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 (a) parents and (b) healthcare providers are informed about the (i) symptoms and (ii) treatment of strep A.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has declared a national enhanced incident to co-ordinate the public health response. The UKHSA is working with schools and general practitioners to provide information on scarlet fever and Group A streptococcus, including relevant information for parents to understand the symptoms for urgent referrals for children with more serious cases. We are undertaking research to understand how parents are responding to this information.

A surveillance report and communications for the health system have been published to raise awareness among frontline clinicians. On 2 December, an alert was issued to remind clinicians of their legal duty to notify cases. Guidance has been issued to support clinical diagnosis, promote appropriate use of antimicrobials whilst ensuring patient safety.