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NB: In light of the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, we are temporarily amending our Weekly Update format to try to reflect the very large number of related announcements and statements.
- The Prime Minister and other senior ministers have delivered a daily statement on Covid-19, alongside medical and scientific experts. [Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday].
- NHS England has announced that a ‘major deal’ has been made with independent hospitals to expand hospital capacity to battle coronavirus. NHS Confederation has responded.
- Health Education England, the General Medical Council, devolved governments and relevant national education bodies have published a joint statement setting out the UK wide approach they have agreed to ‘facilitate the early provisional registration as doctors of suitable final year medical students once they have graduated, and the early full registration of suitable Foundation Year 1 doctors’.
- The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has published a joint statement on impacts for both first and second year nursing students and expanding the nursing and midwifery workforce.
- Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) has created an e-learning programme in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
- NHS England has announced 'millions more items of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline staff have been delivered to NHS services across the country'. The Royal College of Midwives, the Society of Radiographers, the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA), the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Unison have all raised concerns about PPE this week.
- The Department for Health and Social Care has announced £500,000 of funding has been made available for technology companies who come up with digital support solutions for people who need to stay at home because of coronavirus.
- The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency have stated that ‘Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine’ are ‘not licensed for coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment.’
- NHS Digital has released a statement for people who think they have inaccurately been sent communication about being vulnerable to Coronavirus.
- Antibiotic Research UK has said ‘Covid-19 antibody test kits will be available soon.’ The Labour Party has responded.
For further stakeholder announcements on Covid-19 from this week, please see here.
For more information, please contact Ellie Southgate.
- English Pharmacy Board Chair, Claire Anderson, has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care today, calling for ‘greater recognition of pharmacists and support staff who are going "above and beyond" to help patients and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.’
- The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has released a statement to support pre-registration pharmacists.The General Pharmaceutical Council also released a statement.
- The National Audit Office (NAO) has prepared a memorandum to support the Health and Social Care Committee's Dentistry Services inquiry.
For more information, please contact Ellie Southgate.
- The Mental Health Foundation has revealed that ‘millions of UK adults have felt panicked, afraid and unprepared because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to polling data.’
For more information, please contact Chris Hares.
- NHS England has announced that a new hospital will open to provide support for thousands more patients with coronavirus. The ‘NHS Nightingale Hospital, London, will be ready for use from next week.’
- The Government has stated it is ‘giving immediate financial backing for all NHS trusts to provide free car parking to NHS staff for the duration of coronavirus (COVID-19).’ The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and others had called for the change.
- The House of Commons Library has published a briefing on ‘NHS charges’.
- The Macular Society, along with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists has asked ‘hospitals across the UK to write to patients to ensure they continue to attend their sight-saving injections, amid the current coronavirus outbreak.’
For the complete list of Hospital related stories, click here.
For more information, please contact Mat Hughes.
- The Local Government Association has said ‘retired care workers being asked to return to work could help support those most at risk of the coronavirus outbreak and provide a much-needed boost to an already over-stretched social care workforce.
- The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has announced it has suspended all casework activity that ‘demands information from, or action by, local authorities and care providers, in light of the current Coronavirus outbreak.’
- The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced a ‘raft of new measures’ for those considered to be ‘extremely vulnerable.’
For more information, please contact Matt Rose.
- NHS England has released its ‘Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) annual report 2019’ that ‘provides the first national review of the NHS workforce that relates to the workplace representation and career experiences of Disabled staff.’
- The Health and Social Care Select Committee has published correspondence between the Chair (Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP) and Simon Stevens, Chief Executive at NHS England on ‘Clinical Academics and the 2019-20 Pensions allowance’.
For more information, please contact Chris Hares.
Monday 23 March
- All stages of the ‘Coronavirus Bill’ in the House of Commons. [Hansard] [Summary][Implications for CQC] CQC was mentioned in this debate.
- Private Notice Question to 'ask the Government, in the light of Northwich Park Hospital’s declaration of a ‘critical incident’ and an increasing number of patients across the UK with Covid-19, what steps are they taking to increase critical care capacity in the NHS' tabled by Baroness Thornton (Labour). [Hansard]
- Adjournment debate on ‘staffing of Accident and Emergency departments’ tabled by Chris Bryant MP (Labour, Rhondda). [Hansard]
Tuesday 24 March
Wednesday 25 March
- Remaining stages and Third Reading of the ‘Coronavirus Bill’ in the House of Lords. [Hansard] [Hansard] [Summary] CQC was mentioned in this debate. PGSE colleagues briefed the Department of Health and Social Care ahead of the Third Reading of the Bill.
