Asked by: Lord Bishop of London (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the upcoming workforce strategy for social care will implement recommendations contained in the Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, published by the NHS Confederation on 9 May, including (1) support for pharmacists to implement the Pharmacy First initiative, and (2) additional locum cover for GPs as they transition into 'modern General Practices'.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In December 2021, we published our People at the Heart of Care white paper, setting out our vision for reforming adult social care, including our strategy for the care workforce. There is no plan to publish a further workforce strategy for adult social care.
To support the National Health Service workforce, we have published the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which sets out the steps the NHS and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the NHS workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of London (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent progress they have made towards reducing health inequalities; and what further steps they intend to take in the future.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving healthy life expectancy by five years by 2035 and reducing the gap between areas where it is highest and lowest by 2030, as stated in the Levelling Up White Paper.
We know that lifestyle factors such as maintaining a healthy weight, drinking in moderation, and quitting smoking are some of the best ways to tackle health disparities. We have restricted the placement of less healthy food in shops, provided the largest ever single increase in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery funding in England, and will help a million smokers across England quit by giving them a free vaping starter kit.
The Government also announced on 24 January 2023 that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy. An interim report will be published in the summer. Interventions set out in the strategy will aim to alleviate pressure on the health system, as well as support the Government’s objective to increase healthy life expectancy and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of London (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to The Hewitt Review: an independent review of integrated care systems, published on 4 April, what plans they have to implement the recommendation contained in that review to publish a strategy for the social care workforce.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local Government has a key role to play in supporting recruitment and retention in their areas, utilising their oversight of local systems to identify workforce shortages and develop workforce plans. A new duty on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) means that the CQC will now be considering if local authorities understand their current and future workforce needs and if councils are working in partnership with providers to develop, support and promote capable and effective care workforces.
In April 2023, the Government published ‘Next Steps to Put People at the Heart of Care’, reiterating our strategy for the social care workforce, and detailing investment of at least £250 million in the adult social care workforce over the next two years.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of London (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that patients are not digitally excluded from making choices about their care as the Patient Access Plan is rolled out.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government wants to make it easier and quicker for everyone to get the help they need from primary care and reduce digital inequalities when they access care. The Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, published on 9 May 2023, describes the implementation of a new Modern general practice access model, which will make it easier for everyone to contact their practice and it will make sure arrangements for care happen on the same day. This will ensure we move away from a ‘first come, first served’ approach towards a more equitable one that benefits all patients, regardless of their chosen route of access.
To combat digital exclusion, the public need to know that the new access model combines the flexible use of telephone, digital and in person access choices for patients. That is why the delivery plan includes a major national communications campaign to explain the evolving nature of primary care how best the public can use the National Health Service. The plan commits £240 million of re-targeted funding for better digital tools and training, which will improve digital access routes, freeing up capacity for those patients who still want or need to contact their practice by telephone or in person.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of London (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any inequality of access to primary care.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. NHS England has a statutory responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of all patients and in all parts of the country.
The Government wants everyone to be able to access primary care when they need to and reducing inequalities in access to general practice services is a priority for the National Health Service. The Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, states the implementation of a new Modern general practice access model, which will make it easier for everyone to contact their practice and it will make sure arrangements for care happen on the same day. This will ensure we move away from a ‘first come, first served’ approach towards a more equitable one that benefits all patients, regardless of their chosen route of access.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of London (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their new Major Conditions Strategy will include the content of their unpublished Health Disparities White Paper.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Major Conditions Strategy will consider major conditions in the round, including disparities due to geography and other factors. Many stakeholders have already responded to government consultations on mental health, dementia, health disparities and cancer. We will draw on the insights and evidence provided through these processes and the Department will set out opportunities to contribute further in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of London (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the consultation process will be in the development of their Major Conditions Strategy.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Major Conditions Strategy will consider major conditions in the round, including disparities due to geography and other factors. Many stakeholders have already responded to government consultations on mental health, dementia, health disparities and cancer. We will draw on the insights and evidence provided through these processes and the Department will set out opportunities to contribute further in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of London (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the number of people earning less than the lower earnings threshold for statutory sick pay has changed over the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Information on the number of people earning less than the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL), over the last five years, is not readily available and would incur a disproportionate cost. This would require significant analysis to ensure the underlying data would be robust.
As set out in the 2019 consultation, “Health is Everyone’s Business”, it was estimated that there were around 2 million employees who earned below the LEL and were therefore ineligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
Asked by: Lord Bishop of London (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessments they have carried out of proposed reforms to Statutory Sick Pay in the last 10 years.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Statutory Sick Pay provides a minimum level of income for employees who are unable to work and is both administered and paid for entirely by employers.
The Government continues to keep the system under review.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of London (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are currently receiving statutory sick pay; how many people are eligible to receive only statutory sick pay when unwell; and how many people earn less than the lower earnings threshold, making them ineligible for statutory sick pay.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
Statutory Sick Pay is administered and paid by employers, so this information is not held by the Government. Therefore, we are not able to make a robust assessment on the number of people who are currently receiving SSP.
There is information on the type of sick pay usually paid from surveys of employers and employees. The most recent of these are a survey of employers conducted in 2018 (most recent publication in 2021) and a survey of employees conducted in 2014 (published in 2015). Links to both surveys can be found below:
As set out in the 2019 “Health is Everyone’s Business” consultation, it was estimated that there were around 2 million employees who earned below the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) and were therefore ineligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).