Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available from the NHS for people requiring neurological rehabilitation following a covid-19 vaccination.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the very rare event where an individual may have suffered a severe adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine, care and support will be best met and managed by local National Health Service specialist services, augmented as appropriate by national specialist advice. Individuals would be treated and managed through existing healthcare services, for example by seeing their general practitioner, who may refer them to a relevant specialist if necessary.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there are different rules for exemptions from NHS prescription charges for people with (a) hypothyroidism and (b) hyperthyroidism.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Records are not available to enable us to explain why only hypothyroidism is listed.
The list of specified medical conditions that provide exemption from prescription charges was agreed in discussion with the British Medical Association in 1968. Decisions on which conditions to include were reflective of medical knowledge and practice at the time. The only addition to the list since then has been the treatment of cancer in 2009.
However, whilst it is the case that most patients with hypothyroidism, also known as an underactive thyroid, will require life-long synthetic hormone replacement with a medication called levothyroxine, patients with hyperthyroidism, also known as an overactive thyroid, do not necessarily require medication, as this condition can sometimes be managed surgically, or with radioactive iodine therapy.
While the Government’s policy remains that there are no current plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate, there are extensive arrangements currently in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/help-nhs-prescription-costs
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine Vaxrevia ended in the UK; and for what reason that vaccine is no longer available.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was first deployed in England in January 2021. Having reached the end of the supply agreement with the Government, the vaccine has not been used in the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 vaccination programme since 2022. Since September 2021, in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the vaccines deployed in the national programme have primarily been mRNA vaccines that were considered to provide a strong booster response.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date he met representatives of those (a) injured and (b) bereaved as a result of Covid-19 vaccine damage; and what steps he has taken as a result of that meeting.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met with the families of those who have suffered serious side effects from the Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine on 11 September 2024. The families raised the need for the reform of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, and they requested a compensation scheme for those affected. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care listened to their concerns and agreed that the Government will look closely at this, as it continues to learn and apply the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 9409 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, if he will launch a consultation with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to increase the limitation period for court claims relating to Covid-19 vaccines.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on individual claims or cases whilst there is ongoing litigation. It is right that such matters follow the appropriate legal process, which can take time. There are, however, currently no plans to launch a consultation on increasing the limitation period for court claims relating to COVID-19 vaccines.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 9410 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, whether any line extensions to covid-19 vaccinations have been authorised to tackle reported adverse side effects, other than for the side effects listed in that Answer.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No modifications or line extensions to the original vaccines have been introduced to reduce side effects.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with Professor Adam Finn to discuss the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (a) 60% threshold, (b) levels of payments in the context of levels of inflation and (c) the potential impact of those factors on levels of public confidence in vaccines.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Whilst there are currently no plans to meet with Professor Adam Finn, the Government continues to listen carefully to the concerns raised about the Vaccine Damages Payment Scheme. As part of this consideration, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met recently with Vaccine Injured and Bereaved UK, and other representatives of those who have suffered harm.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 8098 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, whether any line extensions to Covid-19 vaccinations have been authorised to tackle reported adverse side effects.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The most common side effects observed with COVID-19 vaccines are pain and swelling at the injection site, tiredness, headaches, muscle and joint pain, chills, fever, and diarrhoea. These side effects are similar to those seen with other vaccines and are usually mild or moderate, and get better within a few days after vaccination. A full list of side effects is presented in the Patient Information Leaflet for each vaccine. Modifications or line extensions to the original vaccines, specifically to reduce these side effects, have not been introduced.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to provide (a) healthcare and (b) financial support to people whose applications to the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme were rejected on the basis that they do not have a severe disablement that exceeds the 60% threshold.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We expect that individuals whose claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) have been rejected on the basis that they do not meet the 60% disability threshold would receive the same level of treatment and care from the National Health Service as those with any other long-term condition requiring support.
The VDPS is not a compensation scheme. It does not prejudice the right of the disabled person to pursue a claim for damages through the courts. Other Government support remains open to claimants with a disability or long-term health condition, including Statutory Sick Pay, Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Attendance Allowance, and Personal Independence Payments.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what modifications have been made to existing Covid-19 vaccine products; for what reasons were those modifications made; and when those modifications were approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency may authorise a line extension, which is a new product authorisation linked to the original marketing authorisation. Various versions of the COVID-19 vaccines have been approved as line extensions to the original vaccines since the first COVID-19 vaccines were approved in December 2020. Variations may be requested to add an indication, dosage form, strength or pack size, which will make the vaccine available for a wider patient pool, whilst maintaining effectiveness and an acceptable safety level. For example, Pfizer, in late 2021, made an application to extend the indication of their vaccines to children between five and 11 years old in a smaller 10 micrograms per dose, and later, via the European Commission Decision Reliance Procedure, a new three micrograms per dose in infants and children between aged six months and four years old. New versions of the vaccine have also been introduced to adapt the vaccines to the new strains of the virus.