Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what definition, guidance, or evaluative standard (1) the Department for Health and Social Care, (2) NHS employers, or (3) the General Medical Council, rely upon when determining whether a (a) statement, (b) social-media post, (c) repost, (d) share, (e) ‘like’, (f) comment, (g) private message, or (h) any other online action, constitutes a ‘pro-Palestinian’ view for the purposes of investigation or disciplinary action.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this data on investigations or sanctions centrally.
The regulators of registered medical professionals, including the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, are independent of the Government, are directly accountable to Parliament, and are responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of their statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government. The Department does not have oversight of regulators’ guidance, local employment policies, or actions taken by National Health Service employers at a local level.
Healthcare professionals, like all citizens, are entitled to their political opinions and have the right to campaign on issues. However, professional standards require that they must not express their personal beliefs, whether political or otherwise, to patients in ways that exploit their vulnerability or could reasonably cause them distress. The Government is clear that staff must demonstrate the core values of the NHS and demonstrate neutrality in the workplace. This neutrality supports the delivery of the highest quality of patient care, ensures patients can feel comfortable with the care they receive, and promotes strong working relationships with colleagues.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) doctors, (2) nurses, and (3) other registered medical professionals, have been investigated by the General Medical Council, other professional regulatory bodies or NHS employers since October 2023 in relation to statements or social-media posts perceived as expressing pro-Palestinian views; and what proportion of those inquiries proceeded beyond initial assessment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this data on investigations or sanctions centrally.
The regulators of registered medical professionals, including the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, are independent of the Government, are directly accountable to Parliament, and are responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of their statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government. The Department does not have oversight of regulators’ guidance, local employment policies, or actions taken by National Health Service employers at a local level.
Healthcare professionals, like all citizens, are entitled to their political opinions and have the right to campaign on issues. However, professional standards require that they must not express their personal beliefs, whether political or otherwise, to patients in ways that exploit their vulnerability or could reasonably cause them distress. The Government is clear that staff must demonstrate the core values of the NHS and demonstrate neutrality in the workplace. This neutrality supports the delivery of the highest quality of patient care, ensures patients can feel comfortable with the care they receive, and promotes strong working relationships with colleagues.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many medical professionals have, since October 2023, been (1) struck off, (2) suspended, (3) formally disciplined, or (4) subjected to any other sanction, as a consequence of statements or online posts perceived as expressing pro-Palestinian views; and what forms of sanction were applied in those cases.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this data on investigations or sanctions centrally.
The regulators of registered medical professionals, including the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, are independent of the Government, are directly accountable to Parliament, and are responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of their statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government. The Department does not have oversight of regulators’ guidance, local employment policies, or actions taken by National Health Service employers at a local level.
Healthcare professionals, like all citizens, are entitled to their political opinions and have the right to campaign on issues. However, professional standards require that they must not express their personal beliefs, whether political or otherwise, to patients in ways that exploit their vulnerability or could reasonably cause them distress. The Government is clear that staff must demonstrate the core values of the NHS and demonstrate neutrality in the workplace. This neutrality supports the delivery of the highest quality of patient care, ensures patients can feel comfortable with the care they receive, and promotes strong working relationships with colleagues.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many children from Ukraine have been evacuated to the UK to receive specialist medical care since February 2022.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to supporting the health needs of Ukrainian arrivals. All arrivals are entitled to full and free access to the National Health Service, including specialist services where required. On 14 March 2022, 21 Ukrainian children with cancer and their families were evacuated to England and triaged at seven NHS hospitals. The funding for the oncology patients was agreed by local NHS trusts, and the Government continues to support the cohort and their families.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided to support specialist medical care in the UK for children evacuated from Ukraine since February 2022.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to supporting the health needs of Ukrainian arrivals. All arrivals are entitled to full and free access to the National Health Service, including specialist services where required. On 14 March 2022, 21 Ukrainian children with cancer and their families were evacuated to England and triaged at seven NHS hospitals. The funding for the oncology patients was agreed by local NHS trusts, and the Government continues to support the cohort and their families.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of the (1) Sinovac, and (2) Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has not assessed the efficacy of either vaccine.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what use they have made of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre's civil emergency response mechanism as a means of sourcing personal protective equipment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and whether they have made any requests for assistance to the Centre.
Answered by Lord Bethell
To date, seven allied and nine partner nations have requested international assistance through the NATO Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). In chronological order of requesting, these are: Ukraine, Spain, Montenegro, Italy, Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Colombia, Slovenia, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Tunisia and Iraq. Many of these requests were for personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical equipment. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also asked for airlift support. The United Kingdom has not requested assistance through the EADRCC but we have responded to a small number of requests, including from Ukraine, Georgia, North Macedonia and Moldova, where PPE and medical equipment has been supplied. In these cases, equipment has been procured locally in the country concerned and within the constraints of our domestic response.
As part of the COVID-19 PPE team seconded to work with the Cabinet Office on PPE procurement, teams from Defence Equipment and Support have been using the NATO Support and Procurement Agency framework to order PPE for the National Health Service.
Asked by: Baroness Helic (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what use they have made of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency in attempting to procure personal protective equipment for the NHS.
Answered by Lord Bethell
To date, seven allied and nine partner nations have requested international assistance through the NATO Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). In chronological order of requesting, these are: Ukraine, Spain, Montenegro, Italy, Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Colombia, Slovenia, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Tunisia and Iraq. Many of these requests were for personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical equipment. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also asked for airlift support. The United Kingdom has not requested assistance through the EADRCC but we have responded to a small number of requests, including from Ukraine, Georgia, North Macedonia and Moldova, where PPE and medical equipment has been supplied. In these cases, equipment has been procured locally in the country concerned and within the constraints of our domestic response.
As part of the COVID-19 PPE team seconded to work with the Cabinet Office on PPE procurement, teams from Defence Equipment and Support have been using the NATO Support and Procurement Agency framework to order PPE for the National Health Service.