Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 improve access to IVF for women whose partner has children from a previous relationship.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is clear that it expects local National Health Service bodies to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, to ensure equitable access across England.
We are aware that some individual clinical commissioning groups set additional non-clinical criteria, which can include having children from previous relationships. This is outside the best clinical practice within the NICE fertility guidelines and we are currently considering options to address these variations.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 include privately run social care day centres within the remit of the CQC.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans to include privately run social care day centres within the remit of the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Social care day centres do not generally provide personal care or any other regulated activity as defined in Schedule 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. All providers of regulated activities must register with the CQC.
Personal care is defined by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 as regulated activity that involves supporting people in their homes (or where they're living at the time) with things like washing, bathing or cleaning themselves, getting dressed or going to the toilet.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 expand covid-19 testing to teachers and school staff, outside of exceptional circumstances, ahead of the 2020-21 Christmas term break.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Before Christmas, symptomatic testing was available for all staff through the citizen’s portal, offering testing slots for regional and local testing sites and delivery of home test kits. Teachers had prioritised access to testing as they are classed as essential workers. This is alongside the polymerase contact reaction kits that were distributed to schools.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of the second dose of the covid-19 vaccine for hospital patients.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We have sufficient doses to maintain the vaccination programme and to provide second doses to hospital patients and in other settings.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the NHS plans to (a) resume administering vaccinations for tuberculosis and (b) begin offering appointments for people who were not offered that vaccination as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The significant decline in tuberculosis (TB) in England has meant the BCG vaccination programme is now targeted at protecting the children of people from TB high prevalence countries. The BCG vaccination is given at birth while the mother and baby are in hospital. The potential impact of COVID-19 on the provision of TB services including BCG vaccination was recognised early on and guidance was published in March 2020 which included maintenance of neonatal BCG provision.
Subsequently updated guidance was published in January 2021, which stated: “Childhood vaccination programmes are continuing, including the neonatal BCG vaccination. Therefore, maternity services and other providers of the BCG vaccination should continue to vaccinate for BCG.” General practices continue to offer routine vaccination services, using social distancing and personal protective equipment according to national guidelines.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of revising the treatment approach for lymphedema to help ensure people with that condition can access long term and preventative treatments.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
No specific assessment has been made.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding support is available for families and children to access medicinal cannabis for the treatment of intractable epilepsy.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since November 2018, Epidyolex – a cannabis-based prescription medicine for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare forms of epilepsy - has been made available for prescribing on the National Health Service, where clinically appropriate. This follows clear demonstrated evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness.
We continue to work hard with the health system, industry and researchers to improve the evidence base for other unlicensed cannabis-based medicines, and to implement the recommendations of NHS England and NHS Improvement’s review on barriers to accessing unlicensed cannabis based medicinal products. This includes the design of clinical trials and the establishment of a national patient registry.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of prioritising frontline nursery care workers in the rollout of the covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that the priority for the current COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems.
The Government will set out plans for phase two of the vaccination programme in due course, based on further advice from the JCVI. Phase two of the roll-out may include further reduction in hospitalisation and targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of approving pharmacists to administer the covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
No such assessment has been made.
Pharmacists are healthcare professionals who undertake the training specified by NHS England and NHS Improvement as the commissioners of National Health Service pharmaceutical services, can administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
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 protect people from fraudulent advertising online of untested or misleading covid-19 vaccines.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 place strict regulatory controls on the manufacture, distribution, retail sale / supply and advertising of medicinal products for human use. Medicinal products, including vaccines, must hold a Marketing Authorisation (product licence) for legal sale and supply in the United Kingdom.
The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has responsibility for the regulation of medicinal products, blood and medical device and has a role as the law enforcement authority in respect of these products. The MHRA’s first priority is the protection of public health and any medicinal product or vaccine identified as being offered for sale without the appropriate authorisations will be investigated as a potential breach of the Human Medicines Regulations and a clear threat to health and safety of UK citizens.
Offences against the Human Medicines Regulations are criminal and non-compliance can and does result in prosecution through the criminal courts. Officials at the MHRA are actively assessing the nature and extent of such a threat and are working with partners in UK and elsewhere across the globe to provide an appropriate and effective response.