Health and Social Care ministers were taking questions in the
Commons. Subjects covered included...
To read any of these in greater detail, click on the link above or
see below.
Covid-19: Hospices
(Peterborough) (Con)
What steps he is taking to support hospices during the covid-19
outbreak. [902188]
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
We are providing up to £200 million to hospices over the next
three months to support their work alongside the NHS as part of
the national response—by, for instance, providing spare bed
capacity in community care to take pressure off hospitals,
supporting vulnerable patients, and, of course, supporting those
in need of palliative care. I am sure that my hon. Friend will be
pleased to know that Sue Ryder, which runs one of his local
hospices, received £5.9 million in April.
[V]
I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. It is indeed great
news that the Government are providing £200 million for those
nearing the end of their lives. When does he expects hospices
such as Thorpe Hall to receive that funding? In recognition of
just how vital palliative care is, might we look to reform the
way in which we commission palliative care when this crisis is
over?
There are lots of things that we will need to learn when this
crisis is over. The hospice system has always had a mixed model
of funding—a very strong history of philanthropic support, as
well as support and financial funding for the services it
provides that the NHS commissions. The funding has started to
flow. If there is a specific problem locally, I would like to
know about it, and then we can get to the bottom of it.
Covid-19: Tests for Key Workers
(Bromley and Chislehurst)
(Con)
What progress he has made on ensuring that all key workers are
able to access a covid-19 test. [902191]
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
We expanded testing to all symptomatic essential workers and
members of their households last month. As capacity continues to
increase, we have been able to go further still, with all those
who have symptoms and who have to leave home to go to work—and
members of their households—now able to access a test. This is
all part of the overall testing strategy, with the 100,000 tests
that are now available.
[V]
Testing of staff and residents at care homes in my constituency
is being delivered by referrals either through the Care Quality
Commission or through the pilot partnership that has been set up
between our hospitals trust and our clinical commissioning group.
In relation to the CQC, will my right hon. Friend examine why
test results are taking five to seven days to come back, rather
than the estimated 72 hours? In relation to the pilot scheme,
where tests are being delivered efficiently, why are care home
managers given the names of residents who test positive but, for
data protection reasons, not the names of staff who test
positive? That is creating obvious uncertainty.
I am glad to see the roll-out of testing to care homes, and we
are able to go further for both residents and staff. It is an
incredibly important part of the response and one of the reasons
why testing is so important. My hon. Friend raises two important
issues of detail in the roll-out, and I will ensure that they are
looked into.
(Leicester South)
(Lab/Co-op)
We need to be doing all we can to protect our key workers,
especially those in healthcare. I welcome and note what the
Secretary of State said about testing, but has he considered the
study from Imperial suggesting that weekly screening of
healthcare workers—testing them every week whether symptomatic or
not—reduces their contribution to transmission by around 25% to
33%? Will he look at testing all healthcare staff whether they
have symptoms or not?
Yes. The shadow Secretary of State has asked questions in a
responsible and reasonable way, and I welcome his support for the
test, track and trace pilot on the Isle of Wight that we
announced yesterday. His question is quite right; we have piloted
the testing of asymptomatic NHS staff in 16 trusts across the
country. Those pilots have been successful, and we will be
rolling them out further.
Covid-19: Vaccine Development
(The Wrekin) (Con)
What progress has been made on the development of a covid-19
vaccine. [902195]
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
The development of a coronavirus vaccine is in its early stages
but progressing rapidly. The Government have backed two promising
vaccine candidates from the University of Oxford and Imperial
College, and we are making over £45 million available to those
teams—alongside the hundreds of millions that we are making
available to the global vaccine search.
I am grateful for the Secretary of State’s response. The World
Health Organisation has undoubtedly made mistakes over covid-19
and needs deep reforms, but this global pandemic requires a
global response. How is the UK liaising with the WHO so that we
work together globally to beat this virus?
