Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: Health Inequalities

Tuesday 5 May 2020 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Sarah Jones asked about high COVID-19 death rates in Croydon, linking them to underlying health issues affecting poorer people, many from BAME backgrounds.
  • The Minister emphasized the importance of conducting research before drawing conclusions.
  • The Minister stated that support for Public Health England is crucial to addressing the pandemic effectively.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Jones Lab Croydon Central
NHS
Context

The MP raises concerns about the high death rates in Croydon, particularly among people from BAME backgrounds.

Question

Over 250 people have died in Croydon. High levels of deaths appear to be down to the underlying health of the population, with poorer people often from BAME backgrounds being hardest hit by COVID-19. Does the Minister agree that we need to tackle longer-term underlying health issues causing gross inequality?

Answer from Jo Churchill (Minister of State for Health)

It is so important that we do the research before we draw conclusions. Every death is a tragedy, but we owe it to them to give Public Health England all the support they need to truly help us address the pandemic and those most affected by it in the right way.

Answered

Not addressed: The longer-term underlying health issues causing inequality were not directly addressed.

How: Reluctance To Draw Conclusions Without Full Research

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)