Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what function public health laboratories have in covid-19 testing.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Public health laboratories are providing diagnostic testing to the National Health Service, supporting community-based surveillance programmes, undertaking testing to support outbreaks in critical settings such as prisons and care homes and providing a testing referral service to NHS laboratories testing for COVID-19 for difficult or unclear results.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion figure for asymptomatic transmission the Government is using in its modelling of covid-19 contagion.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
On 20 March, the Government published scientific evidence supporting the United Kingdom Government’s response on COVID-19, including modelling on the dynamics of transmission of the virus. Each day, the models are refined and improved as more data becomes available.
Information about the scientific evidence used to support the UK Government’s response can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many public health laboratories have closed in England and Wales from 2010 to 2020.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since 2010 the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and Public Health England (PHE) have withdrawn from the direct management of four regional laboratories. In each instance HPA and PHE then commissioned arrangements with the National Health Service laboratories in these regions to support the required public health functions.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include student paramedics on the NHS scheme for claiming student placement expenses.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department has not undertaken an impact assessment on excluding paramedics from re-imbursement of clinical placement expenses. From September 2020, new and continuing pre-registration paramedic science students will be eligible for the expenses incurred on clinical placements, as currently covered by the Learning Support Fund. The NHS Business Services Authority will publish the rules for the next academic year as soon as possible, as the funding provided as part of the current Learning Support Fund needs to be incorporated into the additional maintenance and childcare funding announced in December 2019.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment on the effect on student paramedic recruitment of the decision to exclude student paramedics from the NHS scheme for claiming student placement expenses.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department has not undertaken an impact assessment on excluding paramedics from re-imbursement of clinical placement expenses. From September 2020, new and continuing pre-registration paramedic science students will be eligible for the expenses incurred on clinical placements, as currently covered by the Learning Support Fund. The NHS Business Services Authority will publish the rules for the next academic year as soon as possible, as the funding provided as part of the current Learning Support Fund needs to be incorporated into the additional maintenance and childcare funding announced in December 2019.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage organ donation in BAME communities.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Shortages of organs for transplant are relevant to people from all backgrounds but are particularly acute for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) patients, who are more likely to need an organ transplant. The Department launched a campaign in July 2018, delivered by NHS Blood and Transplant, with support from the National Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic Transplant Alliance, to increase donation rates by raising awareness and breaking down barriers to donation within these communities. A toolkit for hon. Members is available at the following link:
As part of the campaign, funding was made available for a community investment scheme and in January 2019, 25 projects were successful in sharing £140,000 in funding to break down myths and barriers and increase support for organ donation among BAME communities. Organisations representing Jain, Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Swahili, black and Asian Christians, black African and Caribbean and multi-faith groups received funding for their projects.
In addition, the Organ Donation (Deemed Consent Act) 2019 will be introducing a new system of consent for organ and tissue donation in England, from 2020, to help increase the number of donors. In April, NHS Blood and Transplant launched a 12-month communication campaign before the law comes into force, to raise awareness of the changes and the options available under the new system. The campaign will target BAME communities and campaign materials have been developed to resonate with different audiences and communities. NHS Blood and Transplant also plans to translate the leaflet containing details of the new law into different languages. NHS Blood and Transplant will be seeking the support of various BAME communities and faith and belief organisations to spread the campaign message.
From 2020, health education will become compulsory in all state-funded primary and secondary schools. This will include the teaching of the science relating to blood, organ and stem cell donation.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the consultation on changes to NHS pension schemes only runs from 4 January to 28 January 2019.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Department set out the proposed changes in a consultation document titled ‘NHS Pension Scheme: proposed changes to scheme regulations 2019’. This was published on 18 December 2018, with the consultation period closing on 28 January 2019.
Prior to the finalisation of the consultation document, the proposals included in the consultation were shared and discussed with the NHS Pension Scheme Advisory Board in October. This a statutory board, comprising NHS Trade Union and employer representatives, that advises the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the merits of making changes to the scheme.
The consultation period is proportionate to the nature and impact of changes being proposed. HM Treasury has committed to providing extra funding to meet the costs to the National Health Service arising from the actuarial valuation of the NHS Pension Scheme. Work is ongoing to ensure the additional cost to participating employers is appropriately funded. No change is proposed to member contribution rates, following a recommendation by the Scheme Advisory Board to renew current arrangements. Some proposed changes simply make necessary changes to implement legal judgments, one of which, together with some other amendments had already been consulted on in an earlier consultation exercise. Some are minor or technical changes. The changes regarding forfeiture only affect a small number of members, such as those convicted of certain offences.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department is doing to improve the diagnosis of mothers suffering with post-natal mental health problems.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department is investing £365 million from 2015/16 to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services and NHS England is leading a transformation programme to ensure that by 2020/21 at least 30,000 more women each year are able to access evidence-based specialist mental health care during the perinatal period. This includes access to psychological therapies and specialist community or inpatient care.
A key element of the programme is to increase awareness and skills across the workforce, supporting better identification and diagnosis of perinatal mental illness, early intervention and consequently improved recovery rates. In addition, there are over 570 perinatal mental health visitor champions. Their role is to support health visitors with the identification and management of anxiety, mild to moderate depression and other perinatal mental disorders, and knowing when to refer on.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP surgeries which receive income from the minimum price income guarantee are in areas which are high on the deprivation index.
Answered by Dan Poulter
Of the 2,824 practices that receive Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG) payments, around 15% of these (411 practices) are ranked in the upper 20% of areas on the Index of Multiple Deprivation.
The freezing of the withdrawal of the MPIG could cost up to £11 million in 2014-15. This is because the ‘global sum’ payments – into which the reductions in MPIG are added for all practices – have already been set for the year.
This estimated cost would be for 2014-15 only and assumes that any additional costs would only be for part of the year, i.e. from 1 August.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse is of freezing the withdrawal of the minimum price income guarantee from GP practices which receive it as of 1 August 2014.
Answered by Dan Poulter
Of the 2,824 practices that receive Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG) payments, around 15% of these (411 practices) are ranked in the upper 20% of areas on the Index of Multiple Deprivation.
The freezing of the withdrawal of the MPIG could cost up to £11 million in 2014-15. This is because the ‘global sum’ payments – into which the reductions in MPIG are added for all practices – have already been set for the year.
This estimated cost would be for 2014-15 only and assumes that any additional costs would only be for part of the year, i.e. from 1 August.