We do work globally, and we do work together. As the Prime
Minister made clear yesterday, we have committed £744 million to
the global response to coronavirus. We are significant funders of
the WHO, and I am grateful for its work. We are also a
significant funder of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness
Innovations, which is leading the global search for a vaccine. In
fact, we are making the largest contribution of any country in
the world to the global search for a vaccine, and three of the
top 10 vaccine candidates are being developed here in the UK.
Covid-19: Test, Track and Trace
(Sevenoaks)
(Con)
What plans the Government have to test, track and trace people
with covid-19. [902199]
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ()
We are developing a new test, track and trace programme to help
to control the spread of covid-19, and to be able to trace the
virus better as it passes from person to person. This will bring
together technology through an app, an extensive web of
phone-based contract tracing and, of course, the testing needed
to underpin all that. The roll-out has already started on the
Isle of Wight, and I pay tribute to and thank the Islanders for
the enthusiasm with which they have taken up the pilot. I hope
that we learn a lot from the roll-out, so that we can take those
learnings and roll the programme out across the whole country.
[V]
I thank the Secretary of State for his answer. I welcome the
plans to introduce the contact-tracing app, but for it to be
effective it will need to be rolled out to a large proportion of
the population. What plans does the Secretary of State have to
achieve that, and how will he alleviate privacy concerns?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. She is right
to say that the more people who download the app, the more people
will protect themselves, their families and their communities.
The cross-party support for this test, track and trace programme
is important, and right across this country people need to know
that the app has privacy in its design. The data it holds is held
on people’s phones and it does not go to the Government, until of
course someone needs to get a test, in which case of course they
have to get in contact with the NHS. So privacy is there by
design, there is cross-party support and, according to a very
early poll, 80% of people on the Isle of Wight want to download
it. These are good early signs and we will have a big
communications campaign to explain to people the benefits of the
test, track and trace programme as we roll it out across the
country.
Mr Speaker
In welcoming , may I say thank you for
what you and all the staff do in the NHS, saving lives? It is
appreciated.
(Tooting) (Lab)
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. If I may, I would like to start
by saying a huge thank you, on behalf of us all in the Chamber
today and all those watching, to our NHS and care staff, who are
working so hard on the frontline.
Frontline workers like me have had to watch families break into
pieces as we deliver the very worst of news to them: that those
they love most in this world have died. The testing strategy has
been non-existent. Community testing was scrapped, mass testing
was slow to roll out and testing figures are now being
manipulated. Does the Secretary of State commit to a minimum of
100,000 tests each day going forward? Does he acknowledge that
many frontline workers feel that the Government’s lack of testing
has cost lives and is responsible for many families being
unnecessarily torn apart in grief?
No, I do not. I welcome the hon. Lady to her post as part of the
shadow Health team, and I think she might do well to take a leaf
out of the shadow Secretary of State’s book on tone. I am afraid
that what she said is not true; there has been a rapid
acceleration in testing in the past few months in this country,
including getting to 100,000 tests a day. We have been entirely
transparent on the way that has been measured throughout, and I
have confidence that the rate will continue to rise. Currently,
capacity is 108,000 a day, and we are working to build that
higher.
Of course, we have been working very hard to make the testing
capacity grow as fast as possible, and as more tests are
available, so we are able to make them available to more people
and test people right across the NHS. I pay tribute, too, to the
work of NHS and social care staff on the frontline; nothing
should take away from the team spirit with which we approach
this.
Mr Speaker
We go across to the Chair of the Select Committee.
(South West Surrey) (Con)
[V]
Test, track and trace is possible only with a mass testing
programme, so I offer many congratulations to the Health
Secretary on achieving such a challenging expansion in our
testing capacity. He has always said that he follows the science
in the decisions he takes, but does he appreciate that, Zoom or
no Zoom, it is very difficult for us as MPs to scrutinise such
decisions if he does not also publish the advice of the
Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies that he receives at the
same time as he makes those decisions?
