Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to provide a substantive answer to Question 16155 on Blood: Contamination, tabled on 28 February 2024 by the Hon. Member for Glenrothes.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 16155 on 18 March 2024.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what psychological support is available for people (a) infected and (b) affected by contaminated blood and blood products in Glenrothes constituency.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
Health services in Scotland are the responsibility of the Scottish Government.
Anyone living in Scotland who has been infected or affected by infected blood or blood products has access to specialist psychological support services. There are two such services established by the Scottish Government and managed by NHS Lothian: the Inherited Bleeding Disorders Psychological Support Service, which is available for any patients with a bleeding disorder or their family, and the Scottish Infected Blood Psychological Service. Both services can see patients from across Scotland by means of outreach services, virtually using the NHS Near Me service, or by telephone.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who have died since being (a) treated with contaminated blood products and (b) given contaminated blood transfusions in Glenrothes constituency.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Department has not made an estimate of the number of people who have died since being treated with contaminated blood products, or given contaminated blood transfusions, in the Glenrothes constituency.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who were (a) treated with contaminated blood products and (b) given contaminated blood transfusions by the NHS in Glenrothes constituency.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Department has not made an estimate of the number of people who were treated with contaminated blood products, or given contaminated blood transfusions, by the National Health Service in the Glenrothes constituency.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that there is an adequate supply of oxcarbazepine for patients with epilepsy.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The Department was informed of supply issues with oxcarbazepine 150 milligram and 300 milligram tablets by one supplier, which are out of stock until the end of March and the end of February 2024, respectively. Alternative oxcarbazepine tablets remain available. The Department has worked extensively with alternative suppliers and clinical colleagues and has since issued communications to the National Health Service which includes detailed management advice.
While we cannot always prevent supply issues from occurring, the Department has a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise and help mitigate risks to patients. There is a team within the Department that deals specifically with medicine supply problems, and it works closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the pharmaceutical industry, NHS England, the devolved administrations, and others operating in the supply chain to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when shortages do arise.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) provision of (i) uniforms and (ii) winter uniforms by the employer and (b) other working conditions at covid testing centres under contract to his Department.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Uniforms, personal protective equipment and special apparel, such as winter uniforms, are provided by the service management providers operating testing sites, according to local needs. COVID-19 testing centres are regularly audited and inspected by the Department, the UK Health Security Agency and by external organisations to maintain working conditions which are safe for test site operatives.