Every parliamentary written question tabled by Tim Farron this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 61–80 of 83 · Department of Health and Social Care
With reference to paragraph 2.71 of the Autumn Budget 2024, what criteria he plans to use to prioritise the allocation of the funds for radiotherapy cancer treatments.
The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments.
How many radiotherapy machines are (a) over the 10-year recommended age and (b) at risk of being out of date by the end of 2025; and how many of such machines he plans to replaced with funding announced in paragraph 2.71 of the Autumn Budget 2024.
The Government will continue to support the provision of radiotherapy machines, however, since April 2022 the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has been with local systems. NHS England will allocate funding to trusts to purchase new radiotherapy machines, and trusts may purchase different types of machines. Therefore, it is not yet known how many machines will be purchased.The number of radiotherapy machines in use which are over the 10-year recommended age is not published by NHS England.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that funding for radiotherapy cancer treatments addresses regional inequalities in access to (a) advanced radiotherapy techniques and (b) radiotherapy satellite centres; and if he will include an assessment the potential implications for his policies of such inequalities in the NHS 10 year plan.
NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring healthcare needs of local communities are met. These responsibilities include considering adequate healthcare provision, care, and wider support for local populations, including in remote and rural areas. This includes radiotherapy treatment. The Government will work to ensure that the best standard of healthcare is available no matter where people live.Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the National Health Service is there for anyone who needs it whenever they need it. We have established 11 working groups to take forward policy development that will feed into the plan. This includes working groups focused on how care should be designed and delivered to improve healthcare equity, alongside ensuring that access to healthcare services is effective and responsive.
With reference to paragraph 2.71 of the Autumn Budget 2024, how the £70 million for new radiotherapy machines will increase access to (a) adaptive radiotherapy and (b) other forms of modern radiotherapy.
The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments.
When the radiotherapy tariff was last updated; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential need for further updates.
The NHS Payment Scheme (NHSPS) replaced the national tariff from 1 April 2023. Following consultation, some amendments have been made for 2024/25, which came into effect on 1 April 2024. The amendments in the 2024/25 NHSPS included specialist radiotherapy services. In September 2024, a revised set of 2024/25 prices was published, which includes radiotherapy services and workforce tariffs. These prices have been updated to reflect a revised cost uplift factor for 2024/25.NHS England held a series of workshops in October 2024 to set out, and seek feedback on, potential proposals for the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme, and other aspects of the NHS finance system expected to come into effect from 1 April 2025.
Whether his Department (a) has consulted and (b) plans consult with (i) clinical experts, (ii) the radiotherapy industry, (iii) patients and (iv) charities on how best to allocate the funds announced in the Budget for new radiotherapy machines.
The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed, so that the new machines can best meet the needs of patients across the country. The Department has no plans to consult on this matter.
With reference to paragraph 2.71 of the Autumn Budget 2024, what estimate he has made of the number of radiotherapy machines that will be replaced; and whether his Department plans to fundi a rolling replacement programme.
NHS England will allocate funding to trusts to purchase new radiotherapy machines, and trusts may purchase different types of machines. Therefore, it is not yet known how many machines will be purchased. There are currently no plans to have a rolling replacement programme.
What percentage of cancer patients have access to radiotherapy as their primary treatment; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of barriers to increasing that percentage.
Radiotherapy is available to all patients. Clinicians will help patients to determine the best treatment option for their cancer. No assessment has been made of the potential implications, as all patients have access to radiotherapy treatment on the National Health Service.
With reference to paragraph 2.71 of the Autumn Budget 2024, whether the £70 million for new radiotherapy machines will be made available to upgrade machines.
The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments.
If his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of radiotherapy infrastructure.
There are currently no plans to make an assessment of radiotherapy infrastructure.
What steps he is taking to help recruit social care workers in Cumbria.
We are launching a national recruitment campaign in February to encourage suitable candidates to apply for immediate vacancies by highlighting the varied and rewarding work available. We have also introduced legislation to deliver the first Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care to empower worker representatives, employers, and others to negotiate pay and terms and conditions.
How many people in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency received radiotherapy treatment at the Rosemere Cancer Centre Royal Preston Hospital in each month in each of the last four years.
The Department does not hold information regarding how many patients from a particular constituency are treated in a specific hospital. Data regarding radiotherapy treatment is published monthly by NHS England.
What information his Department has on the average waiting time for young people to receive a first appointment for child and adolescent mental health services in (a) South Cumbria, (b) Lancashire and (c) North Cumbria in the last six months.
The following table shows the mean and median average waiting times between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old, in the nearest equivalent local authority areas, for April to September 2024:Local authority areaMean average number of days between referral and first contactMedian average number of days between referral and first contactLancashire76.412Cumberland90.328Westmorland and Furness53.69Source: Mental Health Services Dataset, NHS England. This is based on referrals that have a contact and does not include those that are still waiting.
