All commissioners in England have a responsibility to assure themselves of the quality of the services that they commission. The Quality Assurance Framework and Commissioning for Quality Toolkit provide support and guidance for commissioners to undertake this appropriately, in line with their responsibilities. Annex A of the Long Term Plan for the National Health Service sets out the funding which has been allocated to support the commitments in the Long-Term Plan and the previous requirements from the Five Year Forward View, in addition to the published five-year clinical commissioning group allocations.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4008", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Gosport"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Caroline Dinenage"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-17T15:16:45.843Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Health Services: Autism and Learning Disability"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan Implementation Framework: system support offer, whether the quality assurance framework to strengthen existing oversight arrangements for autistic people and people with learning disabilities will be mandatory; and what funding local authorities and CCGs will receive to ensure they can follow that framework.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1588", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Barbara Keeley"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Worsley and Eccles South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Barbara Keeley"} ], "uin" : "276532"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138639", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138639/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
No one should have to face long waits for an autism assessment. We expect services to adhere to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality standard which recommends that the length between referral and a first appointment to start an assessment should be no more than three months.<\/p>
We are determined to drive up performance nationally. We will use data on autism diagnosis waiting times, available for the first time later this year, to hold local areas to account and act where waiting times exceed the NICE standard.<\/p>
Whilst a diagnosis of autism should happen as soon as possible, it is important to recognise that a diagnosis is often complex and can involve different professionals and agencies. We are following the prevailing clinical guidance set out by NICE.<\/p>
NHS England and NHS Improvement encourage local areas to follow existing NICE guidelines and quality standards when commissioning and delivering diagnosis services for both children and adults.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4008", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Gosport"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Caroline Dinenage"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "276606"} , {"_value" : "276607"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-17T15:23:52.42Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Autism: Diagnosis"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to reduce waiting times for autism assessments for adults.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4666", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr Paul Williams"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stockton South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dr Paul Williams"} ], "uin" : "276605"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138685", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138685/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Infertility is recognised as a disease by all mainstream international health organisations. In the United Kingdom, infertility affects one in seven of all couples of child-bearing age. It can cause great psychological distress for those seeking to start a family, if not addressed. There are effective treatments and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Fertility Guidelines set out clearly how the treatment can be offered in the most clinically and cost-effective way. The Government recognises that there is variation in the commissioning of National Health Service fertility services across England. Patients with infertility have every right to expect NHS services based on clinical need.<\/p>
<\/p>
Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have a statutory responsibility to commission healthcare services that meet the needs of their whole population, including fertility services. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority\u2019s guidance for commissioners is a new tool to help them implement NICE Fertility Guidelines and use the benchmark price treatments.<\/p>
<\/p>
I wrote to the Chief Executives of all CCGs in England on 17 June 2019 to promote the guidance and benchmark price, and strongly encourage them to implement fully the NICE Fertility Guidelines.<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p> <\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4065", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Jackie Doyle-Price"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thurrock"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jackie Doyle-Price"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "276552"}
, {"_value" : "276556"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-16T14:53:34.467Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "IVF"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) financial, (b) emotional and (c) medical implications for couples experiencing infertility problems of IVF services being decommissioned by clinical commissioning groups.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4378", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Colleen Fletcher"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North East"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Colleen Fletcher"}
], "uin" : "276551"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138686", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138686/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Infertility is recognised as a disease by all mainstream international health organisations. In the United Kingdom, infertility affects one in seven of all couples of child-bearing age. It can cause great psychological distress for those seeking to start a family, if not addressed. There are effective treatments and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Fertility Guidelines set out clearly how the treatment can be offered in the most clinically and cost-effective way. The Government recognises that there is variation in the commissioning of National Health Service fertility services across England. Patients with infertility have every right to expect NHS services based on clinical need.<\/p> <\/p> Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have a statutory responsibility to commission healthcare services that meet the needs of their whole population, including fertility services. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority\u2019s guidance for commissioners is a new tool to help them implement NICE Fertility Guidelines and use the benchmark price treatments.<\/p> <\/p> I wrote to the Chief Executives of all CCGs in England on 17 June 2019 to promote the guidance and benchmark price, and strongly encourage them to implement fully the NICE Fertility Guidelines.<\/p> <\/strong><\/p> <\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4065", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Jackie Doyle-Price"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thurrock"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jackie Doyle-Price"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "276551"}
, {"_value" : "276556"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-16T14:53:34.513Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "IVF"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has take to ensure equity of access to IVF treatment throughout England.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4378", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Colleen Fletcher"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North East"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Colleen Fletcher"}
], "uin" : "276552"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138691", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138691/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Infertility is recognised as a disease by all mainstream international health organisations. In the United Kingdom, infertility affects one in seven of all couples of child-bearing age. It can cause great psychological distress for those seeking to start a family, if not addressed. There are effective treatments and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Fertility Guidelines set out clearly how the treatment can be offered in the most clinically and cost-effective way. The Government recognises that there is variation in the commissioning of National Health Service fertility services across England. Patients with infertility have every right to expect NHS services based on clinical need.<\/p> <\/p> Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have a statutory responsibility to commission healthcare services that meet the needs of their whole population, including fertility services. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority\u2019s guidance for commissioners is a new tool to help them implement NICE Fertility Guidelines and use the benchmark price treatments.<\/p> <\/p> I wrote to the Chief Executives of all CCGs in England on 17 June 2019 to promote the guidance and benchmark price, and strongly encourage them to implement fully the NICE Fertility Guidelines.<\/p> <\/strong><\/p> <\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4065", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Jackie Doyle-Price"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thurrock"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jackie Doyle-Price"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "276551"}
, {"_value" : "276552"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-16T14:53:34.563Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "IVF"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to prevent clinical commissioning groups from decommissioning IVF services.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4378", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Colleen Fletcher"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North East"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Colleen Fletcher"}
], "uin" : "276556"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138387", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138387/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Section 2.33 of NHS England\u2019s Long Term Plan states:<\/p> \u201cWe will continue to identify and support carers, particularly those from vulnerable communities. Carers are twice as likely to suffer from poor health compared to the general population, primarily due to a lack of information and support, finance concerns, stress and social isolation. Quality marks for carer-friendly GP practices, developed with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), will help carers identify GP services that can accommodate their needs. We will encourage the national adoption of carer's passports, which identify someone as a carer and enable staff to involve them in a patient\u2019s care, and set out guidelines for their use based on trials in Manchester and Bristol. These will be complemented by developments to electronic health records that allow people to share their caring status with healthcare professionals wherever they present.\u201d<\/p> <\/p> There is currently no data on the number of Carer Passports nationally and the use of theses passports is variable across the country and across different health, care and community settings.<\/p> <\/p> Work commissioned by the Department and carried out by Carers UK and Carers Trust, led to the development of a carer passport resource. The Carer Passport resource is available at the following link:<\/p>