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  • Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Greengross on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many days were lost through the sickness of healthcare workers in each year between 2009 and 2014.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The number of days lost through the sickness of healthcare workers between 2009 and 2014 were:

    England

    Full Time Equivalent Days Lost to Sickness Absence (includes non-working days)

    Full Time Equivalent Days Available (includes non-working days)

    Sickness Absence Rate

    2009-10

    16,745,315

    380,199,666

    4.40%

    2010-11

    15,947,054

    383,278,845

    4.16%

    2011-12

    15,555,507

    377,908,880

    4.12%

    2012-13

    15,947,518

    376,187,354

    4.24%

    2013-14

    15,385,468

    378,691,376

    4.06%

    2014-15

    16,423,722

    386,388,483

    4.25%

    Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre

    The Government does not record the cost incurred by the National Health Service due to days lost through the sickness of healthcare workers.

    Employers are responsible for reducing the days lost through sickness of their staff. The Department supports the NHS by commissioning NHS Employers to provide trusts with advice, guidance and good practice on improving NHS staff health and wellbeing which is available on an online only resource at:

    www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/retain-and-improve/staff-experience/health-work-and-wellbeing/protecting-staff-and-preventing-ill-health/supporting-line-managers/managers-guide-on-supporting-workplace-mental-health/supporting-staff-who-are-experiencing-mental-health-problems

    NHS Employers is also working with NHS England and Public Health England on a £5 million initiative to improve NHS staff health announced in its Five Year Forward View. A copy of the ‘A healthy NHS workforce’ announcement is attached.

    “

  • Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Greengross on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to address the stigma of mental health problems amongst healthcare workers.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government included in its Mandate to NHS England an objective for them to “make partnership a success”. This includes “championing the Time to Change campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues and reduce stigma, including in the NHS workforce”.

    In taking this forward, NHS England recently announced the "A healthy NHS workforce" initiative. This aims to raise staff awareness and understanding of mental health issues, helping to ensure they have access to help, support and treatment when they need it. A copy of the announcement is attached.

    “A healthy NHS workforce” includes, for example, line manager trainingand, providing NHS staff rapid access to talking therapies. Thisis currently being tested as part of the Healthy Workforce programme led by NHS England.

    In addition, NHS Employers have launched the How are you feeling NHS? toolkit. This has been developed with NHS staff to help bridge a gap in understanding and enable them to: talk openly and regularly about their emotional health; assess the impact emotional wellbeing has on themselves, their colleagues and patients, and help with action planning to enable more good days than bad. The online only resource can be found at:

    www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/retain-and-improve/staff-experience/health-work-and-wellbeing/protecting-staff-and-preventing-ill-health/how-are-you-feeling-nhs-toolkit

    “

  • Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Greengross on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many NHS employees have attempted, or committed, suicide in each year between 2009 and 2014.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government has not assessed how many National Health Service employees have attempted, or committed, suicide in each year between 2009 and 2014. The Department does not collect this information centrally.

    However, the Department is not complacent and commissions NHS Employers to support trusts to improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of their employees, which is the responsibility of employers across the NHS in England.

    NHS Employers is working with NHS England and Public Health England on NHS England’s recently announced “A healthy NHS workforce", a commitment in its Five Year Forward View “which includes increasing awareness of and addressing mental health issues affecting NHS staff”. A copy of the announcement is attached.

  • Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Greengross on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policy the NHS has about protecting the mental health of its workforce.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England’s recent announcement "A healthy NHS workforce", aims to raise staff awareness and understanding of mental health issues and ensure staff have access to help, support and treatment when they need it.

    “A healthy NHS workforce” includes, for example, line manager training and, providing NHS staff rapid access to talking therapies. This is currently being tested as part of the Healthy Workforce programme led by NHS England.

    NHS Employers is working with NHS England and Public Health England on improving NHS staff health and wellbeing. They offer extensive information and tools for managers to support their employees who are demonstrating signs of mental health problems, or returning to work following periods of sickness absence.

    These resources, which are only available online, can be found at the following link:

    www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/retain-and-improve/staff-experience/health-work-and-wellbeing/protecting-staff-and-preventing-ill-health/supporting-line-managers/managers-guide-on-supporting-workplace-mental-health/supporting-staff-who-are-experiencing-mental-health-problems

  • Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees whether any staff of the House of Lords are paid less than the recommended Living Wage for London, and if so, how many and in which departments they work.

    Lord Laming

    The House of Lords Administration was accredited as a London Living Wage employer in November 2013. We have kept in line with changes to the Living Wage since. No staff employed by the House Administration are paid below the London Living Wage.

  • The Earl of Clancarty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The Earl of Clancarty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Clancarty on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have purchased 41–71 Commercial Road, Aldgate, which is currently part of the Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design, from London Metropolitan University; and if so, (1) when; (2) which department purchased that building; (3) what was the asking price; (4) how much they paid; (5) whether the Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design is being instructed to vacate the premises, and if so, when; and (6) how they intend to use the building in future.

    Lord Nash

    The Department for Education purchased the Commercial Road site in the name of the Department for Communities and Local Government in June 2015. The site has been leased back to London Metropolitan University until August 2016, after which the site will be developed into a school building. The price paid for the site can be obtained from the land registry.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of congestion in urban areas on the number of buses that have to remain in service, in particular in Manchester.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The bus market outside London is deregulated, with the vast majority of services provided on a commercial basis by private sector bus operators. The impact of congestion in urban areas on the number of buses that have to remain in service is one for bus operators and local transport authorities to consider.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect that congestion in urban areas is having on the cost and attractiveness of bus travel to travellers.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Department for Transport has not conducted a specific assessment of the effect that congestion in urban areas is having on the cost and attractiveness of bus travel to travellers.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there has been any research into the effect of the introduction of the Traffic Management Act 2004 on congestion in Cardiff, as opposed to other cities.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Not by Her Majesty’s Government. This is a devolved matter and so would be for the Welsh Government or the relevant traffic authority in Cardiff.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to deal with traffic congestion in towns and cities.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government has an ambitious strategy for tackling congestion in our cities and towns and improving performance on our roads. This strategy includes providing significant investment in both our strategic and localroad network, as well as working with highway authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships to encourage more sustainable transport including buses, light rail and walking and cycling.

    In addition, Part 2 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 ("the Act") specifically places a Network Management Duty (NMD) on each local traffic authority in England to manage its road network to secure the expeditious movement of traffic on its own network and to facilitate the same on the network of other authorities. Coordination of activities and actions between authorities is an especially important element of network management.

    The Act is intended to provide better conditions for all road users through coordination and proactive management of the road network. It provides a key tool in the Government’s strategy to tackle congestion through a range of initiatives including for example, better management of street works in order to minimise disruption and delivering fairer systems for civil parking and traffic enforcement.