Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what lessons the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS have learned from the recent global IT outage, and what plans they have to issue guidance to ensure that hospitals, primary care centres and care homes have local computer or analogue back-ups to avoid appointments and operations being cancelled in the event of a recurrence.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
While this was an IT outage, not a cyber security incident, the National Health Service has robust cyber security measures in place, and is increasing cyber resilience across health and social care.
Health and care organisations are required to have business continuity plans in place, which we will continue to strengthen, to minimise disruption in the event of an IT outage or cyber incident. As outlined in The King’s Speech, the Government’s new Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will strengthen our defences and ensure that essential digital services are protected by expanding the remit of the existing regulation, putting regulators on a stronger footing, and increasing reporting requirements, to build a better picture in Government of cyber threats.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 26 July (HL259), by which date they expect to issue a response to the Hughes Report, and whether they plan to offer compensation as the report recommends.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Hughes Report and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plan they have to ensure that all GP surgeries and primary care centres offer an online booking option for appointments, and what progress has been made to date.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of April 2024, 97% of general practices in England have cloud-based telephony systems in place. The Government has pledged to deliver a modern appointment booking system to end the 8:00am scramble, and ensure that there is an online booking option for all that wish to use it.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations of England’s Patient Safety Commissioner in the 'Hughes Report' on the sodium valproate and mesh implant scandals; when they intend to respond to that report; and when they anticipate the first payments arising under the recommended redress scheme may be made.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is considering the recommendations of The Hughes Report, and to prevent future harm, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, NHS England, and others have taken action to strengthen oversight of valproate prescribing and mesh procedures. For example, nine specialist mesh centres are in operation across England, ensuring that women with complications of mesh inserted for urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse get the right support in every region, and we have maintained the national pause on the use of pelvic mesh, which has been in place since July 2018.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further the Local Government Association analysis identifying “dental deserts”, how (1) they, and (2) NHS England, work with dental charities to deliver dental hygiene education in areas with relatively low numbers of NHS dentists.
Answered by Lord Markham
NHS England engages with dental charities, including on the promotion of existing services, seeking engagement from service users or the commissioning of services.
On 19 July 2022, we announced amendments to the National Health Service dentistry contract, including fairer remuneration for dentists to improve care for patients with more complex needs, supporting practices to deliver additional NHS care and improving information for patients. The Department and NHS England are working with the dental sector on further improvements to NHS dentistry to consider new payment models and encouraging dentists to work in areas of need. Further information on these measures will be available in 2023.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they and NHS England work with dental charities to deliver dental services in areas seen as ‘dental deserts’.
Answered by Lord Markham
NHS England engages with dental charities, including on the promotion of existing services, seeking engagement from service users or the commissioning of services.
On 19 July 2022, we announced amendments to the National Health Service dentistry contract, including fairer remuneration for dentists to improve care for patients with more complex needs, supporting practices to deliver additional NHS care and improving information for patients. The Department and NHS England are working with the dental sector on further improvements to NHS dentistry to consider new payment models and encouraging dentists to work in areas of need. Further information on these measures will be available in 2023.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has had with the Department of Health and Social Care about ensuring that analogue telecare devices continue to work safely after the digital switchover has been completed in 2025.
Answered by Lord Markham
The Department of Health and Social Care has had frequent discussions with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on this issue. On 7 September 2022, the Department of Health and Social Care chaired a meeting on the switchover and on 24 November, we wrote to telecare service providers and device manufacturers to request the results of testing of analogue devices on digital telephone networks. On 5 December, the Department of Health and Social Care published the online only ‘Telecare stakeholder action plan: preparations for the analogue to digital switchover’ which co-ordinates actions to support telecare service providers and encourages further testing.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government which dental charities are working in England to promote better dental hygiene in schools and local communities, including those that donate free toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Answered by Lord Markham
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in ensuring that analogue telecare devices continue to work safely after the digital switchover in 2025.
Answered by Lord Markham
Following a Ministerial meeting on 7 September on the telecommunications industry led digital switchover, on 24 November we wrote to telecare service providers and telecare device manufacturers to request the results of tests undertaken and recent alarm call data history, to understand the reliability of analogue telecare devices on digital telephone lines. This was supported by the Tech Enabled Care Services Association, the Local Government Association, the Housing Learning and Improvement Network, TEC Cymru, the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government and Digital Health and Care Northern Ireland. Initial data will be analysed and will be available by early February 2023. We have also agreed a Telecare Stakeholder Action Plan to encourage further testing of analogue devices, which will be published shortly.