Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
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 promote the recruitment of dentists in communities with comparatively low levels of dental provision.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
Health Education England (HEE) set out a range of recommendations in their Advancing Dental Care Review, which aim to tackle recruitment, retention and attracting dentists to the NHS. One of their proposals was the creation of Centres for Dental Development in localities where there is a shortage in provision, which would bring together education and service elements in smaller units. HEE have now moved into their implementation stage through their Dental Education Reform Programme.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to mandate Integrated Care Systems to implement the NHS England Eye Care Planning and Implementation Guidance 2021-22.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
While integrated care systems are expected to work autonomously, they should take into account NHS England and NHS Improvement’s priorities. The Eye Care Planning and Implementation Guidance 2021/22 explains how systems should plan local eye care recovery and transformation in line with the requirements of the NHS England 2021/22 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
What steps his Department is taking to support the NHS in tackling future waves of coronavirus.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We have made over £59 billion available this year to support the response to COVID-19 and are committing a further £20.3 billion in 2021/22, of which £3 billion is to support National Health Service recovery from the impact of the pandemic.
The Government continues to ensure the NHS has the resourcing and support it needs to meet any pressures or costs arising from its continued response to COVID-19.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
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 reasons for the reportedly high number of cases of covid-19 in Barrow-in-Furness and South Lakes.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Variation in the number of COVID-19 cases is caused by a number of factors including demography, behaviour and rate of testing. The rate of testing in the area has been high due to an early and proactive approach to testing taken by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay (UHMB) NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Furness General Hospital, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and the Westmorland General in Kendal in South Lakeland.
The Trust commenced swabbing of employees and household members who were symptomatic of coronavirus at the end of February 2020. Testing has included UHMB NHS Foundation Trust employees and household members, hospital inpatients, care home residents and staff, and key workers from other organisations and their households.