Tag: Greg Mulholland

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what indicators are used by the Government and local authorities to assess the effectiveness of initiatives funded by the Prevent strategy.

Mr John Hayes

The Government has developed a comprehensive approach to assessing the effectiveness of the initiatives funded by the Prevent strategy, including output measures as well as an increased focus on impact and outcomes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the membership of the Community Engagement Forum is.

Mr John Hayes

The Community Engagement Forum met for the first time on 13 October. Attendance at forum meetings will rotate to allow ministers to hear directly from a wide range of individuals and groups taking a leading role in challenging extremism in our communities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what timetable NHS England has set for developing a commissioning policy for the Everolimus drug.

George Freeman

NHS England is currently developingtwo policies for the provision of Everolimus – one for the Tuberous Sclerosis forComplex Related Renal Angiomyolipoma andone for SubependymalGiant Cell Astrocytoma (SEGA). This was communicated to the National Health Service in a Specialised Services Circular on 2 July 2015.

These two policies will both be considered as in-year items for the specialised services work programme for 2015/16- however, a timetable for publication has not yet been agreed.

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.