Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much longer temporary data sharing relaxations implemented in April 2020 will continue; and what criteria they are using to assess when the COVID-19 pandemic "emergency period" has come to an end, for the purposes of such data sharing changes.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Notices under The Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 to support the transfer of data for COVID-19 purposes are due to expire on 30 June 2022. The COVID-19 Public Health Directions to NHS Digital will continue, reviewed annually to ascertain if there remains a public health need for information systems to collect data on COVID-19.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to improve data sharing between the NHS, local authorities and directors of public health about the number of COVID-19 vaccinations that have been administered.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Local authority public health teams have access to NHS England systems where they can view the vaccination event data for the sustainability and transformation partnerships (STP) within their boundaries. This is presented in the Validated Vaccination Events Dashboard and the COVID Vaccination Equalities Tool. The Validated Vaccination Events Dashboard provides views of all vaccination activity at all sites within a STP by delivery model, site, dose, vaccine type and vaccination uptake across ethnicity, age and other key Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation cohorts at STP level.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what resources they have provided to local authorities to assist in (1) identifying, (2) finding appropriate local vaccination settings in, and (3) administering COVID-19 vaccinations in, hard to reach communities.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Local authorities are involved in planning locally and have been working closely with National Health Service regional teams and the national programme in support of the vaccine deployment. Key areas of collaboration include the selection of appropriate vaccination sites, local communications on vaccine messaging and engaging with vulnerable/ hard to reach communities or disproportionately impacted groups.
At a national level, there are a range of platforms in which local government and NHS partners are brought together to discuss this in greater detail, such as the National Vaccine Deployment Steering Group. At the same time, as part of an extensive communications campaign, the Government has brought in local trusted voices to invite an open dialogue and ensure a joined-up approach to encourage uptake by vulnerable people in local communities.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which local authorities provided access to HIV self-sampling services through (1) the national HIV self-sampling service, (2) Sexual Health London, and (3) another service; and which local authorities did not fund access to HIV self-sampling services in each year from 2015 to 2020.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Data on which local authorities provided access to HIV self-sampling through Sexual Health London or other services are not published by the local authority commissioners.
Public Health England publishes data on the local authorities that participate in the National HIV Self-Sampling Service in the National HIV Self-Sampling Service annual reports. The attached tables show the local authorities signed up to the HIV self-sampling service from 2015 to 2019. The report for 2020 will be published in the spring of 2021.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Public Health England Trends in HIV testing, new diagnoses and people receiving HIV-related care in the United Kingdom: data to the end of December 2019, published on 3 November, what plans they have to increase access to HIV self-sampling services.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Access to and provision of HIV testing, including online and self-sampling services, is the responsibility of local authorities. There are no comprehensive data available on the number of local authorities that provide HIV self-sampling services.
To make the procurement of online HIV testing services easier for local authorities a number of frameworks are in place. Frameworks are agreements put in place with a provider or range of providers that enable local authority commissioners to purchase a self-sampling service, the specification of which has already been agreed, without running a full tendering exercise.
One such framework is the national HIV self-sampling service set up by Public Health England at the end of 2015. This framework was used by 87 local authorities in 2015/16, 87 local authorities in 2016/17, 81 local authorities in 2017/18 and 71 local authorities in 2018/19. Data for 2019/20 are not yet available. However, this is just one framework and there are many other examples of locally and regionally commissioned self-sampling services providing HIV testing.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many local authorities provided access to HIV self-sampling services in each year from 2015 to 2020.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Access to and provision of HIV testing, including online and self-sampling services, is the responsibility of local authorities. There are no comprehensive data available on the number of local authorities that provide HIV self-sampling services.
To make the procurement of online HIV testing services easier for local authorities a number of frameworks are in place. Frameworks are agreements put in place with a provider or range of providers that enable local authority commissioners to purchase a self-sampling service, the specification of which has already been agreed, without running a full tendering exercise.
One such framework is the national HIV self-sampling service set up by Public Health England at the end of 2015. This framework was used by 87 local authorities in 2015/16, 87 local authorities in 2016/17, 81 local authorities in 2017/18 and 71 local authorities in 2018/19. Data for 2019/20 are not yet available. However, this is just one framework and there are many other examples of locally and regionally commissioned self-sampling services providing HIV testing.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic, whether they plan to make funding available for online HIV self-sampling services in all areas of England; and if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government has mandated local authorities in England to commission comprehensive open access sexual health services, including the provision of HIV testing through self-sampling and online services. It is important that individuals and communities have information and support to access testing in a range of settings to facilitate earlier diagnosis and prevention of HIV transmission.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued guidance on increasing the uptake of HIV testing among people who may have undiagnosed HIV. We will explore what more can be done on testing as part of our work to develop the Sexual and Reproductive Health strategy and the HIV Action Plan.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when consultation on the Code of Practice issued under the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act 2019 will commence.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Following Royal Assent for the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act 2019, the Department has been engaging across England and Wales with a range of key stakeholders from the health and social care sector and people with lived experience to co-produce the Code of Practice for the new Liberty Protection Safeguards. We plan to start public consultation in the new year and the Code will be laid before both Houses ahead of the new Liberty Protection Safeguards system coming into force.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the judgment in R (TT) v the Registrar General for England and Wales & Ors [2019] EWHC 2384 (Fam) on the (1) Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008, and (2) regulation of fertility treatment by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Court found that the scheme of birth registration for the children of trans men is lawful and proportionate. The Government welcomes the Court’s decision.
The Government’s view is that the judgment has no effect on the availability of regulated fertility treatment and will now consider whether there should be further guidance to clarify this position. The Government considers that regulated fertility treatment is currently, and will remain, equally available to all (trans) women and (trans) men under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Acts.
Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the judgment in R (TT) v the Registrar General for England and Wales & Ors [2019] EWHC 2384 (Fam) on members of the trans community who wish to access fertility treatment at a licensed clinic.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Court found that the scheme of birth registration for the children of trans men is lawful and proportionate. The Government welcomes the Court’s decision.
The Government’s view is that the judgment has no effect on the availability of regulated fertility treatment and will now consider whether there should be further guidance to clarify this position. The Government considers that regulated fertility treatment is currently, and will remain, equally available to all (trans) women and (trans) men under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Acts.