Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what grounds a hospital can change its records regarding a patient's next of kin (a) after the patient has been admitted and (b) without the consent of the (i) patient and (ii) patient's next of kin as designated at the time of admission; and what processes are in place for (A) recording and (B) changing hospital records on a patient's next of kin.
Answered by Will Quince
National Health Service trusts may ask a patient to nominate their next of kin on admission to hospital. A hospital will not ordinarily change a patient’s next of kin unless the patient has requested this. In the event a patient does not have a next of kin, health professionals may use their discretion to liaise with family and friends to appoint one.
If it is an emergency and it is unclear who the patient’s next of kin is, and the patient is unable to communicate their choice, the hospital will normally seek advice from the person they believe is closest to the patient and allocate one. Where the next of kin has been changed, both the general practice and hospital records would be duly updated.
NHS England provides further information on amending patient and service user records, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the UK Armed Forces Families Strategy 2022 to 2032, published on 19 January 2022, what steps his Department is taking to negotiate permission for the spouses or partners of service personnel to be able to work when accompanying personnel on deployment overseas; if he will make an assessment of the impact of negotiating those permissions on levels of early resignation from the armed forces by affected personnel; whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on the experience of that Department of negotiating those permissions for the families of diplomats posted abroad; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Armed Forces families are at the heart of the Defence community and the UK Armed Forces Families Strategy 2022 to 2032 acknowledged the importance of making their recognition and care a priority. The Strategy seeks to offer choice and flexibility in allowing personnel to serve and raise a family simultaneously, with benefit to all. In developing the Strategy, we were guided by the evidence of families to focus our attention on their key areas of concern; one such was enabling a partner to manage their career alongside the service person.
Officials from the Ministry of Defence have had initial conversations with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the subject of spousal employment. However, the parallel between Armed Forces families and those of diplomats is not a direct one. The legal position of our Armed Forces and their families overseas is determined by local agreements or memoranda, and thus differs from diplomatic staff.
Overseas assignments present families with diverse and unique experiences, but the support available can vary, depending on the host nation and the specific assignment. As part of the Armed Forces Families Strategy, we are working to help inform those families of the support that is available to them prior to their departure overseas to ensure that they are able to make well-informed decisions.
In the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS), spouse/partner career is often cited as one of the top three factors influencing intentions to leave, although this is not an issue uniquely linked to overseas deployments. This question in AFCAS measures intentions, rather than actual behaviours, so this does not necessarily mean that availability of spousal employment leads to early resignation.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to help support Malawi with the impacts of Cyclone Freddy.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is working closely with the Government of Malawi and international agencies to respond to Cyclone Freddy. We are supporting the Emergency Operations Centre established in Blantyre and working closely with partners to rapidly identify the needs of those affected. We are looking at options for further UK support including how we can help those still stranded, help manage trauma cases and extend our support to tackle the ongoing cholera outbreak.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2023 to Question 148519 on Nuclear Test Veterans, whether the results of blood tests on personnel who witnessed nuclear test events (a) are held at the Atomic Weapons Establishment and (b) will be made available on request to the (i) veterans and (ii) surviving members of the families of deceased veterans; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) do not hold the blood test results for Nuclear Test Veterans. AWE holds a small number of references to blood and urine tests which were included in scientific documentation related to nuclear weapons trials. Veterans or members of their family are entitled to request information that may be held by AWE through Subject Access Requests, which will be handled in a routine manner.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to ensure that all domestic energy customers are offered the facility to pay energy bills by cheque; and if his Department will issue guidance to energy suppliers on enabling customer payment by cheque.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The setting of tariffs, and associated payment methods, are a commercial decision for the energy companies. Regulation of the sector is the responsibility of independent regulator Ofgem.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to hold back the proposed sale by the NHS of the site and buildings of the Fenwick Hospital, Lyndhurst until (a) documentation is produced specifying (i) who owns the title and (ii) what the terms were under which the original gift of ownership to the Lyndhurst community came under control of the NHS in 1948 and (b) sufficient time has been given to the League of Friends of the Fenwick Hospital further to develop plans for its future and assemble financial support to implement them.
