Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients do not have access to a vaccination centre within 20 miles; and what assessment they have made of the impact of proximity to a vaccination centre on vaccine uptake.
Answered by Lord Kamall
99% of the population in England live within 10 miles of at least one COVID-19 vaccination site. UK-wide data is not held centrally.
The Department is continuously monitoring COVID-19 vaccine uptake and assessing ways to increase it further – with accessibility being a key driver. To support vaccine deployment and minimise inequalities in uptake, NHS England and NHS Improvement have developed practical guidance for communities to implement a range of interventions to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations.
To ensure that uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine is maximised, there are now more sites in England delivering COVID-19 vaccines than at any other point in the programme, with around 3000 in total. This includes delivery though hospital hubs, vaccination centres, mobile/pop-up facilities, Primary Care Network-led sites, and community pharmacy-led sites. The network of vaccination sites has been designed to deliver the expected vaccine supply as quickly as possible and ensure safe and easy access for the whole population. For those in highly rural areas, where a vaccination site may be more difficult to reach there is a standard operating procedure for roving and other mobile delivery models to go directly to these communities.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that only two vaccination centres in England offer services to add overseas vaccines to the NHS COVID Pass.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The Department does not recognise the reported figures. Currently, 17 sites are capable of recording overseas vaccinations into the National Immunisation Management System. There is at least one site in each of the seven National Health Service regions in England.
The number of vaccination centres offering this service in England is currently limited due to the rapid expansion of the booster programme. The list of vaccination centres offering this service will be expanded in due course.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the NHS app will include information about booster vaccinations for COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The NHS COVID Pass can now be used to demonstrate proof of a booster or third dose for outbound international travel and this record is available through the NHS App and NHS.UK. Booster vaccinations are not required for domestic certification in England.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the NHS app will include information about a British national’s COVID-19 vaccination status where the vaccinations were administered outside the UK.
Answered by Lord Kamall
We have provided a pilot service at selected vaccination centres for residents to request their overseas vaccines are uploaded to the national database. A national service will be launched in December which will support online bookings with further vaccination sites available. AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen vaccines in the United States of America, the European Union, the European Economic Area, Canada, Switzerland and Australia regulated by the European Medicines Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, Swissmedic and Therapeutic Goods Administration can generate an NHS COVID Pass. A range of vaccines are administered worldwide and we are working to understand which non-Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency-approved equivalent vaccines we would be confident to recognise in the NHS COVID Pass.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average additional cost to the NHS of every patient moved from Tier 3 to Tier 4 Specialist Weight Management Services.
Answered by Lord Kamall
We are not able to estimate the average additional cost of moving all patients treated in Tier 3 services to management under Tier 4 from existing data. There are currently no national tariffs for Tier 3 specialist weight management services and national tariffs of bariatric surgery vary dependent on the type of procedure.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients are waiting for bariatric surgery or similar interventions at Tier 4 Specialist Weight Management; and how long on average those patients are waiting for such surgery or similar interventions.
Answered by Lord Kamall
This data is not routinely collected centrally. NHS England and NHS Improvement are in the process of engaging with trusts to better understand the current position on waiting times. A planned National Obesity Audit will provide information on conversion rates from Tier 3 Specialist Weight Management Services to Tier 4 Specialist Weight Management Services.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients requiring Tier 3 Specialist Weight Management Services went on to require Tier 4 Specialist Weight Management Services in the latest year for which data are available.
Answered by Lord Kamall
This data is not routinely collected centrally. NHS England and NHS Improvement are in the process of engaging with trusts to better understand the current position on waiting times. A planned National Obesity Audit will provide information on conversion rates from Tier 3 Specialist Weight Management Services to Tier 4 Specialist Weight Management Services.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect that encouraging GPs to refer patients to medical weight loss clinics would have on levels of obesity.
Answered by Lord Kamall
No direct assessment has been made. However, evidence has shown that general practitioners (GP) referrals are effective at encouraging the uptake of weight management services and subsequently result in increased weight loss for those referred. This evidence has informed the decision to invest £20.4 million in the Weight Management Enhanced Service, which financially incentivises GPs to refer individuals to weight management services. We are committed to evaluating the impact of the 2021/22 Weight Management Enhanced Service.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the behavioural and psychological symptoms of people with dementia have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England and NHS Improvement have collaborated with the South East Clinical Delivery and Networks to publish guidance for primary care networks and care homes on dementia and older people’s mental health, which includes ways to recognise and support people experiencing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. They have also made guidance and resources available to address the rehabilitation needs of people living with dementia, including the ‘Dementia wellbeing in COVID-19’ resource.
We have commissioned research through the National Institute for Health Research on how to manage or mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on people with dementia and their carers living in the community and concise helpful summary leaflets were produced.
We will be setting out our plans on dementia for England for future years in due course.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the needs and views of people with dementia are taken into account in any workforce plan that forms part of the forthcoming social care reform proposals.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We are working closely with local and national partners from across the sector, including those with dementia and lived experience of the social care system, to ensure that our approach to reform is informed by diverse perspectives.
Together with stakeholders we are considering how we build back fairer to deliver the sustainable improvements to adult social care that we all want to see. We will bring forward proposals for reform later in 2021, including for the social care workforce.