Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date the UKHSA plans to publish public health guidance for employers in respect of the actions that employers may take to reduce the spread of covid-19 and other respiratory infections in the workplace.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The UK Health Security Agency published ‘Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace’ on 1 April 2022. This provides information for employers and workplace managers, replacing guidance on working safely with COVID-19 and is available at the following link:
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether specific guidance will be mailed directly to people who are severely immunocompromised on how to manage their risk from covid-19 beyond 1 April 2022.
Answered by Maggie Throup
On 4 April 2022, updated guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious illness if they become infected with COVID-19 was published at the following link:
Immunocompromised individuals who are eligible to receive COVID-19 treatments will receive a letter from NHS England offering advice should they become symptomatic, which is available at the following link:
The letter also includes information on accessing free lateral flow device tests and should they test positive, how to contact a Covid Medicines Delivery Unit in and out of general practitioner surgery hours.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has ensured sufficient surge capacity in the supply of (a) existing and (b) upcoming covid-19 treatments in the event of future waves and variants of that disease.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Government has procured 4.98 million courses of oral antivirals, including 2.75 million courses of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, co-packaged as Paxlovid, 2.23 million courses of molnupiravir and 100,008 courses of the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab. The National Health Service also has access to remdesivir, tocilizumab, sarilumab and dexamethasone. Procured volumes are based on clinical advice, assessment of patient cohort sizes and modelled demand in the event a future wave or emerging variant of concern. Stock levels are regularly monitored to ensure sufficient volumes are available to meet current and projected demand, including sufficient surge capacity.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 24 February 2022 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire regarding dementia research funding, reference ZA59020.
Answered by Edward Argar
We replied to the hon. Member on 22 April 2022.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 9 February 2022 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire regarding cervical cancer screening, reference ZA58852.
Answered by Edward Argar
We replied to the hon. Member on 22 April 2022.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he intends to respond to a letter dated 02/03/2022 from the Hon. Member for West Lancashire reference ZA59051 regarding covid-19 policy in care homes.
Answered by Edward Argar
We replied to the hon. Member on 22 April 2022.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings of the 2006 study by McNeill and West in the British Medical Journal that South Asian chewed tobacco is a major cause of oral cancer, what assessment his Department has made of the safety of chewing tobacco; and whether his Department has plans to set product standards.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Although no official assessment of the safety of chewing tobacco has been made, traditional smokeless tobacco products are harmful to health by causing oral, oesophageal and pancreatic cancers. It remains the Government’s policy to help people to quit all forms of tobacco use through behavioural support from stop smoking services, nicotine replacement therapy or e-cigarettes.
There are no plans to set a product standard on chewing tobacco. Product standards for tobacco are contained in the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 2 February 2022 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire regarding dementia care and access to face to face GP appointments, reference ZA58786.
Answered by Edward Argar
We replied to the hon. Member on 5 April 2022.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter dated 10 December 2021 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire regarding vaccination of NHS staff against covid-19, reference ZA58449.
Answered by Edward Argar
We replied to the hon. Member on 28 March 2022.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide assistance to the hon. Member for West Lancashire in gaining a response to her letter to NHS England and Improvement Chief Executive Amanda Prichard, regarding FOI responses, dated 10 November 2021, ref ZA55419.
Answered by Edward Argar
NHS England and NHS Improvement have apologised for the delay in responding to the hon. Member’s letter dated 10 November 2021. Officials have been advised that a response has been sent to the hon. Member on 30 March 2022.