Asked by: Lord Willis of Knaresborough (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why the initial priorities for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities do not include (1) mental health, or (2) physical activity.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) aims to systematically tackle the top preventable risk factors for poor health, improving the public’s health and narrowing health inequalities. We have not set out a comprehensive list of policies that OHID will cover, but both public mental health and physical activity are within OHID’s remit. OHID and the wider Department of Health and Social Care will work collaboratively with the rest of government, the healthcare system, local government and wider partners to build evidence and drive forward action to prevent ill health and address disparities.
Asked by: Lord Willis of Knaresborough (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they first started testing all care home residents for COVID-19 in England.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department began piloting testing of care homes on 1 May 2020 and launched the care home portal to allow care home managers to order tests for all staff and residents on 11 May. The whole care home portal was expanded to all adult care homes, including care homes for adults with learning disabilities or mental health issues, for all care home residents and care home staff, regardless of symptoms, on 7 June.
Regular retesting for residents and staff of care homes for over 65 year olds and dementia commenced from 6 July. This included weekly testing for staff and every 28 days for residents. All remaining adult care homes were able to apply for retesting from 31 August.
Asked by: Lord Willis of Knaresborough (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they first started testing all care home staff for COVID-19 in England.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Department began piloting testing of care homes on 1 May 2020 and launched the care home portal to allow care home managers to order tests for all staff and residents on 11 May. The whole care home portal was expanded to all adult care homes, including care homes for adults with learning disabilities or mental health issues, for all care home residents and care home staff, regardless of symptoms, on 7 June.
Regular retesting for residents and staff of care homes for over 65 year olds and dementia commenced from 6 July. This included weekly testing for staff and every 28 days for residents. All remaining adult care homes were able to apply for retesting from 31 August.
Asked by: Lord Willis of Knaresborough (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many care home residents tested positive for COVID-19 in each week from 1 April to 1 September.
Answered by Lord Bethell
This information is not held in the format requested. Data on the total number of positive cases is published in an online only format.
Asked by: Lord Willis of Knaresborough (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many care home residents in England died from COVID-19 related symptoms in each week from 1 April to 1 September.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The following table shows the number of deaths of care home residents occurring in care homes in England, by date of death registration in each week between 1 April to 1 September 2020.
Week ending | Total number of deaths |
3 April 2020 | 187 |
10 April 2020 | 768 |
17 April 2020 | 1,929 |
24 April 2020 | 2,669 |
1 May 2020 | 2,329 |
8 May 2020 | 1,590 |
15 May 2020 | 1,592 |
22 May 2020 | 1,046 |
29 May 2020 | 670 |
5 June 2020 | 536 |
12 June 2020 | 360 |
19 June 2020 | 242 |
26 June 2020 | 181 |
3 July 2020 | 163 |
10 July 2020 | 89 |
17 July 2020 | 91 |
24 July 2020 | 67 |
31 July 2020 | 44 |
7 August 2020 | 29 |
14 August 2020 | 39 |
21 August 2020 | 39 |
28 August 2020 | 23 |
4 September 2020 | 17 |
Source: Office of National Statistics, Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales
Notes:
Asked by: Lord Willis of Knaresborough (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what data they have collected from their regular retesting of care home staff and residents, as announced as part of their social care testing strategy on 3 July.
Answered by Lord Bethell
There is a variety of information that is collected about the individuals getting tested in line with the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010, as well as data to support the operational processes involved in testing - for example the address of the care home, how many test kits are needed and so on.
Asked by: Lord Willis of Knaresborough (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what new guidance for the treatment of children with scoliosis has been developed since the withdrawal of the MAGEC system.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have advised that they are currently in the process of reviewing guidance on the MAGEC system in the treatment of people with scoliosis. A robust investigation is currently ongoing to determine whether the benefits of these devices continue to outweigh the risks. In the interim, alternative treatments are available for children with scoliosis, such as casts, back braces and other surgical procedures. The MHRA will consider the use of MAGEC rods on a case-by-case basis where clinicians deem it to be essential.
Any significant change in status to the availability of the MAGEC system in the United Kingdom, will be updated in guidance when appropriate.