We are making public the membership of SAGE and a lot of the
science. I know that my right hon. Friend is also able to
scrutinise the scientists before the Select Committee on Health
and Social Care, as he and his team did again this morning. The
overall approach of transparency, which has been a lodestar of
the Government’s response to this crisis, is important. Of
course, different scientists have different views, and they make
those plain, but, as he said, we are guided by the science in the
decisions that we take, and that has been an important part of
the response.
Covid-19: Community Hospitals
(South
Dorset) (Con)
If he will allocate urgent additional funding to community
hospitals as a result of the covid-19 outbreak. [902189]
The Minister for Health () [V]
Public safety remains the Government’s top priority, and we have
been clear that the NHS will get whatever funding it needs to
respond to the coronavirus pandemic. As such, as a country, we
have established a £14.5 billion coronavirus emergency response
fund, with £6.6 billion going directly to the NHS. I know that my
hon. and gallant Friend is a strong champion of community
hospitals in his county. They are vital to our response to
coronavirus and currently are managing well. I am not aware of
any specific requests from his county; however, if additional
urgent funding is required, we will of course consider that.
[V]
I am most grateful to the Minister for his answer. May I thank
him and his team for the wonderful job they are doing? The main
reason I asked the question is that beds at Portland Community
Hospital had to move to Weymouth because of a shortage of trained
staff. Can my hon. Friend assure my constituents that we will
fill the thousands of nurse vacancies, thereby allowing community
hospitals such as Portland to fulfil their proper function?
Let me start by putting on the record my thanks to our amazing
NHS and social care workforce at this time. As my hon. and
gallant Friend is aware, the Government are committed to growing
and supporting the NHS workforce to ensure that it continues to
provide world-class health and care. We have set out our pledge
that we will deliver 50,000 more nurses in our NHS by 2025
through multiple workstreams, including retention and
recruitment. Many of those nurses will operate in community
hospitals, enabling them to continue providing that world-class
care and support.
Covid-19: EU Procurement Schemes
(Exeter) (Lab)
For what reasons the Government did not join EU procurement
schemes to help tackle covid-19. [902208]
The Minister for Health () [V]
The UK has confirmed that we will participate in the current
joint EU procurement scheme on therapeutics for covid-19 that is
soon to launch. Owing to an initial communication problem, the UK
did not receive an invitation in time to join the previous four
EU joint procurements. However, participating in those four
initial joint procurement schemes would not have allowed us to do
anything that we have not already been able to do for ourselves.
We will consider participating in all other future schemes on a
case-by-case basis and on the basis of public health requirements
and needs.
Mr Bradshaw [V]
Whatever mistakes were made or opportunities missed in the past,
on the day that the UK has overtaken Italy as the country with
the worst death toll in Europe, what reassurance can the Minister
give the public that decisions taken now and in the future will
be driven entirely by the public interest and not distorted by
anti-European dogma?
I gently say to the right hon. Gentleman that there is no
suggestion of any decision having been influenced in the way that
he suggests. Indeed, the permanent under-secretary at the Foreign
Office made it clear in his clarification to the Foreign Affairs
Committee that this was not a political decision. I reiterate
that we are open to participating in future schemes on the basis
of public health requirements and on a case-by-case basis.
(Central Ayrshire) (SNP)
[V]
Operation Cygnus in October 2016 showed that the UK would
struggle in a pandemic due to a lack of both ventilators and
personal protective equipment for staff. Why did the Secretary of
State not act on it?
The Government did act in looking at all previous modelling and
all previous exercises. That is why the UK was well prepared. Let
me take the example of ventilators, which she mentioned. The UK
has massively increased the number of ventilators available to
our NHS, meaning that at no point thus far in this pandemic has
there been a shortage of ventilators. I reiterate, returning to
the original question, that participating in those four initial
joint procurement schemes with the EU would not have allowed us
to do anything we have not already been able to do for ourselves.
