Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent (1) research they have commissioned, and (2) investment they have made, relating to a cure for Lyme disease.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR has no current active projects into Lyme disease. The NIHR Health Protection Research Unit on Emerging and Zoonotic Infections has undertaken work on the understanding of and treatments for Lyme disease, including looking at incidence of the disease in England and Wales.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to pulmonary fibrosis patients whose treatment was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic some clinics were suspended but rapidly reinstated and recommendations to continue specialised clinic work in the second wave has been issued. Patients have continued to be both identified and treated.
While such lung function measurements are aerosol generating procedures, advice was circulated by The Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology to ensure such patients were investigated.
For those patients already receiving treatment the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines were relaxed to ensure continuation of the drugs and to allow initiation of new therapies.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people with learning disabilities do not face discrimination as a result of restrictions put in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Wherever possible we have made exemptions to restrictions, to enable people with a learning disability to continue to access the support they need to live fulfilling lives, whilst balancing this with the need to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19.
We have recognised the need for support groups for disabled people to continue and formally organised groups of up to 15 can continue to meet, including day services. Government guidance is clear that people who are unable to put on, wear or remove a face covering because of physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability are exempt from having to wear one. We have engaged with disability charities and other stakeholders using multiple channels to communicate this message to the general public. On 1 December we also published an accessible guidance online regarding the local restriction tiers.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the argument that restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 indirectly cost more lives than they save.
Answered by Lord Bethell
These restrictions are necessary and proportionate to prevent the incidence and spread of COVID-19, to protect the National Health Service and to save lives.
An analysis of the overall health impact of lockdown was published in July. A copy of Direct and Indirect Impacts of COVID-19 on Excess Deaths and Morbidity: Executive Summary is attached.
Estimates of the impact of COVID-19 admissions on NHS capacity was published in October as part of a presentation by the Chief Scientific Adviser. A copy of this presentation is attached.
These set out the risk that non-COVID-19 health services would be impacted at a national level by early December if the NHS were to free-up sufficient capacity to meet the projected hospital admissions from COVID-19 patients. If action had not been taken, we would exceed surge hospital capacity by approximately 4 December, even after postponing some hospital services.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how (1) surgeries, (2) stroke treatments, (3) cancer detections, and (4) admissions for chemotherapy, have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Throughout the pandemic urgent services, such as cancer treatment, urgent operations and stroke care have remained open. Even at the peak of demand, hospitals were still able to look after two non-COVID-19 inpatients for everyone COVID-19 inpatient.
The following table shows the total number of completed admitted pathways during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
March 2020 | April 2020 | May 2020 | June 2020 | July 2020 |
978,672 | 526,100 | 505,690 | 662,634 | 727,273 |
Stroke Sentinel National Audit Programme data shows that during the COVID-19 pandemic, improvements were seen in access to stroke units and in the time taken for brain scanning and acute assessments by a stroke specialist. There was a decrease in stroke admissions of 13% during March-May 2020. Seven-day crude mortality data for March-June 2020 shows that there is an overall adjusted risk of mortality of 12% which is consistent with the case mix adjusted 30-day mortality data average of 12% between 2016-2019.
The number of people starting treatment for cancer in August was 78% of the same month last year, having recovered from a low of 63% in May. The majority of people who have not been diagnosed are assessed as being those who did not come forward for checks.
Chemotherapy treatments are largely delivered on a day case or outpatient basis and only a small proportion would normally be delivered in an inpatient setting. Between March and August 2020, there were around 5,300 chemotherapy admissions for inpatient treatment. This is lower than in the same period in 2019, when around 9,000 admissions were recorded. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance NG161, published in April 2020 to support clinicians in the management of patients requiring systemic treatment through the pandemic, provided advice on alternative chemotherapy treatment approaches to reduce the risk of infection to patients and avoid unnecessary admissions and visits to hospital where possible.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support people suffering from mental health problems either caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We recognise the impact of the pandemic on people’s mental wellbeing, potentially leading to the onset of new mental health difficulties as well as exacerbating existing problems. We have released tailored guidance on the ‘Every Mind Matters’ website and GOV.UK giving advice and practical steps for people to support their mental health and wellbeing.
National Health Service mental health services have remained open for business throughout this time, including delivering support digitally and by phone. For those with severe needs or in crisis, NHS mental health providers have set up 24 hours, seven days a week urgent mental health helplines. We have also provided over £10 million funding for mental health charities supporting people through the pandemic.
We remain committed to investing at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year into mental health services by 2023-24 through the NHS Long Term Plan.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their announcement of a public consultation on whether to make permanent the current COVID-19 measure allowing for home use of early medical abortion pills up to 10 weeks’ gestation for all eligible women on 6 July (HC Deb, col 717), what plans they have to hold an inquiry into the British Pregnancy Advisory Service’s provision of a telemedical service to send abortion pills by post to women from Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government funds the Central Booking Service, which is managed by British Pregnancy Advisory Service for access to services under the Abortion Act 1967 in England only.
Health is devolved matter and abortions in Northern Ireland follow the regulations that apply there. Service provision in Northern Ireland, in line with the regulations, is a matter for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what lifestyle changes they recommend to slow the progress of dementia.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Lifestyle changes which may help prevent or delay the onset of dementia include being more physically active, eating healthily and maintaining a healthy weight, not exceeding lower risk levels of alcohol consumption, not smoking, connecting with people and staying mentally active, and controlling diabetes and high blood pressure.
An aspiration of the Government’s Challenge on Dementia 2020 is to improve public awareness and understanding of the factors which can increase the risk of developing dementia and of how people can reduce their risk by living more healthily.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the article by Dr Stuart W G Derbyshire and John C Bockmann Reconsidering fetal pain, published in the British Medical Journal’s Journal of Medical Ethics in January; and what steps they are taking as a result of any such assessment.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department does not set clinical practice. To support clinical practice, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has considered the issue of fetal pain and awareness in its guideline on Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice.
The Department has brought the article by Dr Stuart W G Derbyshire and John C Bockmann to the attention of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. It is for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to consider whether to revise the guidelines having considered the available evidence.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of potential links between breast and prostate cancer; and whether he has discussed this matter with the devolved administrations.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Although no formal assessment has been made, we acknowledge that there is evidence about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer genes also giving a higher risk of prostate cancer. As health is a devolved matter, Ministers do not regularly hold discussions on these matters with their counterparts in the Devolved Administrations. However, research and evidence of best practice is made widely available throughout the United Kingdom.