Tag: Virendra Sharma

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the rate of liver disease amongst adults was in the most recent period for which figures are available in each clinical commissioning group area.

Jane Ellison

The table attached shows finished admission episodes for liver disease in 2012-13 by clinical commissioning group of residence, where the patient was 18 years or older. The rate is supplied per 100,000 of the population.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-05-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights about the implementation of the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka of 27 March 2014; what technical advice and assistance his Department will provide to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the investigation into alleged war crimes and human rights violations in Sri Lanka; and what representations he has made to the government of Sri Lanka about the UN Human Rights Council resolution.

Mr Hugo Swire

Our officials in Geneva continue to discuss the March 2014 UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC) resolution with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). We will continue to fully support and work with the UN HRC and international partners to ensure proper implementation of this resolution. The OHCHR will lead an independent investigation into alleged violations. We continue to urge the Sri Lankan government to co-operate with the UN resolution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 54 of the Chief Medical Officer’s 2011 annual report, if he will place in the Library the figures underpinning the statement that liver disease mortality is increasing in England at the time when the average of our closest counterparts, EU members that joined pre-2004 is decreasing; if he will update those figures to include the latest available data; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

All of the datasets supporting statements and images in the ‘Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer Volume One 2011, On the State of the Public’s Health’, may be downloaded by following the link at:

www.gov.uk/government/news/cmo-annual-report-2011-volume-one-data-available

The datasets are not available in a hard copy format from the Department. It is anticipated that the figures will be updated later in the financial year.

In our mandate to the National Health Service, we set out the ambition to make England one of the most successful countries in Europe at preventing premature deaths from illnesses such as liver disease.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many individual funding requests for the prescription of Duodopa to patients with Parkinson’s disease were (a) made, (b) accepted, (c) accepted following an appeal and (d) rejected in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14.

Norman Lamb

Prior to April 2013, primary care trusts were responsible for dealing with individual funding requests and information on individual funding request decisions, or on the time taken to consider such requests, was not collected centrally.

From April 2013, NHS England assumed responsibility for commissioning adult specialist neurosciences services, including the majority of services for patients with Parkinson’s disease, with some being the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups.

NHS England has informed us that information on the number of individual funding requests made to NHS England is not currently available. NHS England is improving its data collection mechanisms and aims to improve availability of such information in the future.

NHS England has advised us it aims to inform the requesting clinician of the outcome of the individual funding request panel decision within 40 working days from the date of receipt of a completed request form. There are no plans to collect information on the average time taken for these decisions to be made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the review by the NHS on intellectual property, Innovation, Health and Wealth.

Dr Daniel Poulter

NHS England has advised that work to develop proposals following the review is still continuing, and proposals will be shared in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for a decision on an individual funding request for the prescription of Duodopa to a patient with Parkinson’s disease.

Norman Lamb

Prior to April 2013, primary care trusts were responsible for dealing with individual funding requests and information on individual funding request decisions, or on the time taken to consider such requests, was not collected centrally.

From April 2013, NHS England assumed responsibility for commissioning adult specialist neurosciences services, including the majority of services for patients with Parkinson’s disease, with some being the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups.

NHS England has informed us that information on the number of individual funding requests made to NHS England is not currently available. NHS England is improving its data collection mechanisms and aims to improve availability of such information in the future.

NHS England has advised us it aims to inform the requesting clinician of the outcome of the individual funding request panel decision within 40 working days from the date of receipt of a completed request form. There are no plans to collect information on the average time taken for these decisions to be made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 8 May 2014, Official Report, column 288W, on Parkinson’s Disease, over what timeframe NHS England will improve its collection of data concerning individual funding requests for treatments of progressive conditions.

Norman Lamb

NHS England has advised us that it is aiming to complete work on improving data collection for individual funding requests in the autumn.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of potential geographical variations in the handling of individual funding requests for the prescription of Duodopa to patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Norman Lamb

We have made no such assessments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-06-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of take-home naloxone in reducing the number of opiate-related deaths across the UK in conjunction with the training and educational programmes within the prison services.

Jane Ellison

From July 2009 to February 2010, the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (now part of Public Health England (PHE)) ran a trial at 16 pilot sites around England in which carers and relations of opiate misusers were trained to respond to overdoses and use the antidote naloxone and basic life support techniques.

A report[1] on the trial was published in 2011, and it was clear that naloxone appeared to help save lives. The report said that there were 18 overdoses where carers used naloxone and two where they applied basic life support. All the drug users survived the overdose. The trial included people who were about to leave prisons, and the report covers some of the issues around this.

There is currently a trial running on the effectiveness of giving prisoners naloxone when they leave prison, which has yet to report.

Some prisons currently supply prisons with take-home naloxone as part of their post-release support. PHE does not hold the data centrally.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has recommended that naloxone be made more widely available, and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has undertaken a consultation with the field on implementing this recommendation. There will be no further policy announcements on naloxone until the report on this consultation is published.

[1] Full report available at http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/naloxonereport2011.pdf

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of time spent by clinicians on producing and administering individual funding requests for the prescription of Duodopa to patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Norman Lamb

We have made no such assessments.