Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional funding they plan to provide to Clinical Commissioning Groups and social services to enable frontier workers who are personal assistants or carers for disabled people, including those in receipt of continuing health care funding, to remain in this country between shifts in order to not deplete the social care workforce.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We are working closely across Government with local authorities and providers to make sure the adult social care sector is prepared and able to respond to COVID-19. Local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and providers should have appropriate arrangements in place to manage their workforce. We expect them to work together to make sure that our valued social care staff, including frontier workers, can continue working wherever possible. There is a £5 billion contingency fund to support the National Health Service and local authorities to meet the additional costs they will face, and to ensure they can maintain adult social care provision, given the additional pressures on the sector caused by COVID-19.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, EU frontier workers working and paying tax and National Insurance in the UK will be entitled to NHS treatment.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
In a ‘no deal’ European Union exit, EU citizens living in another state but travelling regularly to and from the United Kingdom as a frontier worker on or before exit day will continue to be entitled for National Health Service treatment without charge.
The Government is aiming to agree with the EU or with individual Member States continuing the existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements after exit day until at least 31 December 2020. Where such agreement is reached, an EU citizen who becomes a frontier worker after exit day would be eligible for NHS treatment without charge, under the terms of that arrangement. Where no agreement is reached, a frontier worker from that country may be charged for their care unless an exemption applies or the service that they are accessing is one which is free for everyone.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to ensure the continued delivery of psychiatric medication to pharmacies in England in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
We understand that psychiatric medicines are vitally important to many people in this country. Our contingency plans aim to ensure that the supply of psychiatric medicine and other essential medicines to patients is not disrupted in all European Union exit scenarios, including in the event we exit the EU without a deal.
We are confident that, if everyone does what they need to do, the supply of medicines will be uninterrupted in the event of exiting the EU without a deal.
The Department is working closely with trade bodies, product suppliers, the health and care system in England, the devolved administrations and Crown Dependencies, to make detailed plans to ensure the continuation of the supply of medicines to the whole of the United Kingdom in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that media allegations of incompetent brain and other surgery at Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust have been investigated.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Patient safety is a critical priority, and a culture that seeks out opportunities for learning and improvement is vital for making care safer for patients.
NHS Improvement is in regular contact with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and has received assurances from the Trust that the allegations relating to neurological surgery are subject to independent review, either through the Royal College of Surgeons or through ongoing coroner’s cases. NHS Improvement is confident that all media allegations have been fully investigated.
NHS Improvement has also taken robust steps in line with their whistleblowing policy to ensure that these matters are looked into thoroughly.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) patient safety in the Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, and (2) the procedures to ensure that whistle-blowers are protected and that any medical negligence is exposed.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has advised us that it conducted a comprehensive inspection of the Trust in March 2015, a focused inspection in September 2016, and these were followed by the CQC issuing requirement notices regarding breaches of regulations.
The CQC carried out an unannounced inspection of eight core services and two additional services in April 2018 at University Hospital, Coventry, and three core services at Hospital St Cross, Rugby in May 2018, as well as further unannounced inspections in May 2018. The CQC is compiling its report findings with a view to publishing the inspection report in August or September 2018.
The Government supports the right of staff working in the National Health Service to raise concerns and expects all NHS organisations to support staff that wish to do so. All NHS trusts and foundation trusts are required to have Freedom to Speak up Guardians to whom employees can raise concerns about patient safety in confidence.
In May 2018, the Government introduced legislation to further protect prospective employees into the NHS from discrimination if the individual is perceived to have been a whistleblower. This legislation was a recommendation from Sir Robert Francis’ Freedom to Speak Up review, published in February 2015.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the estimate, produced by Mencap, that the Employment Appeal Tribunal decision to backdate pay for sleep-in carers will lead to a funding shortfall of £400 million for care organisations.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government recognises the pressure that sleep-in back pay liabilities are placing on providers of social care, and is exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector. Any intervention to support the sector would need to be proportionate and necessary.
The Government commissioned market analysis to assess the impact of sleep-ins back pay liabilities across the social care sector. This work forms part of the evidence base that is being used to assess options and is subject to further analysis and refinement. The Department has committed to sharing a summary of the analysis at the appropriate time.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any potential threat to the viability of social care providers caused by the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling on backdating sleep-in pay.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government recognises the pressure that sleep-in back pay liabilities are placing on providers of social care, and is exploring options to minimise any impact on the sector. Any intervention to support the sector would need to be proportionate and necessary.
The Government commissioned market analysis to assess the impact of sleep-ins back pay liabilities across the social care sector. This work forms part of the evidence base that is being used to assess options and is subject to further analysis and refinement. The Department has committed to sharing a summary of the analysis at the appropriate time.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research published in the Lancet showing that the estimated health benefits of minimum unit pricing of alcohol would benefit those from the lowest socioeconomic group.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Public Health England (PHE) published an evidence review The Public Health Burden of Alcohol and the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Alcohol Control Policies: An evidence review in December 2016. A copy of the evidence review is attached. The research Effects of minimum unit pricing for alcohol on different income and socioeconomic groups: a modelling study published in the Lancet in 2014 was considered as part of this review. The PHE review concluded that reducing the affordability of alcohol is the most effective way of reducing alcohol harm, including hospital admissions and deaths, and targeted pricing measures are particularly effective at reducing harm in those groups most at risk. The review also found that targeting price increases at the cheapest alcohol is very effective and cost-effective and is able to substantially reduce harm in heavy drinkers without affecting moderate drinkers or the price of alcohol sold in pubs and bars.
Minimum Unit Pricing and its effects will continue to remain under review pending the impact of its implementation in Scotland, which will give us the opportunity to see whether the beneficial impacts predicted by modelling are realised in practice.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce health inequalities amongst older people.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Public Health England’s (PHE) older people and dementia work programme uses a range of approaches to help reduce inequalities amongst older people. These include: influencing and commissioning research evidence, publishing resources and tools to support improved commissioning by local authorities and the National Health Service, pilot programmes, collaborating with a range of third sector organisations who are working in the field, and advising the Department.
The NHS Health Check programme aims to target the major causes of premature death, ill health and inequalities in England. Since April 2013, almost five million people aged 40-74 have benefitted from this service. Evidence suggests that the greatest uptake is seen in more deprived communities and older adults.
PHE works closely with local areas to tackle health inequalities. For example, PHE is supporting local authorities to respond to the needs of older drug and alcohol users, particularly an ageing group who are experiencing poor physical and mental health and are more susceptible to alcohol or drug related death.
Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the report by the British Medical Association <i>Growing Older in the UK</i>.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government welcomes the British Medical Association’s report Growing Older in the UK. Supporting people to continue to play an active role in society as they grow older is a priority for Government and the report’s findings will be taken into account in relevant policy development work.