Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether funding is available for the costs of (a) covid-19 testing and (b) quarantine for children who are required to travel internationally by custody order.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before prorogation.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the difference between the Public Health England and the World Health Organisation's classification of deaths from covid-19, if he will publish figures for deaths from covid-19 in the UK according to the WHO definition that Covid-19 should be recorded on the medical certificate of cause of death for all decedents where the disease caused, or is assumed to have caused, or contributed to death.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Public Health England (PHE) uses two definitions of a death in a person with COVID-19 in England. Firstly, the total number of deaths of people who received a positive test result for COVID-19 and died within 28 days of the first positive test reported on or up to the date of death or reporting date. People who died more than 28 days after their first positive test are not included, whether or not COVID-19 was the cause of death. Secondly, the total number of deaths of people who received a positive test result for COVID-19 and either died within 60 days of the first positive test or where COVID-19 was mentioned on their death certificate.
Data for both definitions of a COVID-19 death are available in PHE’s National COVID-19 surveillance reports which are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-covid-19-surveillance-reports
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the (a) promotion and (b) sale of (i) unofficial and (ii) potentially harmful (A) thermography scans and (B) other diagnostics and treatments to people diagnosed with cancer.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Any equipment or diagnostic test that fits the definition of a medical device or in vitro diagnostic medical device must meet the requirements of the Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (the MDR).
Thermography scanning equipment for a medical purpose would be likely to meet the definition of a medical device and as such the manufacturer must hold clinical and scientific evidence to demonstrate the safety and performance of the device in relation to the claims being made for it. The manufacturer must CE mark the device in accordance with the MDR.
The MDR do not contain specific provisions dealing with promotion or advertising of medical devices. The general United Kingdom legislation for advertising applies to medical devices. In addition, the provisions of the Cancer Act 1939 prohibit the advertising of products to treat cancer. There are currently no plans to review the provisions around promotion of products laid down in the Cancer Act.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to establish a study into the treatment and care of patients experiencing prolonged symptoms of covid-19 infection.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Department invests over £1 billion a year in health and care research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR Recovery and Learning Call is currently open to researchers to submit proposals on the treatment and care of patients experiencing prolonged symptoms of COVID-19 infection.
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 beyond the acute phase. The research will focus specifically on health outcomes, public health, social care and health service delivery and to mitigate the impact of subsequent phases and aftermath.
This follows on from the UK Research and Innovation-NIHR Rapid Response Rolling Call for COVID-19 research that closed on 30 June which funded projects that could make a significant contribution to the understanding, prevention and/or management of the COVID-19 outbreak within 12 months.