The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 21 September (HL2088), what part of the total remuneration paid to members of the Chilcot Inquiry has been paid to Sir John Chilcot in both attendance allowances and expenses.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Inquiry will account for its costs after the completion of its report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received regarding the report Unhealthy Attitudes published in July by Stonewall, and what steps they propose to take to improve training for health and social care employees about LGBT rights.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Correspondence has been received by Department of Health Ministers accompanying copies of the report Unhealthy Attitudes.
On 20 October 2015, NHS Employers, the Lesbian and Gay Foundation and Stonewall presented a paper at NHS England’s Equality and Diversity Council, of which the Department are members, calling for positive and robust leadership to promote LGBT equality in the National Health Service.
No other representations have been received about the report.
Health Education England (HEE) currently hosts training on equality and diversity through the e-learning for healthcare (e-LfH) portal. A review of the content is scheduled to take place next year. The package is available free to all NHS employed staff and allows all users to run reports on the HEE e-LfH Hub demonstrating their use and providing evidence for their clinical professional development.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to prevent the sale of exotic animals as pets in the United Kingdom.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Existing legislation including the Pet Animals Act 1951, which regulates animals sold as pets, and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which makes it an offence to fail to protect the welfare of animals, provide a number of important safeguards for exotic animals sold as pets. Defra is currently reviewing legislation on licensing animal activities, including the 1951 Act, and will shortly be consulting publicly on a set of proposals to make the licensing system more effective.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the Future of News report published by the BBC on 28 January.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
No formal assessment has been made of the report, but we welcome the BBC’s insight into the future of news.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new HIV diagnoses were made among prisoners in 2014 in England and Wales.
Earl Howe
Data for 2014 is not available until October 2015.
Latest data from the national human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) surveillance system shows that in 2013, of 5,594 adults (aged 15 years old or above) newly diagnosed with HIV in England and Wales, nine were newly diagnosed with HIV at a prison service. An additional 210 patients living with a diagnosed HIV infection (diagnosed before 2013) were resident in prison.
Notes:
The numbers are likely to be under-reported because prison status is not routinely collected. Prisoners were identified if the residential information provided related to a prison setting. Therefore the completeness and accuracy of the numbers depends on the clinicians’ reports. Furthermore, most prisoners have short custodial sentences and consequently may not be included in the national HIV surveillance system which collects information relating to a patients’ most recent attendance at an HIV service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much was spent on HIV-related information campaign advertising in 2014.
Earl Howe
The Department holds a contract with the Terrence Higgins Trust to deliver targeted HIV prevention programmes for those groups most at risk of HIV which in the United Kingdom is men who have sex with men (MSM) and black African communities. The current contract delivers the HIV Prevention England programme. In 2014-15 the value of this contract was £2.450 million and of this £550,000 was spent on social marketing activity including advertising.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken in response to allegations of the theft of almost 300 cats in the Suffolk area between June and December 2014.
Lord Bates
Allegations of criminal behaviour should be reported to the Suffolk Constabulary so they can decide whether to instigate a criminal investigation. The Government has introduced Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to ensure that police force priorities across England and Wales better reflect those of the communities they serve, and that the police respond effectively to crime committed in the local area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2014-06-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to improve the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.
Earl Howe
NHS England is taking a number of actions to improve the care and management of people with atrial fibrillation (AF). It has published Our Ambition to Reduce Premature Mortality: A resource to support commissioners in setting a level of ambition, which identifies improved management of AF as a priority for reducing premature mortality. The resource can be found at:
www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/sop/red-prem-mort/
National Health Service Improving Quality’s Living Longer Lives programme includes promoting the use of a simple but effective audit tool called Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation (GRASP-AF) which simplifies the process of identifying patients with AF who are not receiving the right treatment. NHS Improving Quality is currently collaborating with partner organisations, including charities, to support the nationwide roll-out of GRASP-AF.
This work will be supported by the publication of an economic analysis commissioned by NHS Improving Quality using GRASP data which demonstrates both the current and potential impact of atrial fibrillation management on the number of AF related strokes.
Discussions are also underway to consider whether opportunistic testing for atrial fibrillation (AF) should be encouraged nationally as part of the NHS Health Check programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2014-06-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guideline 180, what action they are taking to ensure appropriate risk stratification and uptake of anti-thrombotic therapy among patients with atrial fibrillation.
Earl Howe
NHS England is taking a number of actions to improve the care and management of people with atrial fibrillation (AF). It has published Our Ambition to Reduce Premature Mortality: A resource to support commissioners in setting a level of ambition, which identifies improved management of AF as a priority for reducing premature mortality. The resource can be found at:
www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/sop/red-prem-mort/
National Health Service Improving Quality’s Living Longer Lives programme includes promoting the use of a simple but effective audit tool called Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation (GRASP-AF) which simplifies the process of identifying patients with AF who are not receiving the right treatment. NHS Improving Quality is currently collaborating with partner organisations, including charities, to support the nationwide roll-out of GRASP-AF.
This work will be supported by the publication of an economic analysis commissioned by NHS Improving Quality using GRASP data which demonstrates both the current and potential impact of atrial fibrillation management on the number of AF related strokes.
Discussions are also underway to consider whether opportunistic testing for atrial fibrillation (AF) should be encouraged nationally as part of the NHS Health Check programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2014-06-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to increase the uptake of novel oral anticoagulants in the management of atrial fibrillation.
Earl Howe
Decisions on the prescribing of medicines are a matter for clinicians in discussion with their patients.
National Health Service commissioners are legally required by regulations to fund those anticoagulant treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence(NICE) in its technology appraisal guidance.
The NICE Implementation Collaborative published a consensus statement on supporting the use of novel oral anticoagulants in non-valvular atrial fibrillation on 18 June 2014. This is available at:
www.nice.org.uk/resource/CG180/pdf/c/cg180-atrial-fibrillation-nic-consensus-statement-on-the-use-of-noacs?id=gvyb3hjdqrcjtn6ytpwx3ydb64
NICE published its updated clinical guideline on the management of atrial fibrillation on 25 June 2014 which recommends that novel oral anticoagulants should be offered where appropriate.
The latest data from the Innovation Scorecard show that uptake of new anticoagulants across England is increasing. Further information is available at:
www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13669