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Written Question
Hypertension: Medical Equipment
Wednesday 4th November 2020

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to GPs requiring patients to take blood pressure readings at home and send them to the surgery, what support is available to people with the cost of purchasing a blood pressure monitor; and how a patient can ensure that the monitor is calibrated to NHS standards at no extra cost.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The third phase of the National Health Service’s response to COVID-19, effective from the 1 August, focused on accelerating the return to near-normal levels of non-COVID-19 health services, which included the ask to accelerate preventative programmes and specifically the better targeting of long-term condition prevention and management programmes. NHS England’s letter regarding the third phase is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/07/20200731-Phase-3-letter-final-1.pdf

Hypertension monitoring and management is a priority for the NHS and we are developing safe systems to manage this making use of digital technology where appropriate. It is acknowledged that home blood pressure (BP) monitoring is not a preferred or possible option for all patients and there is no requirement on patients to pursue this option as primary care are continuing to offer this service where appropriate at practices. When a validated BP monitor is purchased it is calibrated to the required standard.


Written Question
Musicians: Coronavirus
Wednesday 23rd September 2020

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if (a) amateur and (b) professional (i) choirs, (ii) orchestras and (iii) music groups that can demonstrate they are covid-secure are exempt from the covid-19 restrictions on the number of people allowed to meet in a group from 14 September 2020.

Answered by Nadine Dorries

Amateur choirs, orchestras or drama groups should not rehearse or perform together in groups of more than six. They could split into sub-groups to do so, provided these groups do not interact.

Further guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing


Written Question
Autism
Tuesday 1st September 2020

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to have an independent review of the definition of autism as a mental disorder under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Answered by Nadine Dorries

We recognise the significance and importance of this issue. We are committed to improving the treatment of people with learning disabilities and/ or autism in law. We will comment on this in our Mental Health Act White Paper, which will be published as soon as it is possible to do so.


Written Question
Disability: Coronavirus
Tuesday 4th August 2020

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake to a review of disabled people’s health outcomes during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to ensuring disabled people receive the support they need during the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond. We know that many people with long-standing, limiting illnesses or health conditions are at higher risk of poorer outcomes from COVID-19.

We are continuing to review all the available evidence and commissioning new research to better understand the specific impact of COVID-19 on disabled people. This will inform future policy development and what additional practical measures we can take to protect disabled people.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Health Services
Tuesday 4th August 2020

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) research his Department has commissioned on and (b) what medical advice is available for people suffering post-covid-19 illnesses.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department invests over £1 billion a year in health and care research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It is not usual practice for the NIHR to ring-fence a proportion of its budget for research into particular topics or conditions. The NIHR Recovery and Learning Call is currently open to researchers to submit research proposals on patients suffering post-COVID-19 illnesses.

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.


Written Question
Autism
Wednesday 22nd July 2020

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to publish its new Autism Strategy.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are fully committed to publishing an impactful autism strategy, which covers all ages. We expect to publish the refreshed strategy later this year subject to our response to COVID-19.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Protective Clothing
Friday 17th July 2020

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the cost to the public purse of substandard personal protective equipment from Turkey and China during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There will be no cost to the National Health Service of any personal protective equipment arriving from Turkey which did not meet the necessary standards. All gowns which have arrived from China have passed quality control and are fit for use.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Supported Housing
Monday 22nd June 2020

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to extend covid-19 testing for all eligible care homes to residents in supported living settings.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Further expansion of testing to other adult social care settings will be guided by clinical advice on relative priority and available testing capacity.

We are listening to views about how different groups may be affected by the virus and are continuing to explore how we can support other parts of the sector such as those in supported living settings.

We have significantly increased testing capacity so everyone with symptoms of COVID-19 can be tested. Anyone with suspected symptoms in these settings can also access testing by self-refer via the following link:

www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test


Written Question
Coronavirus: Disease Control
Thursday 11th June 2020

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what further report she plans to commission following the publication of the PHE report Covid 19 - Disparities in the risks and outcomes.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

As Minister for Equalities, I am working with the Race Disparity Unit and the Department for Health and Social Care to carry forward work to identify and fill the gaps in PHE’s review; and work across government to take appropriate steps to mitigate disparities identified. The terms of reference for this work, which include quarterly updates to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on progress, were published on GOV.UK on 4 June. The timeframe will be announced in due course.


Written Question
Coronavirus
Tuesday 9th June 2020

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been reported as contracting covid-19 more than once.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Public Health England is not aware of any patients contracting COVID-19 more than once in England.