The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many non-medical prescribing nurses there are at level (a) PL1, (b) PL2, (c) PL3 and (d) PL4.
Mr Philip Dunne
This information is not collected by the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to simplify and make more accessible the diagnostic pathway in order to improve speed of diagnosis and access to support.
Jane Ellison
In September 2015, the NHS England Board approved the development of a personalised medicine strategy for the National Health Service which will be based around four overarching principles: the prediction and prevention of disease; more precise diagnoses; targeted and personalised interventions; and a more participatory role for patients.
The strategy will build on the 100,000 Genomes Project, which is moving the NHS to a new model of diagnosis and treatment based on the understanding of underlying genetic causes and drivers of disease and a comprehensive phenotypic characterisation of the disease (rather than deduction from symptoms and individual diagnostic tests). Personalised medicine informs the selection of the most appropriate treatment and better outcomes for individual patients – the right drug at the right time, earlier screening and treatment, smarter monitoring and the adjustment of treatments.
Furthermore, the Independent Cancer Taskforce recognised the need for more accessible molecular diagnostic provision in their report ‘Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes’ published in July 2015. In September 2015, the Department confirmed a commitment from NHS England to implement the Taskforce’s recommendations on molecular diagnostics.
NHS England is currently working with partners across the healthcare system to determine how best to take forward the recommendations of the Taskforce, and has appointed Cally Palmer as National Cancer Director to lead on implementation, as well as new cancer vanguards to redesign care and patient experience.
She has set up a new Cancer Transformation Board to implement the strategy, and this met for the first time on Monday 25 January 2016. There will also be a Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Harpal Kumar, to oversee and scrutinise the work of the Transformation Board. Timeframes and phasing for implementation will be dependent on the final financial settlement reached as a result of the spending review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of areas beyond national jurisdiction is covered by (a) regional seas agreements (b) regional fisheries management organisations and (c) other relevant instruments which are legally mandated to establish marine protected areas where the most important environmental impacts are effectively addressed.
James Duddridge
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold details of the proportion of areas beyond national jurisdiction covered by these arrangements. The United Nations Environment Programme has oversight of the 13 Regional Seas programmes. There are also five other “partner programmes” and the UK is a leading member in two of these – the Antarctic Treaty System and the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention). It is also an observer in the Arctic Council.
There are six Regional Fisheries Management Organisations which manage highly-migratory species and ten of which manage fish stocks by geographical area. Each Regional Fisheries Management Organisation has its own underpinning international legal agreement with different powers. The UK does not participate in every Regional Fisheries Management Organisation and we do not hold details of each of their powers. In general, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations cannot create Marine Protected Areas, but some do implement fisheries closures to protect Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems.
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources does have the legal power to establish Marine Protected Areas and has designated the South Orkney Marine Protected Area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of non-medical prescribing nurses.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Department and NHS England have successfully extended prescribing responsibilities to a wider group of health professions, including nurses. This is helping the National Health Service to deliver more timely and effective patient care. These professionals are termed ‘non-medical prescribers’, in order to distinguish them from doctors and dentists.
There are two types of non-medical prescriber:
― Independent Prescribers are able to complete whole episodes of care for a patient, taking responsibility from consultation through to diagnosis and finally, if appropriate, prescription.
― Supplementary Prescribers work in conjunction with a doctor to provide patient care. Supplementary Prescribing is a voluntary partnership between an independent prescriber (in this case a doctor) and a supplementary prescriber, to implement a patient-specific clinical management plan, with the patient’s agreement.
To become a non-medical prescriber, nurses must undertake a recognised Nursing and Midwifery Council accredited prescribing course through a United Kingdom university, sponsored by their employer on the basis of service need.
Local NHS organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population are therefore responsible for investing in training for nurses’ prescribing roles to deliver the best patient care and meet the changing needs of patients and services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2015-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department is making on research on the production of diverse forage mixtures to optimise animal production.
