Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the recommendation of the UK Statistics Authority's Inclusive Data Taskforce that “Sex, age and ethnic group should be routinely collected and reported in all administrative data and in-service process data, including statistics collected within health and care settings and by police, courts and prisons”, why the collection of data on sex is not mandated in the Collection of Client Level Adult Social Care Data (No 3) Directions 2023.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 2023 Client Level Data (CLD) Directions set out the specific data that local authorities are required to collect and submit to the Department, in order for the Department to produce national data on the provision of adult social care in England. The data mandated in these directions are therefore only a small subset of all the administrative data that local authorities may collect and hold.
Meanwhile, local authorities routinely collect the data and information they consider necessary to perform their functions. The 2023 CLD Directions do not preclude local authorities from collecting any further information, including for example sex, that local authorities may consider necessary to effectively discharge their legal obligations.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 3 February (HL3955), on what basis local authorities are required to collect information about gender and who requires that information.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 2023 Client Level Data (CLD) Directions set out the specific data that local authorities are required to collect and submit to the Department, in order for the Department to produce national data on the provision of adult social care in England. The data mandated in these directions are therefore only a small subset of all the administrative data that local authorities may collect and hold.
Meanwhile, local authorities routinely collect the data and information they consider necessary to perform their functions. The 2023 CLD Directions do not preclude local authorities from collecting any further information, including for example sex, that local authorities may consider necessary to effectively discharge their legal obligations.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the Collection of Client Level Adult Social Care Data (No 3) Directions 2023 state that adult care providers must collect data based on gender, which is defined as "the gender the individual considers themselves to be", and not based on sex, given that sex, not gender, is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act; and what assessment they have made of providers' ability to supply single-sex services if data on sex is not collected.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Client Level Data is the first national collection of individual social care records, and this data is collected by the Department from local authorities, rather than care providers. The purpose of the 2023 Directions is to assist the Department in its functions, in particular by enabling key aspects of adult social care service provision to be analysed and reported on at a national level. Local authorities are required to collect information about gender, but that does not preclude them from collecting other information from service users such as on sex, including where this is necessary for them to discharge legal obligations.
The Department has not made an assessment of care providers’ ability to supply single-sex services. We expect Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated care providers to adhere to the CQC’s fundamental standards, set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, which require service users to be treated with dignity and respect. The CQC’s guidance on this legislative framework says that “When providing intimate or personal care, providers must make every reasonable effort to make sure that they respect people's preferences about who delivers their care and treatment”. This may include requesting staff of a specific sex.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue guidance regarding single-sex provision in social care settings, including nursing homes and people's own homes, for adults with learning difficulties or cognitive impairment who are vulnerable and at increased risk of sexual abuse.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are under statutory duties to safeguard adults in their area with care and support needs from abuse and neglect. This includes making enquiries, or causing others to do so, if it believes that an adult in its area, with care and support needs, which may include learning difficulties or cognitive impairments or both, is experiencing or at risk of abuse, including sexual abuse, or neglect, and as a result of those needs is, or would be, unable to protect themselves.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered care providers are also required to adhere to the CQC fundamental standards, set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, which include that service users must be treated with dignity and respect, and must have their support provided in a way that reflects their preferences. The CQC’s guidance on this legislative framework says that when providing intimate or personal care, a provider must make every reasonable effort to make sure that they respect people's preferences about who delivers their care and treatment. This may include requesting staff of a specific sex.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to inform local authorities of their provisional public health grant budgets for 2023–24.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the public health grant in (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–25 will increase in line with inflation as announced in the Spending Review 2021.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities in England shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the level of funding of the public health grant to local authorities.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
At the Spending Review 2021, we considered the need for local authority public health funding and confirmed that the public health grant to local authorities in England would increase over the settlement period. In 2022/23, the Grant increased by 2.81% to £3.417 billion. This is in addition to targeted investment through local Government in Start for Life support and drug and alcohol treatment services.
We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly, and in doing so will consider the impact of changes to pay and inflation trends and forecasts since the Spending Review.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the re-development of the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s plans for improvements at (1) Watford, (2) Hemel Hempstead, and (3) St Albans, have been paused; and so, what are the (a) reasons, and (b) rationale, for this pause.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The overall delivery of the new hospital scheme has not been paused. We continue to work with West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and all hospitals in the programme.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they monitor progress in implementing the recommendations of the final report of the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 Modernising the Mental Health Act: increasing choice, reducing compulsion, published on 6 December 2018; and what plans they have to report to Parliament on progress made.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We remain committed to publishing a White Paper which will set out the Government’s response to Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 and pave the way for reform of the Act. We aim to publish before the end of the year.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have reissued COVID-19 guidance to those working with people who are homeless or drug or alcohol dependent; and, if not, whether they plan to do so.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England (PHE) published guidance outlining COVID-19 advice for commissioners and service providers involved in assisting people who are dependent on drugs or alcohol or both. The guidance, COVID-19: guidance for commissioners and providers of services for people who use drugs or alcohol, was published on 15 April in an online only format on GOV.UK. PHE is reviewing the need for additional advice for staff working with people who are experiencing homelessness and living in hostels.