The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-03-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Office for Budget Responsibility on the potential implications of the UK withdrawing from the EU.
Mr David Gauke
The Office for Budget Responsibility have set out their approach to assessing the implications of a UK withdrawal from the EU in their March 2016 Economic and fiscal outlook (see Box 3.4).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what reports he has received on the NHS investigation into the performance of the non-urgent transport service provided by Coperforma in Sussex; who will conduct that investigation; what the terms of reference and expected duration of that investigation are; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
NHS England advises that the High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), on behalf of all seven Sussex CCGs, has begun an enquiry on 18 April 2016 into the non-emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS) in Sussex.
We are informed that the CCG has engaged TIAA, an independent company and a provider of assurance services to the public sector, to carry out the enquiry. This is an independent investigation into the transition and mobilisation of the PTS contract from the South East Coast Ambulance Service to Coperforma and is supported by the CCGs in Sussex, Coperforma and the South East Coast Ambulance Service. We are advised the CCG has asked for a draft final report to be available for review by June 2016 with interim progress reports.
We are advised the following terms of reference have been agreed by South East Coast Ambulance Service, High Weald Lewes Havens CCG and Coperforma:
― consideration of the transition arrangements set out in such as contract specification and tender submission;
― the extent to which compliance with agreed handover arrangements can be evidenced;
― a root cause analysis of a sample of incomplete bookings;
― establishing the causes of poor service delivery on commencement of the new contract and whether these could have been reasonably anticipated prior to the contract commencement date;
― the appropriateness and timeliness of the actions taken by the CCG; and
― any lesson learned which could be incorporated into other future major contracts let by the CCG.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much each NHS trust spent on cleaning services in the last year for which figures are available.
Alistair Burt
The total amount spent on cleaning services by National Health Service hospital trusts is as shown in Table 1, below:
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Table 1: Cleaning Services Costs by Year |
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Year |
Cleaning Services Costs (£ millions) |
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2009/10 |
897.2 |
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2010/11 |
938.6 |
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2011/12 |
936.5 |
|
2012/13 |
933.9 |
|
2013/14 |
904.1 |
|
2014/15 |
929.2 |
Table 2 (attached separately) gives information on cleaning spend for each NHS hospital trust for 2014-15.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the King’s Fund Quarterly Monitoring Report 19, published in May 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
We recognise that very real financial and operational challenges face our health and care services. However, we are committed to a sustainable future for our National Health Service.
The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to the NHS by again committing to increase health funding each year in this parliament, in spite of the continuing fiscal challenges.
By 2020-21, the Government will increase funding for the NHS by £10 billion a year in real terms compared with 2014-15, to support the implementation of the NHS’s own plan – the NHS Five Year Forward View – to transform services across the country. And we will be giving the NHS £3.8 billion more this year (2016-17), over and above inflation, and almost £6 billion of the £10 billion in the first two years of the six-year period.
It is not, however, down to funding alone. The health system needs to match the increase in funding with service transformation and it is vitally important that we continue to strive for efficiency and give support to the development of new, more integrated, models of care; to the use of technology and transparency of data to drive up quality and choice for patients; to local areas to determine what is right for them through devolution; and to drive up the focus on prevention.
The NHS achieving 2-3% net efficiency gains each year until 2020-21 would represent a strong performance but it is achievable. We have already begun introducing measures to help spend taxpayers’ money more efficiently and reduce waste immediately and for the future – making sure every penny possible is spent on patient care.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2016 to Question 39429, on NHS logos, what the cost to his Department has been of legal advice on the use of the NHS logo by the Vote Leave Campaign; and what plans he has to apply for injunctive proceedings related to the use of that logo.
George Freeman
To date, the Department has incurred costs of approximately £5,000 (exclusive of recoverable VAT) for advice from specialist intellectual property lawyers, regarding misuse of the NHS logo by Vote Leave. The Department’s lawyers have also done some work on the matter. Their costs are covered in a block fee, which is paid by the Department to the Government Legal Department on an annual basis.
Given the Vote Leave campaign has now finished, the Department has no current plans to apply for injunctive proceedings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many performance meetings the Departmental Board has held since his appointment; and how many of those meetings he has attended.
David Mowat
The frequency of performance meetings held by the Departmental Board and how many of these were attended by the Secretary of State for Health is published in the Annual Reports and Accounts which can be located via the following links to the Gov.UK website for each financial year of his term –
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2012-13 |
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2013-14 |
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2014-15 |
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2015-16 |
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the performance of the Cheshire Patient Transport Service in the last 12 months.
Mr Philip Dunne
No assessment has been made. Assessment of the performance of patient transport services in Cheshire is the responsibility of its commissioners and the Care Quality Commission as the regulator of health services in England.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the findings of the report by CLIC Sargent entitled Cancer Costs: the financial impact of treatment on young cancer patients and their families, published in September 2016, whether he plans to review the financial support available for young cancer patients and their families to help meet the cost of their energy bills.
Penny Mordaunt
CLIC Sargent has supplied the Department for Work and Pensions with a copy of the report “Cancer Costs”. We are examining the contents of the report and I have asked my officials to arrange a meeting with CLIC Sargent’s representatives in the near future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take in response to the findings of the Care Quality Commission’s report on the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, published on 29 September 2016, relating to the performance of that Trust.
Mr Philip Dunne
Following the publication of the Care Quality Commission report on 29 September, NHS Improvement placed South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust in Special Measures. The Trust will receive a package of tailored support to address specific issues and drive improvements.
These measures include: buddying arrangements with South Central Ambulance Service, the appointment of an Improvement Director and publication of the Trust’s recovery plan in November, which will include a detailed programme to specifically address the bullying and harassment culture within the Trust. An oversight group has already been established to be chaired by NHS Improvement and including representatives from NHS England, clinical commissioning groups and the Trust to oversee the delivery of quality improvements.
There has been a change in leadership following the resignation of the Chair and Chief Executive. NHS Improvement has appointed an interim Chair and continues to support organisational development and cultural change work, including strengthening complaints processes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what extra funding will be made available to deliver seven day services in the NHS; and when such funding will be made available.
Ben Gummer
The Spending Review provided the National Health Service in England £10 billion per annum additional funding in real terms by 2020-21 compared to 2014-15, with £3.8 billion real terms growth in 2016-17. This fully funds the NHS’s own Five Year Forward View and will enable it to deliver services seven days a week by 2020. Local NHS organisations will need to plan how they can most effectively and efficiently deliver seven day services within the overall funding available to them. Further details will be set out in the coming weeks as the mandate to NHS England is published, followed by funding allocations to clinical commissioning groups, the publication of planning guidance for the NHS and consultation on tariff prices for providers of NHS services.