Social Care: Personal Protective Equipment
(Kingston and Surbiton)
(LD)
What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of personal
protective equipment for the social care workforce. [902190]
(Redcar) (Con)
What steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequate supply
of personal protective equipment to (a) the NHS and (b) social
care facilities. [902200]
(Stoke-on-Trent North)
(Con)
What steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequate supply
of personal protective equipment to (a) the NHS and (b) social
care facilities. [902204]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
I would first like to place on record my thanks to everyone on
the frontline, be they in a hospital or in social care, as well
as those in less obvious places such as my community nurses,
pharmacists and others who are working ceaselessly on the
frontline. We are working round the clock to ensure that everyone
across the NHS and care sector has the personal protective
equipment that they need. To date, we have delivered more than
1.11 billion items of PPE. We are ensuring that PPE is delivered
as quickly as possible to those on the frontline. We have
delivered to over 58,000 health and care organisations, and we
are working closely with industry, social care providers, the
NHS, NHS Supply Chain and the Army to ensure that all our NHS and
care staff can get the protection they need.
[V]
I thank the Minister for that answer, but given how care homes
have become a tragic focus in this pandemic, with so many staff
and residents losing their lives, when will she be able to
guarantee that every care home will have all the PPE they need?
And why is the Clipper system, which is meant to supply PPE to
the care sector, now one month late?
Every NHS and social care worker must have the protective
equipment that they need. Clipper has been rolled out, and it is
important that it is able to deliver the products that are
ordered online. This is now being rolled out to more than 1,500
general practices and care home providers, and as it is piloted
and stood up to more and more individual organisations, that will
help that stream of work to ensure that people have the personal
protective equipment they need. That is on top of the national
supply disruption response—NSDR—line that people can ring in case
of emergency, and this is also backed up by the wholesale
distributors, where only last week 52 million more items were
placed into that line as well.
[V]
Across Redcar and Cleveland, we have fantastic businesses such as
Pendraken Miniatures and BC-FX, who have switched their
manufacturing lines to making visors, the Materials Processing
Institute, which has switched to making hundreds of bottles of
hand sanitiser for Marie Curie nurses every week, and 15-year-old
Daniel Sillett, who is using his 3D printer to make PPE for local
care facilities such as Marske Hall. Will the Minister join me in
commending those businesses and individuals as part of our
national effort in overcoming this crisis?
I would indeed like to join my hon. Friend in congratulating
them, and I congratulate him on the way he has just explained
that this is the most enormous national effort, from large-scale
businesses down to individuals such as Daniel, to whom we must
give our special thanks. This national effort—the way in which
individuals and businesses have stepped forward, and the many
offers from all the different suppliers—has been extraordinary.
We are working with industry partners across the piece to make
PPE. We are working with Ineos and Diageo to produce hand and
hygiene products and to ensure that we get these to the
frontline, using services such as Clipper. Thanks to the work we
have already seen, we have seen novel products arrive on the
frontline. Seven companies have now been contracted in the UK to
make over 25 million items of PPE and to send some 6 million
square metres of fabric to NHS Supply Chain.
[V]
Like my hon. Friend the Member for Redcar () , I too have local
initiatives—including Scrubs for Stoke and the Heywood
Academy—that have produced amazing amounts of PPE for our local
health care sector. Can the Minister inform us what steps she is
taking to ensure that staff in care homes—[Inaudible.]—and to
enable people to make optimal use of PPE and minimise the
transfer of infection from one client to the next?
I would like to pay tribute to businesses in my hon. Friend’s
area. I think the crux of his question was about making sure that
people are receiving the appropriate infection control training
in order to utilise PPE effectively. We publish
guidance—including videos, which are easier to watch and
immediately understand—on the appropriate PPE for health and
careworkers, based on clinical expertise. The guidance has been
written and reviewed by all four UK public health bodies and
informed by NHS infection prevention and control experts. It is
consistent with World Health Organisation—
Mr Speaker
Order. I think we are going to have to speed up the answers.
