Tag: Norman Lamb

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people were employed as occupational therapists in each of the last five years; what information his Department holds on unfilled vacancies in occupational therapy in the last 12 months; and what steps he is taking to increase the number of people trained as occupational therapists.

Mr Marcus Jones

The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect information on the number of occupational therapists in employment or the number of unfilled vacancies in occupational therapy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the processes and policies in place proactively to identify symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in service-people returning from war zones.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a range of processes in place to look after the mental health of personnel both on, and returning, from operations, including Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) and the post-operational decompression period. Personnel are given briefings on the possible psychological after-effects of deployment, as well as advice on seeking help and treatment if required. Efforts are being made to reduce the stigma that can be attached to all mental health issues, including PTSD, and this may be encouraging more Service personnel to come forward.

The MOD has also been working closely with King’s College London on a two-year study, funded by the US Department of Defense, looking at a possible post-operational mental health screening tool. The study was undertaken using UK Armed Forces personnel, and the results are currently being analysed. When published, the study will help us to understand the efficacy of screening; to consider whether such a tool would benefit the UK Armed Forces; and provide evidence on which the US can gauge its current policy on mental health screening.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve awareness and education of cytomegalovirus among parents and children.

Jane Ellison

Public Health England’s Start4Life Information Service for Parents includes content on hygiene behaviours designed to help prevent the transmission of cytomegalovirus and links to further information on the condition. Advice includes how parents can keep their babies safe by following basic hygiene rules, with particular emphasis on handling nappies, and provides guidance on instilling hygiene behaviours in young children, for example by making hand washing part of their everyday routine.

General information about the signs and symptoms of cytomegalovirus is also available on the NHS Choices website at:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cytomegalovirus/Pages/Causes.aspx

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-09-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the (a) Prime Minister, (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (c) Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on potential additional funding for the NHS after the UK has left the EU.

David Mowat

The Secretary of State for Health has regular discussions with Ministerial and Cabinet colleagues to discuss National Health Service finances.

The Department and the Government as a whole are determined to make a success of leaving the European Union. And we are fully committed to the NHS, demonstrated by the Government commitment to increase funding for the NHS by an additional £10 billion a year in real terms by 2020-21, to ensure the NHS delivers world class care to all who need it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to (a) increase the rate of consent to deceased organ donation and (b) measure changes in attitudes towards deceased organ donation with regular public surveys.

Jane Ellison

The ‘Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020: A UK strategy’, published in July 2013, set out our plans for the United Kingdom to be among the best in the world for organ donation and transplantation. It also highlighted an aim to increase the consent/authorisation rate to donation and to make donation an accepted part of end of life care. Progress is measured through registration on the NHS Organ Donor Register and through actual donor numbers. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) the organ donation organisation for the UK evaluates the effectiveness of its communications in raising awareness, and having a positive impact on public perceptions of deceased organ donation, through regular tracking research.

NHSBT is taking a number of steps to improve the rate of consent to deceased organ donation. As part of the behaviour change communication strategy, NHSBT has stressed in publicity and promotional material the important role conversations about organ donation within families have in improving consent rates. Families are encouraged to discuss organ donation, to talk about their decisions and to join the organ donor register. This includes the newly designed organ donor card. The message during National Transplant Week this year was the need to have conversations with families about donation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many incidences of (a) restraint and (b) prone restraint in child and adolescent mental health services were recorded in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt

While this information is not yet collected centrally, from 1 January 2016 mental health providers are required to record all incidents of restraint involving children and young people in their returns to the Health and Social Care Information Centre. This data will become available as soon thereafter as data quality allows. The Care Quality Commission is responsible for monitoring practice in inpatient children and adolescent psychiatric services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the projected end of financial year budget surplus or deficit is for each clinical commissioning group in 2015-16.

Alistair Burt

The projected end of financial year budget surplus or deficit for each clinical commissioning group in 2015-16 was published for Quarter 2. This can be found on the NHS England website at:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publications/financial-performance-reports/

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 2 of Delivering the Forward View: NHS Planning Guidance, published in December 2015, how much of the £8.4 billion real terms increase in NHS funding by 2020-21 is allocated to mental health; whether that figure includes funding for children and young people’s mental health announced before the 2015 General Election; and under which of his Department’s budget headings that funding has been allocated.

Alistair Burt

Regarding the £8.4 billion real terms increase in funding, NHS England (NHSE) does not stipulate a specific spend level for commissioning bodies, this is to be determined by national policy directives like parity of esteem and specific local needs based assessment. At a commissioning stream level, NHSE has set a principal commitment to achieving mental health parity of esteem. Through its assurance process NHSE will hold individual commissioners to account for increasing spend on mental health in line with their increase in allocations, taking account of the additional mental health funding that has been received.

The difference between the 2015/16 funding for children’s and young people’s mental health in NHSE baseline and subsequent increase in funding over the five-year period from 2016-17 to 2020-21 is included in the £8.4 billion growth in the Mandate.

The Department allocates funding to NHS England as set out in the government’s mandate to NHSE and accompanying financial directions. The mandate to NHSE for 2016-17 and accompanying directions are both available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-mandate-2016-to-2017

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of prescription charges on people with multiple sclerosis; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

We have not made an assessment of the effect of prescription charges on those with multiple sclerosis. However, there are a number of prescription charge exemptions in place, in England, for which someone with multiple sclerosis may qualify. These include exemptions based on age and low income, such as certain out of work benefits and the NHS Low Income Scheme, which support those who cannot afford to pay for their prescriptions. Where someone does not qualify for exemption, Prescription Prepayment Certificates can be purchased. The 3-month and 12-month certificates allow someone to claim as many prescriptions as they need for £29.10 and £104, respectively.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-06-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Health Education England will have a budget to commission training for clinical psychology, Improving Access to Psychological Therapies and child psychotherapy in 2017-18 at the same levels as in 2016-17.

Ben Gummer

As with all arm’s length bodies, Health Education England’s (HEE) programme budget for 2017-18 is subject to business planning and cannot be confirmed at this stage. HEE will set out its plans for future workforce training commissions in its Workforce Plan for England which is expected to be published by the end of December 2016.