Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
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) create catch-up non-covid vaccination programs for children vulnerable to serious childhood diseases and (b) protect children's vaccination services against the risk of disruption by unseen events in the future.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The majority of National Health Service immunisation services were maintained throughout the COVID-19 response and time-critical routine immunisations administered in primary care continued to be delivered. However, the delivery of schools-based immunisation programmes have been rescheduled when schools reopened and we have raised awareness of the ongoing availability of NHS immunisations and the importance of keeping up to date with routine childhood immunisations.
Children’s vaccination services will continue to be maintained. The NHS ensures accurate information on the immunisation status of children and young people is available and reminders/recalls are sent to those who fail to attend. This information is available to clinicians to provide catch-up vaccinations at every appropriate opportunity, if needed.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria will need to be met for NHS Test and Trace to be closed; and what estimate he has made of when those criteria will be met.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As NHS Test and Trace transfers into UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), we are planning against a range of scenarios for the trajectory of the pandemic and assessing the appropriate test, trace and self-isolation response. We anticipate testing, tracing and self-isolation requirements to reduce as prevalence reduces. The UKHSA will be fully functional from 1 October.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were (a) admitted to hospital with covid-19 and (b) discharged from hospital having been admitted with covid-19 in each month since January 2021.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not currently held in the format requested. The audited data is due to be published by NHS Digital in September 2021.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of patients admitted to hospitals with covid-19 were discharged in under 24 hours in England and Wales in each month since January 2021.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not currently held in the format requested. The audited data is due to be published by NHS Digital in September 2021.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that staff working at covid-19 quarantine hotels have been offered a vaccination; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Workers in hotels used as managed quarantine facilities are being offered vaccination according to their age and clinical risk along with the rest of the population. This is in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation which the Government has accepted.
The vaccination programme is currently on track to offer a first dose to all adults over 18 years old by the end of July.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the recruitment of community nurses; and what assessment he has made of the potential role of community nurses in the integration of healthcare and social care.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
A specialist community and public health nurse apprenticeship has been launched, which offers a new direct route into the profession. The Chief Nursing Officer England together with Director for Community Services at NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to the development of a National Community Nursing Plan.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure NHS recruitment keeps pace with an increasingly elderly population; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring there are sufficient staff numbers to meet England’s workforce requirements, including taking account of demographic changes. At a national level, the Government is committed to expanding the supply of the National Health Service workforce and we are on track to deliver 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament.
We have opened five new medical schools across England and are committed to funding an extra 1,500 undergraduate medical school places per year at English universities or a 25% increase, taking the total number of medical school training places in England to 7,500 each year. This expansion was completed in September 2020. Retention is also a key focus the NHS People Plan. There are almost 6,300 or 5.3% more doctors and over 11,200 or 3.8% more nurses in the NHS than last year.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Royal College of Physicians’ position statement, NHS Workforce Planning: the case for transparency and accountability, what steps he is taking to increase the number of places to study medicine in universities over the next 10 years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recently increased the number of places to study medicine at English universities by 1,500 per year or 25%. As part of this expansion, which was completed in September 2020, we opened five new medical schools across the country.
The Government currently has no plans to increase the number of funded medical school places beyond this. We are committed to ensuring that the number of places reflect England’s workforce requirements and continues to monitor current arrangements.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
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 contribution to increasing health output that might be achieved through the increased employment of medical secretaries and doctor’s assistants in healthcare settings.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have made no such assessment. It is a matter for individual health care providers to identify the most efficient mix of staff to deliver their services.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the paper, Insights on transmission of COVID-19 with a focus on the hospitality, retail and leisure sector, by the EMG Transmission Group, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the closure of indoor hospitality and leisure on the prevalence of covid-19; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Emergency Modelling Group Transmission Group’s paper as discussed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) on 8 April and received by Departmental officials that day. The minutes of that meeting summarised SAGE’s position in relation to the paper and provided advice to the Department. The minutes are available at the following link:
The closure of indoor venues has had an effect in suppressing the pandemic. Infection rates, hospital admissions and cases of severe illness currently remain in line with modelling provided by scientific experts. The Government keeps the restrictions under continual review.