Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
What assessment he has made of the public health impact of household overcrowding during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Throughout the pandemic, the Government has continuously monitored emerging evidence to understand the effect of household overcrowding on public health. The Government has carefully considered robust advice from medical advisers and the scientific community to ensure we are taking the right action at the right time. We have published a range of guidance to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission, including for those living in overcrowded housing.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
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 effect of reduced visitor access on the levels of (a) loneliness and (b) mental ill health of care home residents since the start of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
New visiting arrangements started on 8 March. Our guidance states that each resident can nominate one named person who can have regular, indoor visits. Those residents with the highest care needs can also nominate an “Essential Care Giver”. These visitors will be able to visit more often in order to provide essential care.
Visiting arrangements that have been available throughout the period of national lockdown should continue i.e. using screens, visiting pods, behind windows or outdoors. Visits in exceptional circumstances including end of life should always be supported and enabled.
We are working with the National Health Service, Public Health England and others to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term mental health impacts of COVID-19 and plan for how to support the public’s mental health and wellbeing throughout the coming weeks and months.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people declined the Test and Trace support payment; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for the rejection of those applications.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working closely with all 314 lower tier and unitary local authorities to collate information on how the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is progressing, and will release information on the number of applications, number of successful applications and amounts paid out in due course.
Information on the number of people declined for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is not currently available.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to designate Anna Chaplains for Older People as key workers for the purposes of visiting residential care homes; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise how important visits from chaplains and others who provide religious and spiritual support are for some residents. We have published visiting guidance setting the next step in our cautious opening up of visiting in line with the roadmap, enabling indoor visiting supported by lateral flow device (LFD) testing.
Care home managers are best placed to decide how their care home can deliver the visiting outlined in the guidance in a way that meets the needs of their residents. There is nothing to stop chaplains, ministers of religion or others making visits where residents would like to see them and where the care home manager is content this is in line with the home’s visiting policy based on a dynamic risk assessment.
All visitors must follow infection control measures to keep residents and staff safe. To this end, personal protective equipment is being provided for free until the end of June and care homes have been provided with sufficient LFD tests to ensure that visitors can take a test each time they visit.
On that basis, visits of this type are already enabled.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether support payments are available to people with no recourse to public funds who are unable to access Test and Trace Support Payments; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Those who do not meet the criteria for Test and Trace Support Payments, are on a low income and will face financial hardship as a result of self-isolating could be eligible for a £500 discretionary payment. Local authorities are responsible for the criteria used for discretionary payments in their area. Local authorities can make a £500 discretionary payment to individuals who have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace, are employed or self-employed and are unable to work from home and will lose income as a result.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the eligibility criteria are for local authorities' discretionary hardship payments under the NHS Test and Trace support scheme.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
From 19 January 2021, an individual can make a claim for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme or a discretionary payment up to 28 days after the first day of their self-isolation period. If they are not eligible for the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment but meet the other criteria, are on a low income and will face financial hardship as a result of self-isolating, they could be eligible for a £500 discretionary payment. Local authorities are responsible for the criteria used for discretionary payments in their area.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
What plans his Department has for the covid-19 vaccination of undocumented migrants.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The main aim for the COVID-19 vaccine programme is to protect all those individuals most at risk from mortality and morbidity, without discrimination.
As a result, all undocumented migrants will be able to access COVID-19 vaccinations free of charge in line with the advice on prioritisation set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether, once care home residents have received both covid-19 vaccinations, normal visits will be permitted by family members.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While the vaccines provide protection to a vaccinated person from serious disease, we do not yet know if they prevent someone from passing on the virus to others. This means it is still important to follow the visiting guidance. We will be looking to ensure that a wider range of visiting arrangements are made available when it is safe to do so. We will publish updated guidance as this period of national restrictions ends.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to allow (a) ministers of religion and (b) pastoral chaplains to visit residential care homes during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our first priority is to prevent infections in care homes and protect staff and residents. As part of the winter plan, we have set out tightened infection prevention and control measures to enable visits to continue safely. This was incorporated in the update we made on 15 October to our care home visiting guidance, first published on 22 July 2020.
These measures build on the published framework that allows local decision making, based on the assessment of the Director of Public Health and the care provider.
Where there is a restriction on visiting, alternative ways of communicating between residents and their families and friends should be discussed and offered. The care home should also provide regular updates to residents’ loved ones on their mental and physical health, how they are coping and identify any additional ways they might be better supported, including any cultural or religious needs.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people with No Recourse to Public Funds are eligible to apply for the £500 Test and Trace Support Payment.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To be eligible for the Test and Trace Support Payment, an individual must be employed or self-employed, unable to work from home, and currently receiving Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, income-based Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and/or Pension Credit.
Where an individual is not in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits but meets the other eligibility criteria and may face financial hardship if they have to self-isolate, local authorities can make a £500 discretionary payment. Depending on their individual circumstances, people who have no recourse to public funds may be eligible for a discretionary payment.