Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - 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 deliveries of takeaway food to homes adhere to sufficient hygiene measures for the (1) preparation, and (2) delivery, of such food during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
In response to these COVID-19 challenges, in August 2020 the Food Standards Agency launched the ‘Here to Help’ campaign to provide tailored guidance for small food businesses such as restaurants, takeaways and coffee shops, to outline changes to hygiene processes and requirements they must follow as they develop new ways of working. The Here to Help campaign aims to support businesses in getting this right, to ensure consumers continue to have access to food that is safe. Assessing whether food takeaway businesses comply with food law is the responsibility of local authorities.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to increase NHS funding (1) to maintain, and (2) to improve on, existing standards in the light of the increased expenditure required to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has been clear that the National Health Service will get whatever funding it needs to respond to COVID-19.
In July, the Chancellor announced an extra £31.9 billion of support for health services and on 24 September, an additional £16.4 billion for health services. As part of this funding we have provided funding to a £3 billion package of additional capacity initiatives to support the NHS through the winter, including keeping the Nightingale hospitals capacity available during winter, accessing increased capacity from independent sector providers, and supporting increased safe discharge of patients from NHS hospitals.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the rules which prevent groups of more than six gathering socially, including whether those rules are fit for purpose.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government is keeping its social distancing measures under continual review. The Government will only make changes when we are confident we can do so safely. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care keeps the restrictions and requirements under constant consideration, to ensure the measures continue to be both proportionate and necessary. The Government continues to issue guidance to support the public.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many care homes have closed as a result of cuts to local authority budgets.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We do not hold data nationally on reasons for care home closures.
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to shape their local market to ensure that they are sustainable, diverse and offer high quality care and support for people in their local area. The Care Act places a duty on local authorities to ensure that people continue to receive the services they need if their adult social care provider is no longer able to carry on delivering services. As in any market there are entries and exits of care providers, however the number of overall care home beds has remained broadly constant over the last 10 years from 460,664 beds in 2010 to 457,847 beds, as of June 2020.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they have put in place for carers who are (1) having to rely on food banks, and (2) not paid for the care they are providing to vulnerable family members, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by unpaid carers, including young carers, who are providing invaluable support for relatives, friends and neighbours who are ill, elderly or disabled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For those who find themselves in severe financial difficulties, the Government announced up to £16 million to provide food for charities and other organisations supporting those who are struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of this funding will provide millions of meals and be delivered through charities including FareShare and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme).
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the existing support provided to young carers, what plans they have to ensure such carers are paid for their work.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by unpaid carers, including young carers, who are providing invaluable support for relatives, friends and neighbours who are ill, elderly or disabled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For those who find themselves in severe financial difficulties, the Government announced up to £16 million to provide food for charities and other organisations supporting those who are struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of this funding will provide millions of meals and be delivered through charities including FareShare and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme).
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 7 June that the targets for testing patients for COVID-19 in care homes and supplying staff with personal protective equipment in such homes have been met, what plans they have to supply such equipment to close family members of residents of those homes; and what assessment they have made of the impact such provision could have on the morale of (1) residents, and (2) their families.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government has stepped in to support the supply and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the care sector. We have focused on ensuring there is an emergency supply in place, whilst building a longer-term solution for distribution to the sector. ?There are no plans to provide PPE for the family of care home residents. We continually keep our guidance under review.
We are aware that limiting visits in care homes is difficult for many families and residents who want to see their loved ones. We are working with the National Health Service and Public Health England, service users, academics and the voluntary sector to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on mental health and loneliness.
We are reviewing our policy on visitors and are looking to update our guidance shortly.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the risk of people intentionally seeking to buy fake coronavirus test results within the black market if employers allow workers to return on the basis of a positive antibody test.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Chief Medical Officer discourages in the strongest terms organisations from buying their own unvalidated antibody tests. Professor John Newton has also warned that unapproved tests could be misleading, by providing inaccurate or inconsistent results, potentially putting those tested and those around them at risk. He has therefore advised organisations both in the public and private sector against the use of antibody tests that have not been verified in a laboratory setting.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to allow (1) final year GP Speciality trainees, and (2) those on the Targeted GP Training Scheme, to join the GP Register without completing their final exams.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government has no plans to allow general practitioners (GPs) in training who have not completed their final exams, or those who have failed to pass the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners’ examination, to join the GP register.
The emergency powers in the Medical Act 1983 do not allow the General Medical Council to grant temporary specialist or GP registration to doctors who have not previously held this type of registration.
If a doctor has been removed from GP training due to failure to demonstrate competence for practice, there is no means in statute for them to become fully qualified GPs without demonstrating this competence.
The Royal College of General Practitioners and the four statutory education bodies are working to find a solution for trainees who have had their examinations cancelled as a result of COVID-19 to demonstrate their competence and qualify as a GP. A temporary recorded alternative to the Clinical Skills Assessment is rapidly being developed (subject to approval by the General Medical Council). The Royal College of General Practitioners is also working with their testing partner to enable the Applied Knowledge Test to resume at test centres with appropriate social distancing safeguards in place from July and are investigating options for remote invigilation for those who are shielding.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to allow individuals who have completed three years of GP Speciality Training but failed to pass the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners examination to join the GP register.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government has no plans to allow general practitioners (GPs) in training who have not completed their final exams, or those who have failed to pass the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners’ examination, to join the GP register.
The emergency powers in the Medical Act 1983 do not allow the General Medical Council to grant temporary specialist or GP registration to doctors who have not previously held this type of registration.
If a doctor has been removed from GP training due to failure to demonstrate competence for practice, there is no means in statute for them to become fully qualified GPs without demonstrating this competence.
The Royal College of General Practitioners and the four statutory education bodies are working to find a solution for trainees who have had their examinations cancelled as a result of COVID-19 to demonstrate their competence and qualify as a GP. A temporary recorded alternative to the Clinical Skills Assessment is rapidly being developed (subject to approval by the General Medical Council). The Royal College of General Practitioners is also working with their testing partner to enable the Applied Knowledge Test to resume at test centres with appropriate social distancing safeguards in place from July and are investigating options for remote invigilation for those who are shielding.