TB Alert

(asked on 17th September 2020) - View Source

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 effect of (a) the charity TB Alert on the national TB response and (b) that charity's impending closure on the future delivery of the multi-stakeholder TB Action Plan 2020-25; what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing statutory funding to the charity in light of the increasing proportion of TB patients with risk factors such as (i) homelessness, (ii) drug/alcohol misuse, (iii) current or past imprisonment and (iv) other risk factors; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 20th October 2020

TB Alert has made a valuable contribution to our national tuberculosis (TB) response, including by developing a peer-support group for patients in the United Kingdom, many of whom have concerns about the stigma surrounding TB for themselves and their families. In addition, the charity has provided accessible support and information for patients, including through an online TB training module for general practitioners, material for healthcare professionals and co-production of a Latent TB Infection Toolkit.

While we recognise that many charities, including TB Alert, are facing difficult decisions at the exact time their services are needed most, the Department does not routinely provide financial support to charities. However, as before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department is continuing to work with charities to deliver specific aims and objectives for which the organisations will be reimbursed.

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