Found: competence in the Bill,12 the Minister for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health, Baroness Merron

Found: It is positive that Baroness Merron has stated that the Government strongly agrees with the principle

Found: Ministers very regularly—both the Secretary of State and the Minister for my portfolio, who is Baroness Merron

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 16 January (HL3971), what are the names and total revenue allocations for each of the 38 National Health Service NHS providers that failed to meet the audit completion deadline of 28 June 2024 for the financial year ending 31 March 2024.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department set a deadline of 28 June 2024 for the completion of National Health Service provider audits, for the year that ended 31 March 2024. 38 NHS providers did not meet the deadline. NHS providers do not receive revenue allocations, and instead revenue is earned through the provision of services. A table showing the 38 NHS providers and their total operating income is attached.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 13 January (HC3975) what assessment they have made of the level of compliance with the recommendation in the Joint Royal College of Surgeons of England and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 'Statement on use of topical chlorhexidine for skin preparation prior to surgery'; including any preference for licensed medicinal products over unregulated biocidal forms to prevent antimicrobial resistance and ensure patient safety.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as the regulator for medicines and medical devices in the United Kingdom, continues to recommend the use of licensed medicines. Use of an appropriately authorised product, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions for use, ensures the benefit-risk balance remains favourable within its specified indication for use. Assessments and compliance on the use of chlorhexidine is not reported to the MHRA. Adverse reactions to chlorhexidine can be reported to the MHRA through the Yellow Card reporting system by patients and healthcare professionals.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 October 2024 (HL1031), how equality, diversity and inclusion principles are embedded in the duties of NHS staff; and whether they are included in staff contracts, and reflected in the assessment of bonuses, promotion, or performance.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We expect National Health Service organisations to implement policies and procedures that are in line with employment law and good human resources practice, including the Equality Act 2010 and other relevant legislation.

NHS leaders are responsible for setting the tone and culture of their organisation, and that is why NHS England’s equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) improvement plan does require chairs, chief executives, and board members to have distinct objectives on improving inclusion in their organisation. There is no national directive to embed EDI duties in staff contracts or systems for pay and performance.

It is right that the NHS addresses prejudice and discrimination where it exists across the NHS workforce, and that staff feel more empowered to tackle health inequalities and deliver great care and patient experience.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 18 December 2024 (HL3350), what is the status of each of the recommendations made by the Chief Medical Officers in their commentary on Screen-based activities and children and young people’s mental health and psychosocial wellbeing: a systematic map of reviews, published on 7 February 2019.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is an independent advisor to the Government, and any CMO reports are produced independently. The recommendations are advisory, to inform policy development.

In June 2019, at the request of the then United Kingdom’s CMOs, the then Chief Scientific Advisor convened a workshop to bring together a range of academic experts and funding bodies to discuss future research possibilities around screen-based activities and children and young people’s mental health. The workshop aimed to identify avenues for undertaking future research and funding in this area, and recommended that a methodology panel was convened to improve research methods, and that children and young people’s user needs were scoped out, to determine research priorities.

These recommendations align with the UK Mental Health Research Goals for 2020 - 2030, which includes developing research to halve the number of children and young people experiencing persistent mental health problems. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) continues to commission research in this area to support and improve evidence-based practice. As part of this, the NIHR is currently funding research to explore the impact that school policies which restrict daytime use of smartphones and social media have on adolescent mental wellbeing.

The Department for Education is currently reviewing the statutory guidance on teaching relationships, health, and sex education, and as part of this, will consider whether additional or revised content should be included in the guidance, including content regarding online safety and harm.

Since 2022, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has provided £3 million in funding for media literacy projects that empower users to navigate the online world safely. In 2024, this included £500,000 to scale up two programmes to provide media literacy support to teachers, children aged 11 to 16 years old, and other professionals working with families, parents, and carers.

The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy and to raise the public’s awareness of the nature and impact of harmful content and online behaviour. Ofcom has published a three-year media literacy strategy which includes investigating specific impacts of platform design on user safety, such as the impact of persuasive design on children. The Government looks forward to working with them as they implement these strategies.

Found: Science Minister Lord Vallance, and Health Minister Baroness Merron will see first-hand how charities

Found: Science Minister Lord Vallance, and Health Minister Baroness Merron will see first-hand how charities

Found: Letter dated 01/02/2025 from Baroness Merron to colleagues regarding points raised during the Committee

Found: Letter dated 25/01/2025 from Baroness Merron to Baroness Winterton regarding the ways the Government