Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 potential merits of requesting that cruise line companies make cruise ships available for use as make-shift hospitals during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
A number of options continue to be reviewed for accommodating patients with COVID-19. Whilst cruise ships may provide one option for supporting patient beds, the configuration of cruise ship bedrooms make the treatment of patients with COVID-19 potentially more difficult with regard to staffing.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people who have self-isolated as a result of having the symptoms of covid-19 will be required to self-isolate again in the event that those symptoms return.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
People will have to self-isolate again if symptoms return. Work is going on to look at testing for immunity to the virus, but until that exists, people with COVID-19 symptoms, and their household members, must stay at home. Staying at home will help control the spread of the virus to friends, the wider community, and particularly the most vulnerable. The stay at home guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 ensure the coronavirus does not enter the UK.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have been closely monitoring the situation in Wuhan and China more widely and we have put in place proportionate, precautionary measures. Our approach has at all times been guided by the advice of the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty. Professor Whitty and Public Health England, aided by independent experts, are in close contact with their international counterparts, and are continually monitoring the scientific evidence as it emerges.
The United Kingdom is well prepared for these types of outbreaks – we are one of the first countries in the world to develop a test for the new virus.
We can confirm two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus. The patients are receiving specialist National Health Service care and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus. We are already working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had, to prevent further spread.
We are advising people that if they have returned from Wuhan or anywhere in Hubei province in the last 14 days they should:
- Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people as you would with the flu;
- Call NHS 111 to inform them of your recent travel to the city;
- If in Northern Ireland, call the NI Direct special emergency telephone number 0300 200 7885;
- To follow this advice even if they do not have symptoms of the virus; and
- If they have travelled from anywhere else in China (not including Macao or Hong Kong) to the UK in the last 14 days and develop symptoms of cough, fever or shortness of breath, they should immediately self-isolate, even if symptoms are minor and call NHS111.
Public safety is the top priority. Anyone who has been repatriated from Wuhan will be safely isolated for 14 days, with all necessary medical attention.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 the NHS is able to adopt new technology to enable the effective delivery of services.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The Department’s technology vision sets the foundation for a new generation of digital and technology services focused on user need and interoperability, whilst safeguarding patient privacy and security. This will support delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan, transforming the health system by providing more integrated and person-centred care.
We have made significant investment in new technology for the National Health Service to support service delivery since 2013. This includes funds such as Safer Hospitals Safer Wards, Integrated Digital Care Records, Nurse Technology, Local Health and Care Records Exemplar, Electronic Prescribing and Global Digital Exemplars.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 tackle loneliness and social isolation in older people.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government recognises that loneliness can have a significant impact on the physical and mental health of older people.
The Government’s Loneliness Strategy ‘A connected society – A strategy for tackling loneliness – laying the foundations for change’ (published on 15 October 2008) acknowledged that tackling loneliness is complex and a long-term challenge, requiring action across many fronts. It brought together Government, local government, public services, the voluntary and community sector and businesses to identify opportunities to tackle loneliness and build more integrated and resilient communities.
Work in other areas can also help to tackle loneliness and social isolation. For example, the Government’s £11.5 million Building Connections Fund will see the Government working with charitable trusts, foundations, and others to support projects that are able to prevent or reduce loneliness in older people as well as other age groups. Similarly, through our Ageing Society Grand Challenge, the Government will harness innovative products and services to help people remain healthy and independent for longer, continue to participate through work and within their communities, and stay connected to others.
The Government remains fully committed to working with others to combat loneliness and social isolation.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 support the mental health needs of young people who have additional responsibilities as carers.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government continues to value, recognise and support carers to provide care in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing. It remains committed to supporting young carers so that they are properly protected from excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities and supported to achieve their full potential.
That is why the Government published a Carers Action Plan last year setting out a
cross-Government programme of targeted work to support carers, including young carers.
