Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release of 9 November entitled, More rapid COVID-19 tests to be rolled out across England, when Enfield Council will receive the 10,000 covid-19 testing kits.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Lateral flow tests will be sent out by NHS Test and Trace to local public health leaders to enable local teams to direct and deliver testing based on their local knowledge. NHS Test and Trace is supporting local authorities to deliver this testing by providing access to online training, clinical, operational and service design guidance and communication and engagement support. On 16 December it was confirmed that Enfield will be participating in community testing.
We recognise the need for enhanced support for areas with particularly high prevalence of the virus. The Government is supporting local authorities in England in tier 3 and 4 areas, those in tier 2 who are at significant risk of entering tier 3, to deliver a six-week community testing programme.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release of 9 November entitled, More rapid COVID-19 tests to be rolled out across England, whether Enfield Council will receive additional resources to support the administration of the 10,000 covid-19 testing kits it is due to receive.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Lateral flow tests will be sent out by NHS Test and Trace to local public health leaders to enable local teams to direct and deliver testing based on their local knowledge. NHS Test and Trace is supporting local authorities to deliver this testing by providing access to online training, clinical, operational and service design guidance and communication and engagement support. On 16 December it was confirmed that Enfield will be participating in community testing.
We recognise the need for enhanced support for areas with particularly high prevalence of the virus. The Government is supporting local authorities in England in tier 3 and 4 areas, those in tier 2 who are at significant risk of entering tier 3, to deliver a six-week community testing programme.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people who were notified to self-isolate by the NHS covid-19 contact tracing app before recent changes making them eligible for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme will be able to make restropective applications for the £500 discretionary payment.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
From 28 September 2020, anyone who received notification of a positive test result, including app users, could apply for the Test and Trace Support Payment if they met the necessary eligibility criteria. In addition, from 10 December 2020 app users that receive a notification to self-isolate because they have been in close contact with a positive case of COVID-19 can also apply. However, app users who were notified to self-isolate by the National Health Service COVID-19 app and had completed their isolation period prior to the change in December are not be able to retrospectively claim the Test and Trace Support Payment.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been notified by the NHS covid-19 contact tracing app to self-isolate to date.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work is underway to establish what information can be published about app usage and its role in the COVID-19 response, including information related to self-isolation taking in to account that users of the app are anonymous.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish the clinical guidance which formed the basis of the Government guidance dated 5 November 2020 on visiting care homes.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 5 November we published guidance to enable COVID-19 secure visits to take place in care home while national restrictions are in place. Guidance documents are informed by expert advice before publication to ensure that they are based on latest evidence.
We work with Public Health England, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ (SAGE) Social Care Sub-Group and other relevant bodies to closely monitor national and international evidence, to ensure best practice is reviewed and can be applied. SAGE publishes its papers routinely at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies.
We also work closely with a range of stakeholders who represent the sector to ensure that the recent guidance update encourages and enables care providers to facilitate visiting while keeping residents, staff and visitors as safe as possible.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on how to communicate different local lockdown rule changes in formats accessible for disabled people.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
We expect all local authorities to comply with the Accessible Information Standard. The Standard sets out a specific, consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.
The Government has provided information on tiers and the new local restrictions in an accessible format available at the following link:
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when people who have been notified to self-isolate by the NHS covid-19 contact tracing app will be able to qualify for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work is underway to establish what information can be published about app usage and its role in the COVID-19 response, including information related to self-isolation taking in to account that users of the app are anonymous.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether public health funding grants to local authorities will be increased to meet the specific demands and needs of each local area.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local authority spending through the public health grant will be maintained, meaning local authorities can continue to invest in prevention and essential frontline health services. Local authority public health grant allocations for 2021-22 will be subject to a detailed financial planning exercise and finalised in due course.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to announce further details of public health funding announced in the Spending Review 2020.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local authority spending through the public health grant will be maintained, meaning local authorities can continue to invest in prevention and essential frontline health services. Local authority public health grant allocations for 2021-22 will be subject to a detailed financial planning exercise and finalised in due course.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Enfield, Southgate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the formation of the National Institute for Health Protection on the allocation of public health grants to local authorities.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We do not expect the formation of National Institute for Public Health to have an impact on 2021-22 local authority public health grant allocations. Local authority public health grant allocations for 2021-22 will be subject to a detailed financial planning exercise and finalised in due course.