Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has taken steps to amend mental health services provision for children in response to increased demand for those services as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We have committed to invest an additional £2.3 billion a year to expand mental health services in England by 2023/24. This will enable a further 345,000 children and young people to access National Health Service-funded mental health support.
In 2021/22, we made £500 million available to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. This included £79 million to ensure that approximately 22,500 more children and young people could access community mental health services and a further 2,000 to access eating disorder services. We have also accelerated the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges to 20% to 25% of the country, which will increase to over 500 teams, covering approximately 35% of pupils by 2023/24. We have also launched a public call for evidence to support the development of a new cross-Government ten-year plan for mental health which is open until 7 July 2022.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of post-diagnosis support services for children with autistic spectrum disorder.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
No recent assessment has been made. However, in 2021/22 NHS England and NHS Improvement provided £7 million to local areas to test and implement timely autism diagnosis and post-diagnosis pathways for children and young people. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also developing a national framework for autism diagnostic pathways for children and young people. The ‘SEND review: right support, right place, right time’ green paper is consulting on improvements in health, care and educational support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, including those who are autistic.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
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 reduce waiting times for disabled children to receive community equipment assessments.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government will require workplaces to conduct risk assessments for the potential effect of working arrangements on people who are immunosuppressed.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We have made no such assessment. The Government continues to provide guidance for employers, including in the health and social care sector, to take reasonable steps to manage the risks of COVID-19 and protect staff. ‘Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace’, published on 1 April 2022, is available at the following link:
For workers who are at greater risk of serious illness from COVID-19, such as those with a weakened immune system, employers may wish to consider their specific needs, including any entitlement to a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010.
The Health and Safety Executive no longer requires every business to consider COVID-19 in its risk assessment or have specific measures in place. However, employers may still choose to continue to include COVID-19 in risk assessments. Employers should also continue to comply with the requirements for cleaning, ventilation and welfare facilities in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 or the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 to control occupational health and safety risks. Employers have a duty to consult with employees or their representatives on health and safety matters.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether free asymptomatic covid-19 testing will be available to people who are immunocompromised.
Answered by Maggie Throup
From 1 April 2022, free universal access to lateral flow device tests for the public in England will end. We will continue to make testing available for a small number of at risk groups. Further details on eligible groups will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to implement the recommendations on sickle cell disease care made by the sickle cell all-party Parliamentary group in its report, No One’s Listening, published 15 November 2021.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department will work with relevant organisations to consider the recommendations and develop an action plan.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what programme of training is being implemented to ensure that the NHS workforce has adequate training on sickle cell disease.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The haematology medical curriculum includes understanding sickle cell and thalassemia as core competencies. Health Education England (HEE) has held discussions with the Royal Colleges of Pathology and Physicians to ensure this curriculum is deliverable to all four nations, in line with General Medical Council standards.
HEE additionally provides two ‘eLearning for healthcare’ programmes with sickle cell content: NHS Screening Programmes and the Maternity Support Worker Programme. Wider eLearning programmes with sessions on sickle cell disease include anaesthesia, radiology, and pain.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
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 that NHS trusts meet the clinical guidelines on treatment for sickle cell disease.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England and NHS Improvement have service specifications for Haemoglobinopathy Co-ordinating Centres and Specialist Haemoglobinopathy Teams describing the standards and clinical guidelines to be met. The delivery of these services is reviewed by regional teams, with providers required to ensure they meet National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Compliance with NICE guidelines on managing acute sickle cell episodes is monitored through NHS England and NHS Improvement’s quality metrics. NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing an action plan for further quality improvement in the care of patients with sickle cell disease.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
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 (a) all people with sickle cell disease receive equal access to red cell exchange therapy and other treatments and (b) the organisation of sickle cell care across the NHS is efficient in patients receiving treatment in a sufficient timeframe.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
To coordinate equitable, efficient and timely access to red cell exchange therapy and other treatments for sickle cell disease, there are 10 Haemoglobinopathy Co-ordinating Centres (HCCs), each overseeing Specialist Haemoglobinopathy Teams (SHTs) and local haemoglobinopathy teams. NHS England and NHS Improvement have service specifications for HCCs and SHTs which support providers and clinical teams, describing the standards and clinical guidelines to be met. The service specifications ensure standardised care and equitable delivery across England.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
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 21 December 2021 to Question 92809 on Abortion, at what week of gestation did the eight cases referred to of the home use of both abortion pills at 10+ weeks of gestation occur; and what steps his Department has taken to follow up those cases.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The information requested is shown in the following table. The data refers to abortions performed for residents of England and Wales in 2020 from statistics published on 10 June 2021.
10 to 12 weeks | 7 |
13 to 19 weeks | 1 |
Note:
Cases that exceed the legal limit of 10 weeks gestation and above where both medical abortion pills are taken at home are identified once HSA4 forms are submitted by practitioners to the Chief Medical Officer. The Department will contact the practitioner to confirm these details and the Abortion Notification System is updated, if necessary. For the eight medical abortions at 10 weeks gestation and above where both medications were taken at home, two cases had been confirmed at time of publication with the remaining six being followed up.