Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure the availability of multi-disciplinary medical treatment for 16 and 17 year old patients with long covid who cannot access paediatric services and have been refused access to long covid clinics.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
National commissioning guidance published by NHS England and NHS Improvement details services which should be available to support people of all ages with a likely diagnosis of post-COVID syndrome. This is regardless of whether they received a positive COVID-19 test or were managed in hospital or the community. The guidance is available at the following link:
In general, young people aged 16 and 17 years old should access adult post-COVID specialist services. There are a small number of localities where access for this group is through the specialist paediatric hubs, which will accept direct referrals.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that housebound patients can receive covid-19 vaccinations and boosters at home.
Answered by Maggie Throup
For patients who usually receive their treatment at home and are considered to be housebound, general practitioners (GPs) and community teams will determine the best approach to vaccination, based on their knowledge of the patient and their circumstances. Some patients may be able to attend a Primary Care Network (PCN) designated site with assistance and a discussion should be held with the patient’s family and/or carer to facilitate this.
Where a GP practice participates in the Enhanced Service for the COVID-19 vaccination programme, the practice should make provision for booster doses for to be given to patients who are housebound and are unable to attend a PCN site. Where a practice is not part of the Enhanced Service, the practice should contact their local clinical commissioning group to make alternative arrangements for such patients via another PCN grouping. PCNs have also established mobile vaccination teams, which are aimed at those who are unable to leave their homes. NHS England and NHS Improvement have also introduced a range of measures to support GP practices to increase capacity, from additional workforce availability to increases in the supplement paid for booster vaccinations of housebound patients.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a medical history involving an episode or episodes of myocarditis in a midwife will be sufficient condition for exemption from covid-19 vaccination under plans to require covid-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers.
Answered by Edward Argar
The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 provide for a medical exemption from vaccination. Individuals who believe that they may be medically exempt, such as those with a medical history involving episodes of myocarditis, should contact their doctor or specialist clinician for advice. Guidance on medical exemptions is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-medical-exemptions-proving-you-are-unable-to-get-vaccinated
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure that the NHS Covid-19 app can accommodate the covid-19 vaccination records of people who have had one vaccination in England and another in Scotland without the need for them to travel to appointments designed for people who have been vaccinated overseas.
Answered by Maggie Throup
NHS Digital has established bi-directional live data flows between England and Scotland which update the general practitioner (GP) record and NHS COVID Pass status. Individuals who have received one or both of their primary course vaccines in Scotland can access the NHS COVID Pass, provided they are registered with a GP in England or otherwise have an National Health Service number. Individuals do not need to attend an appointment to ensure their NHS COVID Pass status is updated, as this should happen automatically.
The NHS COVID-19 App is primarily a contact tracing app. Users are anonymous so it cannot be used as proof of vaccination status. The NHS App provides access to a range of services including the NHS COVID Pass.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will extend the life of paper covid-19 vaccination certificates beyond 30 days to enable longer overseas travel for people without smart phones.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The travel NHS COVID Pass letter is currently valid for a period of 30 days as a protection measure against fraud. Expiration dates on the travel NHS COVID Pass letter will be kept under review. Alternatively, the travel NHS COVID Pass can be downloaded at NHS.UK and printed.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
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 enable persons vaccinated abroad to have their vaccinated status authenticated locally.
Answered by Maggie Throup
English residents are now able to book a face-to-face appointment to visit a vaccination centre to update their vaccination record in the National Immunisation Management System. Bookings can be made online using the National Booking Service or via 119. A number of vaccination centres are offering this service in England and the list of sites will be expanded in due course.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2021 to Question 78343 on Travel: Coronavirus, what recent progress has been made on enabling 12 to 15 year olds to prove their double covid-19 vaccinated status for the purpose of travel overseas.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Children aged 12 to 15 years old in England who have had a full course of COVID-19 vaccination are now eligible for a NHS COVID Pass letter for travel. Proof of vaccination will initially be provided via a letter including an internationally recognised barcode. A digital solution via NHS.uk is to be rolled out early next year.