Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
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 with (a) social media companies and (b) media outlets to ensure that the information they provide to the public on covid-19 is (i) consistent, (ii) timely, (iii) Government approved and (iv) can be accessed without a subscription.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is working with a number of social media companies. This includes Twitter – who now have a COVID-19 prompt to its search function. This function automatically directs users to the Department’s Twitter page and gov.uk website when they search for #Coronavirus. The Department is also working with TikTok and a media medic to provide content on handwashing and how people can look after themselves, as well as including a search function directing people to National Health Service guidance.
The communications team within the Department are constantly in contact with all sections of the media – local, national and consumer. The Chief Medical Officer has hosted several press briefings and, along with Departmental Ministers, Public Health England senior clinical spokespeople and NHS senior leads, has undertaken many media interviews.
The Department launched a Government funded United Kingdom-wide advertising campaign on 2 February to provide clear advice to the public on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the impact on NHS services. This included public health advice on how people can protect themselves from infection. The Department updated this campaign with a new creative and new messaging which launched on 4 March. The campaign can be seen across print, digital and radio.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
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 minimise the risk of infection from covid-19 among (a) the over-60s, (b) people with (i) cardiovascular disease, (ii) diabetes, (iii) respiratory disease and (iv) cancer and (c) other high-risk groups.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is likely that older people and those with chronic medical conditions may be vulnerable to severe illness as a result of COVID-19, based on analysis of the data from patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in China.
Public Health England and other national organisations have published messages to the public (which includes those with chronic conditions and the over-60s) as to the best ways to protect themselves from infection, including the importance of frequent hand cleaning with soap and water or sanitiser. The public are also advised to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing and sneezing and throw the tissue away immediately. The importance of not touching your mouth, nose or eyes with unwashed hands is also being emphasised. Information is also provided on symptoms and exposure risk factors, which are kept under review and may need to be updated as the outbreak evolves and new information becomes available.
Further information is available at the following links:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
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 (a) public health workers and (b) people employed to clean buildings have adequate (i) equipment, (i) resources and (iii) health protection to respond to an outbreak of covid-19.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Guidance for public health workers and primary responders was published by Public Health England (PHE) on 25 February 2020. It sets out how to identify potential cases as soon as possible, how to prevent potential transmission of infection to other patients and staff and how to isolate the patient.
The guidance is available at the following link:
Guidance for employers and businesses, including cleaning offices and public spaces where there are suspected or confirmed cases of COVID 19 was published by PHE on 25 February 2020.
The guidance is available at the following link:
The National Health Service remains prepared to respond to high consequence infectious diseases, including the response to the current outbreak of COVID-19. The NHS has tried and tested procedures to response to infectious disease outbreaks many of which are used each year for seasonal flu. The NHS will continue to follow the public health advice from Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer to ensure the protection of NHS staff, patients and the public. It is the Government’s priority that the NHS has appropriate equipment, resources and health protection to respond to COVID-19 and we are working closely with the NHS England and the devolved administrations to ensure this.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
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 the adequacy of the provision of intensive care beds in the event of a outbreak of covid-19.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is confident that the United Kingdom is well prepared for disease outbreaks, having responded to a wide range of infectious disease outbreaks in the recent past, and having undertaken significant preparedness work for an influenza pandemic for well over one decade. NHS England have provided assurance that, at this point in time, they are confident they have enough bed capacity.
In preparing for, and responding to, a serious disease outbreak, the Government and the devolved administrations aim to ensure that the agencies responsible for tackling the outbreak are properly resourced to do so, that they have the people and the equipment and medicines they need.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will (a) work cross-party with and (b) provide (i) advice and expertise and (ii) reports from discussions at COBRA meetings to all MPs in pursuit and support of decisions relating to coronavirus.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Cross-party support is vital in relation to COVID-19. The Government continues to provide advice to hon. Members relating to COVID-19, including constituency related matters. COBRA meetings are emergency planning forums and the Government will continue to update parliamentarians as things progress, providing appropriate updates accordingly.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to continue funding the Family Restoration Fund for former child migrants following the end of the current scheme.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The future arrangements for the family restoration fund will be considered as part of Departmental business planning.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
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 the continuation of arrangements for the sharing of human organs for transplantation across EU borders after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The United Kingdom shares small numbers of organs with European Union countries. In 2018/19, 14 organs from deceased donors came into the UK from EU countries, and 13 left the UK.
The current UK regulatory frameworks transpose the EU Organ Donation Directives and set high standards of patient safety. We have amended the legislation through The Quality and Safety of Organs Intended for Transplantation (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 to maintain the current safety and quality standards to allow organ exchange to continue following EU Exit.
NHS Blood and Transplant is the organisation responsible for organ donation in the UK and is working with their partner organisations in the EU which should ensure that plans are in place to allow organ exchange to continue post-EU Exit.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
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 protect the supply and space for storage of medicines, equipment and consumables required for the treatment of kidney disease patients in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
As part of a responsible Government, the Department is doing everything appropriate to prepare for European Union exit. We want to reassure patients that we should be fully prepared for leaving on 31 October, and that our plans should ensure the supply of medicines and medical products remains uninterrupted when we leave the EU.
The Department is implementing a multi-layered approach, which consists of stockpiling where possible, securing freight capacity, changing or clarifying regulatory requirements, procuring additional warehousing, working closely with industry to improve trader readiness and putting in place the National Supply Disruption Response to manage potential shortages. This should ensure the continuity of supply of medicines and medical products following EU exit.
The scope includes medicines, medical devices and clinical consumables, including those related to the treatment of kidney disease.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
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 kidney disease patients on dialysis retain the right to receive health care free of charge when travelling to EU states in the event that UK citizens are no longer eligible for the European Health Insurance Card after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Government has proposed to all European Union Member States that when we leave, we should maintain the existing healthcare arrangements including the European Healthcare Insurance Card (EHIC) Scheme until 31 December 2020, with the aim of minimising disruption to healthcare provision for United Kingdom nationals and European Union citizens. This is subject to negotiations, which are ongoing.
We understand the concerns of patients who require life-sustaining treatment, such as dialysis, and we are working to secure agreements to ensure ongoing care and treatment in EU Member States is accessible for UK insured individuals.
However, it is important that individuals make the best decision for their circumstances post exit day. Advice has been published on NHS.UK and GOV.UK, to help individuals make informed decisions about the options available to them.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to develop new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pineal cysts.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No plans are currently in place.