Tag: Luciana Berger

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the collection and reporting of data relating to the incidence of cancer of the unknown primary.

Jane Ellison

Information has recently been published by Public Health England’s National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) about the routes taken by patients prior to a diagnosis of cancer of unknown primary (CUP), and the links between age and socio-economic deprivation and CUP. These publications increase our understanding of the epidemiology of CUP and allow clinical teams to benchmark their levels of CUP diagnoses.

A survey of CUP registration and reporting practices in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia was recently conducted by the NCIN and the University of New South Wales. The results, which identified differences in CUP registration practice, are currently being analysed by the NCIN and will be used to develop a better understanding of historic data. The findings can also support and inform future standardisation of national and international registration guidance.

Preliminary results from the CUP survey will be presented at the Cancer Outcomes Conference – the Power of Information 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made on the integrated sexual health tariff.

Jane Ellison

Consideration is being given to taking forward work previously developed by NHS London on a non-mandatory integrated sexual health tariff. This consideration includes whether national data collections need further development to support the tariff and pricing structures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-05-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 707-8W, on school meals, how many academies (a) were invited to respond and (b) responded to the survey by the School Food Trust in 2012.

Mr David Laws

The School Food Trust (now the Children’s Food Trust) wrote to more than 1,500 academies in January 2012. Of the 641 academies that replied, 635 said they were committed to following the new food standards, even though they are not required to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of patients with cancer of the unknown primary first presenting at accident and emergency.

Jane Ellison

NHS England expects that the treatment and care for patients with Cancer of Unknown Primary reflects patients’ needs and preferences and that services are provided taking into account National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

Public Health England leads on developing a public health strategy for England which aims to tackle ‘upstream’ factors to reduce risks from cancer caused by tobacco, alcohol and obesity and to promote health through improved diets and exercise promotion. The National Health Service has a key role to play in supporting local authorities by commissioning smoking cessation services, specialist alcohol services, as well as through raising awareness of lifestyle risks with people who are in contact with NHS services and providing intensive support where needed.

Alongside supporting Public Health England to increase symptom awareness amongst the general population, NHS England is also working to increase cancer symptom awareness amongst healthcare professionals, and to provide support to general practitioners in early diagnosis.

In 2013-14 NHS England made £2.3 million available to support improved symptom awareness and early diagnosis. The majority of this funding was provided to strategic clinical networks which have the function of coordinating a more strategic approach to the development of cancer commissioning and provision in England. They also support early diagnosis through delivery of transparent data about performance in outcomes. For example, new indicators on stage of diagnosis of cancer and diagnosis through emergency routes are being introduced as part of the clinical commissioning group (CCG) outcomes indicator set in 2014-15. This will support CCGs to understand how their local communities are performing in relation to cancer outcomes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of sexual health services delivered by private providers.

Jane Ellison

This information is not collected.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) purpose and (b) cost of international travel undertaken for official purposes by (i) directors of Public Health England and (ii) members of its advisory board has been since 1 April 2012.

Jane Ellison

The purposes of Public Health England’s (PHE) international travel include:

– to provide expert advice to international agencies such as the World Health Organization and to the Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom (UK);

– to co-ordinate the global preparedness for serious health threats that might affect the UK;

– to provide advice and support to other national public health agencies on public health incidents and initiatives to improve health;

– to contribute to humanitarian responses; and

– to present PHE contributions at international scientific conferences.

The cost of international travel undertaken for official purposes is as follows:

(i) Directors of PHE: £12,458.57

(ii) Members of PHE’s Advisory Board since April 2013: £817.74

International travel has been defined as the cost of transportation wholly outside the UK or tickets to/from a destination outside the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the amount of research undertaken into ways to detect the origin of primary cancer in those suffering from cancer of the unknown primary.

Dr Daniel Poulter

Research infrastructure funded by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is currently hosting the following study:

A multi-centre phase II trial to assess the efficacy of epirubicin, cisplatin and capecitabine in carcinomas of unknown primary: incorporating the prospective validation of molecular classifiers in diagnosis and classification and exploratory metabonomics.

Overall NIHR investment in cancer research increased from £102 million in 2009-10 to £133 million in 2012-13. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cancer of unknown primary. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the National Health Service, value for money and scientific quality.