Topical Questions

Question

Currently, all primary care providers in Wales remain on amber alert, which means that many of my constituents in Bridgend are unable to access necessary services unless it is an emergency. Will my right hon. Friend explain how this situation compares to his Department's strategy to provide catch-up services as we come out of lockdown?

Question

We have seen reports today of how exhausted NHS staff are. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in the media this morning that he was not sure what more the Government could do to support NHS staff. Obviously, the Government could give them a pay rise, but will the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care also commit today to extending free hospital car parking for NHS staff beyond the pandemic?

Question

I wanted a commitment to extend the relief of hospital car parking charges beyond the pandemic. The Secretary of State knows that waiting lists are at 5 million and that 432,000 people are waiting beyond 12 months. Once we are through this pandemic, the priority must be to bring those waiting lists down, but he is about to embark on a reorganisation of the NHS with his integrated care legislation. Local boards permit the private sector to have a seat on them. Virgin Care has just been given a seat on the integrated care system in Bath and North Somerset. He once promised that there would be no privatisation on his watch, so will he instruct that ICS to remove Virgin Care from its board?

Question

Today, the Health and Social Care Committee published its report on NHS and social care staff burnout, which chronicles the emotional exhaustion and chronic fatigue felt by many frontline staff in the past year. Much support has been put in place; the 50,000 nurse target is welcome, the extra doctors and nurses hired during the pandemic extremely welcome, but still we have shortages in nearly every specialty, leading to a sense of despair. Will my right hon. Friend consider the recommendation that we make today that Health Education England should be given the statutory power to make independent workforce projections, rather as the Office for Budget Responsibility does for Budget forecasts, so that we can at least look doctors and nurses in the eye and say that we are training enough of them for the future?

Question

The British Medical Association has warned that the freezing of the lifetime and annual pensions tax allowance until April 2026 could significantly impact the retention and overtime of health and care staff, with 72% of doctors that it surveyed saying that it would make them more likely to retire early. What consideration has been given to the BMA's proposal of offering a tax unregistered scheme, similar to that of the judiciary, for those in the NHS?

Question

Despite recent rise in infection rates, can my right hon. Friend assure people of Dewsbury, Mirfield, Kirkburton and Denby Dale that there will be no need to introduce local restrictions due to effective surge vaccinations and testing?

Question

Will the Secretary of State confirm that this public health crisis will not be used to scrap services without proper consultations and impact assessments?

Question

Will the Secretary of State visit Airedale hospital to discuss reconstruction plans with Brendan Brown, the chief executive?

Question

Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss actions against such companies making major profits at the expense of NHS services?

Question

Does the Secretary of State agree that UK should consider expanding its newborn screening programme, and will he meet me on this issue?

Question

Will the Secretary of State ensure local issues like delays do not worsen cancer backlog and put more lives at risk?

Question

Is the seemingly high requirement for health professions training placements under review to capture new interest and open opportunities?

Question

Many constituents have concerns deeply concerning the Government's plans to collect, store, and share GP health data. If I opt out of this scheme, will my health information be available at hospitals outside Newcastle? If not opting out, how can I control data sharing individually or in aggregate?

Question

Will the Health Secretary confirm that local lockdowns will not be reintroduced given current trends in Kirklees, supported by vaccinations and testing efforts?

Question

Will Ministers look at a business case for Northwick Park Hospital's needs sympathetically, particularly regarding intensive care and recovery services?

Question

What are the plans to bolster cancer services and reduce this significant backlog?

Question

What discussions have the Secretary of State had with the Home Office regarding the clinical use of psilocybin for treating depression?

Question

What can be done to ensure that anyone needing a defibrillator has presumed access to it, regardless of where it is located?

Question

Will the Minister meet stakeholders to examine discrepancies in motor neurone research funding and commit to £10 million annually for five years?

Question

Mr Speaker, I am very grateful that you could fit me in at the end. Yesterday during the statement the Secretary of State did not have the information to hand on the efficacy of the covid vaccines in reducing serious disease and hospitalisation. He made a commitment, rightly, to set them out today at Health questions at the Dispatch Box; and I am delighted, with this question, to give him the opportunity to do so.