Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring (a) Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care Board and (b) other integrated care boards to provide fees to care homes which are (i) in line with and (ii) above inflation.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to manage their local care markets. The Care Act guidance states that they should assure themselves and have evidence that fee levels are appropriate. The Government is making available up to £7.5 billion over two years to support adult social care and discharge. The historic boost will put adult social care system on a stronger financial footing.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the European Parliament's Panel for the Future of Science and Technology report on the health impact of 5G.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) are aware of the European Parliament’s report. The UKHSA and COMARE will review emerging evidence and provide advice to inform the Government’s policy making.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
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 adverse reactions to covid-19 vaccinations are appropriately (a) reported and (b) monitored.
Answered by Edward Argar
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continually monitors the safety of vaccines used in the United Kingdom vaccination programme. This is based on a range of sources, including spontaneous adverse drug reaction data from the UK’s Yellow Card scheme and other global regulators, with data on vaccine exposure from public health partners and information from epidemiological studies. The MHRA’s scientists review information on a daily basis for safety issues or unexpected rare events. This enables rapid detection of any new risks, weighed against the expected benefits. The weekly Yellow Card report summarises information on COVID-19 vaccines received via the scheme and includes the findings of safety investigations carried out by the MHRA.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of a possible link between covid-19 vaccination and myocarditis in males under 40.
Answered by Edward Argar
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has reviewed United Kingdom and international reports of suspected myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccination against COVID-19. There has been higher reporting of these suspected events with mRNA vaccines Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna and occurring more frequently in males. In the UK the evidence shows that for the Pfizer vaccine, there is similar frequency of reporting after the first and second dose, with suspected events typically occurring within a short time after vaccination.
These reports have also been analysed by the Government’s independent advisory body, the Commission for Human Medicines and its COVID-19 Vaccines Benefit Risk Expert Working Group. Following their advice, the product information for the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines was updated to include these reports and advise healthcare professionals and patients to be aware of symptoms of myocarditis and pericarditis.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
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 raise public awareness of the Coronavirus Yellow Card Reporting Scheme.
Answered by Edward Argar
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency routinely promotes the Yellow Card Scheme through social media and has encouraged reporting of the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines through a targeted communication campaign. This includes Google AdWords, website advertising banners and partner support through dedicated areas on websites directing users to the Scheme. Healthcare professionals also are encouraged to report any suspected adverse drug reactions experienced by patients.