Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the performance of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in resolving NHS complaints.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Ministers do not assess any aspect of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s performance. The Ombudsman reports to Parliament directly and is held to account through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, who hold an annual scrutiny session to evaluate his performance.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the findings of the rapid review into patient safety in mental health inpatient settings.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The findings of the rapid review have been published today [ 28 June 2023].
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of increasing financial support for people working in the social care sector who are required to self isolate with covid-19.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There have been no recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on this matter.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) prevent, (b) improve treatment for and (c) promote awareness of allergies.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The majority of services for people living with allergies are commissioned locally through integrated care boards. However, to support and improve treatment for patients with more complex allergic conditions, NHS England commissions some specialised services, including specialist allergy clinics. There is an established Clinical Reference Group responsible for providing national clinical leadership for specialised immunology and allergy services.
To help promote awareness of allergies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on a range of allergy conditions. NICE promotes its guidance via its website, newsletters and other media.
The Food Standards Agency also works to raise awareness of food hypersensitivity, and has carried out several campaigns aimed at supporting both people with food hypersensitivities and food businesses.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 merits of appointing a national allergy lead.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has no plans to appoint a national allergy lead.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Office for National Statistics’ surveillance of covid-19 infection rates has been paused.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The approach to COVID-19 surveillance is being actively reviewed to ensure it is proportionate, cost effective and considered alongside how we monitor a range of other infectious diseases that present a similar threat.
The UK Health Security Agency will continue to publish regular reports on COVID-19 which will contribute to our situational awareness. These include our weekly surveillance reports, which provide data on infection rates and hospitalisation numbers. We also maintain the ability to track the latest variants through our genomics capabilities which assess the risks posed by different strains of the virus.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 potential impact the decision to pause Office for National Statistics surveillance of covid-19 infection rates on immunocompromised people who use that data to determine which precautions to take.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The UK Health Security Agency will continue to publish regular reports on COVID-19, including weekly surveillance reports, which provide data on infection rates and hospitalisation numbers. UKHSA also maintains the ability to track the latest variants through their genomics capabilities which assess the risks posed by different strains of the virus.
We will continue to communicate to people most vulnerable to COVID-19 about available clinical interventions, including vaccination and treatments, as well as testing and public health advice.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the new clinical standards to improve access to dental care for children and young people with a (a) learning disability and (b) autism will be published.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
New clinical standards are due to be published in 2023/24 to support the appropriate planning and delivery of sensory checks for autistic children and young people and those with a learning disability in special residential schools.
Children and young people patient pathways and services are already detailed in the Commissioning Standard for Dental Specialties – Paediatric Dentistry which is available to commissioned National Health Service Oral Health Teams.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of cancelled operations in the City of Durham in the last 12 months.
Answered by Will Quince
The data requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what visits have been made by NHS England officials to the NHS Special Schools Eye Care Service as part of their evaluations of that service.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No officials from NHS England have visited National Health Service special schools as part of the evaluation as this has been conducted independently by the South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit. NHS England officials have visited special schools during the operation of the proof-of-concept programme to better understand the needs and environment in which the children were learning.