Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in the health and social care sector during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Social care workers are at the frontline of our battle with COVID-19. We are grateful to all care workers, caring for our loved ones every day.
Care workers must follow the guidance on isolating if they or a household member have COVID-19 symptoms - which means that there are higher absence levels than normal – but there must also be enough staff to provide essential care.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has been monitoring staff absence rates to see where there are particular risks.The CQC is sharing this information with local authorities and the Government has provided them with guidance on supporting care providers. We are encouraging returning health and social care professionals to work in social care and we have launched a national recruitment campaign with the ambition to attract 20,000 people into adult social care.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effect on health of negative ion products; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Public Health England has not undertaken a recent assessment of the possible health effects associated with the use, or wearing, of negative ion products.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
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 tackle (a) regional and (b) national differences in breastfeeding rates; and what discussions he has had with representatives from the devolved Administrations on a strategy to improve preterm nutrition.
Answered by Jo Churchill
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Washington and Sunderland West (Sharon Hodgson MP) on 10 February 2020 to Question 10737.
My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not had any recent discussions with representatives from the devolved administrations on a strategy to improve preterm nutrition.
A human milk-based diet is important to a baby at any age and provides the best start in life.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
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 benefits of a human milk-based diet for the development of preterm infants.
Answered by Jo Churchill
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Washington and Sunderland West (Sharon Hodgson MP) on 10 February 2020 to Question 10737.
My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not had any recent discussions with representatives from the devolved administrations on a strategy to improve preterm nutrition.
A human milk-based diet is important to a baby at any age and provides the best start in life.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hours his Department spent on processing freedom of information requests in each of the last 24 months.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Staff throughout the Department consider requests made under the Freedom of Information Act as part of their duties, and time spent is not accounted for separately. A central team of five full-time staff manages the caseload and gives advice on Freedom of Information Act requests.