Asked by: Yvette Cooper (Labour - Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the statement by the Chief Medical Officer on 9 March 2020 that, The risk is that if we go too early people will understandably get fatigued and we won't be able to sustain it over time, if he will publish the behavioural modelling underpinning the Government's approach to tackling the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies has published the scientific evidence supporting the Government response to COVID-19, including behavioural modelling, available at the following link:
Asked by: Yvette Cooper (Labour - Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is the Government’s objective to establish herd immunity against covid-19; and what level of infection is required for that immunity to be established.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Herd immunity is not part of the Government action plan but is a natural by-product of an epidemic.
Our aims are to save lives, protect the most vulnerable, and relieve pressure on the National Health Service. We have now moved out of the contain phase and into delay, and we have experts working round the clock.
Every measure that we have or will introduce will be based on the best scientific evidence.
We are still learning about the properties of the new coronavirus so we cannot yet say with accuracy at what level of infection herd immunity might be realised.
Asked by: Yvette Cooper (Labour - Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Government will assess whether the steps being taken are delaying the spread of covid-19 in the absence of full testing.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since February, the Government has had a sophisticated surveillance programme in place to test for COVID-19.
In addition to having expanded testing more generally, and continuing to do so, Public Health England specifically tests a sample of the population in order to assess the level of virus circulating in the community.
This helps us to understand what proportion of the population is affected at a given time and is used by modellers to estimate where we are in the pandemic and to assess the impact of the steps that have been taken.
Asked by: Yvette Cooper (Labour - Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral statement on Coronavirus, 3 March 2020, Official Report, column 771, what steps he is taking to support people that are dependent on informal social care from family members in the event that covid-19 results in those family members (a) unable to and (b) advised not to provide that care.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Public Health England (PHE) has published guidance for vulnerable groups which is available to view at the following link:
COVID-19 guidance for residential care, supported living and home care is published at the following link:
The Stay at Home guidance on self-isolation can be viewed at the following link:
The Department is working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and local authorities to make sure there will be care for vulnerable individuals who normally rely on informal care in the event that family members are unable to or are advised not to provide that care.
Asked by: Yvette Cooper (Labour - Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding for capital investment is being made available for GP surgery expansion and refurbishment by (a) constituency, (b) local authority and (c) region.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested on capital investment made available for general practitioner surgery expansion and refurbishment is not held centrally in the format required and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Yvette Cooper (Labour - Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) postcodes and (c) year of closure of the hospitals that closed between 2010 and 2018.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The information is not held centrally.
Asked by: Yvette Cooper (Labour - Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) postcodes and (c) year of closure of the A&Es that closed between 2010 and 2018.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
This information is not held centrally.
Asked by: Yvette Cooper (Labour - Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospitals closed in each constituency in each year between 2010 and 2016.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Changes to the local NHS services are a matter for the local National Health Service, and form part of the commissioning process. This includes working with local people and with clinicians to ensure that changes are in the best interests of patients. Records of this activity are not held centrally.
Asked by: Yvette Cooper (Labour - Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many A&E units closed in each constituency in each year between 2010 and 2016.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Changes to the local NHS services are a matter for the local National Health Service, and form part of the commissioning process. This includes working with local people and with clinicians to ensure that changes are in the best interests of patients. Records of this activity are not held centrally.