Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 women receive the same standard of care as men during diagnosis, treatment and aftercare of heart disease or a heart attack.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 the misconception that heart attacks do not happen to women among (a) doctors and (b) the public.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that junior doctors can make complaints about senior and consultant doctors (a) anonymously and (b) without repercussions to their career prospects.
Answered by Edward Argar
The Government supports the right of staff working in the National Health Service, including junior doctors, to raise concerns and expects all National Health Service organisations to support staff that wish to do so. A National Guardian was appointed in 2016 and more than 1,000 Freedom to Speak Up local Guardians have now been appointed covering every NHS trust in England. They provide a safe place where staff members can take their concerns about both practice and behaviours in the NHS.
Speaking up about concerns is a core part of Health Education England’s Quality Framework and in addition the junior doctor contract deal which the British Medical Association agreed earlier this year strengthens existing contractual safeguards, ensuring that junior doctors can raise issues through an exception reporting process – overseen by an independent guardian of safe working.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 the sexual harassment of NHS staff by (a) members of the public and (b) other NHS staff members.
Answered by Edward Argar
Employers are responsible for protecting their staff from sexual harassment by members of the public or other staff members. Sexual harassment, a form of unlawful discrimination, should not be tolerated under any circumstances so staff who believe they have been subjected to it should report the incident(s). Employers should ensure they fully support these staff and work with them to ensure appropriate legal action is taken against perpetrators.
The NHS Social Partnership Forum, chaired by Departmental ministers, is working with National Health Service system leaders, NHS organisations, staff and unions, to encourage the leadership and culture change required to eradicate bullying and all forms of harassment. Now in its third year, one of the “call to action” priorities is tackling sexual harassment.
The interim NHS People Plan, published on 3 June 2019, committed to developing a new offer for staff, part of which will be how to create a healthy, inclusive and compassionate culture, including a focus on tackling bullying and harassment. This is expected to be published, alongside the final NHS People Plan, later this year.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 sexual harassment of NHS staff on (a) patient safety and (b) quality of patient care.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Bullying and harassment are never acceptable in any National Health Service workplace, and the wellbeing of staff is paramount to the provision of safe patient care. All NHS organisations have clear policies in place to deal with reports of harassment and bullying. The Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, who are now in place across all NHS trusts in England provide a safe place where staff can discuss their concerns about both practice and behaviours in the NHS.
As part of its inspection of individual providers and services, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carries out an assessment of whether providers have a strong emphasis on the safety and wellbeing of staff. This takes place under the Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOE) ‘well-led’ framework, as an important influence on the culture of the organisation and the quality of care delivered.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 every person whose health makes them more vulnerable to flu is able to receive the winter flu vaccine without delay.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The flu vaccination is offered to people who are at risk of the serious complications of flu. This includes people over 65, pregnant women, and those in clinical risk groups. In addition, the vaccine is offered to carers, and frontline health and social care workers, who work with vulnerable groups.
A key objective of the children’s programme is to reduce transmission of flu to the general population and those at risk, in addition to providing individual protection. In 2019/20, all primary school aged children will be offered the vaccine for the first time in England.
Those eligible for flu vaccination can get the vaccine from their general practitioner, and since 2015/16 adult groups can also be vaccinated at their local community pharmacy, thus widening patient access.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 women with a disability attended cervical cancer screening in the NHS in the last period for which information is available.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Information on how many and what proportion of women with a disability have attended cervical cancer screening through the National Health Service is not held centrally by NHS England.
The latest uptake figures for cervical cancer screening show that 71.7% of the eligible population, or 3.2 million women, were screened for cervical cancer in 2017–18.