Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to place (1) Mauritius, (2) Turks and Caicos Islands, and (3) Bermuda, onto the 'green list' for tourists using direct flights from the United Kingdom, given the low local infection rates from COVID-19 in these destinations.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Decisions to place countries, including Mauritius, Turks and Caicos Islands and Bermuda on the ‘green list’ are taken by Ministers informed by evidence including the Joint Biosecurity Centre’s analysis, as well as other relevant information about the risk of the spread of variant. The advice, evidence and methodology which informs these decisions relates to on-going development of Government policy and therefore cannot be published at this time.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to announce improvements in funding for hospices; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government recognises the importance of palliative and end of life care services, including hospices. The sector has played a vital role in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is reflected by the provision of up to £280 million of additional funding from March 2020 to March 2021 to secure capacity and free up acute care as part of the National Health Service’s response. Additionally, the Government has either funded directly or committed to reimburse all known personal protective equipment requirements since the start of the pandemic until March 2022.
As independent, charitable organisations, hospices receive some statutory funding mainly from clinical commissioning groups for providing services in their local area. However, alongside NHS England and NHS Improvement, we proactively engage with the whole sector on an ongoing basis to understand the issues they face and their views of upcoming needs and challenges.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the estimate in the report by Sue Ryder Modelling demand and costs for palliative care services in England, published on 1 February, that the cost of providing palliative care services may reach £947m per year by 2031.
Answered by Lord Bethell
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Sue Ryder Modelling demand and costs for palliative care services in England, published on 1 February, what assessment have they made of the risk of the independent hospice sector collapsing due to a lack of funding; and what assessment have they made of the cost of the NHS providing palliative care services instead of indepedent palliative care providers over the next 10 years.
Answered by Lord Bethell
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Sue Ryder Modelling demand and costs for palliative care services in England, published on 1 February, what plans they have to implement a long-term funding package for hospices.
Answered by Lord Bethell
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the report by Sue Ryder Modelling demand and costs for palliative care services in England, published on 1 February, that independent hospice services may be withdrawn unless statutory funding of services increases from 37 per cent to 70 per cent.
Answered by Lord Bethell
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether funding for palliative care services will meet predicted future demand.
Answered by Lord Bethell
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial viability of the UK hospice sector.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government recognises the funding challenges facing the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between March 2020 and March 2021 £280 million of additional funding has been made available to hospices to secure capacity and free up acute care as part of the National Health Service response to COVID-19. Alongside this, hospices have benefitted from the financial support offered by HM Treasury to all charities, such as paying no business rates for their shops next year and applying for a Business Interruption Loan.
No assessment has been made of the financial viability of United Kingdom hospices. Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations that receive some statutory funding, mainly from clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for providing local services. CCGs are responsible for the planning and commissioning of high-quality services that meet the needs of their local population.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the Sue Ryder charity, published on 31 January, on the funding challenges facing the UK hospice sector.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government recognises the funding challenges facing the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between March 2020 and March 2021 £280 million of additional funding has been made available to hospices to secure capacity and free up acute care as part of the National Health Service response to COVID-19. Alongside this, hospices have benefitted from the financial support offered by HM Treasury to all charities, such as paying no business rates for their shops next year and applying for a Business Interruption Loan.
No assessment has been made of the financial viability of United Kingdom hospices. Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations that receive some statutory funding, mainly from clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for providing local services. CCGs are responsible for the planning and commissioning of high-quality services that meet the needs of their local population.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that those who have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine receive the second dose within 12 weeks.
Answered by Lord Bethell
To ensure the dosing schedule is maintained, vaccine supplies have already been set aside to ensure that everyone who has already received their first dose will receive their second dose within 12 weeks of their first. There are currently no delays in the administration of the second dose of the vaccine.
The National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) is the centralised service for the management of both the COVID-19 and seasonal flu vaccination programmes established by NHS England. If an individual is invited for a COVID-19 vaccination via a general practitioner (GP) this information is entered onto to the patients’ GP record after vaccination and on the NIMS. A second vaccination appointment can then be offered to the patient in the following 12-week period. Where a patient has been invited to book their own appointment, they will also be required to book their second appointment 11 to 12 weeks after the first.