(Leicester West) (Lab) [V]
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
I have listened carefully to the Minister’s answers, but on the
ground there are still serious problems. Maria, who is a
careworker in the north-east, told me on Friday that she has only
just received face masks and has to wear the same ones throughout
the day. Kenzie in Leeds told me exactly the same thing: one
mask, all day, even though one of the elderly ladies she cares
for has coronavirus and cannot help coughing and spitting on her
mask. With almost 8,000 deaths in care homes so far, what changes
will the Minister make and what will she do differently to get a
grip of this problem, which is still increasing, to help bring
this terrible death rate down?
As I said, there are the three strands of guidance on making sure
that the appropriate equipment is used in the appropriate place.
We have also used the local resilience forums in order to ensure
that individual care organisations can have a back-up of personal
protective equipment so that people can use it in line with
clinical guidance. I will contact the hon. Lady after this
session, because I would like to ensure that the young lady she
spoke about has seen that guidance, and the videos that accompany
it, in order to make sure that she feels properly protected,
which is the aim that we are all working for.
Covid-19: Dental Practices
(Elmet and Rothwell)
(Con)
What support the Government are providing to dental practices
during the covid-19 outbreak. [902194]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
NHS England and NHS Improvement have published detailed guidance
setting out the support for NHS dentistry during the pandemic. To
minimise the spread of infection, routine dentistry is currently
suspended. NHS practices are providing telephone advice and
triage at urgent dental centres to patients with urgent needs.
NHS dentists will receive their usual remuneration in full, or in
part if they do part-NHS, part-private work. Dentists can also
seek help via all the Treasury means for lost income.
[V]
My constituents in Elmet and Rothwell have reported difficulties
in obtaining emergency dental care in Leeds. Will the Minister
detail what actions her Department is taking when this specific
issue comes up in, say, Leeds so that patients can access
emergency care during the lockdown?
Of course. As of the week ending 30 April, there were two urgent
dental care centres in the Leeds area to provide urgent dental
treatment and care for patients on referral either from the
patient’s own dentist or from NHS 111. As with all urgent dental
care centres, there is also a triage service that will give
people advice, antibiotics or painkillers and then refer them
through if clinical work is required. There are 308 urgent dental
centres open across the country. I regularly talk to the chief
dental officer and to the British Dental Association about the
needs and requirements in the profession so that we can care for
patients in the best way.
Covid-19: Health Inequalities
(Croydon Central) (Lab)
What assessment he has made of the effect of health inequalities
on the prevalence of covid-19 in the general population. [902209]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social
Care ()
It is vital that we find out what groups are most at risk so that
we can help protect them. That is why we have asked Public Health
England to conduct a rapid review of the different factors that
might influence how someone is affected by the virus. Among other
things, it will explore age, ethnicity and gender. As our deputy
chief medical officer outlined yesterday, this is important but
complex work.
I am sure the Minister would want to join me in paying tribute to
the staff at Croydon University Hospital and those in our local
community for the resilience, bravery and good grace they have
shown during this crisis. Over 250 people have died in Croydon,
and we are all thinking of their families and their loved ones
who will be suffering so much. High levels of deaths in Croydon
appear to be down to the underlying health of the population.
Although of course it is early days in terms of analysing the
data, it is clear that in Croydon covid has disproportionately
affected people from black, Asian and minority ethnic
backgrounds. Does the Minister agree that on early sight it looks
like poorer people, often from BAME backgrounds, are being
hardest hit by covid, and that we need to tackle the longer-term
underlying health issues that have got us to this place of gross
inequality?
It is so important that we do the research before we draw
conclusions. Every death is a tragedy. Everybody who has died
during this pandemic is somebody’s mum, dad, brother, sister and
therefore we owe it to them to give Public Health England and all
those researching this area all the support we can, so that we do
not rush to conclusions, but draw conclusions that will truly
help us to address the pandemic and those who are most affected
by it in the right way.
