Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve GP education on the topics of diagnosis, management, and treatment of Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Each medical school in the England sets its own undergraduate curriculum which must meet the standards set by the General Medical Council (GMC) in its Outcomes for Graduates. The GMC would expect that, in fulfilling these standards, newly qualified doctors are able to identify, treat and manage any care needs a person has, including chronic spontaneous urticaria and similar conditions. The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the relevant Royal College and must also meet the standards set by the GMC.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued on whether people should return to work after having had COVID-19 but without having taken a PCR test.
Answered by Lord Kamall
We have issued online guidance on 11 October which states that individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms should stay at home and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Anyone subsequently notified by NHS Test and Trace or local authority contact tracer that they have tested positive is legally required to self-isolate. Employees should notify their employer in such circumstances.
An individual can return to work, after the end of their self-isolation period if their symptoms have gone or if the only symptoms they have are a cough or anosmia, which can last for several weeks. There is no requirement to return a negative PCR test in order to end self-isolation. Individuals who still have a high temperature or are otherwise unwell should stay at home and seek medical advice.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps (1) NHS England, and (2) NHS Improvement, are taking to implement the commissioning policies for cardiovascular procedures to ensure all vulnerable patients have access to them.
Answered by Lord Kamall
NHS England and NHS Improvement with NHSX are working to provide support for people at greater risk of heart failure, heart attack and stroke by increasing access to remote monitoring and management of their blood pressure via the NHS Blood Pressure at home programme.
Providing greater access to echocardiography in primary care will improve the investigation of those with breathlessness, a key heart failure symptom. The National Health Service will also improve cardiac rehabilitation to prevent up to 23,000 premature deaths and 50,000 acute admissions over 10 years.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of people living with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria in (1) England, (2) each clinical commissioning group, and (3) each integrated care system.
Answered by Lord Kamall
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the socio-economic impact of Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria on individuals and the NHS.
Answered by Lord Kamall
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the worst case scenario for flu deaths ahead of the 2021–22 winter flu season.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England has not made such an assessment. The number of cases and deaths due to influenza-related complications varies each season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the low levels of flu virus circulation globally in 2020 and 2021, predictions for the 2021/22 influenza season are particularly uncertain. The average number of estimated deaths in England for the last five seasons was over 11,000 deaths annually. This ranged from almost 4,000 deaths in 2018/19 to over 22,000 deaths in 2017/18. Of these deaths, many were in people with underlying conditions.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of the current pathway to test and treat influenza.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We have not made a specific assessment. However, the diagnosis of influenza is generally made using clinical symptoms in primary care settings then confirmed by laboratory testing. Rapid testing for complicated influenza often takes place in hospitals. The treatment of influenza can involve antiviral medication and/or hospital admission. As a preventative measure, priority groups most at risk and frontline health and adult social care workers are eligible for a free influenza vaccine to protect them and prevent onward transmission to vulnerable members of the community.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to expand flu testing, including through (1) at-home testing, and (2) testing in the community, in 2021–22.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The diagnosis of influenza is generally made using clinical symptoms in primary care settings and can only be confirmed by laboratory testing. Rapid testing should be undertaken in all people with complicated influenza which often takes place in hospital. The Department is exploring potential options to expanding winter virus testing via home or community testing.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a record has been kept of the number of people with asthma who have contracted COVID-19; and what assessment they have made of whether there is any variation in outcomes for those with uncontrolled asthma compared to those on an effective treatment regime.
Answered by Lord Bethell
There is no unified record of the number of people with asthma who have contracted Covid-19. While NHS Digital holds data identifying where a patient has both COVID-19 and asthma diagnoses, many cases of asthma will be diagnosed and managed in a primary care setting. Primary care data is not currently linked to data for hospital admissions.
No such assessment has been made.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Asthma UK Asthma Care in a Crisis, published on 5 May, what plans they have to improve the percentage of people with asthma who are receiving all elements of basic asthma care.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The content of the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) asthma review, which ensures all general practitioner practices establish and maintain a register of patients with an asthma diagnosis, has been amended to incorporate the key elements of basic asthma care positively associated with better patient outcomes and self-management, including:
- An assessment of asthma control;
- A recording of the number of exacerbations;
- An assessment of inhaler technique; and
- A written personalised asthma action plan.
The QOF for 2021/22 has been implemented from April 2021 with these updated indicators for asthma.