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1083688

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Consultants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of medical practitioners that have had applications to be on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council (a) approved, (b) rejected and (c) where a decision pending in the latest period for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Alan Brown
	uin	229806
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2019 answer text <p>The Department does not hold information on, nor has made an estimate of, the number of medical practitioners that have made applications to be included on General Medical Council’s (GMC) Specialist Register.</p><p> </p><p>The GMC is the independent regulator of doctors in the United Kingdom, and under the Medical Act 1983, is responsible for maintaining the Specialist Register. The GMC has provided the information in the following table:</p><p><em> </em></p><p>Applications to the GMC Specialist Register 2018</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Approved</p></td><td><p>4,528</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Rejected</p></td><td><p>164</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Decision Pending</p></td><td><p>298</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 12/03/2019 16:38:05 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
	tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1054823

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Working Hours
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to support the Fight Fatigue campaign which aims to raise awareness of the effect of fatigue and shift working on the NHS workforce.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	216340
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2019 answer text <p>The Department welcomes campaigns that highlight issues of staff fatigue and shift working in the National Health Service. The Department continues to commission NHS Employers to provide resources, materials and good practice for the NHS including the importance of sleep.</p><p> </p><p>NHS Employers are currently in the process of updating and restructuring their best practice webpages and will be signposting the Fight Fatigue Campaign on their website<sup>1</sup>.</p><p> </p><p>Note:</p><p><sup>1</sup><a href="https://www.nhsemployers.org/blog/2018/10/the-importance-of-sleep" target="_blank">https://www.nhsemployers.org/blog/2018/10/the-importance-of-sleep</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 12/02/2019 15:14:44 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1054824

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Working Hours
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospitals in England have rest facilities for staff working night shifts; and whether those facilities are available (a) before, (b) during and (c) after those shifts.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	216341
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2019 answer text <p>Data on the number of hospitals in England that have rest facilities is not collected centrally.</p><p> </p><p>For medical and non-medical staff, the provision of rest facilities is a local matter. However, it is vital that employers deliver on their responsibility to provide support and opportunities for staff to maintain their health, wellbeing and safety as required under health and safety.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the importance of improving the working environment of doctors and dentists in training. We have made £10 million available for trusts to be spent by their Guardians of Safe Working, in agreement with doctors locally, to improve working conditions.</p> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 12/02/2019 15:10:34 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1124619

	registered interest
	date	02/05/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Doctors: Pensions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the Annual and Lifetime Allowance taxation rules on rates of early retirement among doctors.
	tabling member constituency	Nottingham North
	tabling member printed	Alex Norris
	uin	250519
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2019 answer text <p>Membership data from the NHS Pension Scheme shows the number of hospital doctors and general practitioners (GPs) claiming their pension earlier than their normal pension age.</p><p>Whilst the scheme does not require individuals to give reasons for claiming their pension, the rise in voluntary early retirement rates coincides with reductions in pension tax allowances over the same period. The annual and lifetime allowances limit the amount by which an individual can grow their pension tax-free each year and in total. There is emerging evidence that pension tax may be a factor in doctors deciding to retire early or limit their National Health Service commitments. There are of course other factors, such as workload.</p><p>The Government is alive to the issues raised by senior clinicians, and keeps the impact of public sector pay and pensions policies under constant review, taking account of total reward and fiscal considerations.</p><p>The following table shows the number of hospital doctors and GPs claiming their NHS Pension on a voluntary early retirement basis from the 1995 NHS Pension Scheme.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Scheme Year</p></td><td><p>Hospital Doctors</p></td><td><p>GPs</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>315</p></td><td><p>513</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>387</p></td><td><p>591</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>406</p></td><td><p>746</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>453</p></td><td><p>739</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>494</p></td><td><p>695</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>490</p></td><td><p>721</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>424</p></td><td><p>588</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 09/05/2019 15:55:30 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
	tabling member	4641 label Biography information for Alex Norris

1056730

	registered interest
	date	07/02/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Antibiotics
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to secure the supply of antibiotics in the event of the UK without a deal.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	218365
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2019 answer text <p>We understand that antibiotics are vitally important to many people in this country. Our contingency plans include sensible mitigations for medicines that come to the United Kingdom from or via the European Union to ensure that the supply of antibiotics and other essential medicines for patients is not disrupted.</p><p> </p><p>In August 2018, the Department wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply prescription-only and pharmacy medicines, including antibiotics, to the UK that come from, or via, the EU/European Economic Area (EEA) asking them to ensure a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above existing business-as-usual buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019. We recognise, however, that certain medicines cannot be reasonably stockpiled. Where these medicines are imported from the EU or EEA, we have asked that suppliers ensure in advance plans to air freight these medicines from the EU in the event of a ‘no deal’ exit.</p><p> </p><p>On 7 December, the Government published updated reasonable worst-case scenario border disruption planning assumptions in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit. Medicines and medical products are prioritised in cross-Government planning, and the Department is working with relevant partners across Government and industry to ensure we have sufficient roll-on, roll-off freight capacity on alternative routes to enable these vital products to continue to move freely into the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Throughout enacting our plans, we have received very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring that the continuity of supply of medicines and medical products for patients is maintained and able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit.</p> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 14/02/2019 12:21:54 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1081770