How many and what proportion of (a) young people have seen a dentist in the last 12 months and (b) adults have seen a dentist in the last two years.
In England in 2023/24, the number and proportion of adult patients seen in the 24 months up to the end of June 2024 was 18.4 million, or 40.3% of the adult population. The number and proportion of child patients seen in the 12 months up to the end of June 2024 was 6.7 million, or 56% of the population of children.Figures are published by the NHS Business Services Authority and are available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324
Whether her Department has a planned timetable for when services in Helme Chase Maternity Unit at Westmorland General Hospital will be reopened.
The reconfiguration of services is a matter for integrated care boards and local healthcare systems, in cases of specialised and national services. All service changes should be based on clear evidence, clinically led, and involve engagement with patients and stakeholders, to ensure they will deliver better outcomes for patients. The trust will be publishing a timeline for the reopening of this service shortly.Due to staffing issues in May 2024, there was a temporary suspension of birth services at the Helme Chase Maternity Unit, for a period of six months. Following a full review of the service and relevant staffing models, the trust has developed options which will allow reinstatement of birth services at the unit. The best option is currently being consulted with the relevant teams, and will be shared at the earliest opportunity.Whilst birthing services are temporarily suspended, women can access antenatal and postnatal care, and outpatient appointments at Helme Chase continue as normal. The trust’s home birth service and consultant-led birth services at Furness General Hospital and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary also remain unchanged.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the closure of ward 6 at Westmorland General Hospital on (a) social care provision and (b) hospital bed availability throughout the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
Responsibility for decisions about the delivery, funding, and implementation of services ultimately rests with the National Health Service commissioner, and it is important that integrated care systems operate with a high degree of autonomy in making decisions in the interests of their populations.The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust has reviewed how beds are configured across their three main hospitals, the Furness General Hospital, the Westmorland General Hospital, and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. This review has shown that there are opportunities to improve how beds are used within these hospitals, which would lead to:improved patient care and outcomes;improved staff and patient experience;streamlined clinical pathways which will allow them to ensure their patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the right unit, and reduce inpatient length of stay;clinical colleagues being able to spend more time with patients by reducing the need to visit various wards to see patients who should all be in the same place; andincreased resilience over the winter period.All the services will continue to be offered, but from different areas in the same hospital, or more appropriate settings within the community. Adult social care services within Westmorland and Furness Council have confirmed that they are currently able to offer support to appropriate patients.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a specialist 21-day pancreatic cancer treatment pathway.
The Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a specialised 21-day pancreatic cancer treatment pathway. NHS England is delivering a range of interventions that are expected to improve early diagnosis and treatment for patients with suspected and diagnosed pancreatic cancer. This includes providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for patients at inherited high-risk, to identify lesions before they develop into cancer, and diagnose cancers sooner.In March 2024, NHS England published guidance for providers and systems to implement a timed Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary cancer pathway with the aim of ensuring that patients with some suspected tumour types, including suspected pancreatic cancer, receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days of urgent referral.
Whether his Department is planning to take steps to implement (a) a national screening programme and (b) other early diagnosis initiatives for prostate cancer.
Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committees (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme will harm some men as many would be diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them problems during their life. This would lead to additional tests and treatments which can also have harmful side effects, for instance sexual dysfunction and incontinence.The UK NSC regularly reviews its recommendations and the evidence review for prostate cancer screening is underway, and plans to report within the UK NSC’s three-year work plan.The evidence review includes modelling the clinical effectiveness and cost of several approaches to prostate cancer screening, including different potential ways of screening the whole population from 40 years of age onwards, and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher-than-average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.We are also working with NHS England to support the National Health Service to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard for cancer to be diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days from an urgent suspected cancer referral. This includes introducing best practice timed pathways for prostate cancer to streamline diagnostic pathways and speed up diagnoses.
What plans he has to (a) expand radiotherapy services and (b) waiting times for radiotherapy treatments.
The Government knows that cancer patients are waiting too long for a diagnosis and treatment. We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer on time, diagnosing it earlier, and treating it faster, so that more patients survive this horrible set of diseases, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system. As part of this, we are committed to bringing down waits for cancer appointments with a Fit For the Future fund, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waiting times, thereby saving lives.The Government will continue to support the provision of radiotherapy machines, however, since April 2022 the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has been with local systems.
Whether he plans to expand the additional roles reimbursement scheme for primary care to include funding for (a) additional GPs and (b) associated reimbursement schemes for related roles.
The Government is investing £82 million to fund the recruitment of over 1,000 newly qualified general practitioners (GPs), via the Additional Roles reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), so patients can get the care they need. The ARRS is subject to annual review as part of the consultation on the GP contract with professional and patient representatives. NHS England works closely with the Department to implement any changes identified as part of this process.