Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
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 potential effect of his Department's Tackling Obesity strategy on the prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of people with eating disorders.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The impact of individual measures contained within the strategy have been considered where relevant. The final impact assessment for introducing mandatory calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector considered the potential effect on people living with eating disorders. The impact assessment is available at the following link:
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) support for people suffering from eating disorders in the UK.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We have announced that in 2021/22 the National Health Service will receive approximately an additional £500 million, which will support people with a variety of mental health conditions, including eating disorders. Of this extra funding, £79 million will be used to significantly expand children’s mental health services, including allowing 2,000 more children and young people to access eating disorder services. £58 million will be allocated to accelerate the adult community support to bring forward the expansion of integrated primary and secondary care for adults with severe mental illness, including eating disorders. In addition, NHS England has announced additional early intervention services for young people aged 16 to 25 years old with eating disorders in 18 areas across the country, so young adults seeking support could be contacted within 48 hours and begin treatment within two weeks.
In addition, the Department is working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and other partners to procure eating disorder training courses that will improve understanding and identification of this condition and increase the capacity of the existing workforce to allow them to provide evidence-based treatment to more people.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
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 implications for his policies on care home visiting during the covid-19 outbreak of the restriction by some private sector care homes of visits to residents by friends and families despite guidance from his Department that visits are permitted; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all care homes allow visits unless there is a reasonable reason not to.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Care home visiting must be supported wherever and whenever it is possible and safe to do so. Our guidance makes clear that care homes should support visiting as the default. We are supporting the care home sector to encourage and enable care homes to do so, to avoid care homes or local areas restricting visiting where that is not justified. We are currently working with our regional assurance team, local authorities and the Care Quality Commission to make sure that guidance is followed. This approach allows us to move swiftly in changing circumstances and to accommodate all care homes.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to (a) reduce the number of people with eating disorders and (b) tackle the stigma attached to people who suffer from conditions such as bulimia and anorexia.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
In 2021/22 the National Health Service will receive approximately an extra £500 million, which will support people with a variety of mental health conditions, including eating disorders. This will include programmes to significantly expand children’s mental health services, including allowing 2,000 more children and young people to access eating disorder services and accelerating the expansion of integrated primary and secondary care for adults with severe mental illness, including eating disorders.
NHS England has also announced additional early intervention services for young people aged 16 to 25 years old with eating disorders in 18 areas across the country, so young adults seeking support could be contacted within 48 hours and begin treatment within two weeks
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
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 potential effect of covid-19 restrictions on the prevalence of diagnosed eating disorders in the UK.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
No such assessment has been made.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
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 closure of gym and fitness facilities as a result of the covid-19 restrictions on (a) physical and (b) mental public health.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have made no assessment.
The Chief Medical Officer is clear that being physically active is important to long-term health and crucial for keeping people healthy. The Government ensured that people could exercise throughout the national restrictions and will also ensure that grassroots sport can resume as soon as restrictions ease.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people that have been offered a covid-19 vaccination appointment have been offered that appointment at a vaccination centre within 10 miles of their home address.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The data is not held in the format requested. In England, currently more than 98% of the population is within 10 miles of a vaccine service. In a small number of highly rural areas, the vaccination centre will be a mobile unit.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the scientific evidence that supports the distinction between allowing pubs that serve a substantial meal to open in tier 2 while those that do not should remain closed.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Unfortunately, we know that the virus spreads readily in indoor environments where members of different households and/or support bubbles spend time together. These restrictions do not single out restaurants, pubs or gyms, but apply to a wide range of settings where the risk of transmission is high. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies provided advice to the Department and considered the risks of transmission through different routes and environments in a paper which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to ensure that asthma sufferers who are prescribed daily medication are prioritised for the covid-19 vaccination.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
An individual with a more severe case of asthma may have been included in the clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) group, in which case they will be vaccinated in priority group four. For those with asthma not identified for inclusion in the CEV group, people with asthma that requires continuous or repeated use of systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission will be vaccinated in priority group six.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the evidence from Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation that supports the change in guidance on covid-19 vaccination priority for people suffering with asthma.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has not altered its advice on vaccination of those with asthma, which is available at the following link:
Phase one includes an offer of vaccine in those 50 years of age and over and those 16 years of age and over who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) or in a COVID-19 clinical risk group. Those with severe asthma and considered CEV should be offered vaccine in priority group four, those with asthma that requires continuous or repeated use of systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission and who are not considered CEV should be offered vaccine in priority group six.