Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers have had with their Israeli counterparts on tackling covid-19.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We have had no recent discussions.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on tackling the omicron variant of covid-19.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There have been no recent discussions on Omicron between the Health Secretary Sajid Javid and the Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance the Government has issued to healthcare providers on seeing patients face-to-face.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
An update to Infection Prevention and Control guidance for healthcare providers has recently been published. The guidance continues to advise that a physical distance of at least one metre should be maintained between and among patients, staff, and all other persons in healthcare settings. This distance should be increased wherever feasible, especially in indoor settings. A copy of the guidance is available at the following link:
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
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 patients can access adequate healthcare services from (a) GPs and (b) local authorities.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Local commissioners are responsible for the provision of medical services for the local population. On 14 October, we published ‘Our plan for improving access for patients and supporting general practice’. This included an additional investment of £250 million in a Winter Access Fund to improve the availability of general practitioner (GP) practices and increase the number of face-to-face appointments, while also investing in technology to make it easier for patients to see or speak to their GP.
The Department increased the Public Health Grant to £3.324 billion in 2021/22 and it will be maintained in real terms over the next three years. This will enable local authorities to deliver health services to improve the health and wellbeing of their local communities.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure patients are receiving the care they need.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
NHS services are open for those who need them and we expect all patients to be able to access the healthcare that they need. This year, we are providing an extra £34 billion to support services.
To help to tackle backlogs in planned care, we have committed £2 billion this year, with £8 billion over the next three years. This could deliver the equivalent of around nine million more checks, scans and procedures. The delivery plan for tackling the elective care backlog will be published later this year.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
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 help clear the NHS backlogs.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
NHS services are open for those who need them and we expect all patients to be able to access the healthcare that they need. This year, we are providing an extra £34 billion to support services.
To help to tackle backlogs in planned care, we have committed £2 billion this year, with £8 billion over the next three years. This could deliver the equivalent of around nine million more checks, scans and procedures. The delivery plan for tackling the elective care backlog will be published later this year.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take in the event that patients are unable to access the healthcare they need.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
NHS services are open for those who need them and we expect all patients to be able to access the healthcare that they need. This year, we are providing an extra £34 billion to support services.
To help to tackle backlogs in planned care, we have committed £2 billion this year, with £8 billion over the next three years. This could deliver the equivalent of around nine million more checks, scans and procedures. The delivery plan for tackling the elective care backlog will be published later this year.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent guidance his Department has provided to NHS Trusts on allowing more than one visitor to visit patients; and what steps he is taking to help ensure that guidance is followed.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Since the end of national restrictions in England, hospital visiting is subject to local discretion by trusts and other National Health Service bodies, who will take into account the local prevalence of COVID-19.