Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rise in trauma deaths and sudden unexpected deaths in infancy and childhood (Sudic) in 2022; in particular, that four times as many deaths occurred in the most deprived fifth of the population, compared with the least deprived fifth; and what steps they plan to take, if any, in response.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to the health service learning from child deaths. In 2018, NHS England supported the establishment of the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) to record comprehensive data on the circumstances of children’s deaths and reduce preventable child mortality in England.
The Government is considering the NCMD report on Sudden and Unexpected Deaths in Infancy and Childhood published in December 2022.
Instances of sudden unexpected death in infancy often link in with wider health disparities and modifiable factors such as smoking in pregnancy and in the home. Frontline health professionals have tools and processes in place to deliver guidance to families to promote safe sleeping for babies. There is a significant amount of work taking place to tackle smoking in pregnancy, across many agencies.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research is funding a study looking at promoting safer sleeping for babies in high-risk groups in England and a research project into effective mechanisms for reducing abusive head trauma in young infants.
The Department is working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to help tackle unsafe homes. This includes developing new guidance on damp and mould for the housing sector, extending the Decent Home Standard to the private rented sector and a number of other amendments through the Renters Reform Bill and Social Housing (Regulation) Bill.
Minister Neil O’Brien gave a speech at a Westminster Hall Debate on 17 January this year on the important issue of sudden unexpected death in childhood. The transcript is available on Hansard.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the sugar content of processed food, following the finding by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities that targets for sugar reduction since 2015 have not been met.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is considering the next steps for the sugar reduction programme and will continue to provide expert advice to the Government on this. It is expected the Government’s policies to tackle obesity will support efforts for sugar reduction. These include regulations restricting the placement of products high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) in key selling locations in stores and online, which came into force on 1 October 2022 and are the single most impactful obesity policy at reducing children’s calorie consumption. Furthermore, the Government will introduce restrictions on the advertising of HFSS products on TV before 9pm and on paid-for advertising of these products online on 1 October 2025. A key intention of this policy is to incentivise reformulation of HFSS products, so these are no longer captured by the restrictions.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to reassess the guidance to GP practices on the erasure of medical records of adopted children, given (1) the increasing understanding of the usefulness of current and future genetic screening technologies, and (2) the use of family information to inform screening and treatment.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans at present to reassess the guidance. Primary Care Support England’s guidance states that current adoption legislation requires all adopted patients to be given a new National Health Service number, and all previous medical information relating to the patient to be put into a newly created medical record. If possible, electronic medical records should be merged on the relevant General Practice’s system with the new post-adoptive details. If this guidance is followed, then medical records for adopted children should not be erased.
A copy of this guidance is attached.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the medical efficacy and value to users of commercial Strep A tests, and (2) any extra costs that might result for the NHS as a result of such tests.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Rapid tests for Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) are not currently recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for individuals aged five years old and over presenting with a sore throat. However, in response to the ongoing national increased incidence of Strep A infection, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are concurrently reviewing the literature on clinical scoring tools and rapid tests for Strep A infection in people presenting with a sore throat.
UKHSA have commissioned a desktop to bedside review of existing antigen-based lateral flow devices for Strep A infection, adopting a tried and tested process that was developed for coronavirus testing device approvals. This process will identify the tests that are most likely to perform well in the diagnosis of sore throats caused by Strep A in community settings.
No specific assessment of the extra costs to the National Health Service associated with commercial tests have been made.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of exposure to engine oil and hydraulic fluid among airline crews; and what plans they have to fund research into the issue of exposure, which can lead to the condition Organophosphorus Ester-Induced Chronic Neurotoxicity.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2013, The UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) reviewed four research projects on airborne concentrations and surface deposition of chemical pollutants in the cabins of commercial aircraft, which had been commissioned by the Department for Transport. The COT concluded that contamination of cabin air by components and/or combustion products of engine oils, including triaryl phosphates, does occur and peaks of higher exposure have been recorded during episodes that lasted for seconds. No further assessments have been commissioned.
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research into environmental exposure. However, it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications for funding are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether exposure to synthetic jet engine oil and hydraulic fluids or their decomposition products poses any risk to unborn children.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Transport has asked the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) to update its 2007 and 2013 reviews and statements on the potential human health effects due to fume and contamination events. This review is continuing and a statement will be published in due course. However, effects on an unborn child are not being specifically assessed.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of indirect marketing techniques, such as advice provision, by baby formula brands to target expectant new parents.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. Article 11 of retained Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127 on the composition and information requirements of infant formula and follow-on formula states that all informational and educational materials on the feeding of infants must not discourage breastfeeding.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, or plan to take, to ensure that those dependent on life-critical support machines are protected in cases of power blackouts.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Health and Social Care is working with the health and social care sector to assess the impact of any potential disruption to energy on services. In addition, we are working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to understand the likelihood of any power outages. Care providers and equipment suppliers support those with long term conditions to use medical equipment at home safely and in cases where the equipment is disrupted. In a power outage scenario, the Priority Services Register is maintained by electricity network operators to target support to the most vulnerable customers.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what investment strategy they have devised to address the gap in funding for antifungal development, particularly in light of the World Health Organization (WHO) fungal priority pathogen list.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency is collaborating with medicinal chemists at the School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kings College London, to develop new antimicrobials with novel modes of action for the World Health Organization’s priority pathogens. A series of compounds which evade efflux-mediated resistance are in development. Early-stage pre-clinical development has gained support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases through its Preclinical Services team, for studies on pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics and efficacy.
While it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has invested more than £6 million in research into fungal infection.