Asked by: Nick Gibb (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what public health advice is being issued regarding the increasing infection rates of Omicron variant BA-5.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Due to the COVID-19 vaccination and booster programme and the availability of antiviral treatments, there is a lower risk to the population of severe illness or hospitalisation. The Government’s guidance has transitioned to encouraging responsible behaviours, while targeting protection towards those individuals most at risk from the virus.
In April 2022, guidance for the public was issued which set out how the risk of infection and transmission of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, can be reduced in addition to guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory illness. Public health principles were also published to reduce the spread of respiratory infections in the workplace.
The UK Health Security Agency and the National Health Service continue to promote safe behaviours and vaccination to the public through the media and local authorities, including Directors of Public Health and their teams. The Government continues to monitor a range of data to ensure the country’s response to COVID-19 remains effective and proportionate and will communicate public health advice through all available channels.
Asked by: Nick Gibb (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 help ensure that dental practices in West Sussex accept NHS-funded patients.
Answered by James Morris
We provided an additional £50 million for National Health Service dentistry for the final quarter of 2021/22 to provide urgent care to patients. Of this funding, £6,887,000 was made available to the South East region, including West Sussex. NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked practices to deliver 100% of contracted units of dental activity and 100% of units of orthodontic activity to safely improve access for patients.
Dental patients are not registered to a particular practice outside a course of treatment. A dental practice can accept a patient for a course of treatment and there are no geographical restrictions on which practice a patient may attend. In addition, NHS Digital has written to practices to ensure that information on appointment availability via NHS.UK is updated to allow patients to access NHS dental care. Patients can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance in finding a local dental practice or NHS 111 if seeking urgent dental care.
The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with stakeholders, including the British Dental Association, to improve NHS dentistry and negotiations are underway on initial measures. This aims to increase access to NHS dentistry, including in West Sussex.
Asked by: Nick Gibb (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to offer a second booster vaccination to all adults, in the context of rising hospitalisations from covid-19.
Answered by Maggie Throup
On 21 February 2022, the Government accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to offer an additional spring booster dose to all residents in care homes for older adults, individuals aged 12 years old and over who are immunosuppressed, and all adults aged 75 years old and over.
On 19 May 2022, the JCVI published interim advice on an autumn COVID-19 booster programme which states that a COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to residents in a care home for older adults and staff; frontline health and social care workers; all those aged 65 years old and over; and adults aged 16 to 64 years old in a clinical risk group. The JCVI is considering the vaccination of other patient groups and the detail of the definitions of clinical risk groups. The JCVI keeps the current epidemiological data under review and will issue further advice if necessary.
Asked by: Nick Gibb (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has provided to help improve access to NHS dental services in West Sussex.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
An additional £50 million was provided for National Health Service dentistry in the final quarter of 2021/22 to provide urgent care to patients. Of this funding, £6,887,000 was made available to the South East of England, including West Sussex. NHS England provides regional commissioning teams with a combined allocation for dental services, community pharmacy and primary care ophthalmology. In 2022/23, this allocation is £5,384 million.
Asked by: Nick Gibb (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of available dental appointments for NHS patients in West Sussex.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The information requested is not held centrally, as appointments for National Health Service treatment are managed directly by dental practices. Between April and June 2022, NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked practices to deliver at least 95% of contracted units of dental activity to safely improve access for patients, including in areas such as West Sussex.
Asked by: Nick Gibb (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of dentists in West Sussex accepting patients for NHS dental services in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
In 2020/21, the latest period for which figures are available, there were 527 dentists with National Health Service activity in the NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group. To improve information on the number of NHS dentists accepting patients, including in West Sussex, we have written to dental practices to ensure that this information is updated via NHS.UK.
Asked by: Nick Gibb (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of dentists in West Sussex offering NHS dental services in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
In 2020/21, the latest period for which figures are available, there were 527 dentists with National Health Service activity in the NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group. To improve information on the number of NHS dentists accepting patients, including in West Sussex, we have written to dental practices to ensure that this information is updated via NHS.UK.
Asked by: Nick Gibb (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to roll out a fourth covid-19 vaccination to all adults.
Answered by Maggie Throup
On 19 May 2022, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published interim advice on an autumn COVID-19 booster programme. The JCVI’s current advice suggests that a COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to residents in a care home for older adults and staff; frontline health and social care workers; all those 65 years old and over; and adults aged 16 to 64 years old in a clinical risk group. The JCVI will continue to review the vaccination programme and the epidemiological situation, particularly in relation to the timing and value of doses for less vulnerable older adults and those in clinical risk groups before autumn 2022. The Government will consider the JCVI’s final recommendations later this year.
Asked by: Nick Gibb (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on the renegotiation of the terms of the dental contract.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Work to reform the National Health Service dental contract is underway. The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with stakeholders, including the British Dental Association, on alternative ways of commissioning services. This aims to improve patient access, reduce health inequalities and make the NHS a more attractive place to work for dentists.
Asked by: Nick Gibb (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
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 eligible adults have had the covid-19 booster vaccination in (a) England, (b) West Sussex and (c) Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The following table shows the number and proportion of eligible adults aged 18 years old and over who have received a third or booster dose in the areas requested, as at 16 January 2022.
England | 30,383,259 | 81% |
West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group | 537,590 | 87% |
Bognor Regis and Littlehampton | 65,119 | 86% |