	registered interest
	date	04/03/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	NHS: Drugs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to secure the supply of (a) methotrexate and (b) hydroxychloroquine in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	228079
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2019 answer text <p>Leaving the European Union with a deal remains the Government’s top priority; however, as a responsible Government we are planning for every possible outcome, including ‘no deal’. The Department has published guidance to industry and the health and care system to allow them to make informed plans and preparations. This is available on GOV.UK.</p><p> </p><p>We are confident that, if everyone does what they need to do, the supply of medicines and other medical products, including methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine, will be uninterrupted.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has put in place a multi-layered approach to minimise any supply disruption:</p><p>- securing, via the Department for Transport, additional roll on roll off freight capacity (away from the short straits crossings to Dover and Folkestone) for goods to continue to come into the United Kingdom from 29 March;</p><p>- asking industry to build up stockpiles in the UK before 29 March;</p><p>- buying extra warehouse space for the additional stock to be held in;</p><p>- supporting companies in booking space on aeroplanes for products which require an immediate shipment due to short shelf-life, including medical radioisotopes, or specific storage conditions;</p><p>- making changes to, or clarifications of, certain regulatory requirements so that companies can continue to sell their products in the UK even if we have no deal;</p><p>- strengthening the processes and resources used to deal with shortages in the event that they do occur.</p><p> </p><p>There is cross-Government agreement that all medicines and medical products will be prioritised on these alternative routes to ensure that the flow of all these products may continue unimpeded. For any products that require air freight, we are continuing to work with suppliers to ensure this continues as normal.</p> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 12/03/2019 12:29:50 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1086566

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Health and Care Professions Council: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to (a) undertake a review the decision by the Health and Care Professions Council on 14 February 2019 to increase subscription fees for allied health professionals and (b) make an assessment of the effect of that decision on trends in the level of employees in that sector.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	230870
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2019 answer text <p>The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is independent of Government, funded by registrants’ fees on a costs recovery basis. It is the responsibility of the HCPC to set its registration fees at an appropriate level.</p><p> </p><p>Following a public consultation, the HCPC is planning to raise its annual fees by £16. If adopted, the HCPC’s annual registration fee will rise from £90 to £106 a year from October 2019. The HCPC’s registration fees will remain the lowest of any of the United Kingdom-wide health and care regulators. Registration fees are tax-deductible and this fee rise will amount to just over £1 a month extra for most of the HCPC’s registrants.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has made no assessment of the potential effects of the changes to the HCPC’s registration fees from October 2019.</p> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 19/03/2019 14:17:56 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1104821

	registered interest
	date	25/03/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Hospitals: Yorkshire and the Humber
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce waiting times (a) for NHS operations and (b) between admission and treatment at A&E in Yorkshire and the Humber.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	236528
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/04/2019 answer text <p>Positive work has been delivered within Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as well as the wider Leeds health and social care economy. Through this, significant improvements have been seen over the past 12 months, including over the winter period. Over winter, these improvements have included:</p><p>- A significant reduction in the the number of patients waiting longer than 52 weeks for operations;</p><p>- A 10% increase in the number of patients seen within four hours in emergency departments in February, compared to previous year; and</p><p>- Zero 12-hour breaches within emergency departments.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to this, further service improvements made across hospitals in the area over the last 12 months have included modelling to predict surges in demand, extra consultant presence in the emergency department and work to discharge patients earlier in the day.</p> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 01/04/2019 15:25:53 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1122120

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Heart Diseases: Health Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prepare cardiac units for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	245973
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>We have now reached agreement with the European Union on an extension until 31 October 2019 at the latest, with the option to leave earlier as soon as a deal has been ratified. Although Parliament has rejected leaving without a deal multiple times, this remains the legal default at the end of the extension period, unless a deal is passed by Parliament.</p><p>In light of the extension, Departments will make sensible decisions about the timing and pace at which some of this work is progressing, but we will continue to prepare for all exit scenarios. We remain focused on ensuring our smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU with a deal as soon as possible.</p><p>The Department is considering the impact on our EU exit preparations and we are working closely with our stakeholders to review our position.</p><p>While we never give guarantees, we are confident that, if everyone does what they need to do, the supply of medicines and medical products, including for supplies of clinical trials and investigations, will be uninterrupted in the event we leave the EU without a deal.</p><p>In terms of EU exit preparations for local National Health Service organisations, on 18 April 2019 Professor Keith Willett, EU Exit Strategic Commander at NHS England and NHS Improvement, wrote to clinical commissioning group and trust Chief Executives to update them on the further extension to Article 50, and the actions that now need to be taken locally to continue to prepare for the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU. Further details are available in Professor Willett’s letter that NHS England and NHS Improvement has published online at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20130418-KW-EU-exit-letter-final-.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20130418-KW-EU-exit-letter-final-.pdf</a></p><p>These actions will also apply to cardiac units as they are within trusts.</p> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 30/04/2019 10:04:54 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1091218

	registered interest
	date	19/03/2019
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Methadone
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continuation of supply of methadone in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow Central
	tabling member printed	Alison Thewliss
	uin	234198
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2019 answer text <p>Leaving the European Union with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. However, as a responsible Government we must plan for every possible outcome including ‘no deal’. The Department has published guidance to industry and the health and care system to allow them to make informed plans and preparations. This is available on GOV.UK.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has been working closely with industry to ensure the supply of medicines, including methadone, can continue uninterrupted in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit. Plans include building stockpiles, providing additional warehousing space and buying freight capacity on alternative ferry routes.</p><p> </p><p>The Department, together with industry and the National Health Service, has analysed the supply chains of 12,300 medicines and we are grateful for excellent engagement from all parties, which means our plans are well advanced.</p><p> </p><p>In August 2018, the Department wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply prescription-only and pharmacy medicines, to the United Kingdom that come from or via, the EU/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above existing business-as-usual buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019 in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has put in place a multi-layered approach to minimise any supply disruption. We are confident that, if everyone does what they need to do, the supply of medicines and medical products will be uninterrupted.</p> answering member constituency Wimbledon answering member printed Stephen Hammond question first answered 22/03/2019 13:11:52 answering member 1585 label Biography information for Stephen Hammond
	tabling member	4430 label Biography information for Alison Thewliss