information provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre for secondary care, shows that for 2013/14 there were 7,226 admissions to hospital where a diagnosis of uveitis has been recorded.
The main treatment for uveitis is with steroids, which can reduce the inflammation inside the eye. In some cases additional treatment might be needed, such as immunosuppressants.
The costs associated with these drugs are around £150 per adult patient per year and £35 per paediatric patient per year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve staff retention in NHS England.
George Freeman
NHS England ran a restructuring programme in 2014/15. Since then, the organisation turnover rate has declined and for the last three months has been on average 3.75%.
Retention issues tend to arise in particular roles or professions, for example finance, or in specific locations. NHS England has mechanisms to address the specific issues. Furthermore, NHS England conducts exit interviews with staff who leave to help understand issues which affect retention and ensure they can be addressed.
In order to ensure NHS England can attract and retain high quality staff, and plan and manage natural succession, it has introduced a formal talent management process to ensure that line managers are discussing current performance, future potential, personal development plans and career aspirations with staff. This process has covered over 1,000 staff in senior and business critical roles. The organisation and senior leadership now have a much better understanding of people’s aspirations, development needs and career intentions.
The organisation has also introduced a staff recognition scheme, and other programmes of work to improve health and well-being, capability development, staff engagement and diversity with the aim of making NHS England an employer of choice for talented people.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Individual Funding Requests have been granted in each of the last 10 years.
George Freeman
Prior to 1 April 2013, individual funding requests (IFRs) were the responsibility of local primary care trusts and information was not collected centrally.
NHS England holds information relating to IFRs made in relation to the prescribed services it has commissioning responsibility for. This data is available from April 2013 when the organisation was formally established. NHS England does not hold information relating to IFRs submitted to clinical commissioning groups.
From April 2013 to September 2015, NHS England approved 978 IFRs. All IFR requests are considered in-line with NHS England associated policies which can be found on its website and accessed via the following link:
www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/policies/gp/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in devolved administrations on standardising the decision-making process for individual funding requests.
George Freeman
No such discussions have taken place. The arrangements in place for handling individual funding requests in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are a matter for the relevant devolved administration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of staff morale in NHS England.
George Freeman
NHS England has regularly surveyed staff opinion and experience since it was established in 2013. The most recent staff survey was conducted in July 2015 and was open to all employees of the organisation. 66% of all employees responded to the survey and the overall morale and engagement score was 63% positive.
Informed by feedback from the staff surveys, NHS England launched a programme of work to enhance staff engagement and diversity, build skills and capabilities and improve business processes, as the survey identified these as issues that impact upon staff morale and satisfaction levels.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local authorities are receiving Prevent strategy funding; and if she will publish the formula used for allocating such funding.
Mr John Hayes
Prevent priority areas are identified through a process which assesses information from police and other partners. We do not provide a breakdown of specific Prevent priority areas for reasons of national security. Each priority area receives funding for a Prevent coordinator, and is supported by the Home Office to deliver projects which address specific local risks. Following commencement of the Prevent duty on 1 July 2015 we have allocated all non-priority local authorities in England and Wales £10,000 to support implementation of the duty.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the threat level of the group Britain First.
Karen Bradley
The Police’s National Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit (NDEDIU) has a role in monitoring and gathering intelligence on groups where they pose a criminal threat from domestic extremism or public disorder. If any illegal activities are taking place, the police will take the necessary action. The Governments Countering Extremism Strategy focuses on all forms of extremism, not least the hate inspired and racially motivated nature of far right and Neo-Nazi extremists.
As yet, no specific assessment of the threat from Britain First has been carried out.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library a copy of all previous and current materials used for the healthWRAP training course.
Jane Ellison
Copies of healthWRAP training materials have been placed in the Library.