Asked by: Baroness Wheeler (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2022, published on 28 February, what is the breakdown of the scope of the NHS’ annual report on the uptake of drugs for patients with rare diseases; and when it will be published.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England will provide an annual report on the uptake of drugs recommended in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s highly specialised technology programme for patients with rare diseases by the end of 2022/23. This will include data comparing the actual patients receiving a drug with expected numbers. Where the number of patients is sufficiently high for statistical analysis, this will be reviewed to determine whether uptake has been geographically equitable.
Asked by: Baroness Wheeler (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2022, published on 28 February, when the strategic approach on Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products will be published; and what engagement is being carried out as part of its development.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is continuing to develop its strategic approach on Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs), informed by engagement with patients, providers and the pharmaceutical industry. This is focused on the commissioning and implementation of ATMPs, including service readiness, redesign, investment and provider selection. While no formal publication is currently planned, progress will be reported in England’s Rare Diseases Action Plans.
Asked by: Baroness Wheeler (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish further (1) details of, and (2) timescales for, the allocation of the £375 million additional research funding into neurodegenerative disease; and whether this grant will include research into (a) Multiple System Atrophy, and (b) Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.
Answered by Lord Kamall
This investment will fund research projects into a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Multiple System Atrophy and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. The Government will provide this funding through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The NIHR and UKRI rely on researchers submitting high-quality applications to access funding, therefore details of allocations and timescales are not currently available. All 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.
Asked by: Baroness Wheeler (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the impact assessment for The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 will be submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee; and when they expect to publish this assessment.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The impact assessment for The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 has been submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee and is currently undergoing independent scrutiny.
Asked by: Baroness Wheeler (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the temporary closure, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, of day care facilities for people with disabilities has had on the health and mental wellbeing of (1) the service users and (2) their carers.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We continue to provide guidance, funding, and support to individuals and groups affected by local service disruption. This includes an ethical framework to support local prioritisation decisions, guidance for unpaid carers, and guidance for the public on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of COVID-19. We are also working with national learning disability and autism charities to identify how, with Government funding, they can boost their online and helpline capacity to support people with learning disabilities, autistic people and those with the most complex needs.
The Department is also working with the Care Quality Commission and Think Local, Act Personal (TLAP) to understand the impact on individuals, including disabled people and their carers, of the changes to Care Act 2014 duties. TLAP hopes to speak to local authorities which are operating under easements to understand what this means for adults with care and support needs. A TLAP Insight Group will be meeting regularly to coordinate intelligence of TLAP partners on the impact and views of people accessing care and support and unpaid carers.
Asked by: Baroness Wheeler (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of reduced care packages, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, for disabled and elderly people living in the community on the health and mental wellbeing being of (1) the service users and (2) their carers.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We continue to provide guidance, funding, and support to individuals and groups affected by local service disruption. This includes an ethical framework to support local prioritisation decisions, guidance for unpaid carers, and guidance for the public on the mental health and wellbeing aspects of COVID-19. We are also working with national learning disability and autism charities to identify how, with Government funding, they can boost their online and helpline capacity to support people with learning disabilities, autistic people and those with the most complex needs.
The Department is also working with the Care Quality Commission and Think Local, Act Personal (TLAP) to understand the impact on individuals, including disabled people and their carers, of the changes to Care Act 2014 duties. TLAP hopes to speak to local authorities which are operating under easements to understand what this means for adults with care and support needs. A TLAP Insight Group will be meeting regularly to coordinate intelligence of TLAP partners on the impact and views of people accessing care and support and unpaid carers.
Asked by: Baroness Wheeler (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to issue new guidance on friends and relatives visiting care home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what steps they are taking to enable such visits to take place safely.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department’s COVID-19: Our Action Plan for Adult Social Care outlines the importance of restricting visitors to care homes at this time to reduce the risk of infection for care home residents and staff. A copy of COVID-19: Our Action Plan for Adult Social Care is attached.
It is recognised that this restriction in visitors may cause anxiety for both residents and their relatives. Existing guidance encourages that alternatives to in-person visiting are explored such as telephones or video calling. It is important that relatives can visit their loved one if they are dying, or if the relatives’ bereavement is likely to be worse, with a higher risk of psychological and physical morbidity. The Adult Social Care Action Plan acknowledges this exception.
Asked by: Baroness Wheeler (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor the welfare of children and vulnerable adults whose care and support has been reduced under the provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Monitoring the welfare of children is a matter for the Department for Education.
The Department is working with the Care Quality Commission and Think Local, Act Personal (TLAP) to understand the impact of the Care Act 2014 easements introduced by the Coronavirus Act 2020, which allow local authorities to prioritise care and support so that the most urgent and acute needs are met. TLAP hopes to speak to local authorities which are operating under easements to understand what this means for adults with care and support needs. A TLAP Insight Group will be meeting regularly to coordinate intelligence of TLAP partners on the impact and views of people with lived experience.
Asked by: Baroness Wheeler (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefit of redeploying NHS nurses and doctors to care homes, and what representations they have received from the National Care Forum and other care organisations about any such redeployment.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We are very grateful for the many health professionals who are supporting the local health and care system during the pandemic, including National Health Service support to enable nurse returners to be deployed to care homes through the Bringing Back Staff programme.
In April, we published COVID-19: Our Action Plan for Adult Social Care setting out the measures that the Government and other parts of the system are taking to support adult social care, to ensure people in care homes and other settings continue to receive the care they need. We are increasing funding and support to care homes to reduce the spread of infection and support workforce resilience, working with local authorities and health. We continue to work closely with our senior leaders’ group which includes the National Care Forum, who advise the Government on the measures we are taking to maximise workforce supply and capacity. A copy of COVID-19: Our Action Plan for Adult Social Care is attached.
Asked by: Baroness Wheeler (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many local authorities have used the provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020 to suspend or reduce (1) care assessments, (2) carer assessments, (3) financial assessments and (4) care reviews.
Answered by Lord Bethell
As of 6 May, seven local authorities have used the provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020.
Under the guidance for local authorities, there is no requirement to notify the Department about the details of the use of this provision. Recording by local authorities remains a priority and will help them to ensure accountability and provide evidence for the thought processes behind the decisions they will be making.