Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional support he is providing to hospices to allow family members to present at the end of life during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In October 2020, NHS England published a new set of visiting guidelines, which aims to ensure that families have more contact with their loved ones towards the end of their lives while also managing infection risks. The new guidelines, ‘Visiting healthcare inpatient settings principles during the Covid-19 pandemic’, advise the NHS and other healthcare organisations, including hospices, on how to facilitate visiting wherever possible. These guidelines are available at the following link:
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will remove the 31 March 2021 deadline by which charities and the voluntary sector must spend any grant funding received from the £750 million fund for frontline charities.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government has announced a £750 million support package for charities to enable vital work during the pandemic.
This includes up to £200m for hospices and £360 million direct from Government departments, supporting organisations like St John Ambulance and the Citizens Advice Bureau as well as charities supporting children, victims of domestic abuse, or disabled people.
£200 million is being distributed by the National Lottery Community Fund through the Coronavirus Community Support Fund. More than 98% of this funding has been disbursed to recipient charities.
The Government has matched public donations to the BBC’s “Big Night In” charity appeal, with over £37 million being distributed by Comic Relief, Children In Need and the National Emergencies Trust to charities on the frontline.
The Government has also announced 19 philanthropists, foundations and grant-making organisations to receive a share of match funding from the £85 million Community Match Challenge, generating £170 million for charities’ vital work.
The government keeps all sector support packages under review
Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the £150 million in additional funding to support the hospice sector in response to the covid-19 outbreak that his Department was scheduled to pay in July 2020 has yet to be paid.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement recognise the huge role palliative and end of life care services, including hospices, have played in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This importance was acknowledged in the provision of over £150 million in additional funding to the hospice sector between April and July 2020. The proportion of this additional funding that was scheduled to be paid in July 2020 is currently subject to financial reconciliation.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans are in place to protect staff and patients in hospices from covid-19; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing weekly testing for staff in hospices in line with the policy in care homes.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Hospices have made an incredible contribution during this difficult time going beyond their provision of end of life care, reducing pressure on the wider health and care system and supporting patient choices and outcomes.
The Government has helped hospices get the equipment they need to protect staff and patients. Personal protective equipment push pallet arrangements have been in place since May, providing regular equipment deliveries via central delivery points. The equipment delivered in this way is free of charge to hospices.
The Department is aware that routine asymptomatic testing for hospice staff is a key concern in the sector and is looking urgently at this issue. Anyone working in healthcare with symptoms can already access testing as a priority, including hospice staff.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether hospice staff will be prioritised for covid-19 vaccination.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The COVID-19 vaccination programme is based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI is an independent expert advisory committee to the Government.
For the first phase, the JVCI have advised that the vaccine be given to care home residents and staff, followed by frontline health and social care workers, including hospice staff and staff working in neurological and other specialist care homes, then to the rest of the population in order of age and clinical risk factors, including underlying health conditions.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the £125 million for hospices announced on 23 November 2020 will result in Barnett consequentials,; and what estimate he has made of how much of that funding will be allocated to the Scottish Government.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
To give the Scottish Government the certainty to plan and deliver their coronavirus response, we have provided them with an upfront guarantee that they will receive at least £8.2bn in additional funding this year on top of their Spring Budget funding.
Any additional funding provided to the Department of Health and Social Care for hospices will result in Barnett consequentials for the Scottish Government that will contribute towards the guaranteed £8.2bn.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 introduce regular asymptomatic testing for covid-19 for hospice staff.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Hospices across the country have played a vital role in the COVID-19 response, helping to provide more capacity for the National Health Service and continuing to provide care to those who need it. Regular asymptomatic testing on a weekly basis for clinical hospice staff was introduced from 4 December. Hospices are now able to order polymerase chain reaction tests through our online portal and we would encourage all hospices to do so. This is in addition to the existing testing available to all symptomatic health and care staff as a priority, including hospice staff.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial viability of the hospice sector.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We have provided over £150 million in additional funding to the hospice sector to date during the pandemic. Alongside this, hospices have benefited from the financial support offered by HM Treasury to all charities, such as paying no business rates for their shops next year and applying for a Business Interruption Loan. Charities, alongside other sectors, can also access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the replacement Job Support Scheme.
We continue to keep funding for hospices under review.
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional funds they plan to provide for the hospice sector to handle the rising death rate (1) during, and (2) beyond, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Hospices have been provided over £150 million in additional funding to the hospice sector to date during the pandemic.
Alongside this, hospices have benefited from the financial support offered by HM Treasury to all charities, such as paying no business rates for their shops next year and applying for a Business Interruption Loan. Charities, alongside other sectors, can also access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the replacement Job Support Scheme.
The Department regularly assesses the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on the hospice sector, and through NHS England and NHS Improvement, are in regular discussions with stakeholders in the sector about the challenges they face. We continue to keep funding for hospices under review.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have put in place to financially support charitable hospice care providers; and what assessment they have made of the impact of visiting restrictions in hospitals on the level of demand experienced by such providers.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England and NHS Improvement regularly assess the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on the hospice sector and are in regular discussions with stakeholders in the sector about the challenges they face.
Between April and July, £150 million in additional funding was provided to the hospice sector. Further funding of up to £125 million has now been made available to enable hospices to continue their vital end of life care services.
Alongside this, hospices have benefited from the financial support offered by HM Treasury to all charities, such as paying no business rates for their shops next year and applying for a Business Interruption Loan. Charities, alongside other sectors, can also access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the replacement Job Support Scheme.
No specific assessment has been made of the impact of visiting restrictions in hospitals on the level of demand experienced by charitable hospice care providers.