Tag: Lord Mawson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the decision to cancel the transfer of police custody healthcare services to the NHS, what assessment they have made of the minimum standards of training, skills and competence for healthcare professionals working in a police custody setting; and what steps they have taken to advise Police and Crime Commissioners about the need to adhere to such minimum standards for all healthcare professionals, as recommended by the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine, the UK Association of Forensic Nurses, and the College of Paramedics.

Lord Bates

The decision not to pursue the transfer of custody healthcare commissioning from Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to NHS England was taken in the context of wider decisions about the Provisional Police Funding Settlement for 2016/17, details of which were announced to Parliament in a written statement by the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice and Victims on 17 December.

The Government is clear that Police and Crime Commissioners should retain full flexibility to be able to prioritise resources towards police custody healthcare functions based on their local needs.

A number of sources of information and guidance are available to PCCs to inform their commissioning of custody healthcare services.

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1983 (PACE) sets out the statutory framework for custodial care and the rights and entitlements of a detainee in police custody. The College of Policing, as the professional body for policing, has published Approved Professional Practice (APP) on custody and detention. Police officers and staff are expected to have regard to the APP in discharging their responsibilities.The APP references wider guidance published by professional medical bodies including the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. In addition there is a NHS England national service specification setting out clinical standards for the commissioning and provision of police custody healthcare functions. This is currently being reviewed and updated.

In many police force areas the close ties which PCCs have established to local NHS England commissioners over recent years have already helped to drive up the standards and quality of provision. On 11 February my Rt Hon Friend the Home Secretary and my Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Health wrote to Police and Crime Commissioners and NHS England Commissioners encouraging them to continue to build upon this work to further improve healthcare service delivery.

Any recommendations made by the forthcoming independent review of deaths and serious incidents in police custody will be carefully considered in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why forensic medical services are an exception under Schedule 2 to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014; why such healthcare services are considered equivalent to other healthcare settings and whether they are subject to the same level of scrutiny; and whether they plan to amend those Regulations to allow the Care Quality Commission powers of inspection of healthcare facilities in police custody.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) document The scope of registration (CQC, 2015) includes a section about those health and care services that lie outside its duties to regulate, and for which providers are not required to register. Within this section, the document classes forensic medical services as a “third party exemption”, because these services are commissioned and paid for directly by police bodies, which are considered to be the “customer” of these services. This differs from healthcare services commissioned and funded by the National Health Service, in which services are arranged and organised for the benefit of patients. A copy of The scope of registration is attached.

Nevertheless, the CQC regularly takes part in joint inspections of police healthcare services, in partnership with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation. The Department, with the CQC and others, is currently considering whether to amend Schedule 2 to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 in order to remove the current exemption, and strengthen the CQC’s contribution to these joint inspection arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the decision to cancel the transfer of police custody healthcare services to the NHS, whether they will put into place, and ensure the appropriate funding for, any recommendations made about minimum standards and quality of such police custody healthcare services for vulnerable detainees as a result of the forthcoming independent review of deaths and serious incidents in police custody.

Lord Bates

The decision not to pursue the transfer of custody healthcare commissioning from Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to NHS England was taken in the context of wider decisions about the Provisional Police Funding Settlement for 2016/17, details of which were announced to Parliament in a written statement by the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice and Victims on 17 December.

The Government is clear that Police and Crime Commissioners should retain full flexibility to be able to prioritise resources towards police custody healthcare functions based on their local needs.

A number of sources of information and guidance are available to PCCs to inform their commissioning of custody healthcare services.

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1983 (PACE) sets out the statutory framework for custodial care and the rights and entitlements of a detainee in police custody. The College of Policing, as the professional body for policing, has published Approved Professional Practice (APP) on custody and detention. Police officers and staff are expected to have regard to the APP in discharging their responsibilities.The APP references wider guidance published by professional medical bodies including the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. In addition there is a NHS England national service specification setting out clinical standards for the commissioning and provision of police custody healthcare functions. This is currently being reviewed and updated.

In many police force areas the close ties which PCCs have established to local NHS England commissioners over recent years have already helped to drive up the standards and quality of provision. On 11 February my Rt Hon Friend the Home Secretary and my Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Health wrote to Police and Crime Commissioners and NHS England Commissioners encouraging them to continue to build upon this work to further improve healthcare service delivery.

Any recommendations made by the forthcoming independent review of deaths and serious incidents in police custody will be carefully considered in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 18 January (HL4835), for what reasons the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has decided that the reallocation of custody healthcare would not be appropriate at this time”.”

Lord Bates

The decision not to pursue the transfer of custody healthcare commissioning from Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to NHS England was taken in the context of wider decisions about the Provisional Police Funding Settlement for 2016/17, details of which were announced to Parliament in a written statement by the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice and Victims on 17 December.

The Government is clear that Police and Crime Commissioners should retain full flexibility to be able to prioritise resources towards police custody healthcare functions based on their local needs.

A number of sources of information and guidance are available to PCCs to inform their commissioning of custody healthcare services.

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1983 (PACE) sets out the statutory framework for custodial care and the rights and entitlements of a detainee in police custody. The College of Policing, as the professional body for policing, has published Approved Professional Practice (APP) on custody and detention. Police officers and staff are expected to have regard to the APP in discharging their responsibilities.The APP references wider guidance published by professional medical bodies including the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. In addition there is a NHS England national service specification setting out clinical standards for the commissioning and provision of police custody healthcare functions. This is currently being reviewed and updated.

