Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to (a) monitor and (b) mitigate against the potential effect of rises in the number of covid-19 cases in China.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
As the Government announced on 30 December, we are introducing a number of measures in England in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases in China, and in particular the risk of new variants emerging. To monitor the impact, the UK Health Security Agency began non-mandatory PCR testing with genomic sequencing at Heathrow airport, to detect new variants among passengers arriving on direct flights from China. Also, NHS England is now prioritising sequencing of symptomatic patients admitted to hospital who have been to China in the previous fortnight. To mitigate the impact, passengers arriving from China to England now need to show a negative COVID-19 pre-departure test taken no more than two days prior to departure. This will reduce the risk of people with COVID-19 boarding a flight to the United Kingdom. The situation and the need for these temporary measures will be kept under review.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will take steps to financially support women who have been negatively affected by polypropylene vaginal mesh implants.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Last year, we worked with NHS Resolution to launch a claims gateway on its website to provide further support to patients who may wish to bring a clinical negligence claim in relation to polypropylene vaginal mesh implants. We are also taking a range of action to improve the future safety of medicines and medical devices, setting high standards for industry to market and manufacture products, with the aim of reducing harm in the future.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the rising cost of energy on trends in the level of families being unable to feed themselves.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No specific assessment has been made. However, in winter 2022/23 we have provided £55 billion to assist households and businesses with energy bills. A typical household will save approximately £900 through the Energy Price Guarantee, in addition to the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme.
We are also allocating £9.3 billion over the next five years on energy efficiency, making homes easier and cheaper to heat. We will provide £26 billion for cost-of-living support in 2023, including the £900 cost of living payment for eight million poorer households. We have also increased the National Living Wage for two million workers to £10.42, or over £1,600 a year for a full-time employee aged 23 years old and over.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help Ukrainian refugees in the UK access dental care.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Arrivals from Ukraine are guaranteed free access to National Health Service healthcare, including screening, vaccinations, mental health support, dental and hospital services. A welcome pack has been provided to all arrivals, which was translated into Ukrainian and Russian.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to help decrease mortality rates for those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity, including in cancer services. In addition, the autumn statement provided an additional £3.3 billion in 2023/24 and 2024/25 to increase capacity in the National Health Service.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help minimise waste in social care funding spending.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for planning for the care and support needs of the local population and assuring spending on care services. All local authorities have a statutory duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement, having regard to efficiency, economy and effectiveness. We continue to work with local authorities and other Government departments to ensure the cost-effective delivery of adult social care.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that all children with additional needs are given the tailored support they need and deserve within the healthcare system.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We are working with the Department for Education to implement the proposals within the ‘SEND review: right support, right place, right time’ green paper. This includes commissioning analysis on how the health needs of children and young people with special education needs and disabilities can be met through effective workforce planning.
All National Health Service organisations are legally required to follow the Accessible Information Standard to meet the communication needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment or sensory loss, including children with additional needs. NHS England is currently reviewing the Accessible Information Standard to ensure it is fit for purpose and expects the updated standard and supporting documents to be published in early 2023.
NHS England is also working with NHS Digital to develop a ‘digital flag’ for reasonable adjustments in patient health records to ensure that NHS staff can tailor the support provided to the person’s specific needs. There are different categories of adjustments, including for communication support and requirements for accessible information.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations of the use of melatonin by children with (a) autism and (b) ADHD who have a sleep disorder.
Answered by Will Quince
We have made no specific assessment. Clinicians make prescribing decisions for patients, taking into account best prescribing practice, appropriate guidance and the local commissioning decisions of integrated care boards. The clinician works with the patient to decide on the course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care being the primary consideration.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of face to face GP appointments.
Answered by Will Quince
On 22 September 2022, we announced “Our Plan for Patients,” which contains measures to help people make an informed choice about which practice is best for them, book an appointment more easily, benefit from more options when they need care and bolster general practice teams with other professionals who can help them. This should increase the availability of appointments, including face-to-face appointments.
NHS England guidance is clear that GP practices must provide face to face appointments, alongside remote consultations, and should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.
Remote consultations can provide additional choice, flexibility and convenience for patients. However a blended offer of face to face and remote consultations is important because remote access is not suitable for all patients or in all circumstances. We expect patients to experience the same high quality of care regardless of how they access their GP surgery.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that local authority care providers deliver the best possible levels of care for elderly people.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to shape the care provider market to deliver a diverse range of high quality, person-centred care and support services.
The white paper ‘People at the Heart of Care: adult social care reform’ set out how we will work with the Care Quality Commission to introduce a new assurance framework to assess local authorities’ delivery of adult social care duties under the Care Act.