A new ‘front door streaming’ service has been in place at the emergency department at Arrowe Park Hospital since 4 September 2017. This new service is expected to ensure that people with serious or life threatening conditions are seen and treated more quickly in the emergency department to improve the safety and quality of services and overall performance.

To support this, Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group has increased the number of clinical staff working at the Arrowe Park Walk-in Centre by relocating staff from the former Eastham Clinic Walk-in Centre.

NHS England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Review is working to reform and improve the provision of urgent and emergency care in England. As part of the review, NHS England is considering how to improve responses to 999 calls and patient outcomes under the Ambulance Response Programme. We expect the programme will report its findings in autumn 2016.

NHS England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Review is working to reform and improve the provision of urgent and emergency care in England. As part of the review, NHS England is considering how to improve responses to 999 calls and patient outcomes under the Ambulance Response Programme. We expect the programme will report its findings in autumn 2016.

NHS England, which is responsible for the operation of the National Performers List, does not collect or publish figures on average waiting times for admission to the lists. FHS Service (Capita), which operates the system on behalf of NHS England, has a Key Performance Indicator of passing requests on to NHS England within six weeks of receipt.

It is the decision of local councils whether to raise the adult social care precept in order to pay for adult social care in their local area. The precept gives local areas who are best placed to respond to local needs and pressures the flexibility to be able to do so. There will be a statistical release showing the number of councils taking up the precept on 30 March 2016.

Additionally, from April 2017 the Spending Review makes available social care funds for local government, rising to £1.5 billion by 2019-20, to be included in the Better Care Fund (BCF). We have deliberately distributed the improved BCF in such a way that those councils with low council tax bases will benefit most.

Taken together, the new precept and additional BCF contribution mean local government has access to the funding it needs to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament.

The National Information Board framework Personalised Health and Care 2020 published in November 2014 outlined by 2020 all care records will be digital real-time and interoperable. Progress is being made and the recent announcement of significant investment in digital technology will help support the National Health Service to achieve this commitment.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised us that the safety of caffeine has been reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority, which specified a level of caffeine for children and adolescents which does not raise safety concerns. For a 10-year-old child this is equivalent to the amount of caffeine in one 250 ml can of high caffeine drink.

The FSA does not collect data on the sale of high caffeine drinks and has no plans to restrict the sale of these drinks to children. However, the FSA advises that children and other people who are sensitive to caffeine should consume caffeine only in moderation. High caffeine drinks must be labelled with an advisory statement that they are not recommended for children.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised us that the safety of caffeine has been reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority, which specified a level of caffeine for children and adolescents which does not raise safety concerns. For a 10-year-old child this is equivalent to the amount of caffeine in one 250 ml can of high caffeine drink.

The FSA does not collect data on the sale of high caffeine drinks and has no plans to restrict the sale of these drinks to children. However, the FSA advises that children and other people who are sensitive to caffeine should consume caffeine only in moderation. High caffeine drinks must be labelled with an advisory statement that they are not recommended for children.

Specialised gender identity services are directly commissioned by NHS England.

NHS England has considered the outcomes of the listening exercise conducted by Professor Field and has put in place a significant programme of work to improve healthcare services for transgender and non-binary people. A dedicated task group has been established to provide leadership and coordination of NHS England’s work to improve transgender and non-binary people’s experience of the National Health Service, and NHS England holds a Transgender Network event twice a year. Regular updates on NHS England’s work to improve gender identity services are given on NHS England’s website by the Regional Director of Specialised Commissioning (London) who chairs the task group.

A Clinical Reference Group for Gender Identity Services has been established, comprising professional and lay experts. This group makes recommendations to NHS England on clinical matters. Issues around the standardisation of pathways across gender identity services and clinical protocols are being considered as part of the current work to develop a service specification that, it is proposed, will describe how NHS England will commission these services in the future. The process for developing a proposed service specification has included a period of public consultation.

Specialised gender identity services are directly commissioned by NHS England.

NHS England has considered the outcomes of the listening exercise conducted by Professor Field and has put in place a significant programme of work to improve healthcare services for transgender and non-binary people. A dedicated task group has been established to provide leadership and coordination of NHS England’s work to improve transgender and non-binary people’s experience of the National Health Service, and NHS England holds a Transgender Network event twice a year. Regular updates on NHS England’s work to improve gender identity services are given on NHS England’s website by the Regional Director of Specialised Commissioning (London) who chairs the task group.

A Clinical Reference Group for Gender Identity Services has been established, comprising professional and lay experts. This group makes recommendations to NHS England on clinical matters. Issues around the standardisation of pathways across gender identity services and clinical protocols are being considered as part of the current work to develop a service specification that, it is proposed, will describe how NHS England will commission these services in the future. The process for developing a proposed service specification has included a period of public consultation.

Specialised gender identity services are directly commissioned by NHS England.