George Eustice
Innovate UK, Defra and BBSRC are co-funding the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform (SAFIP), worth £90 million over five years with match funding by industry. There are a number of projects funded under SAFIP on the development of alternative and diverse forages to optimise the sustainability of animal production in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2015-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what geological assessment his Department has made to ensure the stability of (a) the sea wall at Dawlish, (b) the cliff at Teignmouth and (c) the line between Newton Abbott and Plymouth.
Claire Perry
Network Rail is carrying out a further study to look at options to increase the long term geo-environmental resilience of the existing main line from Exeter to Newton Abbot. The study looks at the coastal and sea wall elements and the cliffs. It is due to be fully complete in April 2016 with an options assessment report available by the end of 2015. There has been no geological assessment of the rail route from Newton Abbot to Plymouth.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2015-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to promote tenant management.
Brandon Lewis
We have allocated funding of £1million in 2015/16 (through the Tenant Empowerment Programme) to support social housing tenants’ involvement in their local communities. This includes support to those who wish to manage delivery of services to their homes and estates by taking up their Statutory Right To Manage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to improve signalling on the railway between (a) Exeter and Plymouth and (b) Reading and Exeter; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of improved signalling on those routes.
Claire Perry
Signal failures are one of the biggest causes of delays on the network. For that reason, Network Rail has an extensive programme underway to improve both the standard and reliability of signalling across the national network.
The Western Route is gradually benefitting from transfer of signalling to a single control centre in Didcot, and this process will eventually encompass the entire route, including those stretches mentioned by my Hon Friend. This will allow a faster and better coordinated response to delays across the route.
My Hon Friend will also be aware of the very large investment which is being made by Network Rail, Cornwall Council and others into the Totnes-Penzance resignalling scheme, which will radically improve the train flow and reliability. It will do this by allowing bidirectional running on the line, meaning that maintenance and disruption can be managed vastly more effectively.
Further details of Network Rail’s plans can be found at the links below. These documents also provide information on the benefits of improved signalling:
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/publications/strategic-business-plan-for cp5/
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/publications/delivery-plans/control-period-5/cp5-delivery-plan/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency have been diagnosed with chest infections in 2014.
Jane Ellison
There is no national system currently for collecting data relating to diagnoses of chest infections specifically. However, we are able to provide the latest data on patients admitted to hospital with two of the infections that are relevant, namely upper respiratory tract infections and lower respiratory tract infections. These are provided in the table below. The data do not include infections treated by general practitioner practices.
In terms of information on chest infections in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, data collections systems do not exist to provide the requested data at constituency level.
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) for England. Inpatient Statistics 2012/13 for England.
|
Summary code |
Primary diagnosis and description |
Finished consultant episodes |
|
J00-J06 |
Acute upper respiratory infections |
138,673 |
|
J20-J22 |
Other acute lower respiratory infections |
192,271 |
Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre. HES.
Note:
A “finished consultant episode” is an inpatient or day case episode where the patient has completed a period of care under a consultant and is either transferred to another consultant or discharged.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with chest infections in 2014.
Jane Ellison
There is no national system currently for collecting data relating to diagnoses of chest infections specifically. However, we are able to provide the latest data on patients admitted to hospital with two of the infections that are relevant, namely upper respiratory tract infections and lower respiratory tract infections. These are provided in the table below. The data do not include infections treated by general practitioner practices.
In terms of information on chest infections in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, data collections systems do not exist to provide the requested data at constituency level.
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) for England. Inpatient Statistics 2012/13 for England.
|
Summary code |
Primary diagnosis and description |
Finished consultant episodes |
|
J00-J06 |
Acute upper respiratory infections |
138,673 |
|
J20-J22 |
Other acute lower respiratory infections |
192,271 |
Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre. HES.
Note:
A “finished consultant episode” is an inpatient or day case episode where the patient has completed a period of care under a consultant and is either transferred to another consultant or discharged.