Every parliamentary written question tabled by Deirdre Costigan this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–31 of 31 · Department of Health and Social Care
What steps he is taking to ensure adequate provision of early support for people with learning disabilities that live independently.
The Government is determined to stabilise the adult social care system and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide joined-up care for people with complex health and care needs, such as people with a physical or learning d...
What steps he is taking to ensure that unpaid carers (a) are adequacy supported and (b) have access to (i) short breaks and (ii) legal advice.
Lord Darzi’s independent review of the NHS is clear that a fresh approach to supporting and involving unpaid carers is required to improve outcomes for carers, people needing care and the NHS.We will carefully consider these findings as part of our 10-yea...
What steps he is taking to improve access to podiatry services for rough sleepers that are not eligible for full public funding due to their immigration status.
Integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population with the resources they are allocated, including in respect of podiatry services. This starts with general practice (GP) registr...
What assessment he has made of the potential impact on patient safety of adult social care workers (a) administering vaccines and (b) undertaking other NHS delegated tasks.
Employers in the health and care system are responsible for ensuring that adult social care workers are competent to undertake the healthcare activity delegated to them, with sufficient training, development, and support to the required standard.The adult...
What steps he is taking to ensure adequate support for people with physical disabilities that live independently.
The Government is determined to stabilise the adult social care system and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide joined-up care for people with complex health and care needs, such as people with a physical or learning d...
What steps he is taking to improve access to optometry services for rough sleepers who are not eligible for full public funding due to their immigration status.
Individuals can apply for help with the cost of sight tests and glasses through the NHS low-income scheme. This includes people seeking asylum, refused asylum seekers in receipt of Home Office support and some refugees who will be eligible for cost exempt...
What steps he is taking to improve access to dental care for rough sleepers who are not eligible for full public funding due to their immigration status.
The Department recognises the importance of reducing barriers to services for those experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping. This is why we supported the development and implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidan...
What steps he is taking to improve adult social care workforce retention.
Skills for Care data shows improvement in workforce retention in adult social care, the staff turnover rate decreased from 29.1% in 2022/23 to 24.8% in 2023/24 in the independent and local authority sectors. This may be partly due to the increase in inter...
What steps his Department is taking to improve mental health services in Ealing Southall constituency.
People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that mental health is given the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessi...
What steps his Department is taking to reduce gynaecology waiting lists.
Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. Equality of both access to care and outcomes will be at the heart of building an NHS that is fit for the future. This includes ensuring that women’s health is not neglected.We have committed to achieving the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by the end of this Parliament, which includes those waiting for gynaecology treatment. To achieve this, we will start by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week across the country, and will increase the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests, that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waits. This urgent work will help the nearly 600,000 women stuck on gynaecology waiting lists get the medical care they need.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of offering shingles vaccines to everyone aged 60 and over.
From September 2023, the routine shingles vaccination programme changed from the Zostavax vaccine to the more effective two dose Shingrix vaccine, to better protect individuals from the effects of shingles, provide better clinical outcomes, and reduce pressures on the health system. As a result, almost 1 million more people became eligible for the shingles vaccination. When a vaccination programme is expanded, decisions must be made regarding who to offer the vaccine to first. These decisions are based on advice given by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), and include evidence on the impact of the vaccine in different age groups as well as the capacity of the National Health Service to deliver the vaccination programme alongside other important healthcare priorities. The expansion of the shingles programme currently includes those turning 65 years old on or after 1 September 2023, as well as those aged 50 years old and over who are at increased risk of serious complications. Phasing the roll-out of the shingles vaccination over time to everyone 60 years old and over is in line with the JCVI’s recommendation and maximises cost effectiveness and population benefit, ensures consistent messaging over time to maximise coverage, and takes account of NHS capacity, all while being consistent with the approach taken by all four nations in the United Kingdom. This is a newly expanded programme and anyone unsure if they are eligible for the shingles vaccination should check online, on the NHS.UK website, or should speak to their general practice.