Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost in NHS and social services staff time and resources in administering NHS Continuing Healthcare, and undertaking the necessary patient assessments, in each of the past two financial years.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect data on the cost of administering NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) or undertaking CHC assessments.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the financial value of support provided to patients through NHS Continuing Healthcare scheme in each of the past two financial years.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The cost of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) to NHS England was £4.42 billion in 2022/23 and £4.27 billion in 2021/22. This includes Standard and Fast Track CHC, and the personal health budgets relating to these costs. These figures do not include costs for joint funded packages of care, children’s continuing care, assessments and support, or any other CHC related costs.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people applied for assistance through NHS Continuing Healthcare in each of the past two financial years.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Standard NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is a package of National Health Service funded ongoing care for adults with the highest levels of complex, intense or unpredictable needs, who have been assessed as having a primary health need. Fast Track CHC is for adults who have a primary health need resulting from a rapidly deteriorating condition, who are nearing the end of their life. This aims to put an appropriate care and support package in place as soon as possible. The following table shows the number of new referrals for both Standard and Fast Track CHC, and the percentage of those found eligible, for each quarter over the last two financial years in England:
Period | Standard CHC | Fast Track | Standard CHC | Fast Track | |
2022/23 | Q4 | 16,578 | 28,797 | 16% | 96% |
Q3 | 15,383 | 27,727 | 18% | 95% | |
Q2 | 15,062 | 26,683 | 17% | 95% | |
Q1 | 15,498 | 25,936 | 18% | 96% | |
2021/22 | Q4 | 14,653 | 25,910 | 17% | 95% |
Q3 | 14,636 | 25,793 | 17% | 95% | |
Q2 | 15,178 | 25,746 | 20% | 96% | |
Q1 | 16,001 | 24,664 | 19% | 96% | |
Note: the number of new referrals does not include referrals for assessments of previously unassessed periods of care.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria they use to assess the success of NHS Continuing Healthcare.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is responsible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) policy and legislation, which includes the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care. We work with partners to ensure that the core principles and values of CHC are upheld as set out in the framework, a copy of which is attached.
Operational delivery of CHC is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) with oversight from NHS England. NHS England holds ICBs accountable, engages with them to ensure that they discharge their functions, and monitors performance through well-established assurance mechanisms.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of people who applied for assistance through NHS Continuing Healthcare in each of the past two financial years were successful in their application.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Standard NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is a package of National Health Service funded ongoing care for adults with the highest levels of complex, intense or unpredictable needs, who have been assessed as having a primary health need. Fast Track CHC is for adults who have a primary health need resulting from a rapidly deteriorating condition, who are nearing the end of their life. This aims to put an appropriate care and support package in place as soon as possible. The following table shows the number of new referrals for both Standard and Fast Track CHC, and the percentage of those found eligible, for each quarter over the last two financial years in England:
Period | Standard CHC | Fast Track | Standard CHC | Fast Track | |
2022/23 | Q4 | 16,578 | 28,797 | 16% | 96% |
Q3 | 15,383 | 27,727 | 18% | 95% | |
Q2 | 15,062 | 26,683 | 17% | 95% | |
Q1 | 15,498 | 25,936 | 18% | 96% | |
2021/22 | Q4 | 14,653 | 25,910 | 17% | 95% |
Q3 | 14,636 | 25,793 | 17% | 95% | |
Q2 | 15,178 | 25,746 | 20% | 96% | |
Q1 | 16,001 | 24,664 | 19% | 96% | |
Note: the number of new referrals does not include referrals for assessments of previously unassessed periods of care.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports by the BBC on 10 October that doctors are being recruited illegally from Africa by private sector companies to work in the UK; and that such doctors are expected to work in private hospitals under conditions not allowed in the NHS.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. All United Kingdom-based organisations recruiting and employing international doctors should follow the Code of Practice on Ethical International Recruitment. The Code includes a ‘red-list’ of countries from which health and care workers should not be actively recruited.
National Health Service organisations only use recruiters on the Ethical Recruiters List and breaching the Code may result in removal from the Ethical Recruiters List. All employers must abide by the legislation regarding workers’ rights in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that Integrated Care Systems (1) adopt, and (2) support, health creation.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Many of the principles of ‘health creation’ align with the proposals for integrated care systems (ICS) we have set out in the Health and Care White Paper Bill, in particular by improving the role of community and place-based working by ensuring that health and social care services are delivered in a way that works best for a local area and their population. ICSs will strengthen partnerships between the National Health Service and local authorities and with local partners, including groups representing the public and patient perspective, the voluntary sector and wider public service provision.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of making health creation a priority for a post-COVID-19 health and social care service.
Answered by Lord Bethell
We have not made a formal assessment. However, the community and place-based approach aligns with our priorities in promoting integrated care and provisions through integrated care systems in the forthcoming Health and Care Bill.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Health Creation Alliance Primary Care Networks and place-based working: addressing health inequalities in a COVID-19 world. A partners perspective, published on 13 April, what consideration they have given to ensuring every Primary Care Network employs a Strategic Relationship Development Lead whose role is to build relationships between primary care, communities and local partners.
Answered by Lord Bethell
No assessment has been made. However, the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to work with key stakeholders to consider the best ways to tackle health inequalities.
The five-year framework for the General Practitioner Contract included a commitment to introduce a service specification through which Primary Care Networks will identify and address the most pressing health inequalities in their local area. This will be supported by new members of staff employed under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. This scheme includes roles such as social prescribing link workers, whose focus includes identifying and supporting local voluntary and community groups to become sustainable and that community assets are nurtured.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Health Creation Alliance Primary Care Networks and place-based working: addressing health inequalities in a COVID-19 world. A partners perspective, published on 13 April.
Answered by Lord Bethell
No assessment has been made. However, the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to work with key stakeholders to consider the best ways to tackle health inequalities.
The five-year framework for the General Practitioner Contract included a commitment to introduce a service specification through which Primary Care Networks will identify and address the most pressing health inequalities in their local area. This will be supported by new members of staff employed under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. This scheme includes roles such as social prescribing link workers, whose focus includes identifying and supporting local voluntary and community groups to become sustainable and that community assets are nurtured.