Tag: Virendra Sharma

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.

Jane Ellison

The Department has a health and well-being programme developed in partnership with trade union representatives, staff networks and the sports and social club.

The Department signposts staff to sources of help and support, such as the employee assistance programme, occupational health provider and its own bank of mental health first-aiders.

The content and impact of the programme is kept under review by a stakeholder group made up of representatives from the department and external partners, such as the Charity for Civil Servants and the Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Department is committed to the health and wellbeing of its staff and has developed a wellbeing strategy with a ‘5 steps to improve wellbeing’ approach.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria the UK Vaccines Research and Development Network will use to allocate funding.

Jane Ellison

The focus of the UK Vaccine Network is to bring together experts from industry, academia, philanthropy and government to make targeted investments in world-leading vaccine candidates, vaccine platform technology and vaccine manufacturing technology to combat diseases with epidemic potential in low and middle income countries, such as Ebola and Zika.

The UK Vaccine Network will allocate funding to world leading science in the areas above, and funding awards will only be made following appropriate competitive processes, and rigorous, international expert peer review of all applications. The criteria used as part of individual funding decisions will be decided on a competition by competition basis, following international expert advice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-06-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to contribute to the Government’s aim of reducing the regulatory burden on business by £10 billion in 2016-17; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with the Department’s other arm’s length bodies, is expected to contribute to the Department’s contribution to the Business Impact Target and the continued drive to reduce the burden of regulations. The MHRA has developed, in partnership with industry, a burden reduction plan to deliver proportionate regulation and minimise the regulatory burden on industry, while safeguarding public health. Industry partners have been asked to identify potential monetary savings from these actions. The Department will hold the MHRA to account for delivery against this plan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many visits there were to community pharmacies for minor ailments in (a) England and (b) each former strategic health authority area in each year since 2006.

David Mowat

The information requested is not collected centrally. However, information is available on the number of community pharmacies which are commissioned to provide a minor ailments service as an enhanced service under National Health Service pharmaceutical services at:

www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB19026

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of GP appointments and A&E visits each year for self-treatable conditions which could have been treated at home or with advice from a pharmacist; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

NHS England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Review Phase 1 report (November 2013) estimated that 20% of general practitioner (GP) consultations relate to minor ailments which could largely be dealt with by self-care and support from community pharmacies.

More recently, the NHS Alliance’s report, Making Time in General Practice (October 2015), found that around a sixth of patients covered by the study could potentially have been seen by someone else in the wider primary care team, such as clinical pharmacists, practice nurses or physician assistants, or by being supported to meet their own health needs.

On 16 November 2015, the GP Workforce 10 Point Plan partners announced the pilots taking part in its new scheme to fund, recruit and employ clinical pharmacists in GP surgeries as part of efforts to promote new ways of working, improve patient access and reduce GP workload. NHS England has more than doubled funding from £15 million to £31 million for its clinical pharmacists in general practice pilot, this will be shared between the 73 successful applications which cover 698 GP practices and include 403 clinical pharmacists.

The Department does not collate data nationally showing how many people who visit accident and emergency (A&E) departments could have been treated elsewhere. As part of the implementation stage of the urgent and emergency care review, NHS England is piloting the national ED (emergency department) pharmacy initiative. The pilot will show the potential for pharmacists to work alongside A&E staff as part of a joined-up, multidisciplinary workforce, to help ensure people with urgent care needs get the right advice in the right place, first time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.

Joseph Johnson

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is committed to supporting health and wellbeing by encouraging health promotion and the adoption of healthier lifestyles for all our staff.

The Department’s wellbeing strategy is based around three key strands:

Preventing Problems

The Department runs ‘fit for work’ activities, promoting and supporting health lifestyles, and ‘healthy work’ activities, ensuring wellbeing is not threatened by negative working environments.

Reacting to Problems

As an organisation, we take action to help those experiencing poor health or wellbeing, and support them in returning to work as soon as possible.

Measuring Wellbeing in BIS

We monitor progress in the Department in improving health and wellbeing, for example through monitoring turnover, and the results from People Surveys.

The Department provides a number of facilities for staff, including but not limited to childcare vouchers to support parents and guardians, a mediation service to manage stressful situations, and flexible working options.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.

George Eustice

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, to PQ UIN 27946 on 29 March.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Prime Minister, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in 10 Downing Street.

Mr David Cameron

A list of special advisers, and their pay bands, is published on an annual basis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.

Harriett Baldwin

HM Treasury takes the wellness of its staff seriously. Wellness is incorporated within the Treasury’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing policy.

In 2015/16 the following wellness initiatives were given priority:

• reducing levels of sickness absence relating to Mental and Behavioural Disorders (including stress, depression, anxiety) and Musculoskeletal Disorders;

• increasing the usage of the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP); and

  In addition the Treasury has signed up to two key external initiatives:

• the Public Health Responsibility Deal. Every April the Treasury reports to the Dept of Health on the activities carried out to meet the six pledges signed up to; and

• the ‘Time to Change’ pledge. Following this a Mental Wellbeing Network was set up and a range of associated activities take place focusing on improving the mental wellbeing of Treasury employees.

  In addition we support and provide reasonable adjustments for a variety of physical and mental conditions and requirements.