Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 11 December (HL11105), where information on the number of children diagnosed as having foetal alcohol spectrum disorder is held.
Answered by Lord Bethell
This information is not currently collected and only estimates are available. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network 156 published in January 2019 estimated that approximately 3.2% of babies born in the United Kingdom are affected by foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Further estimates on prevalence are calculated by academic institutions and voluntary organisations and vary greatly.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (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 number of children in England who have been diagnosed as having foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Answered by Lord Bethell
This information is not held centrally.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 24 November (HL10313), when they estimate that the revised project timeline for the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence quality standard on foetal alcohol spectrum disorder will be published.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence plans to publish the revised timeline for its quality standard on foetal alcohol spectrum disorder on 9 December 2020.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (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 report by the British Society for Immunology The ageing immune system and COVID-19, published on 10 November.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The British Society for Immunology’s report was shared with the Department and reviewed by officials alongside other insightful academic studies into COVID-19 immunity. Research into the immune response of the ageing population is ongoing and is currently being expanded.
For example, last week the Government announced the expansion of the current Vivaldi 2 study that will test thousands more care home staff and residents for their immune response to COVID-19. By tripling its size, this expanded study will provide a detailed picture of coronavirus infection in care homes in England. These findings will help improve our understanding of these vulnerable groups’ immune response to COVID-19 and help inform future treatments for the virus.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to expand pro-vaccination campaigns to encourage maximum uptake of any vaccines to prevent (1) COVID-19, and (2) other conditions, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department is working closely with Public Health England, NHS England and NHS Improvement to promote vaccinations and raise awareness of their benefits and the diseases they prevent. We are also working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to help social media platforms identify and take action against incorrect claims about COVID-19 in line with their terms and conditions. This includes anti-vaccination narratives that could endanger people’s health. As we get closer to a potential COVID-19 vaccine, we will continue to provide clear information to the public and urge people to seek National Health Service advice, so they have the right information to make an informed choice.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate that the NICE quality standard on foetal alcohol spectrum disorder will be published.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The quality standard on foetal alcohol spectrum disorder was due to be published by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in January 2021. However, its first consultation on the draft quality standard in March 2020 was delayed by COVID-19.
NICE re-ran its consultation in August/September this year and is currently scheduling revised project timelines. The expected month of publication will be available once the revisions are complete. NICE still expects to publish its final quality standard in 2021.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they plan to take in response to the report by Aging Clinical Experimental Research The role of vitamin D in the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 infection and mortality, published on 6 May.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England (PHE) supported the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to review emerging evidence on vitamin D and the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. NICE’s review, published in June 2020, concluded that there is currently no evidence to support taking vitamin D supplements to reduce the risk or severity of COVID-19.
PHE re-issued its advice on vitamin D supplementation early in April 2020; whilst stay at home measures were in place it was recommended that everyone take a daily vitamin D supplement to keep bones and muscles healthy.
A copy of the NICE evidence review Vitamin D for COVID-19 is attached.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for mass media campaigns on COVID-19 guidance to target (1) adults aged 60 and over, (2) those designated as clinically vulnerable, and (3) those designated as clinically extremely vulnerable.
Answered by Lord Bethell
At present, there are media campaigns using television, print, radio, and digital that target adults over the age of 65. There are not currently any plans for media campaigns targeted towards the clinically vulnerable and extremely clinically vulnerable. There is guidance available for these groups online at GOV.UK and this guidance has been promoted online through the National Health Service and Every Mind Matters sites. The impact of communications is constantly monitored and optimised on a regular basis.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to revise their guidance to those designated clinically vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We recognise the effect that social distancing and self-isolation may have on a person’s mental wellbeing, including those who are clinically vulnerable and self-isolating. We have published official guidance on mental health and wellbeing online at GOV.UK and are promoting this through the Every Mind Matters online resource.
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 mental health impacts of COVID-19 and plan for how to support the public’s mental health and wellbeing throughout the ‘recovery’ phase.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to assess the impact of the easing of the lockdown on 1 June on the mental health and loneliness of those designated clinically vulnerable.
Answered by Lord Bethell
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 mental health impacts of COVID-19 and plan for how to support the public’s mental health and wellbeing throughout the ‘recovery’ phase.
At each review point for the social distancing measures, we will also review the risks for the clinical vulnerable and the clinically extremely vulnerable and assess whether the shielding period needs to be extended or whether it is possible for the shielding guidance to be eased further. We will base our assessment on clinical advice from our medical experts, and the best data available about the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community.
The Government has also formed a new ‘Tackling Loneliness Network’ of charities, businesses and public figures to help connect groups at risk of isolation and bring together data and insights to better understand the impacts of COVID-19 on loneliness