Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a payment of £500 from the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment scheme can be received by the same person more than once; and, if so, whether there is a limit on the number of times it can be received.
Answered by Lord Bethell
A person can claim a Test and Trace Support Payment for each period of self-isolation required by NHS Test and Trace, provided they meet the eligibility criteria for each individual claim, and their periods of self-isolation do not overlap. There is no limit to the number of times that it can be received.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Carers UK Caring behind closed doors: 6 months on, published on 20 October, what additional support they intend to provide for carers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government recognises the vital role unpaid carers play, especially during this difficult period and we continue to work closely with carer’s organisations to support them.
During the pandemic, we have provided funding to Carers UK. They have extended their support phoneline, produced a leaflet to help carers identify themselves on discharge from hospital and published guidance specifically for carers and young carers, which includes further information about sources of support.
We have worked with the Social Care Institute for Excellence to publish guidance to help make decisions on restarting services and to provide quality care safely. In addition, through the Government’s Infection Control Fund, we have extended some of this funding to be used to support day services adopt infection control measures to help them reopen safely.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the self-isolation payments currently being piloted will be payable to those who have claimed but are not yet in receipt of Universal Credit because of the five week wait.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Individuals who meet the eligibility criteria for the NHS Test and Trace Self-Isolation Payment can apply to receive it within two weeks of their period of self-isolation ending, for the duration of the scheme. They will need to submit the necessary evidence to prove their eligibility.
Someone who is not in receipt of any of the benefits listed in the eligibility criteria, but who applies for one or more of them after testing positive or being identified as a contact, can still apply for the new payment subsequently, provided:
- They have been approved for the benefit they have applied for by the time they apply for the self-isolation payment; and
- They apply for the self-isolation payment no later than two weeks after their period of self-isolation ended.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the national test and trace system in deprived areas.
Answered by Lord Bethell
All local councils have published Local Outbreak Control Plans, which include sections on identifying and managing outbreaks in high-risk communities and supporting vulnerable communities to self-isolate. Local areas are taking targeted practical action through these, engaging with local networks to get to the heart of communities. A range of activities are being implemented across the areas on the watchlist, which are typically deprived areas, to raise awareness and compliance with NHS Test and Trace as well as public health behaviours, with close attention to shared learning to ensure best practice.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current expected annual revenue from the immigration health surcharge; of that, how much is collected from (1) NHS workers, and (2) care workers; and in each case what proportion of the total NHS budget this represents. [T]
Answered by Lord Bethell
This information is not available in the format requested.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - 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 Public Health England's advice on year-round Vitamin D supplementation for care home residents and people from BAME communities is promoted widely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England (PHE) re-issued existing Government advice on vitamin D supplementation in April 2020. This advice was published online on NHS.UK. PHE’s Change4Life and Start4Life online resources were also updated to reflect the vitamin D advice.
Industry representative groups were also advised of the reissuing of advice to allow them to prepare for potential uptake and maintain supplies in retail, chemists and health shops.
There is existing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on increasing supplement use to prevent vitamin D deficiency among specific population groups for commissioners, managers and other professionals with public health as part of their remit, working within the National Health Service, local authorities and the wider public, private, voluntary and community sectors. A copy of the NICE guidance, Vitamin D: supplement use in specific population groups, is attached.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 18 February 2019 (HL13524), when they plan to publish the revised version of the F10 prescription form, featuring a tick box for Universal Credit claimants who meet the criteria for free NHS prescriptions.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The new FP10 National Health Service prescription form, which includes a tick box for Universal Credit claimants who meet the criteria for free prescriptions, is now being printed. Once the contractor has built sufficient stock to meet orders from the NHS, the form will be distributed.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Manzoor on 22 January (HL12835), what is the reason for the delay in updating the FP10 prescription form; how many low income patients on Universal Credit claiming free prescriptions have received a penalty notice; and how many of those penalty notices have been withdrawn because they were issued in error.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
A revised version of the FP10 prescription form, featuring a dedicated tick-box for use by Universal Credit (UC) claimants who meet the criteria for free National Health Service prescriptions, recently received Ministerial clearance. Any change to the form involves major system and software updates across the NHS to allow the re-designed form to be used and processed. The revised paper form is currently being prepared for testing, to ensure it is compatible with the scanners used by the NHS Business Services Authority. The revised form will be introduced at the earliest opportunity.
At present, both UC and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants who are eligible for free NHS prescriptions, are ticking exemption box K on the FP10 prescription form to ensure they get the free prescriptions to which they are entitled. As a result, the NHS Business Services Authority is not able to confirm how many penalty charges notices have been issued to UC Claimants, and therefore how many were issued to UC claimants who had a valid prescription charge exemption.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 20 December 2018 (HL12362), how they plan to ensure that Universal Credit claimants who meet the criteria for free prescriptions know that they should tick box ‘K’ for income-based jobseekers allowance.
Answered by Baroness Manzoor
A wide range of activity has been undertaken to publicise the workaround that eligible Universal Credit (UC) claimants should tick box ‘K’ for income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance until the FP10 prescription form is updated to include a new UC tick box. Information about this workaround has been made available on relevant websites including those for the NHS Business Services Authority, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and the National Health Service website. This information has been shared with relevant professionals including Department for Work and Pensions work coaches and case managers, Citizens Advice advisers and pharmacists to enable them to support UC claimants with correctly completing the declaration on the back of the FP10 prescription form. Arrangements have also been made to ensure that if UC claimants accidentally tick the wrong box on the FP10 prescription form but can prove their eligibility for free NHS prescriptions, the NHS Business Services Authority is able to waive associated penalty charges upon being contacted.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the FP10 prescription exemption form will be updated to include an exemption box for Universal Credit claimants entitled to free prescriptions; and what guidance they have provided to Universal Credit claimants claiming free prescriptions before the updated form becoming available.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Work is ongoing to update the FP10 prescription form, to include a new exemption tick box for use by Universal Credit claimants, at the earliest opportunity. In advance of this update Universal Credit claimants who meet the criteria for free National Health Service prescriptions, should tick box ‘K’ for income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.