In many police force areas the close ties which PCCs have established to local NHS England commissioners over recent years have already helped to drive up the standards and quality of provision. On 11 February my Rt Hon Friend the Home Secretary and my Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Health wrote to Police and Crime Commissioners and NHS England Commissioners encouraging them to continue to build upon this work to further improve healthcare service delivery.

Any recommendations made by the forthcoming independent review of deaths and serious incidents in police custody will be carefully considered in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the policy of the police to support complainants of child sexual assault who are under 18 years of age with specially trained officers, what assessment they have made of the case for extending the use of specially trained officers to support all children and young people under 18 years of age who are brought into police custody, and what plans, if any, they have to make such a change.

Lord Bates

The Government is committed to ensuring that children and young people are protected and treated appropriately in all circumstances while in police custody. As set out in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 Codes of Practice C&H, every child or young person taken into police custody on suspicion of committing an offence must be provided with an Appropriate Adult, whose role it is to safeguard their rights and welfare. In addition, a parent or legal guardian must be informed of their detention.

It is the responsibility of the chief officer of each force to adhere to the safeguards set out in PACE and its Codes of Practice. Police forces should ensure that officers interviewing child victims, including victims of sexual assault, are trained to apply the relevant College of Policing and Ministry of Justice guidance. The College of Policing’s Advanced Professional Practice on ‘Concern for a Child’ is clear that the police should always consider the services of a registered intermediary when a vulnerable child victim is interviewed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for healthcare services provided within police custody being considered healthcare facilities, and being funded, inspected, and regulated accordingly, in the light of the number of vulnerable individuals with complex health-related issues who are brought into police custody.

Lord Bates

The primary function of a police custody suite is to provide safe detention whilst investigating officers gather evidence, statements and conduct necessary interviews relating to any alleged offence. The provision of custody facilities, including healthcare services within police custody suites is the responsibility of individual police forces, and Police and Crime Commissioners have flexibility to prioritise resources according to local need.

Both College of Policing and NHS guidance is available to Police and Crime Commissioners to inform their commissioning of healthcare services. Regulation and inspection of police custody including healthcare provision is performed jointly by the three appropriate inspectorate bodies; Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, and the Care Quality Commission.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-02-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their planned pharmacy cuts on patients and health services in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Community pharmacy is a vital part of the National Health Service and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review, the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020-21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.

The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public.

We are consulting the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, other pharmacy bodies and patient and public representatives on our proposals. An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.

NHS England has a statutory duty to ensure the adequate provision of NHS pharmaceutical services across England and will ensure that duty continues to be met, including in respect of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-02-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they or NHS England have made of the effectiveness of minor ailments services provided by community pharmacies in reducing pressure on GP practices and other parts of the NHS, and what assessment they have made of the impact of their planned pharmacy cuts on such services.

Lord Prior of Brampton

NHS England has taken account of the potential impact of a pharmacy minor ailments service on general practitioner services and other parts of the National Health Service. The findings of the Minor Ailment Study (MINA), conducted by the University of Aberdeen, in collaboration with NHS Grampian and the University of East Anglia, on behalf of Pharmacy Research UK in 2014, were considered. The study’s main conclusions were:

– consultations for minor ailments continue to be a burden on high cost service providers but there needs to be consensus amongst healthcare professionals regarding what constitutes a minor ailment suitable for treatment in the community pharmacy setting;

– the evidence considered suggests that community pharmacy-based minor ailment schemes are an effective and cost-effective strategy for managing patients;

– health professionals and patients need to be confident in the ability of pharmacists and their staff to manage minor ailments; and

– future initiatives to shift demand from high cost settings to community pharmacy should adopt an interdisciplinary approach to explore and address patient decision-making behaviour.

In addition, evaluations of local minor ailments schemes have continued to inform decision-making about local commissioning of such schemes.

Community pharmacy is a vital part of the NHS and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.

The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public.

We are consulting the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, other pharmacy bodies and patient and public representatives on our proposals. An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.

Local commissioning and funding of services from community pharmacies, such as minor ailment services, will be unaffected by these proposals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when litter was last removed from the southern end of the M11 in East London, how often such litter is removed, and by whom.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The last time that litter was removed from the southern end of the M11 in East London was 17 March 2016.

Highways England clears litter from the M11 on a daily basis, on the sections where it safe to do so, without using traffic lanes, such as the verges with hard shoulders. The M11 slip roads and verges with no hard shoulder are litter picked on a six weekly cycle with lanes closed to protect the work force.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the building developments in Stratford, the Olympic Park, and the Lower Lea Valley, what practical steps they are taking to ensure that Eurostar stops at Stratford International in future.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

I recognise the international importance of the HS1 network in allowing high-speed rail services from London to reach Europe, whilst noting that no international services currently serve Stratford International station.

Eurostar, in which the government recently sold its 40% stake, accesses the HS1 network on an open access basis and is not subject to the terms of a franchise agreement or a contract let by government. Government has no power to direct or specify that Eurostar stops at Stratford International station. A decision made by Eurostar not to serve Stratford International would be as a result of commercial imperatives and priorities, for example, the potential revenue derived from customers using the station or the increased journey time which a further stop would involve. It would not be appropriate for government to interfere with that decision-making process.