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1-18 of 18 results for subject:Finance

Answering member X
Patricia Hewitt
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Medical treatments

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Hewitt, Patricia (18)

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Medical treatments (18)

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My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point. In striking contrast to the scaremongering that we get from the Conservative party about 20,000 redundancies, over the current financial year there have been just over 1,400 redundancies, the great majority in management and administrative jobs. Although it is of course difficult for the individuals concerned—we are ensuring that the NHS supports them in these difficult times—it is a very different picture from what the Conservative party and some of the media have been telling people.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
13 March 2007
Reference
458 c151
House
House of Commons
I very much regret the fact that the hon. Gentleman completely fails to pay credit to the NHS managers and staff who, in a very difficult year, have got a grip on NHS finances and will achieve financial balance at the end of this month, putting the NHS in a far stronger position. May I suggest that he has a word with his hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley), just two seats along, who told the House only yesterday that it was the statutory responsibility of—
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
13 March 2007
Reference
458 c151
House
House of Commons
At least the hon. Gentleman and his party voted for those extra resources. I am surprised, however, that he did not refer to the fact that the NHS in Somerset will get additional funding of almost £120 million over the current year and next year. That is being reflected in the improvements taking place in Minehead hospital, the new cancer centre in Taunton and Somerset and the new community hospital at Frome. We believe that what we need is fair funding for the NHS—record funding for the NHS—and the best care for patients within the budget available. I know that the Liberal party has never been very keen on sound public finances or value for money, but the Government will continue to ensure that patients get the best possible value from the record investment that we have made.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
13 March 2007
Reference
458 c150-1
House
House of Commons
As set out in the most recent financial report, it is now clear that the NHS will achieve the three financial targets set for this year while maintaining key service standards. Achieving financial balance this year means that the NHS will be in a far stronger position in the new financial year and, in particular, will be able to make substantial progress towards achieving the target of 18 weeks maximum from GP referral to hospital operation.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
13 March 2007
Reference
458 c150
House
House of Commons
What percentage of NHS trusts have (a) deferred operations, (b) made redundancies and (c) restricted provision of treatments in 2006-07 on grounds of reducing costs; and what percentage plan to do so in 2007-08.
Asked by
David Heath (Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Department of Health
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Date
13 March 2007
Reference
458 c150; 126778
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and I readily congratulate that team on its excellent research. The introduction of smoke-free legislation later this year will be an important step forward in public health generally, and specifically in reducing the risk of other people acquiring that appalling condition in future. We will, of course, redouble our efforts to get across the message about the huge dangers involved in smoking for people of any age.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c693
House
House of Commons
The hon. Lady is right, because one has to look at the consequences for an individual and for social care and health services of a patient losing their sight. However, it really is not good enough for Conservative Members constantly to demand additional funding for new drugs, new treatments and additional services, when they have been wholly unwilling to support additional investment in the NHS—investment that we made and they voted against.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c693-4
House
House of Commons
My right hon. Friend has raised an extremely important point. As he has said, Avastin has not been licensed for use on macular degeneration, although it is being used by some clinicians with the support of the NHS. The problem is that the companies concerned—Genentech which manufactures it and Roche which distributes it in Europe—have not applied for a licence for its use on macular degeneration, and no clinical trials have been conducted for that purpose. At the moment, if a clinician wants to use Avastin and the patient is willing to have an unlicensed drug used, it is available on the clinician’s judgment, which will continue to be the case within the NHS. Although we cannot require the companies concerned to apply for a licence, in view of the very promising results that have been reported by a number of doctors, I urge both companies to initiate clinical trials for the use of Avastin for people with macular degeneration and to consider applying for a licence in the light of those trials.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c692-3
House
House of Commons
No patient should be refused Lucentis or Macugen simply because NICE guidance does not yet exist, but NICE needs to evaluate the new treatments thoroughly and it has decided, I think rightly, to evaluate them together so that the two treatments can be compared with each other as well as with the existing treatment. That means that it is taking a little longer, although it started on the evaluation before Lucentis was licensed, as it was only a couple of weeks ago. The guidance will be ready as fast as possible, consistent with arriving at a good, thorough and fair decision.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c692
House
House of Commons
Health is a devolved matter. At the moment, I understand that the health boards in Northern Ireland are not funding either Macugen or Lucentis. However, I am sure that they will want to take account of the NICE guidance, as soon as it becomes available.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c693
House
House of Commons
Just before Christmas, we reiterated guidance to the NHS that no patient should be refused Lucentis or Macugen, or indeed other treatments, simply because NICE guidance does not yet exist. Until NICE issues its guidance, as it will later this year, it is up to each primary care trust, whose professional executive is chaired by a clinician, to consider each case on an individual basis. The hon. Gentleman has to decide whether he supports NICE, which is widely regarded as a model around the world, or wants to go on undermining the outstanding and important work that it does.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c694
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend has raised an extremely important point. Research on vision and on many medical conditions is the responsibility of the Medical Research Council, the funding for which we have significantly increased. I draw my hon. Friend’s attention to the review that we recently published of eye-care services, which emphasises the need to ensure that local primary care trusts get the best possible local eye-care services, with an emphasis on early diagnosis and better treatment in the community.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c694
House
House of Commons
All primary care trusts are funding photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration in line with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance. NICE is appraising Macugen and Lucentis for treating this condition and it expects to publish guidance in October.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c692
House
House of Commons
All primary care trusts are funding photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration in line with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance. NICE is appraising Macugen and Lucentis for treating this condition and it expects to publish guidance in October.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c692
House
House of Commons
If she will make a statement on the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.
Asked by
Sandra Gidley (Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Department of Health
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c692; 118585
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend is right that the Scottish Medicines Consortium has approved Macugen since August, although it has not arrived at any decision on Lucentis. Its view will be superseded by NICE guidance when it is available. The important thing is that decisions on the cost and clinical effectiveness of new drugs should be made by independent clinical authorities, not by politicians, and that is precisely why we established NICE and back it in making its judgments.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c692
House
House of Commons
What provision her Department has made for funding treatments for macular degeneration; and if she will make a statement.
Asked by
Michael Connarty (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Date
6 February 2007
Reference
456 c692; 118584
House
House of Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what biotechnology research projects in (a) agriculture and (b) biomedics have been supported by her Department; and what level of public investment has gone into them in each of the last three years.

Asked by
Alan Simpson (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Trade and Industry
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Date
19 September 2002
Reference
73239; 390 c164W
House
House of Commons