Asked by: Lord Watson of Invergowrie (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many local authorities in England have combined their adult social services and children's social services under one director.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The information requested 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 what assessment they have made of the announcement by Childline on 13 January that there was a 16 per cent increase in the number of counselling sessions about mental health with children aged 11 and under from April to December 2020 as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We continue to work closely with the Department for Education, NHS England and NHS Improvement, Public Health England and a wide range of stakeholders to support all people’s mental wellbeing and mental health, and we are working with them to ensure that children and young people and their parents or carers know what support is available. For those who need them, NHS services remained open throughout the first wave and will do so throughout the second.
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 prioritise the provision of COVID-19 vaccines to school staff and other keyworkers to ensure that essential public services can be safe working environments.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) consists of independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccines the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. For the first phase, the JCVI has advised that the vaccine be given to care home residents and staff, as well as frontline health and social care workers, then to the rest of the population in order of age and clinical risk factors.
If school staff and other key workers are captured in phase one due to their age, or clinical risk factors, they will be prioritised.
Prioritisation decisions for the next phase of delivery are subject to the surveillance and monitoring data and information from phase one, as well as further input from independent scientific experts, such as the JCVI. Phase two of the rollout may include targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services, such as school staff.
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.