Asked by: Lord Laming (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the support given to unpaid carers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need. We want to ensure that people who care for family and friends are better able to look after their own health and wellbeing.
Long-term reform is needed in social care, and we will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including unpaid carers, to ensure their voices are heard as we develop plans to create a National Care Service. The National Care Service will be underpinned by national standards and delivered locally to ensure that everyone, including unpaid carers, is supported to live independent, dignified lives.
The Government recognises that many unpaid carers can face challenges balancing employment with caring. That is why we are committed to reviewing the implementation of carer’s leave, and examining the benefits of introducing paid carer’s leave.
We must also ensure that carers are supported by the benefits system. The Department for Work and Pensions will keep Carer’s Allowance under review to see if it meets its objectives. The previous Work and Pensions Committee made a number of recommendations for changing the rules and processes. The Government will respond to those recommendations in due course.
Asked by: Lord Laming (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to provide greater support to unpaid carers in England; and, if so, what additional support they intend to provide.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
This Government is committed to ensuring that families and friends who provide care for loved ones have the support they need and can look after their own health and wellbeing as well as those for whom they care.
We recognise the challenges carers are facing, and we want to provide the financial help and support they need and deserve, including through Carer’s Allowance and Universal Credit.
Local authorities also have duties to support carers. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.
The Government is also committed to reviewing the implementation of Carer’s Leave and examining all the benefits of introducing paid Carer’s Leave.
Asked by: Lord Laming (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Carers UK report State of Caring 2023 — The impact of caring on: health, published in November; and what steps they intend to take in response.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
We are grateful to Carers UK for having undertaken the research for this report, and we recognise that caring is not always easy or straightforward. There is a wide variety of caring circumstances, experiences and needs among unpaid carers, and the enormous contribution of unpaid carers is reflected throughout Next Steps to Put People at the Heart of Care, published on GOV.UK in April 2023 in an online-only format.
On 24 October 2023, we announced our £42.6 million Accelerating Reform Fund to support innovation and scaling up in adult social care, and to kick-start a change in services provided to support unpaid carers.
We are also investing at least £2.3 billion extra funding a year in expanding and transforming mental health services in England by March 2024. This extra funding will enable an extra two million people, including unpaid carers, to be treated by mental health services within the National Health Service by March 2024.
We know that breaks and respite are important for unpaid carers. This year, £327 million from the Better Care Fund has been earmarked to provide short breaks and respite services and additional advice and support to carers, together with a small number of additional local authority duties.
Asked by: Lord Laming (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, (2) the Care Quality Commission, (3) the General Pharmaceutical Council, and (4) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, relating to the performance of homecare medicines services.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has not made an assessment of the performance of the National Homecare Medicines Committee (NHMC). Providers of Homecare Medicine services to National Health Service patients do so under framework agreements and contracts which may be held at national level through NHS England, regional level through NHS procurement hubs, or local level through hospital trusts. This therefore requires a high degree of centralised co-ordination for which the NHMC liaises with homecare providers through their trade association the National Clinical Homecare Association (NCHA) to support and co-ordinate development of the homecare market and discuss any system wide issues. The NHMC includes representatives from the NHS, including NHS England and Pharmaceutical officers, homecare providers, pharmaceutical manufacturer associations and the Care Quality Commission.
NHS England, the NHMC and the NCHA have discussed concerns about the performance of homecare medicines services with officials from the Department.
Asked by: Lord Laming (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of the National Homecare Medicines Committee.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has not made an assessment of the performance of the National Homecare Medicines Committee (NHMC). Providers of Homecare Medicine services to National Health Service patients do so under framework agreements and contracts which may be held at national level through NHS England, regional level through NHS procurement hubs, or local level through hospital trusts. This therefore requires a high degree of centralised co-ordination for which the NHMC liaises with homecare providers through their trade association the National Clinical Homecare Association (NCHA) to support and co-ordinate development of the homecare market and discuss any system wide issues. The NHMC includes representatives from the NHS, including NHS England and Pharmaceutical officers, homecare providers, pharmaceutical manufacturer associations and the Care Quality Commission.
NHS England, the NHMC and the NCHA have discussed concerns about the performance of homecare medicines services with officials from the Department.
Asked by: Lord Laming (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take in response to reports that some providers of residential care services are not following government guidelines, and continue to deny residents visits by family and friends even when the home is free from all infections.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government's guidance is clear that every resident should be able to receive at least one visitor in all circumstances. Where visiting is not being supported in line with guidance, we work with the UK Health Security Agency’s health protection teams to resolve any local issues. The Care Quality Commission can also investigate complaints and has regulatory powers to act where providers do not appropriately support people to have access to visits. We recognise that there are instances where residents are unable to receive visitors and we are therefore reviewing further options to avoid restrictions on visiting.
Asked by: Lord Laming (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many posts in the Department of Health and Social Care are filled by qualified (1) doctors, and (2) social workers.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
There are 49 qualified doctors in Departmental posts. While there is no centralised record of the number of social workers in the Department, there are three qualified social workers in the Chief Social Worker’s office.
Asked by: Lord Laming (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the most senior post in the Department of Health and Social Care that is occupied by a qualified social worker with experience of working in local government.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The Chief Social Worker for Adults, Lyn Romeo, is a qualified and registered social worker.
Asked by: Lord Laming (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 extent to which the organisation of the General Practitioner service continues to be suited to being the foundation of a comprehensive primary care health service.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The general practice partnership model has made a huge contribution over the lifetime of the National Health Service. This is why the Secretary of State has commissioned a review of the partnership model. The terms of the review are being developed with the British Medical Association and Royal College of General Practitioners.
Asked by: Lord Laming (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 extent to which increased demand on accident and emergency services is influenced by the lack of a comprehensive primary care health service.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
No formal assessment has been made of the relationship between primary care services and accident and emergency attendances.
Extended access to more convenient appointments later in the evening and at weekends in general practice is now in place for 52% of the population (as at October 2017) and is expected to deliver an additional 9 million consultations following 100% population coverage from October 2018.
Additional comprehensive urgent and emergency care programmes continue to be delivered to help to ease pressures on accident and emergency services and improve the flow of patients through hospitals, such as Urgent Treatment Centres, front door clinical streaming, NHS 111 and the development of NHS 111 Online.