AQW 30160/17-22


Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast


Tabled Date: 23/02/2022
Answered On Date: 16/03/2022
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health what measures he is putting in place to ensure that people who are clinically vulnerable to Coronavirus, but who were not shielding, such as those with asthma, have access to anti-viral treatment.


Answer:
On the 9th December 2021 an announcement was made that there will be two routes to access new COVID-19 treatments for non-hospitalised patients. One route is via the UK PANORAMIC study. The other treatment route is through our Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust led Outpatient COVID-19 Treatment Service (OCTs) for patients who are thought to be at highest risk from COVID-19 infection and who meet specific criteria for treatment.
The eligible groups of highest risk patients to receive the new COVID-19 treatments directly via a HSC Trust OCTs have been determined by an independent expert group commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care in England, and included in a clinical policy agreed by all four Chief Medical Officers in the UK. This policy was developed based on evidence that certain health conditions can make a patient much more likely to progress to severe disease. A summary of the health conditions at highest risk from COVID-19 and therefore eligible for direct treatment by a health Trust, is provided at NI Direct Treatments for coronavirus (COVID-19).
In NI we are continuing to utilise a digital method to identify patients who, on receipt of a positive COVID-19 test result, are at highest risk of serious illness and potentially eligible to access these treatments. When a patient receives a positive PCR result or reports a positive lateral flow test result, this is matched with their health records resulting in the patient receiving a text message and follow up telephone call from their local HSC Trust OCTs.
Those who do not receive a text message and/or phone call from their HSC Trust, and believe they are at highest risk of serious illness as a consequence of testing positive for COVID-19, are advised to contact their own GP directly.GPs and community pharmacists have all received written information on the HSC trust OCTs, as well as the PANORAMIC study, with GPs being able to refer eligible patients directly for treatment at their local HSC trust. In addition patients with a positive COVID-19 PCR test result or lateral flow test result can self-refer into the PANORAMIC study.
Further information regarding these new treatments and criteria for those patients who may be eligible to access them is available on the NI Direct Treatments for coronavirus (COVID-19).