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 introduce a form of proof for people who have received a covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The careful and accurate recording of vaccination status is incredibly important both in terms of ensuring priority cohorts are offered the two doses of a COVID-19 vaccination, and to ensure robust surveillance systems are in place to support patient safety.
The National Health Service’s National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) will be used as the national register of COVID-19 vaccinations. At the point that someone receives their COVID-19 vaccine, the vaccinating team will record it and this information will go onto the NIMS system and onto a patient’s general practice record.
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 present capacity limits in place for weddings in Tiers 1 and 2 of the proposed local lockdown restrictions; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing these capacity limits in line with relaxed restrictions in areas located in Tiers 1 and 2.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The Government are committed to publishing data that has informed its decision making, including the tier allocations. The Department publishes a weekly watchlist giving epidemiological COVID-19 data for each lower-tier local authority in England. This is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-cases-by-local-authority-epidemiological-data
Detailed data on hospital activity can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/
The public dashboard on the progress of the virus across a range of metrics is updated daily at the following link:
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk
The Contain framework sets out how national and local partners work with the public at a local level to prevent, contain and manage outbreaks, this includes the allocation of areas to the appropriate tier, which is available at the following link:
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions is available at the following link:
This provides further information and context beyond the headline metrics as to why areas are in particular tiers currently.
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 extending the 30 day time period for patients to find a new GP surgery having left the catchment area of their old service.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No 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, whether enforcing the local covid-19 lockdown in Leicester will require the introduction of additional legislation.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
With effect from 5 November until the start of December new national measures restrictions will be introduced. We hoped that by strong local action, and with strong local leadership, we could get the rates of infection down where the disease was surging. But it is now clear that we need to take action immediately to protect the National Health Service and to get ‘R’ decisively below 1. We must do this to curtail the exponential growth in hospitalisations and deaths. At the end of the period, we will look to return to a local and regional approach, based on the latest data.
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 ensure that the cost of personal protective equipment incurred by dental surgeries are not being passed on to patients.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for commissioning National Health Service dental services to meet local needs.
Dental practices may not levy any charge in respect of a NHS course of treatment except one of the three fixed patient charges. There is no ability to charge for personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS treatment and NHS England and NHS Improvement will investigate any claims of fraudulent behaviour as a result of a patient having paid for PPE for any NHS treatment.
For private treatment charges are a matter between dentist and patient.
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 provision he is making for people who wish to have face-to-face appointments in order to discuss mental health issues with healthcare professionals.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the National Health Service has been clear on the importance of maintaining face to face care for those patients who need it, and of patient choice in determining suitability for digital appointments.
NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked all general practices to ensure they have clearly communicated that face-to-face appointments continue to be on offer, where clinically appropriate. This is in addition to video and phone consultations.
In secondary care, mental health services are working to accelerate the return to near-normal levels of non-coronavirus health services, subject to local circumstances and capacity. This includes the full resumption of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services delivered digitally, over the phone and face to face where appropriate.
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 safety of recommencing regular face-to-face GP surgery appointments as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
NHS England and NHS Improvement on 31 August issued guidance stating that general practitioners (GP) practices must offer face-to-face appointments at surgeries and continue to use remote triage, video, online and telephone consultations where appropriate – whilst also considering those unable to access or engage with digital services. The importance of providing face-to-face appointment for those who need them was reiterated in a further NHS England and NHS Improvement letter of 14 September.
The Government and devolved administrations have published clear guidance on appropriate personal protective equipment for health and social care workers, including GPs. This has been written and reviewed by all four United Kingdom public health bodies and informed by NHS infection prevention and control experts. The guidance is consistent with World Health Organization guidance for protecting health and social care workers from COVID-19 and should allow the safe recommencement of regular face-to-face GP appointments.
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 medicinal cannabis.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We continue to work hard with the health system, industry and researchers to improve the evidence base for other 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 new independent specialist clinical network to provide impartial evidence-based advice to clinicians treating patients with refractory epilepsy.
Two licensed cannabis-based medicines: Sativex – for the treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients; and Epidyolex – for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare forms of epilepsy, have recently been made available for prescribing on the National Health Service for patients where clinically appropriate. This follows clear demonstrated evidence of their safety, clinical and cost effectiveness. Further evidence is required to support the routine use of unlicensed cannabis-based products in the NHS.
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 his Department plans to allow beauty salons in the Leicester Lockdown Area to reopen.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Additional businesses and venues were allowed to reopen in Leicester City from 19 August. This included nail bars and salons, tanning booths and salons, spas and beauty salons, massage parlours although close contact services, which are any treatments on the face, should not reopen.
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 ensure that people without photographic ID are able to receive a test for the covid-19 at designated testing centres.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Those attending in person testing sites are asked to show photographic ID. However, if they do not have photographic ID, site operators have been instructed to follow manual registration processes to ensure no one is turned away.