Asked by: Baroness Pinnock (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when local authorities will be informed of the provisional public health grant budgets for 2023–24.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Pinnock (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the funding they provide to local authorities is sufficient to deliver statutory public health responsibilities.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the Spending Review 2021, we considered the need for local authority public health funding and confirmed that the public health grant to local authorities in England would increase over the settlement period. In 2022/23, the Grant increased by 2.81% to £3.417 billion. This is in addition to targeted investment through local Government in Start for Life support and drug and alcohol treatment services.
We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly, and in doing so will consider the impact of changes to pay and inflation trends and forecasts since the Spending Review.
Asked by: Baroness Pinnock (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children with nutritional anaemia were treated in each of the English NHS regions in (1) 2019, and (2) 2020.
Answered by Lord Kamall
This information is not held centrally.
Asked by: Baroness Pinnock (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce specific policies that will reduce the occurrence of nutritional anaemia in children.
Answered by Lord Kamall
While we have no specific plans to do so, the Government’s advice on a healthy, balanced diet for children is shown in the Eatwell Guide. The Eatwell Guide is a visual representation of the types and proportions of foods needed for a healthy balanced diet, including variety of iron rich foods essential in preventing anaemia.
Asked by: Baroness Pinnock (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances of nutritional anaemia in children have been treated in paediatric units in hospitals in England in (1) 2019, and (2) 2020.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The information is not held in the format requested. Data on admissions do not record the type of ward or unit where a patient was treated and does not represent the number of incidences treated.
Asked by: Baroness Pinnock (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 the Royal College of Psychiatrists' analysis published on 14 September that estimated that the number of high-risk drinkers has risen from 4.8 million in February to 8.4 million during the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps they plan to take based on any such assessment.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs and commissioning alcohol services to meet these needs, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health England (PHE) supports local authorities in this work by providing advice, guidance and data.
PHE has been collecting and publishing a range of data on alcohol sales and consumption during the period of the pandemic. This data can be viewed as part of the Wider Impacts of COVID-19 on Health monitoring tool, which is available in an online only format.
The data indicates that while many people have taken the opportunity of lockdown to moderate their drinking, or to not drink at all, there is a group of people who are drinking at levels which increase their risk of harm.
Asked by: Baroness Pinnock (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether local resilience forums and local authority directors of public health are being provided with the results of COVID-19 tests carried out on people whose home address is within the local authority boundary.
Answered by Lord Bethell
To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Testing – note for House of Lords which is attached, due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library
Asked by: Baroness Pinnock (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 number of people who have died unexpectedly alone at home from COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19; and what preventative measures they are taking in response.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics show that 1,876 deaths involving COVID-19 took place in a private home in England and Wales in 2020, by the week ending 15 May. This figure is less than 3% of total deaths or 65,002. Therefore, whilst it is not known how many of these deaths were people living alone, it will be a small proportion of total deaths.
Even if relatively small, this figure should not be ignored, and measures are in place to attempt to prevent deaths at home. The National Health Service has published guidance on what people, including those living alone, should do if their COVID-19 symptoms worsen. Using the 111 and 999 helplines as well as networks of local volunteers, should enable those living alone be able to seek help if needed.
Asked by: Baroness Pinnock (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements have been made to ensure prompt and universal COVID-19 testing for those (1) providing home care, and (2) receiving care at home.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Symptomatic social care workers (and symptomatic members of their household) who are self-isolating can access testing through the online self-referral portal. Individuals can also be referred for a test by their employer through the employer referral portal.
Anyone in England over the age of five with any of the symptoms of COVID-19 can ask for a test through the National Health Service website.
Asked by: Baroness Pinnock (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to use the NHS Nightingale Hospitals for the admission of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms to prevent the deaths of people in their own homes or in community settings.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Nightingale Hospitals have been established to build extra capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic and help local hospitals ensure that all those who need care can get it.
Over the coming months the Nightingale Hospitals will continue to have a role to play in supporting the National Health Service. This will be based on decisions by local clinical leaders on what will best complement other care available in the region to meet the needs of their communities.