- Questions to the Prime Minister in the House of Commons. [Hansard] [Summary]
Thursday 26 March
- The Health and Social Care Select Committee held a postponed two-panel session on ‘Preparations for Coronavirus’. Witnesses include: (i) Professor Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director, Public Health England; Dr Chaand Nagpaul, Chair, British Medical Association; Dr Katherine Henderson, President, Royal College of Emergency Medicine; Dr Paul Tanto, Registrar in Emergency Medicine, Northwick Park Hospital; (ii) James Bullion, Vice-President, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services; Sarah Pickup, Deputy Chief Executive, Local Government Association; Professor Martin Green, CEO, Care England; Emily Holzhausen, Representative, Care and Support Alliance.
NB: This session was by video conference and was not screened live. It is hoped that a recording can be made available at a later date. PGSE colleagues have been unable to summarise the debate due to there being no broadcast of it, but we will endeavour to review the recording if it is made available.
For more information, please contact Mat Hughes.
The House of Commons and the House of Lords has now risen for an extended Easter recess. They will return no earlier than 21 April 2020.
For more information, please contact Matt Rose.
This week, there were 411 Parliamentary Questions published by DHSC. Key themes to be aware of are:
COVID-19
- This week, 145 questions were put to DHSC relating to COVID-19 (down from 229 last week). Of the 33 PQs put to the Department on Wednesday 25 March, only two were not COVID-19 related.
- Dr Julian Lewis MP (Conservative, New Forest East): To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contingency arrangements are in place for the care of (a) SEN children and (b) dependent children in the event that their parents are unable to care for them as a result of COVID-19.
NB: We are gathering insight on parliamentary interest in COVID-19. Please contact us with any questions or to access the full list of COVID-19 related PQs.
Mental Health Support
- Bridget Phillipson MP (Labour, Houghton and Sunderland South): To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of psychological support and resources available to doctors and nurses in primary care.
Immigration
- Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat): To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to waive the payment of any immigration surcharge for medical personnel employed by the NHS who are not from the UK.
If you would like any further information or any full responses to these themes, please contact government.engagement@cqc.org.uk
This week, there were no external speaking engagements due to COVID-19.
For more information, or to notify the Parliamentary, Government and Stakeholder Engagement team of a speaker engagement you are undertaking on CQC’s behalf (national or regional), contact the Speaker Engagement mailbox.
There were 27 mentions of the CQC in national, regional and trade publications this week.
- On Monday, the Guardian reported that the GMC has raised concerns about doctors taking advantage of patients worried that they might be infected by COVID-19 and making profits from selling private tests. The story notes that to sell a home test alone is not a regulated activity but that the lab that does the analysis may need to be CQC registered for ‘diagnostic and screening procedures.”
- On Tuesday, a piece in the HSJ focused on the work CQC is doing to develop an interim targeted methodology to provide assurance on safety and risk during the COVID-19 outbreak. It is noted that the revised methodology will shift the emphasis from inspection to a broader regulatory approach which can be delivered remotely if necessary.
- On Thursday, a story in the Financial Times (behind paywall) discussing the impact of coronavirus on care providers across the UK, featured a comment from Martin Green, chief executive of Care England welcoming CQC’s decision to stop routine inspections but calling for an additional suspension of registration fees.
- Also on Thursday, the Telegraph reported on the publication of an independent review into the deaths of 202 patients who underwent heart surgery at St George’s Hospital in London between 2013 and 2018. The review concluded that there were "significant shortcomings" in the care of 102 patients. CQC’s latest inspection of the trust which published in December 2019 and found evidence of improvements is mentioned.
For more information on CQC in the news, please go here.
This update is compiled by the Parliamentary, Government and Stakeholder Engagement team. If you have any queries, would like further information, or if you’d be interested in a presentation on our work, please do not hesitate to contact us:
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Chris Hares, Parliamentary and Stakeholder Engagement Manager, 020 7448 4555.
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Mat Hughes, Senior Parliamentary and Stakeholder Engagement Adviser, 0207 448 1640.
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Matt Rose, Senior Parliamentary and Stakeholder Engagement Adviser, 0207 448 9167.
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Ellie Southgate, Senior Parliamentary and Stakeholder Engagement Officer, 0207 448 1741.
To add a colleague to the distribution list, please email: Ellie Southgate
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