Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the base cost for a COVID-19 PCR test.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence they have, if any, that businesses have been overcharging for COVID-19 PCR tests.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The Department has received no such evidence.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what partnerships they have established in order to deliver sufficient COVID-19 testing; what assessment they have made of the adequacy of those partnerships; and by what date they expect a full COVID-19 testing programme to be operating across the UK.
Answered by Lord Bethell
To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Testing – note for House of Lords which is attached, due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to resolve the reported disruption to deliveries of personal protective equipment to the UK; and by what date they expect such disruptions to have been resolved.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government has brought together the National Health Service, industry and the armed forces to create a personal protective equipment (PPE) distribution network, delivering critical PPE supplies to those who need it.
We are doing everything we can on every front on the international procurement of medical supplies. There is a joint unit within the Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that uses our extensive overseas networks and United Kingdom-based expertise to coordinate international procurement of medical and other critical supplies.
There is a 24-hour helpline that allows National Health Service and social care providers to request emergency drops of PPE to meet immediate need.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (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 approach taken by the government of South Korea to tackling COVID-19; in particular, of the impact of multiple localised interventions and the importance of the quality of local relationships in delivering effective interventions.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government is monitoring the development of the COVID-19 outbreak around the world, including South Korea. International evidence has been considered alongside a wide range of other evidence to inform the United Kingdom response. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which provides scientific advice to support UK decision-makers during emergencies, monitors the approaches taken by other countries and how it can be useful for the Government. SAGE has published its report of the Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID-19 mortality and healthcare demand. A copy is attached.
In recognition of the importance of transparency in these unprecedented times, SAGE has been publishing the statements and the accompanying evidence it has reviewed on GOV.UK to demonstrate how the scientific understanding of COVID-19 has continued to evolve as new data emerges, and how SAGE’s advice has quickly adapted to new findings that reflect a changing situation. This list can be found by searching online for ‘Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE): Coronavirus (COVID-19) response’. It will be updated as SAGE releases papers from recent and future meetings.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (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 support required by pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps, if any, they are taking to ensure that any shortfall in such support is addressed.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Ministers and Government officials are working closely with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, the representative body of pharmacy contractors, and NHS England and NHS Improvement to ensure that community pharmacies get the support they need to supply medicines and to help their communities stay well.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (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 amount of personal protective equipment that has been held at Heathrow Airport customs since 29 March; and what steps they are taking to ensure that any such equipment is released quickly.
Answered by Lord Bethell
It is a priority for agencies operating at the border that genuine critical and essential goods arriving in the United Kingdom are handled promptly to help speed the flow of these goods into the UK. With this aim, Border Force is working closely with the Department and National Health Service suppliers to identify goods in their supply chain and to ensure they move quickly across the border. However, it is also vital that the UK tackles border related fraud and prevents fake and substandard or dangerous goods from entering UK supply chains.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of pharmacies in England have received the basic equipment needed to handle safely the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
As stated by the Prime Minister, every community pharmacy in England has now received a personal protection equipment delivery.
The full weight of the Government is behind this effort to provide health workers the equipment they need, and we are working closely with industry, the National Health Service, social care providers and the army to ensure the right equipment is delivered to the right people.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the general public are aware of the role of pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The role of community pharmacy has been highlighted in a range of Government communications, including the recent announcement and letters to vulnerable patients, which highlighted their role in the delivery of medicines to people who have been asked to self-isolate.
Callers to NHS 111 are advised to telephone if they require health advice from pharmacies and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working to ensure all pharmacies have a range of additional resources to increase public awareness and support the safety of pharmacy staff and the public. Posters and pop-up display banners, in line with the national COVID-19 communications, are being developed for distribution.
Asked by: Lord Mawson (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 difference in the insurance premium paid by GPs in England and Scotland; and what assessment they have made of the reasons for such difference.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
General practitioners (GPs) are required to have adequate and appropriate indemnity or insurance arrangements to cover clinical negligence liabilities.
We do not have data showing the difference on insurance premiums, which are a very small proportion of the market in England. The Department is aware that there is a difference in the cost of clinical negligence indemnity subscriptions paid by GPs in England and Scotland. No assessment has been made for the reasons for such difference.
Health is a devolved matter and it is for the devolved administrations to make their own decisions about health policies in their own territories.