In addition, children and young people, including young carers, will benefit from improved provision of mental health services resulting from the NHS Long Term Plan and the Government’s Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health. The Green Paper aims to improve the provision of mental health support through its three key proposals:
- incentivising every school or college to identify and train a Senior Lead for Mental Health;
- creating new Mental Health Support Teams in and near schools and colleges; and
- piloting a four-week waiting time for specialist National Health Service services, so that there is swifter access to specialist NHS services for those children and young people who need it.
These three proposals are currently being trialled in new trailblazer areas.
The above-mentioned Mental Health Support Teams form part of the NHS’s commitment in the NHS Long Term Plan to ensure that by 2023/24, at least an additional 345,000 children and young people aged 0-25, including young carers, will be able to access support via NHS-funded mental health services and school– or college-based mental health support teams.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 reduce GP waiting times in Southampton.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, made a clear commitment to the future of general practice, with primary and community care set to receive at least £4.5 billion more a year by 2023/24, in real terms.
Evening and weekend general practice appointments are routinely available across the country to enable patients to find appointments at a time convenient to them, with millions of patients having already benefitted from this.
NHS Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has a GP Hubs service in the city, which means appointments are available in evenings, weekends and bank holidays. During 2018 the CCG also carried out a procurement process and confirmed that Southampton Primary Care Limited is now providing the new Extended and Urgent Primary Care Services contract. This began in June 2019 and patients can book appointments directly through NHS 111 out of hours and by contacting their own GP practice during normal opening hours, as has been the case previously. The CCG also found that not enough people were aware of the GP Hubs services, following feedback from patient groups in the summer of 2018. Therefore, promoting the GP Hubs has formed a central part of the CCG’s marketing plan and continues to be through the winter of 2019/20.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 increase the number of GP surgeries that offer evening and weekend appointments.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Evening and weekend general practice appointments are routinely available across the country now to enable patients to find appointments at a time convenient to them, with millions of patients having already benefitted from this. NHS England has confirmed that patients at all general practitioner (GP) surgeries are able to get routine weekend or evening appointments at either their own GP surgery or one nearby. NHS England, working with stakeholders, is undertaking a national review of access to general practice services. The review’s main objective is to improve patient access both in hours and at evenings and weekends and reduce unwarranted variation in experience.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 tackle loneliness among people with dementia.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The first cross-Government Loneliness Strategy was published on 15 October 2018.
The Department’s commitments in the Strategy include measures which will reach dementia patients through services they already use. For example, by 2023, the Government will support all local health and care systems to implement social prescribing connector schemes across the whole country. The Chief Social Worker for Adults is also working to improve knowledge sharing among social workers so they can better help people at risk of chronic loneliness.
In 2018 the Government also launched the £11.5 million Building Connections Fund in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund and the Co-op Foundation which has funded 126 projects, including some of which support people with dementia.
The Department is also delivering the Challenge on Dementia 2020 to make England the best country in the world for dementia, and has launched the Dementia Friendly Communities programme to make society more inclusive for people with dementia.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
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 GP surgeries in Southampton are not understaffed.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) advises it is supporting a multi-agency approach to workforce planning, recruitment and retention. The local general practitioner (GP) federation continue to work collaboratively with Southampton City CCG on workforce planning for primary care in the area. Four practices have signed up to be part of NHS England’s international GP recruitment programme. The CCG is supporting primary care networks with the recruitment and deployment of additional roles, such as pharmacists and social prescribers. All GP practices in Southampton are rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission.
The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, made a clear commitment to the future of general practice, with primary and community care set to receive at least £4.5 billion more a year by 2023/24, in real terms. This was followed by the five-year GP contract framework, which will provide greater financial security and certainty for practices to plan ahead. This will see billions of extra pounds of investment for improved access, expanded services at local practices, the development of PCNs and longer appointments for patients who need them.
NHS England and Health Education England (HEE) are working together with the profession to increase the GP workforce in England. The forthcoming People Plan will set out a broader strategy for a sustainable general practice workforce. Alongside our commitment to grow the GP workforce, the GP contract will see funding towards up to 20,000 extra non-GP staff working in PCNs by 2023/24.