Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that people with cystic fibrosis requiring urgent hospital admissions for their condition are (a) prioritised and (b) more quickly tested for covid-19 infections.

Planning for the impact of COVID-19 on the National Health Service includes considerations of how to ensure that those who require urgent hospital admission, as a result of an existing health condition, are managed appropriately alongside the expected increased admissions of patients with COVID-19. All patients admitted to hospital with symptoms that suggest possible COVID-19 are now tested on admission.

Minimising risk of infection is very important for those at particular risk of getting seriously ill if they contract COVID-19. Public Health England have released specific guidance for people considered at particularly high risk, including those with cystic fibrosis. NHS England and NHS Improvement wrote to all those in at risk groups, in the week commencing Monday 23 March 2020, with specific advice about what to do to minimise the risk of infection. A link to the guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19