The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many junior doctors work in the NHS.
Ben Gummer
The latest monthly workforce statistics (December 2015), published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show the total number of doctors in training in the National Health Service in England is 52,424 (headcount) 50,977 (full time equivalent).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-06-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Mental Health Taskforce’s report, entitled The five-year forward view for mental health, published in February 2016, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendation that an equalities champion for mental health be approved; and what responsibilities that champion will have for women’s mental health.
Alistair Burt
The Government is working with delivery partners to carefully consider the independent Mental Health Taskforce’s recommendations and aims to publish a strategic implementation plan in the autumn that will set out how Government and partners will deliver the recommendations, including that of equalities champion.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total number of supplementary hours worked by pharmacists beyond the hours mandated in the standard NHS contract.
David Mowat
The Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond, on which we have consulted, are being considered against the public sector equality duty, the family test and the relevant duties of my Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health under the National Health Service Act 2006. Our assessment considers a range of potential impacts in respect to the adequate provision of NHS pharmaceutical services and access to NHS pharmaceutical services, including supplementary hours and 100 hours per week pharmacies. An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.
Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive. We are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.
Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive. We are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to issue guidance on how its proposed extension of jobseeker’s allowance conditionality will apply to claimants with mental illness.
Priti Patel
We have made no proposals to extend Jobseekers Allowance conditionality.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the vacancy rates are in (a) child psychiatry, (b) child psychology and (c) mental health nursing for child and adolescent mental health services in each (i) region and (ii) clinical commissioning group in each of the last 10 years.
Ben Gummer
The vacancy rates in child psychiatry, child psychology and mental health nursing for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are not collected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical commissioning groups have issued a system-wide (a) black and (b) red alert in the last 12 months.
Jane Ellison
Information on black and red alerts is not collected centrally as this is an operational matter for trusts, clinical commissioning groups and their local partners to determine.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the Government’s proposals for implementing the recommendations of the independent Mental Health Taskforce.
Alistair Burt
We welcome the publication of the independent Mental Health Taskforce report and accept its recommendations. We will work with NHS England, other health arm’s length bodies and across government to agree how to take these forward.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of junior doctors who work at weekends; and if his Department will provide data on the number of (a) weekends and (b) part weekends worked in each month by junior doctors.
Ben Gummer
The Department does not routinely collect this information. However NHS Employers conducted a survey of employers in January 2016, which asked what percentage of junior doctors worked 1 in 4 weekends or more frequently. The data returned reflected a snapshot (rather than the last six months).
Based on a response from 14 employers in England, 40% worked more frequently than 1 in 4 Saturdays.
Our manifesto commitment, which was translated into the mandate that shaped the contract negotiation, was for the National Health Service to standardise urgent and emergency care, it is not about elective care. It is true that some hospitals do elective work at weekends. That is part of the trust’s local decision-making and it is right for the hospital to make that decision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-06-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the implications for the provision of services of the findings of the report, entitled Hidden Hurt: violence, abuse and disadvantage in the lives of women, published by Agenda in January 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
Officials at the Department met with Agenda in February to discuss the findings of the report, Hidden Hurt. Subsequently, Agenda were able to link with a range of work being undertaken in the Department, NHS England, Public Health England and other Government departments to prevent and to improve the response to extensive violence, abuse and disadvantage faced simultaneously by some women and which requires a concerted response from multiple services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that providers of care are funded at a sustainable rate; and if he will make it his policy to implement the recommendations relating to care funding in the report by the Homecare Association, entitled the Homecare Deficit, published in March 2015.
Alistair Burt
The Government recognises the importance of maintaining a sustainable pool of independent social care providers to give people a choice of quality services.
The Government welcomes the United Kingdom Home Care Association’s report that was published earlier in the year which made an important contribution to our understanding of pressures in the adult social care system.
The overall allocation of funds to local government for adult social care that is funded by the state is being considered as part of the current spending review, and the Chancellor will make an announcement later in the month. The Government has taken into consideration demand and inflationary pressures. The Better Care Fund continues to provide additional funding to support integration between health and social care.
More broadly, the Department is enhancing its market stewardship activity, and will develop a national Market Position Statement to set government’s ambition for the market, and will also continue to work to make the market more effective, in particular, working with the smaller businesses that typify the sector.