Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the availability of a range of housing and care options for people with physical disabilities and learning difficulties.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The Department has not made any assessments of the availability of a range of housing and care options for people with physical disabilities and learning difficulties.
The new Care Act, which will come into force in 2015, will give local authorities a core duty to promote their local market, with a particular focus on ensuring diversity, quality and sustainability which, importantly, will mean there should be sufficient high quality services available to meet the needs of individuals in their local area.
The Department has worked with stakeholders, including provider organisations, to develop draft statutory guidance to support the implementation of the Care Act. The guidance will describe how local authorities must meet these new duties, including encouraging sustainability through appropriate fee levels. The draft guidance was published as part of a 10-week public consultation on the full package of regulations and guidance under part 1 of the Care Act on 6 June.
The Government believes that people who wish and who are able to live in their communities, rather than in an institutional care setting, should be given the support they need to do so.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the future of residential care for people with complex needs including physical impairments and learning difficulties; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The Department has made no assessment of the future of residential care for people with complex needs.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the needs of their populations and for providing or arranging social care services, including residential care, to meet eligible needs.
Local authorities have a responsibility, through good commissioning strategies, to ensure a healthy local care home sector. The new Care Act, which will come into force in 2015, will give local authorities a core duty to promote their local care market, with a particular focus on ensuring diversity, quality and sustainability. This will mean that there should be sufficient high quality services available to meet the needs of individuals in their areas.
The Care Act provides a new legislative focus on personalisation, increasing opportunities for greater choice, control and independence, so that people can choose the services best suited to meet their care and support needs.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many whole-time equivalent podiatrists were employed in the NHS in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The annual National Health Service workforce census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, shows the numbers of chiropodists/podiatrists working in the National Health Service in England as at 30 September each year. The number of full-time equivalent chiropodists/podiatrists employed by the NHS in each of the last 10 years is shown in the following table. It is not possible to separate out the podiatrists from the chiropodists/podiatrists figure.
The most recent annual workforce census, which includes data as at 30 September 2013 and was published on 25 March 2014, has been placed in the Library.
NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified Chiropody/Podiatry staff in England as at 30 September each year
full time equivalent | |||||||||||
2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
England | 3,027 | 3,117 | 3,103 | 3,056 | 3,095 | 3,146 | 3,207 | 3,190 | 3,106 | 3,067 | 3,028 |
Notes:
It is impossible to isolate the numbers of podiatry staff from the Chiropody/Podiatry staff workforce census data.
These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English NHS organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave.
Source:
Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on trends over the last five years in the number of employees at (a) bands 5 and 6 and (b) bands 7 and 8 employed as podiatrists in the NHS.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The Health and Social Care Information Centre annual National Health Service workforce census shows the number of chiropodists/podiatrists by Agenda for Change (AfC) pay band working in the National Health Service as at 30 September each year from 2010 to 2013. It is not possible to separate podiatrists from the chiropodists/podiatrists figures. An AfC breakdown is not available for 2009 census data but is available in the provisional monthly workforce statistics.
The number of employees at AfC bands 5, 6, 7 and 8 employed as podiatrists in the NHS from 2009 to 2013 is shown in the following table.
NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified Chiropody/Podiatry staff in England by agenda for change pay band as at 30 September each year
Full Time Equivalent | |||||
20091 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
All Pay bands | 3,215 | 3,190 | 3,106 | 3,067 | 3,028 |
of which | |||||
Band 5 | 281 | 284 | 265 | 313 | 383 |
Band 6 | 1,568 | 1,574 | 1,560 | 1,494 | 1,444 |
subtotal | 1,849 | 1,858 | 1,825 | 1,808 | 1,827 |
Band 7 | 904 | 877 | 854 | 837 | 808 |
Band 8a | 225 | 232 | 228 | 218 | 203 |
Band 8b | 88 | 81 | 70 | 64 | 59 |
Band 8c | 37 | 32 | 26 | 21 | 20 |
Band 8d | 25 | 26 | 30 | 31 | 28 |
subtotal | 1,278 | 1,248 | 1,207 | 1,171 | 1,119 |
Notes:
12009 figures will differ from the published Annual Workforce Census figure for qualified Chiropody/Podiatry staff (3,207) because this data is taken from the September 2009 Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics. AfC band data for 2009 is not available from the Annual Workforce Census.
2010-2013 figures are from the September Workforce Census each year.
