Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the minimum efficacy threshold is that the NHS sets when commissioning the annual seasonal flu vaccine from the presented candidates, in percentage terms, in terms of (a) preventing serious infection in people in receipt of the vaccine (i) aged 45 to 64 and (ii) aged 65 and over, (b) preventing hospitalisation of people in receipt of the vaccine (i) aged 45 to 64 and (ii) aged 65 and over and (c) preventing death from influenza of people in receipt of the vaccine (i) aged 45 to 64 and (ii) aged 65 and over; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Flu vaccines are assessed for minimum efficacy thresholds at the point of licensure. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for licensing flu vaccines based on efficacy and safety results from clinical trials in the specific age groups intended for the license application.
The World Health Organization monitors flu globally and each year convenes a vaccine composition group that recommends the strains of flu virus that should be included in the licensed flu vaccines for the forthcoming flu season. The effectiveness of influenza vaccines can vary from year to year depending on a range of factors, including how well the vaccine strain is matched to circulating strains.
The Department and NHS England receive advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) about which vaccines are suitable or preferred for which age groups in the flu programme. The JCVI makes its advice from the available scientific evidence from a variety of sources including clinical and observation studies on the safety and performance of flu vaccines in the United Kingdom and globally. In advance of each flu season, NHS England publishes guidance on the vaccines that are included in the National Health Service programme, based on the JCVI’s, advice alongside operational aspects, such as availability of supply and affordability.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether immunosuppressed people will receive the second dose of the covid-19 vaccine within the recommended three week period; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that as many people on the JCVI priority list as possible should be offered a first vaccine dose as the initial priority. The four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers agree with the JCVI that at this stage of the pandemic prioritising the first doses of vaccine for as many people as possible on the priority list will protect the greatest number of at-risk people overall in the shortest possible time. This will have the greatest impact on reducing mortality, severe disease and hospitalisations and in protecting the National Health Service and equivalent health services.
For both vaccines, data provided to the Medicines and Healthcare products and Regulatory Agency demonstrates that whilst efficacy is optimised when a second dose is administered, both offer considerable protection after a single dose, in the short term. For both vaccines the second dose completes the course and is likely to be important for longer term protection.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 2020 Spending Review, what additional resources he plans to allocate to the NHS to clear the backlog of cancer treatments as a result of the response by the NHS to the covid-19 outbreak; and whether his Department has plans to publish a detailed cancer strategy once that outbreak has concluded.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In August 2020, the National Health Service announced a £160 million initiative to extend access to ‘COVID-19 friendly’ cancer treatments and in October £150 million funding was provided to expand diagnostic capacity. A further £325 million for diagnostic equipment was announced in November’s Spending Review. Cancer patients continue to be prioritised within the additional £1 billion announced within Spending Review 2020 to tackle the elective backlog.
NHS England’s Cancer Recovery Plan sets out the aims and actions needed to recover from the impact of COVID-19, while the NHS Long Term Plan remains the detailed strategy for cancer services and will continue to apply after the pandemic.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the efficacy has been of the seasonal flu vaccine, in percentage terms, for people in receipt of it aged 65 and over, in terms of (a) preventing infection, (b) preventing hospitalisation of people infected after receiving the vaccine and (c) preventing influenza being listed as the cause of death for people infected after receiving the vaccination, in each of the last 10 years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Data on the efficacy of the flu vaccine are not available in the format requested.
Public Health England monitors the effectiveness of influenza vaccines each year against all the influenza strains in circulation. Vaccine effectiveness varies from one season to the next. Overall effectiveness has been estimated at between 30-60%. Vaccine effectiveness for each flu season is published in the Annual Flu Report, available from winter 2012/13 is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-flu-reports
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the established contact tracing expertise in (a) sexual health services, (b)TB clinics and (c) environmental health services is being used as part of the covid-19 response; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently approximately 1,300 staff working within Public Health England’s (PHE) contact tracing cell, health protection teams and field services across the country, with more recruitment underway to further strengthen support to local outbreaks and incident responses, including COVID-19 contact tracing. New staff come from a range of backgrounds including retired medical personnel, local authority staff, environmental health advisors, sexual health advisors and agency nurses. PHE staff work closely with local authority and National Health Service teams to follow up contacts and manage complex settings.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a Band 4 Immuniser approved to administer the Pfizer vaccine has concurrent approval to administer the Astra-Zeneca vaccine; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Public Health England has developed protocols in accordance with Regulation 247A of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, inserted into Human Medicines (Coronavirus and Influenza) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, for the administration of both the Pfizer BioNtech and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
The protocols do not specify which professional groups, grades or bands may administer COVID-19 vaccines under them. Instead, the protocols state that registered or non-registered persons may administer the vaccines, as long as they are competent to do so and experienced registered healthcare professionals must adequately supervise any non-professionally qualified persons.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department collects on the effect of covid-19 restrictions on (a) addiction and (b) substance abuse rates.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Recent statistical publications by NHS Digital, the Office of National Statistics and Public Health England covering alcohol and substance misuse do not include the pandemic period, so it is difficult to draw conclusions on the full impact of COVID-19 on addiction and substance misuse rates. Data covering this period will be available in late 2021 and we shall monitor all data as it emerges.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the official with responsibility for mental health, of the equivalent seniority to the Chief Medical Officer and the Government Chief Scientific Officer, has not been invited to take the podium at a televised Number 10 coronavirus press conference; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
As Chief Medical Officer, Professor Whitty’s interest covers both mental and physical health. Both the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Officer are permanent secretary level appointments.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what procedures are in place to ensure the names of the deceased are removed from NHS databases to prevent families receiving letters addressed to someone who has died months or years previously; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We are making improvements to health records to resolve cases where letters have unfortunately been addressed to deceased individuals. Data quality checks are regularly carried out to reduce the number of patients who may be registered with the wrong general practitioner practice or who are no longer patients, either due to death or because they are no longer resident in England.
It is the responsibility of local systems to ensure records are up to date by using the Patient Demographic Service. For letters sent from NHS Digital-based systems, both formal and informal flags relating to status of death are used for assessment prior to sending, which is designed to ensure letters are not sent.
There are recent changes to increase the speed with which a death can be registered which informs Office for National Statistics data. This includes the ability to verify that death has occurred via remote consultation, sending Medical Certificates of Cause of Death electronically to the local registry office and telephone rather than physical appointments with the next of kin to complete registration.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to simplify the forms that are used to inform deprivation of liberty safeguards decisions; and if he will make an assessment of the extent to which that process requires people to provide duplicate data on behalf of the person they are helping; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Forms for processes under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are not prescribed in law. In 2015 the Department supported the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and others to simplify and improve recommended forms. The number of forms was reduced from 32 to 13. These are available online should local authorities and others wish to use them to discharge their legal duties under DoLS.
The Government has published extensive guidance on the application of DoLS during the pandemic. This includes a single, shortened form for requesting an urgent and standard authorisation.
Although DoLS is due to be replaced by the Liberty Protection Safeguards, until then, it is vital that all bodies with legal duties under DoLS continue to operate these important safeguards to ensure the rights of people without relevant mental capacity are protected.