Topical Questions

Answer from Steve Barclay

I am always happy to praise the brilliant work of clinicians up and down the NHS. The Government supports patient choice, maximising capacity in the independent sector.

Answer from Steve Barclay

The Government shows willingness to engage through meaningful, constructive engagement and negotiation but finds BMA's 35% demand unaffordable and unrealistic.

Answer from Steve Barclay

The current industrial dispute is not a result of 13 years of incompetence but rather an unaffordable and unrealistic BMA demand. The Government stands ready to negotiate with the junior doctors.

Answer from Steve Barclay

The Government is committed to enabling patients to get the right care from the right place at the right time, including through technology such as the NHS app.

Answer from Maria Caulfield

The UK takes a 'one health' national approach to AMR and has seen reductions in veterinary antibiotic sales and antimicrobial resistance.

Answer from Neil O'Brien

The UK has strong standards for control and has no plans to get rid of these things.

Answer from Steve Barclay

The Government has shown willingness to engage and reach settlement through meaningful negotiation with NHS Staff Council. The BMA's 35% demand is not reasonable.

Answer from Neil O'Brien

We are leaving no stone unturned. Last month, we passed legislation enabling the GDC to increase the capacity of the ORE. We have also made it easier for overseas dentists to start working in the NHS: as of 1 April, no dentist will need to pay an application fee. We also want to radically reduce the time that dentists spend in performers list validation by experience, and we will set out further steps in our dentistry plan.

Answer from Maria Caulfield

We are spending an additional £2.3 billion a year on mental health services, and we have recently announced £150 million for crisis community support, because we are trying to reduce the number of people being admitted in the first place by treating them at an earlier point in their mental health illness. That will free up beds, but it will take time. Community crisis intervention is the way in which we want to make progress.

Answer from Will Quince

I can certainly ensure the House that we are seeking a mutually beneficial voluntary scheme that supports patient outcomes, a strong life sciences industry and a financially sustainable NHS. We have been working directly with industry to understand the impact of changes to VPAS on investments into the UK life sciences sector, and we remain firmly committed to VPAS, which, it is important to say, has saved the NHS billions of pounds and saved millions of lives by supporting patients with life-threatening conditions and giving them rapid access to new medicines.

Answer from Steve Barclay

First, I very much welcome the good care that the hon. Gentleman received, and it is great to see him back in the Chamber. On the wider issue, that is why we have an elective recovery plan, in which we have applied a boost in capacity, particularly through the surgical hubs. We are looking at how we build greater resilience, especially in winter, when elective beds are often under pressure. We are also investing in areas such as eye treatment, and we are rolling out through Getting It Right First Time a programme of improvement in a range of areas, including that one.

Answer from Steve Barclay

My hon. Friend makes an important point, and I am happy to update the House, as we have already achieved 35% coverage. By the end of the month, we expect to have 399 operational mental health support teams, covering 3 million children and young people. We plan to go further, with over 500 such teams by spring 2024.

Answer from Neil O'Brien

Absolutely. We have already taken action to increase the provision of dentistry, and that has begun to have an effect. Activity—the number of people seen—is up by a fifth over the past year as a result of the reforms that we have begun to make by reforming the old contract, but we must go further.

Answer from Helen Whately

My hon. Friend makes a really important point. I can say to her here and now that functional neurological disorder was previously regarded through a diagnosis of exclusion. It now has a rule-in diagnosis with available treatments, which is a major step forward in destigmatising the disorder. I am very happy to meet her to discuss this further.

Answer from Neil O'Brien

We have increased real-terms spending on general practice by over a fifth since 2016, and as a result there are now 10% more appointments happening every month. We are grateful to GPs for that. We have more doctors and clinicians, but we want to keep going, and I am happy to discuss this with anyone who has useful ideas to keep us powering forward.

Answer from Steve Barclay

It is a huge opportunity. My right hon Friend and I have discussed this matter outside the Chamber, and I met Ben Goldacre in the summer to discuss his fantastic work in the context of covid. It is absolutely right that, given the potential of artificial intelligence, there are huge opportunities in relation to health inequalities and allowing us to better target provision. One thing that we are trying to build into the NHS app is the ability to better empower the patient to decide what they wish to sign up to and what they would like their data shared with.

Answer from Steve Barclay

We are committed to a major conditions paper, not least because many people with cancer have multiple conditions; that is why it is important that we look at these issues in the round. With the Minister for Social Care, I had a very useful roundtable with key stakeholders, including the cancer charities. The key issue is that as part of our work on cancer checks, over 320,000 more people are receiving treatment for cancer compared with last year—that is around fifth higher—and we are expanding our capacity through the diagnostic centres, the surgical hubs and the expansion of the workforce.

Answer from Helen Whately

My hon Friend makes a really important point about the very important work that hospices do in our communities, and I fully support hospices as a sector. The funding for hospices generally comes through the NHS and the local integrated care boards that commission the services they provide, as well as, of course, from their own fundraising efforts. I am speaking to NHS England about the support it provides to hospices, because I am very keen to make sure that they get the support that they need.

Answer from Helen Whately

Yes, I am very happy to meet the hon Member.

Answer from Will Quince

My hon Friend is right to raise this issue. Over 12,000 more participants a month are recruited into clinical trials than before the pandemic, but we recognise that there is much more to do in order to be internationally competitive, including around regulation and speed of approval. I am pleased to say that in the coming weeks, Lord OShaughnessy will publish his independent review into UK clinical trials, and I very much look forward to receiving his recommendations.

Answer from Neil O'Brien

I am very happy to meet the right hon Lady as we work towards the workforce plan and the dental plan.

Answer from Neil O'Brien

I have already met my hon Friend, but I am very happy to meet him and his ICB to make sure that we commission the services that are so needed locally.