It is impossible to isolate the numbers of podiatry staff from the Chiropody/Podiatry staff workforce census data.
Sources:
Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census
Health and Social Care Information Centre Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what correspondence he has received relating to reductions in the number of podiatrists employed in each of the regions of England in each of the last three years.
Answered by Dan Poulter
A search of the Department's Ministerial correspondence database has identified four items of correspondence about reductions in the number of podiatrists employed in England, three were received in 2012 and one was received in 2014. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department's Ministerial correspondence unit only.
Following the Westminster Hall debate on 4 December 2013 about Podiatry services, secured by the hon. Member for Corby (Andy Sawford); the Chief Executive of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, wrote to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Jane Ellison) who responded to the debate, expressing concern about the reduction of podiatrists staffing levels in some areas.
In that debate the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health explained that “in situations in which services need to be changed, the NHS commitment is to make sure decisions are made in a clear and transparent way, so that patients and the public can understand how services are planned and delivered. Through the mandate, NHS England is responsible for services and for working with local clinical commissioning groups to ensure that their services are based on the needs of the local population within the resources available and there has to be evidenced-based best practice”.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to promote best practice in NHS podiatry services in (a) NHS England, (b) health and wellbeing boards and (c) clinical commissioning groups.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The Mandate from the Government to NHS England holds NHS England to account for improving patient care. Within NHS England, the National Clinical Director for Rehabilitation and Recovery in the Community and the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer are leading on work to improve adult rehabilitation services including collection and dissemination of best practice, which will serve to enhance the care of those with foot diseases.
NHS England is taking a number of actions to improve footcare services for people with diabetic foot disease. Some of these actions are in line with Diabetes UK's foot campaign “Putting Feet First” while others go beyond the suggestions included in the campaign.
The actions include the Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set which contains an indicator on “Complications associated with diabetes including emergency admissions for diabetic ketoacidosis and lower limb amputation”; the launch of a National Diabetes Footcare Audit scheduled for July of this year; and an NHS Improving Quality pilot project to reduce the premature mortality associated with diabetic foot disease.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the standard of podiatry services in the NHS.
Answered by Dan Poulter
There has been no assessment made by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on the standard of podiatry services in the National Health Service. Podiatrists are professionally regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and are accountable for their practice via the fitness to practise process. Registered podiatrists are required to maintain ongoing continued professional development to ensure that their clinical skills are maintained. This is a mandatory requirement by the HCPC.
Health organisations are expected to follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard on diabetes requires that people with diabetes that have foot ulcers, or are at risk of developing them, have regular check-ups from a team specialising in foot protection. It also requires that people are seen and treated by a specialist healthcare team within 24 hours if they have foot problems needing urgent medical attention.
NICE guidelines recommend annual foot checks. This is included in the Quality and Outcomes Framework which incentivises general practitioners to perform and record a foot examination in people with diabetes.
NHS England also plans to launch a National Diabetes Footcare Audit in July 2014, which aims to establish the extent to which national guidelines on the management of diabetic foot disease are being met. This will provide local teams with the evidence needed to tackle any identified differences in practice which will lead in turn to an overall improvement in management and outcomes for patients.
Some elements of podiatry services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and has a key responsibility in the overall assurance of safety and quality of health and adult social care services. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, all providers of regulated activities, including NHS and independent providers, have to register with CQC and meet a set of requirements of safety and quality.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on the relationship between the availability of podiatry services and the rate of lower limb amputations.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not personally received representations on the relationship between the availability of podiatry services and rate of lower limb amputations.
I regularly meet with the Allied Health Professions Federation. At the last meeting held in February 2014, representatives from the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists attended and a wide range of issues were discussed, including prevention of lower limb amputations.
We are not currently able to correlate the relationship between the availability of podiatry services and rate of lower limb amputation in those with diabetes. However, on 14 July 2014, NHS England will be launching the National Diabetes Footcare Audit (a new module to be incorporated into the National Diabetes Audit) which will allow this relationship to be explored.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department made of the prevalence of grade down-banding of podiatrists employed within the NHS.
Answered by Dan Poulter
There has been no assessment made by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) of the prevalence of grade down-banding of podiatrists employed within the National Health Service.
NHS Employers are responsible for their workforce structure. Grade down-banding or changing the pay structure of the role to a lower grade, is a measure undertaken by some NHS organisations due to re-organisation and restructure.