Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any inequality of access to primary care.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
No assessment has been made. NHS England has a statutory responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of all patients and in all parts of the country.
The Government wants everyone to be able to access primary care when they need to and reducing inequalities in access to general practice services is a priority for the National Health Service. The Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, states the implementation of a new Modern general practice access model, which will make it easier for everyone to contact their practice and it will make sure arrangements for care happen on the same day. This will ensure we move away from a ‘first come, first served’ approach towards a more equitable one that benefits all patients, regardless of their chosen route of access.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their new Major Conditions Strategy will include the content of their unpublished Health Disparities White Paper.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Major Conditions Strategy will consider major conditions in the round, including disparities due to geography and other factors. Many stakeholders have already responded to government consultations on mental health, dementia, health disparities and cancer. We will draw on the insights and evidence provided through these processes and the Department will set out opportunities to contribute further in due course.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the consultation process will be in the development of their Major Conditions Strategy.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Major Conditions Strategy will consider major conditions in the round, including disparities due to geography and other factors. Many stakeholders have already responded to government consultations on mental health, dementia, health disparities and cancer. We will draw on the insights and evidence provided through these processes and the Department will set out opportunities to contribute further in due course.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the number of people earning less than the lower earnings threshold for statutory sick pay has changed over the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
Information on the number of people earning less than the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL), over the last five years, is not readily available and would incur a disproportionate cost. This would require significant analysis to ensure the underlying data would be robust.
As set out in the 2019 consultation, “Health is Everyone’s Business”, it was estimated that there were around 2 million employees who earned below the LEL and were therefore ineligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessments they have carried out of proposed reforms to Statutory Sick Pay in the last 10 years.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
Statutory Sick Pay provides a minimum level of income for employees who are unable to work and is both administered and paid for entirely by employers.
The Government continues to keep the system under review.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are currently receiving statutory sick pay; how many people are eligible to receive only statutory sick pay when unwell; and how many people earn less than the lower earnings threshold, making them ineligible for statutory sick pay.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
Statutory Sick Pay is administered and paid by employers, so this information is not held by the Government. Therefore, we are not able to make a robust assessment on the number of people who are currently receiving SSP.
There is information on the type of sick pay usually paid from surveys of employers and employees. The most recent of these are a survey of employers conducted in 2018 (most recent publication in 2021) and a survey of employees conducted in 2014 (published in 2015). Links to both surveys can be found below:
As set out in the 2019 “Health is Everyone’s Business” consultation, it was estimated that there were around 2 million employees who earned below the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) and were therefore ineligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they still intend to publish a white paper on health disparities; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
‘Our plan for patients’, published in an online only format on 22 September, sets out the immediate priorities to support individuals to live healthier lives, including improving access to health and care services. In addition, the Department continues to review how health disparities can be addressed and further information will be available in due course.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote a multi-disciplinary approach to long-COVID in the NHS to ensure patients have access to joined-up care across multiple services.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England published Long COVID: the NHS plan for 2021/22 on 15 June. Within the Plan, a multi-disciplinary care pathway is outlined as a principle of care for ‘long’ COVID-19, with the expectations that services must offer multidisciplinary, physical, cognitive, psychological and psychiatric assessments. The paediatric hubs also announced as part of the Plan will consist of multidisciplinary teams which can provide assessment services and remote support to other clinicians to ensure ongoing holistic support. The Plan also outlined that by mid-July, healthcare systems should provide fully staffed ‘long’ COVID-19 service plans covering the whole pathway from primary care through to specialist care using multidisciplinary teams. A copy of Long COVID: the NHS plan for 2021/22 is attached.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19, states that access to multidisciplinary services should be provided for assessing physical and mental health symptoms and carrying out further tests and investigations and that integrated, multidisciplinary rehabilitation services, based on local need and resources should also be provided. A copy of the guideline is attached.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports that long-COVID disproportionately affects women, what consideration they have given to the production of gender-sensitive guidelines for primary care professionals.
Answered by Lord Bethell
While we have not specifically considered gender sensitive guidelines, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published COVID-19 rapid guideline: managing the long-term effects of COVID-19 for all health and care professionals. A copy of the guideline is attached.
‘Long’ COVID-19 is a new condition and our understanding of its impact on different demographic groups, as well as the best treatment options to pursue, is still developing. NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to a health equity audit to assess equitable access, excellent experience and optimal outcomes for all communities.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to collect, and (2) to report, data on the number of people affected by long-COVID alongside the data on hospitalisations and death.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We are developing our understanding of ‘long’ COVID-19, including collecting the numbers of people affected and methods of reporting. Currently, the Office for National Statistics collects and publishes data on prevalence of ongoing symptoms following COVID-19 infection in the United Kingdom. From September 2021 activity data on referral, assessments and waiting times for post-COVID-19 assessment clinics and the patient journey, including the use of Your COVID Recovery, will be published on a monthly basis.