Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the mental health of NHS workers during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has commissioned NHS England and NHS Improvement to develop a comprehensive emotional, psychological and practical support package for all National Health Service staff during and after COVID-19 response.
This includes free access to well-being apps, a dedicated helpline and text service that offer support and confidential listening, and where appropriate signposting to other services that support staff welfare. A separate helpline is also now available offering bereavement support by a team of fully qualified bereavement specialists.
More information on how to access this support can be found online at the following link:
people.nhs.uk/help
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure NHS providers have the financial support they need during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are taking significant steps to ease operational pressures and provide financial support to National Health Service providers, so they are able to focus on the response to the outbreak.
These include an additional payment for 2019-20 at year-end to reflect any initial costs reported due to COVID-19. Additionally, NHS England and NHS Improvement have suspended the operational planning process for 2020-21. In replacement, simplified block contracts have been agreed between commissioners and NHS providers which will guarantee a nationally calculated monthly payment, between the period 1 April 2020 to 31 July 2020 to cover costs.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on ensuring adequate critical care capacity in hospitals in Northern Ireland during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department is working closely with the devolved administrations, coordinating and sharing information as appropriate, to ensure all four nations can respond to the challenges presented by COVID-19. Health is a devolved matter and the Northern Ireland Department of Health would be best placed to respond to questions regarding capacity in Northern Ireland hospitals.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
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 tackle obesity.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care (Steve Brine MP) to the hon. Member for Cardiff Central (Jo Stevens MP) on 28 February 2019 to Question 225540.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
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 the NHS has the staff it needs for the long term.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Interim NHS People Plan, puts staff at the heart of National Health Service policy and delivery and sets out a shared vision and the actions the NHS will take now and over the long term to meet the challenges of supply, reform, culture and leadership.
The Plan seeks to increase undergraduate supply, shift role perceptions, increase training and development opportunities, and offer better routes into health and social care careers, to boost workforce recruitment and retention.
A final People Plan will be published soon after the conclusion of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
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 support global patient safety.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Patient safety in the National Health Service is a key priority for the Government. We also remain committed to building on the momentum we have established to address patient safety challenges globally.
The United Kingdom-led World Health Assembly Resolution, ‘Global Action on Patient Safety’, was adopted on 28 May 2019. It urges all countries to prioritise safety in the delivery of universal health coverage and establishes an annual World Patient Safety Day on 17 September.
The Government is committed to maintaining its leadership role on global patient safety.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many student entrants there were to gynaecology and obstetrics in NHS England in each of the last seven years.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The number of obstetrics and gynaecology trainees who have entered specialty training year one in the last five years is set out in the table below:
August 2013 | 204 |
August 2014 | 207 |
August 2015 | 205 |
August 2016 | 228 |
August 2017 | 224 |
Source: Health Education England
The Department does not hold national data dating further back than this.
Education and training in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is a matter for the devolved administration of that country.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of salmonella were identified in (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016, and (d) 2017; and of those cases how many originated in each non-UK EU country.
Answered by Steve Brine
Confirmed cases of non-typhoidal Salmonella in England are reported on the laboratory reporting database called Second Generation Surveillance System. The total number of cases reported for 2014 to the first quarter of 2017 (1 January 2017 to 31 March) are included in the following table.
Year | Number of cases |
2014 | 6,939 |
2015 | 8,185 |
2016 | 8,248 |
2017 (1st quarter)* | 1,419 |
*Data available for 1 January to 31 March 2017
Note: data for 2015, 2016 and 2017 is still undergoing validation and therefore may change prior to publication.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) his and (b) the NHS's policies of the findings of Cancer Research UK's report entitled, Testing times to come: an evaluation of pathology capacity in the UK, published in November 2016.
Answered by David Mowat
The Government welcomes the publication in November 2016 of the Cancer Research UK, Testing times to come: an evaluation of pathology capacity in the UK. Pathology services play a major role in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as well as many other conditions.
The Department’s national delivery partners are working to modernise the delivery of pathology services in the National Health Service in England, and reviewing the workforce and training that will be required in the future.
Health is a devolved matter in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of (a) minimum pack-size requirements and (b) other elements of the new Tobacco Products Directive.
Answered by Jane Ellison
An assessment estimating the impact of the provisions introduced by the revised Tobacco Products Directive on business, including minimum pack size requirements, was published alongside a public consultation on transposition of the Directive in summer last year. A final impact assessment, reflecting the outcome of the consultation, will be published alongside the implementing Regulations.