Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why NHS dental practices have been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic; and what assessment they have made of adequacy of the operation of such practices that have now reopened.
Answered by Lord Bethell
On 25 March NHS England and NHS Improvement issued guidance advising National Health Service dental practices to suspend all routine dentistry to meet the Government’s social distancing measures and to contain the spread of COVID-19. All NHS practices were required to offer telephone advice, triage and if required, painkillers or antibiotics. Practices then triaged patients who needed urgent face to face care into over 600 urgent dental centres set up across England.
All practices were able to open for face to face care from 8 June. Dentists have been free to restart the full range of face to face dentistry as far as they believe they can safely deliver this following Public Health England guidance on infection protection control procedures and appropriate levels of personal protective equipment. The letter offering guidance on this and a subsequent standard operating procedure guidance are attached.
Asked by: Lord Alderdice (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether personality disorder services remain a priority commitment for the National Health Service; and if so, what guidance is provided to NHS England to ensure that quality services continue to be commissioned.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Personality disorder services remain a priority commitment for the National Health Service. In 2011 the Government published No health, without mental health, a cross Government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages which remains the Government's vision for improving services for people with mental health problems; this specifically includes people with personality disorders. The Mandate to NHS England makes clear that by March 2015, we expect NHS England to make measurable progress towards achieving true parity of esteem between mental and physical health and that everyone who needs it should have timely access to evidence-based services.