Answered by Will Quince
The future use of Fenwick Community Hospital is subject to the plans set out by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board and NHS England and is not a matter for the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board and NHS England have offered a meeting to League of Friends and Julian Lewis MP, in order that all information relating to the legal title of the Fenwick Hospital, Lyndhurst can be shared and discussed. Following this meeting, date to be confirmed, a decision relating to the auction sale of the site and its timing can be made.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department expects to announce dates for nuclear test veterans to receive the medals and clasps in recognition of their service; and what steps his Department is taking to make available to interested parties the findings of medical tests carried out on participants in the nuclear testing programme.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government continues to recognise and be grateful to all Service personnel who participated in the British Nuclear testing programme. They contributed to keeping our nation secure during the Cold War and since, by ensuring that the UK was equipped with an appropriate nuclear capability.
I am pleased that a forthcoming commemorative Nuclear Test Medal was announced by the Prime Minister in November 2022, which is intended to recognise Service veterans and civilians who participated in the UK’s nuclear tests between 1952 and 1967. The first Nuclear Test Medals are expected to be available in summer 2023. Details on the eligibility criteria for the Medal, together with information on the application process, will be announced by the end of March 2023. There is a long-established process to design, procure and produce a new Medal and collectively this process takes some months.
In relation to medical test results, an individual can make a Subject Access Request (SAR) to the relevant military service, Veterans UK or the Atomic Weapons Establishment to have sight of what records are held on them. Information is provided on request to individuals, or representatives acting on their behalf, under ‘General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Chapter 3, Article 15 – Right of access’.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to assist people from Afghanistan who (a) formally assisted UK armed forces and (b) have been cleared by the Ministry of Defence as qualifying for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme to complete the visa process necessary to enter the UK from (i) Afghanistan, (ii) a neighbouring country and (iii) a safe third country.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Afghan citizens and their family members who are assessed as eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) are referred by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to the Home Office for permission to enter the UK subject to the enrolment of biometrics and security checks.
Whilst there is currently no option to enrol biometrics in Afghanistan, we are working with the authorities in neighbouring countries and with international partners to carry out biometric enrolment in as efficient a manner as possible.
Applications are assessed against the Immigration Rules by the Home Office with entry clearance issued to those who are eligible for relocation to the UK. This allows for flight and accommodation arrangements to be made.
It is vital that those arriving have somewhere suitable to stay once they’re in the UK. We are working at pace with Local Authorities and other partners to source suitable accommodation.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many inpatient beds there were in NHS community hospitals in England in (a) 1997, (b) 2010 and (c) 2022; and if he will make an assessment of trends in inpatient capacity in those hospitals between those dates.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England holds data on the number of community rehab beds in England collected monthly through the NHS Capacity Tracker, but this data is not available in 1997 and 2010. Monthly data collection on community rehab beds started in 2020, from which point capacity has increased. The Capacity Tracker shows there were 7,062 community rehab beds in August 2020, rising to 7,629 in January 2022 and 7,999 in January 2023.
A community hospital is a service which offers integrated health and social care services in the community. Therefore ‘community hospital’ functions are carried out in a range of places including intermediate care and rehab settings and District General hospitals, not just in buildings called community hospitals. NHS England therefore define beds on function rather than on place or building.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential role of inpatient beds in community hospitals as step-down beds to release capacity in general hospitals; and how many inpatient beds there are in community hospitals in England.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with the ‘Home First’ approach, patients for whom care and assessment can safely be continued in a non-acute setting should be discharged to their own home or a community setting. We are providing an additional £200 million of funding specifically for short term care. This will accelerate discharge and free up hospital beds for those who need them.
Information on the number of inpatient beds in community hospitals is not available in the format requested.