NHS England has considered the outcomes of the listening exercise conducted by Professor Field and has put in place a significant programme of work to improve healthcare services for transgender and non-binary people. A dedicated task group has been established to provide leadership and coordination of NHS England’s work to improve transgender and non-binary people’s experience of the National Health Service, and NHS England holds a Transgender Network event twice a year. Regular updates on NHS England’s work to improve gender identity services are given on NHS England’s website by the Regional Director of Specialised Commissioning (London) who chairs the task group.

A Clinical Reference Group for Gender Identity Services has been established, comprising professional and lay experts. This group makes recommendations to NHS England on clinical matters. Issues around the standardisation of pathways across gender identity services and clinical protocols are being considered as part of the current work to develop a service specification that, it is proposed, will describe how NHS England will commission these services in the future. The process for developing a proposed service specification has included a period of public consultation.

Ministers at the Department of Health and Department for Work and Pensions met on 3 June and agreed to greater cross government working between our respective Departments. Following that meeting, the Department of Health and Department for Work and Pensions Work and Health Unit was created to improve the health and employment outcomes of benefit claimants. Next year, the unit will launch a range of voluntary mental health and employment pilots to support working age individuals with or at risk of developing a mental health condition retain and return to employment.

We know that people come into contact with the welfare system at a time when they may be vulnerable because of unemployment and its associated consequences. The Department for Work and Pensions provides guidance and training for staff to help them identify and support people who may be vulnerable.

Ministers at the Department of Health and Department for Work and Pensions met on 3 June and agreed to greater cross government working between our respective Departments. Following that meeting, the Department of Health and Department for Work and Pensions Work and Health Unit was created to improve the health and employment outcomes of benefit claimants. Next year, the unit will launch a range of voluntary mental health and employment pilots to support working age individuals with or at risk of developing a mental health condition retain and return to employment.

We know that people come into contact with the welfare system at a time when they may be vulnerable because of unemployment and its associated consequences. The Department for Work and Pensions provides guidance and training for staff to help them identify and support people who may be vulnerable.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Health met on 3 June this year where they agreed to greater cross government working between our respective Departments. Both Departments have established a joint working unit and next year will launch a range of voluntary mental health and employment pilots to support claimants with, or at risk of developing a mental health condition to retain and return to employment.

The following table shows the number of pre-registration learning disability nurse places that were filled as at 31 March in academic years 2012-13 and 2013-14.

The table also details the number of pre-registration nursing places that have been commissioned for academic years 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Source: multi professional education and training budget monitoring returns

In December 2014, Health Education England published their Workforce Plan for England which includes their planned Education and Training Commissions for 2015-16 which is available at the following link:

http://hee.nhs.uk/work-programmes/workforce-planning/

It is the responsibility of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to set the standards for education and training and ensure newly qualified nurses are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care including those training in learning disability.

Health Education England (HEE) commissions pre-registration nurse training programmes to ensure an appropriately skilled workforce is available to meet service demand. HEE also develop and commission a range of post graduate and supplementary training programmes to enable qualified nurses to continue to develop and enhance their skills.

HEE plans to undertake a long term piece of work to review curriculums of all National Health Service commissioned training programmes to include recognised areas of health including learning disability, mental illness, physical illness and physical ill health and social support needs. HEE will work with regulatory bodies including the NMC to agree the standards and content for education and training, this is anticipated to be completed by April 2017.

The Winterbourne View Concordat sets out that HEE will work in partnership with system partners, Skills for Care and Skills for Health to ensure the current and future workforce possess skills, competencies and knowledge to provide person centred care and support that is needs led and accessible for individuals with a learning disability, autism and behaviour that challenges. This work is on-going.

The Department does not collect data on the number or cost of nurses that have received bereavement training. It is the responsibility of local National Health Service organisations to ensure that they have the appropriate staff with the required skills in employment to deliver local health needs.

The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has not directly funded any specific research on Patau’s or Edwards’ syndromes during the last five years. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Patau’s and Edwards’ syndromes. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

The Research Councils support investigator-led research in response to proposals from the academic community and do not normally allocate funds to particular topics. The Medical Research Council (MRC) welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health. Proposals are subject to peer review and judged in open competition with other demands on funding. MRC awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health and therefore information on future funding that may be awarded for this area is not available.

The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has not directly funded any specific research on Patau’s or Edwards’ syndromes during the last five years. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Patau’s and Edwards’ syndromes. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

The Research Councils support investigator-led research in response to proposals from the academic community and do not normally allocate funds to particular topics. The Medical Research Council (MRC) welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health. Proposals are subject to peer review and judged in open competition with other demands on funding. MRC awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health and therefore information on future funding that may be awarded for this area is not available.

This is a matter for the National Health Service locally.

I have written to David Eva, Chair of Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, informing him of the hon. Member’s enquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.