Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are waiting for cancer treatment in West Yorkshire; and what the average waiting time is for that treatment.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to ONS statistical release, Coronavirus (COVID-19) related deaths by disability status, England and Wales: 2 March to 15 May 2020, if his Department will make an assessment of the reasons for the higher death rate from covid-19 among disabled women.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that many people with long standing, limiting illnesses or health conditions are at higher risk of poorer outcomes from COVID-19.
The survey analysis undertaken by the Office for National Statistics is provisional. We will continue to review all available evidence regarding the impact of COVID-19 for disabled people, including disabled women, and we are commissioning new research to better understand the specific impacts. This evidence will inform policy development going forwards.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
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 results of the new treatment service for gambling addiction in Sunderland.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The assessment of the Sunderland clinic is ongoing. The NHS Long Term Plan includes a commitment to expand the coverage of NHS services for people with serious gambling problems, and to work with partners to tackle the problem at source. Up to 15 such clinics will be open by 2023/24.
The treatment clinic in Sunderland, opened in January 2020, is run by the NHS Northern Gambling Service. Throughout 2020/21, the site will continue to serve as a pilot site to test models for spreading geographical coverage of treatment provision, using central clinics that have satellite clinics in neighbouring populations.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
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 using Nightingale hospitals in the winter in the event that further hospital capacity is needed.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Nightingale hospitals have helped the National Health Service to rise to an unprecedented challenge by providing extra capacity to manage surges in demand due to COVID-19.
We continue to work closely with the NHS and partners, and guidance has already been issued on restoring urgent non-COVID-19 services safely, whilst ensuring surge capacity can be stood up again if needed, including through the use of Nightingale hospitals.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government intends to commission further research into the findings in the letter by Helms et al entitled, Neurologic Features in Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 4 June 2020.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR continues to play a critical role in prioritising, funding and delivering research into COVID-19. The NIHR is prioritising COVID-19 clinical research activity through its Urgent Public Health research prioritisation process. A list of prioritised studies is available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/covid-studies/
The NIHR funds COVID-19 research through its research calls. The NIHR Recovery and Learning Call will fund research to better understand and manage the health and social care consequences of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This follows on from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-NIHR Rapid Response Call and the UKRI-NIHR Rapid Rolling Call for research that aims to make a significant contribution to the understanding, prevention and/or management of COVID-19.
The UKRI Medical Research Council has funded the UK Dementia Research Institute to conduct a study into the clinical characterisation of the neurological and cognitive effects of SARS-CoV-2 linked brain injury.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
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 effect of the covid-19 outbreak on treatment time for (a) elective care and routine operations, (b) cancer and (c) urgent treatment.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The postponement of non-urgent elective operations was vital in ensuring that the National Health Service had sufficient capacity to manage COVID-19 demand, although the most urgent and emergency treatments continued to be provided. This pause in activity led to an increase in waiting times following referral. The latest performance against the target for 92% of patients to start treatment within 18 weeks following referral was 66.2% in May 2020. Performance against the target of 85% of patients having a first definitive treatment for cancer within 62 days following an urgent general practitioner referral was 69.9% in May. Performance against the target for 95% of patients to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours upon arrival at accident and emergency was 92.8% in June 2020.
We continue to work closely with the NHS and partners, and guidance has already been issued on starting to restore urgent non-COVID-19 services safely, whilst ensuring surge capacity can be stood up again if needed.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
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 people working in blood donation centres can be tested for covid-19.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
NHS Blood and Transplant staff who have symptoms of COVID-19, and their symptomatic household members, have been eligible for testing since 17 April. NHS Blood and Transplant regularly promotes the testing service to its staff. NHS Blood and Transplant staff who are absent, reporting COVID-19- like symptoms, are supported in accessing testing the Government’s online self-referral portal for essential workers, which allows them to register for a home test kit or book a drive-through test at a regional test site.
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who needs a test has access to one. All health and care staff have had access to a test since 17 April.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what testing criteria Public Health England is applying for the testing of potential covid-19 cases; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of widening that testing criteria so that higher numbers of people are so tested.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Details on case definitions are available at the following link:
The Stay at Home Guidance states that Public Health England will not be testing people with mild symptoms of COVID-19. Those with mild symptoms are advised to self-isolate and stay at home for seven days from the onset of the relevant symptoms of a new continuous cough and a high temperature. Therefore, people do not need to be tested to act. The guidance is available at the following link:
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will issue guidance to hon. Members and their staff in contact with vulnerable constituents on how to deal with the risk of covid-19 infection.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England (PHE) recommends that hon. Members and noble Lords, representing members of the public model good behaviour and follow public health advice on self-isolation issued by PHE.
Guidance on self-isolation for people with confirmed or possible COVID-19 infection is available to view at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance
PHE recommends that the following general cold and flu precautions are taken to help prevent people from catching and spreading COVID-19. This includes covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve, not your hands, when you cough or sneeze. Putting used tissues in the bin straight away and washing your hands with soap and water often, using hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available. Avoiding close contact with people who are unwell, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces, and not touching your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.
If a hon. Member or their staff thinks they have been exposed to a confirmed case, and they are worried about symptoms, they should call NHS 111. They should not go directly to their general practice or other healthcare environment.
General PHE advice on COVID-19 is updated regularly and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS intensive care units have (a) appropriate facilities and (b) adequate resources to help save the lives of patients worst affected by covid-19.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Chancellor recently advised that the National Health Service will get the resources it needs to cope with a COVID-19 epidemic.
The NHS is currently scaling up intensive care beds. NHS England is looking at critical care capacity - including the availability of additional facilities of independent sector providers.