Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure effective coordination between the Dementia Tsar, the World Dementia Council and the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have established an advisory body drawing on expertise from across the health and care system to help shape the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia. This includes members with knowledge of local systems. Relevant teams within the Department are benefiting from the insight and guidance of this advisory body as they lead work on the Modern Service Framework, and the same teams are working on liaison with Baroness Casey’s commission, the recruitment of the new Dementia Tsar, the implementation of the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, and other relevant Government-funded initiatives, while also taking account of wider external activity, such as the work of the World Dementia Council. Effective progress is being made across all fronts in this vital area.
The NHS Health Check already makes eligible people aged between 65 to 74 years old aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia and signposts people to memory services where appropriate. Supporting materials for the dementia element of the NHS Health Check are available on the NHS Health Check website.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to expand the NHS Health Check programme to identify individuals at increased risk of dementia.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have established an advisory body drawing on expertise from across the health and care system to help shape the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia. This includes members with knowledge of local systems. Relevant teams within the Department are benefiting from the insight and guidance of this advisory body as they lead work on the Modern Service Framework, and the same teams are working on liaison with Baroness Casey’s commission, the recruitment of the new Dementia Tsar, the implementation of the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, and other relevant Government-funded initiatives, while also taking account of wider external activity, such as the work of the World Dementia Council. Effective progress is being made across all fronts in this vital area.
The NHS Health Check already makes eligible people aged between 65 to 74 years old aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia and signposts people to memory services where appropriate. Supporting materials for the dementia element of the NHS Health Check are available on the NHS Health Check website.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the timely implementation of the Modern Service Framework for Dementia and Frailty at a local level.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have established an advisory body drawing on expertise from across the health and care system to help shape the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia. This includes members with knowledge of local systems. Relevant teams within the Department are benefiting from the insight and guidance of this advisory body as they lead work on the Modern Service Framework, and the same teams are working on liaison with Baroness Casey’s commission, the recruitment of the new Dementia Tsar, the implementation of the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, and other relevant Government-funded initiatives, while also taking account of wider external activity, such as the work of the World Dementia Council. Effective progress is being made across all fronts in this vital area.
The NHS Health Check already makes eligible people aged between 65 to 74 years old aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia and signposts people to memory services where appropriate. Supporting materials for the dementia element of the NHS Health Check are available on the NHS Health Check website.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place so that sponsor-licence revocation decisions are appropriate and take into account the impact on care workers and continuity of care.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government has stated it has significant concerns regarding the levels of exploitation and abuse that there is in the care sector to the detriment of overseas workers. We will not tolerate this and therefore, where such behaviour is identified will seek to deploy the most appropriate sanction on a Sponsor Licence holder.
The Home Office works closely with the Department for Health and Social Care, Devolved equivalents and funded Regional Partnerships and Local Authorities to ensure that any disruption to the continuity of care is minimised, whilst tackling the systemic issue the Care sector presents.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - 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 10 September (HL1817), who will be responsible for (1) setting implementation milestones, (2) setting target dates, and (3) reporting progress, towards achieving universal fracture liaison service coverage in England by 2030.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 1 September in response to Question HL2030, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below.
Our 10-Year Health Plan is clear that the future National Health Service must be more preventative, more integrated, and deliver more care closer to home, including for people with osteoporosis.
The Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030, and we are clear that everyone at risk of fragility fractures should be able to benefit from high-quality, timely care that supports prevention, early intervention, and effective management. We are pursuing those goals across the whole pathway of fracture prevention, including improving access to diagnosis, supporting the adoption of effective treatments, and encouraging local systems to develop services that identify people at the highest risk of future fractures and intervene early.
Earlier this year, the Government announced £2.6 million of funding for 20 new DEXA bone density scanners across England. Tens of thousands of patients will benefit from faster access to bone scans as a result, helping to ensure that people with bone conditions, such as osteoporosis, get diagnosed earlier. This builds on the first wave of 13 DEXA scanners announced last year. In 2025, over 21,000 extra DEXA scans were delivered in England compared with 2024.
We continue to work closely with NHS England to improve access to fracture prevention services and to explore the best ways of supporting local systems to deliver high-quality care which meets the needs of their populations. The Government has been clear that integrated care boards are best placed to shape services for their localities and we have set expectations, through the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, that they should prioritise community-based models when commissioning new services.
Progress in this area can be monitored through activity and outcomes reported through the Fracture Liaison Service Database.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in language and eyesight problems among children in schools and the corresponding impact on NHS referrals.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made of the kind described by the Noble Lord, but we recognise the importance of supporting children’s development and education through good eye health and effective support for speech, language and communication needs.
Free NHS sight tests are available to all children aged under 16 years old, and young people aged under 19 years old in full-time education, helping to identify vision problems early and ensure children receive the treatment and support they need.
NHS England is also working with the Department for Education to identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs through the Early Language Support for Every Child programme, including in early years and primary school settings.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many care homes have had their licences revoked since 2024 on the basis that they have previously sponsored foreign nationals to work as carers there; and how many of those care homes have successfully appealed against that decision.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The information requested is not available from published information and due to the significant cost, it would take to obtain the information we are unable to provide it.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many care workers have (1) lost their immigration status following sponsor-licence revocations of care homes, and (2) subsequently found alternative sponsors, since 2024.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The information requested is not available from published information and due to the significant cost it would take to obtain the information we are unable to provide it.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many care workers have left the UK since 2024 because they lost their immigration status as a result of sponsor-licence revocations for care homes.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The information requested is not available from published information and due to the significant cost, it would take to obtain the information we are unable to provide it.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - 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 1 October (HL3630), and given that they do not collect data on the cost of responding to vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, what steps they are taking to establish a national framework to track NHS outbreak-response expenditure by disease type and shift the focus from treatment to prevention.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The shift from treatment to prevention is at the heart of the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, and that plan explicitly recognises the importance of vaccines in helping to drive that shift. We will keep any proposals for strengthening those efforts under review, but we do not envisage any current need for a new framework of the kind the Noble Lord describes.