Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any (1) health benefits, and (2) health hazards, of eating unpasteurised cheddar cheese, and its by-product whey butter.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), has policy responsibility for food safety, including Raw Drinking Milk (RDM). A Risk Assessment was conducted on RDM by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food in 2018 and considered by the FSA Board that year. The conclusion was that the risk from RDM is not so unacceptable as to justify removing the right of adult consumers to choose to drink it. However, to protect public health and balance consumer choice and business growth, improvements to the controls applied by Food Business Operators were required and have now been implemented.
There has been no assessment made of the health benefits or hazards of consuming unpasteurised cheddar cheese or whey butter, and no assessment made of the health benefits of consuming untreated raw cow’s milk.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any (1) health benefits, and (2) health hazards, of drinking untreated raw cow's milk.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), has policy responsibility for food safety, including Raw Drinking Milk (RDM). A Risk Assessment was conducted on RDM by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food in 2018 and considered by the FSA Board that year. The conclusion was that the risk from RDM is not so unacceptable as to justify removing the right of adult consumers to choose to drink it. However, to protect public health and balance consumer choice and business growth, improvements to the controls applied by Food Business Operators were required and have now been implemented.
There has been no assessment made of the health benefits or hazards of consuming unpasteurised cheddar cheese or whey butter, and no assessment made of the health benefits of consuming untreated raw cow’s milk.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the use of robotic surgery in the UK compared to the use in (1) other European countries, and (2) the USA.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have developed interventional procedures guidance on robot assisted kidney transplant and totally endoscopic robotically assisted coronary artery bypass grafting that are based on thorough assessment of safety and efficacy for routine use in clinical practice.
NHS England is responsible for setting evidence-based national service standards, including service specifications and clinical commissioning policies, and for ensuring the implementation of NICE Technology Appraisal Guidance within local systems. Robotic assisted surgery has been commissioned in line with national policies for prostate cancer and early-stage kidney cancers that are unsuitable for conventional laparoscopic surgery.
In view of the rapidly evolving nature of robotic assisted surgery, no detailed forecast of the expected future use has been developed at this time, but it is anticipated that the use of robotic techniques in surgical operations will increase over the coming years. No specific assessment has been made of the use of robotic surgery in the United Kingdom compared to Europe or the United States of America at this time.
Asked by: Lord Patten (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 utility and safety of robotic techniques in surgical operations for patients in the UK.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have developed interventional procedures guidance on robot assisted kidney transplant and totally endoscopic robotically assisted coronary artery bypass grafting that are based on thorough assessment of safety and efficacy for routine use in clinical practice.
NHS England is responsible for setting evidence-based national service standards, including service specifications and clinical commissioning policies, and for ensuring the implementation of NICE Technology Appraisal Guidance within local systems. Robotic assisted surgery has been commissioned in line with national policies for prostate cancer and early-stage kidney cancers that are unsuitable for conventional laparoscopic surgery.
In view of the rapidly evolving nature of robotic assisted surgery, no detailed forecast of the expected future use has been developed at this time, but it is anticipated that the use of robotic techniques in surgical operations will increase over the coming years. No specific assessment has been made of the use of robotic surgery in the United Kingdom compared to Europe or the United States of America at this time.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any forecast of the expected use of further robotic surgery in the NHS in the next five years; and whether this would be an increase or decrease from the current levels of use.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have developed interventional procedures guidance on robot assisted kidney transplant and totally endoscopic robotically assisted coronary artery bypass grafting that are based on thorough assessment of safety and efficacy for routine use in clinical practice.
NHS England is responsible for setting evidence-based national service standards, including service specifications and clinical commissioning policies, and for ensuring the implementation of NICE Technology Appraisal Guidance within local systems. Robotic assisted surgery has been commissioned in line with national policies for prostate cancer and early-stage kidney cancers that are unsuitable for conventional laparoscopic surgery.
In view of the rapidly evolving nature of robotic assisted surgery, no detailed forecast of the expected future use has been developed at this time, but it is anticipated that the use of robotic techniques in surgical operations will increase over the coming years. No specific assessment has been made of the use of robotic surgery in the United Kingdom compared to Europe or the United States of America at this time.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effects on public health of levels of face coverings worn on public transport.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
From 30 November, face coverings are mandatory in shops, on public transport and in transport hubs in England. The UK Health Security Agency has reviewed the latest available evidence on the effectiveness of face coverings, which suggests that face coverings reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
The Scientific Advice Group for Emergencies has also reviewed evidence which shows that the effectiveness of face coverings in reducing transmission is dependent on the proportion and frequency of face covering wearing within the population. The wider and more frequent the use, the more likely it is that an infected person will be wearing a face covering when they are sharing an environment with others.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all patients in NHS facilities are entitled to ask if those treating them are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The NHS Constitution sets out the rights to which patients are entitled, which includes the right to be involved in decisions about their care and the right to be cared for in a clean, safe, secure and suitable environment. However, there is no specific entitlement for patients in National Health Service facilities in relation to asking whether staff treating them are vaccinated.
Regulations have been laid which, subject to Parliamentary approval, would introduce COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of the deployment within health and wider social care settings. The Department continues to work with NHS England on engagement with NHS staff who have not yet been vaccinated to encourage them to help protect themselves, their colleagues and the people they care for. Currently more than 92% of NHS staff have received a first dose.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there has been any inappropriate use of do not attempt resuscitation orders in (1) hospitals, and (2) care homes, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
In October 2020, the Department asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to review how Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions were used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they had been inappropriately applied. Interim findings were published on 3 December 2020, with a final report due shortly. The review will take a national view of how these decisions were made across all health and care settings and will inform national learning and good practice development.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - 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 (1) doctors, and (2) other staff, being recruited into the prison medical service in meeting the needs of inmate health.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department does not hold the data requested.
There are currently 110 prisons in England for which NHS England commissions healthcare for. There is no mandated staffing level given to providers and contracts are awarded to those providers whose planned delivery model best fits with the need and outcomes required.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the work done by hospital chaplains in helping (1) the welfare, and (2) the recovery, of patients.
Answered by Lord Bethell
No formal assessment has taken place.
Chaplaincy and faith services are funded locally. The commissioning of local services is conducted by clinical commission groups responding to the needs of their individual patient populations and workforce, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. NHS England and NHS Improvement recognise the significant role chaplains and leaders of all faiths play in spiritual, emotional and psychological care and in the delivery of high-quality palliative and end of life care. This is recognised in clinical guides and for compassionate visiting arrangements.