Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current prevalence of COVID-19 in England; and whether this rate is increasing or decreasing.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are early signs of a fall in prevalence in all regions of England and in Scotland, with the largest decline being observed in London. Data from the Winter Coronavirus Infection Survey estimates that the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in England on 3 January 2024 was 3.2%. This is a decrease from 4.6% of the population in England estimated to have SARS-CoV-2 on 20 December 2023.
It is not unexpected for surveillance data to show a temporary change in the transmission rates of respiratory infections over the Christmas period. The UK Health Security Agency and the Office for National Statistics will continue to monitor the data closely to confirm whether this drop in prevalence will be sustained.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the government of the Falkland Islands to assist with the provision of mental health services for young people.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care works with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, to provide health system support to all Overseas Territories, including the Falkland Islands.
The public health programme, led by UKHSA, has undertaken several initiatives related to youth mental health which the Falkland Islands have benefitted from, including: an upcoming project with experts in the United Kingdom to deliver support to Overseas Territories in designing and delivering a campaign to improve awareness and understanding of mental health and reduce stigma and discrimination in the community;regular sharing of the latest public health publications, reports and initiatives from the UK and around the world with colleagues in all Overseas Territories, some of which relate to mental health, such as the Every Mind Matters initiative; and establishing networks of health professionals, including clinical psychologists, health promotion leads, psychiatric nurses and school nurses, across the Overseas Territories.
The networks are a means of peer support for isolated health professionals and an effective approach for sharing good practice in what works in remote island contexts. The Falkland Islands have taken an active role in this network.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham (HL8662) on 3 July, whether such English Raw Drinking Milk, together with unpasteurised cheddar cheese and whey butter, can be sold from England into (1) Northern Ireland, (2) Scotland, and (3) Wales.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
English Raw Drinking Milk (RDM), unpasteurised cheddar cheese and whey butter can be sold from England into Northern Ireland and Wales. English unpasteurised cheddar cheese and whey butter may be sold into Scotland, however, Scotland has prohibited the sale of RDM since 1983.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by N White et al A Systematic Review of Predictions of Survival in Palliative Care: How Accurate Are Clinicians and Who Are the Experts?, published on 25 August 2016, which found that the accuracy of prognoses for terminal illnesses ranged between 23 and 78 per cent; and who is responsible within NHS England for collecting such data.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. Data on the accuracy of prognoses of terminal illness is not collected by NHS England.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any (1) health benefits, and (2) health hazards, of eating unpasteurised cheddar cheese, and its by-product whey butter.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), has policy responsibility for food safety, including Raw Drinking Milk (RDM). A Risk Assessment was conducted on RDM by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food in 2018 and considered by the FSA Board that year. The conclusion was that the risk from RDM is not so unacceptable as to justify removing the right of adult consumers to choose to drink it. However, to protect public health and balance consumer choice and business growth, improvements to the controls applied by Food Business Operators were required and have now been implemented.
There has been no assessment made of the health benefits or hazards of consuming unpasteurised cheddar cheese or whey butter, and no assessment made of the health benefits of consuming untreated raw cow’s milk.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any (1) health benefits, and (2) health hazards, of drinking untreated raw cow's milk.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), has policy responsibility for food safety, including Raw Drinking Milk (RDM). A Risk Assessment was conducted on RDM by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food in 2018 and considered by the FSA Board that year. The conclusion was that the risk from RDM is not so unacceptable as to justify removing the right of adult consumers to choose to drink it. However, to protect public health and balance consumer choice and business growth, improvements to the controls applied by Food Business Operators were required and have now been implemented.
There has been no assessment made of the health benefits or hazards of consuming unpasteurised cheddar cheese or whey butter, and no assessment made of the health benefits of consuming untreated raw cow’s milk.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the use of robotic surgery in the UK compared to the use in (1) other European countries, and (2) the USA.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have developed interventional procedures guidance on robot assisted kidney transplant and totally endoscopic robotically assisted coronary artery bypass grafting that are based on thorough assessment of safety and efficacy for routine use in clinical practice.
NHS England is responsible for setting evidence-based national service standards, including service specifications and clinical commissioning policies, and for ensuring the implementation of NICE Technology Appraisal Guidance within local systems. Robotic assisted surgery has been commissioned in line with national policies for prostate cancer and early-stage kidney cancers that are unsuitable for conventional laparoscopic surgery.
In view of the rapidly evolving nature of robotic assisted surgery, no detailed forecast of the expected future use has been developed at this time, but it is anticipated that the use of robotic techniques in surgical operations will increase over the coming years. No specific assessment has been made of the use of robotic surgery in the United Kingdom compared to Europe or the United States of America at this time.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the utility and safety of robotic techniques in surgical operations for patients in the UK.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have developed interventional procedures guidance on robot assisted kidney transplant and totally endoscopic robotically assisted coronary artery bypass grafting that are based on thorough assessment of safety and efficacy for routine use in clinical practice.
NHS England is responsible for setting evidence-based national service standards, including service specifications and clinical commissioning policies, and for ensuring the implementation of NICE Technology Appraisal Guidance within local systems. Robotic assisted surgery has been commissioned in line with national policies for prostate cancer and early-stage kidney cancers that are unsuitable for conventional laparoscopic surgery.
In view of the rapidly evolving nature of robotic assisted surgery, no detailed forecast of the expected future use has been developed at this time, but it is anticipated that the use of robotic techniques in surgical operations will increase over the coming years. No specific assessment has been made of the use of robotic surgery in the United Kingdom compared to Europe or the United States of America at this time.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any forecast of the expected use of further robotic surgery in the NHS in the next five years; and whether this would be an increase or decrease from the current levels of use.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have developed interventional procedures guidance on robot assisted kidney transplant and totally endoscopic robotically assisted coronary artery bypass grafting that are based on thorough assessment of safety and efficacy for routine use in clinical practice.
NHS England is responsible for setting evidence-based national service standards, including service specifications and clinical commissioning policies, and for ensuring the implementation of NICE Technology Appraisal Guidance within local systems. Robotic assisted surgery has been commissioned in line with national policies for prostate cancer and early-stage kidney cancers that are unsuitable for conventional laparoscopic surgery.
In view of the rapidly evolving nature of robotic assisted surgery, no detailed forecast of the expected future use has been developed at this time, but it is anticipated that the use of robotic techniques in surgical operations will increase over the coming years. No specific assessment has been made of the use of robotic surgery in the United Kingdom compared to Europe or the United States of America at this time.
Asked by: Lord Patten (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 effects on public health of levels of face coverings worn on public transport.
Answered by Lord Kamall
From 30 November, face coverings are mandatory in shops, on public transport and in transport hubs in England. The UK Health Security Agency has reviewed the latest available evidence on the effectiveness of face coverings, which suggests that face coverings reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
The Scientific Advice Group for Emergencies has also reviewed evidence which shows that the effectiveness of face coverings in reducing transmission is dependent on the proportion and frequency of face covering wearing within the population. The wider and more frequent the use, the more likely it is that an infected person will be wearing a face covering when they are sharing an environment with others.