Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on creating a National Care Service.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.
Chaired by Baroness Casey of Blackstock, the Commission will start a national conversation about what people expect from adult social care, setting us on the road to fundamental reform that will build a social care system fit for the future.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled Better Care Fund policy framework 2025 to 2026, published on 30 January 2025, what plans he has to consult on changes to the maximum Disabled Facilities Grant limit.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, we continue to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), which helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes. We are providing an immediate in-year uplift of £86 million in 2024/25. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. The Government also announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for the 2025/26 financial year at the Budget, bringing the total funding for 2025/26 to £711 million.
To ensure the DFG is as effective as possible, we will continue to keep different aspects of the grant under consideration. As part of this, we are reviewing the suitability of the current upper limit and will set out further detail in due course.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that private parking companies do not overcharge for facilities at hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service trusts are expected to comply with the NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. This guidance states that charges, where they exist, should be reasonable for the area. This applies to all NHS trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.
NHS organisations are responsible for the actions of the private contractors who run car parks on their behalf, and NHS organisations should act against rogue contractors in line with the relevant codes of practice where applicable.
Contracts should not be let on any basis that incentivises additional charges, for example income from parking charge notices only.
All NHS trusts that charge for car parking provide free hospital car parking in England for those most in need. This includes Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital, and NHS staff working night shifts. The Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the implementation of this commitment.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the range of conditions that can be treated under the Pharmacy First service.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacy professionals are highly skilled clinicians who are experts in the use and management of medicines. The Pharmacy First Service, alongside other services that enable quicker and more convenient access to medicines, where it is safe to do so, supports patients in realising the maximum benefit from the medicines prescribed by their general practitioners.
In considering the services that we commission, on a national basis, we carefully consider their deliverability, including whether they are deliverable in the current estate, and any necessary IT and referral processes that need to be put in place to ensure patient safety. The cost effectiveness of providing services in community pharmacy compared to providing them in other settings is also considered. All services are kept under review.
NHS England is currently running over 200 pathfinder programmes, examining different governance and delivery models to understand how prescribing services could be commissioned from community pharmacy. This will help inform the future expansion in community pharmacy services, including Pharmacy First, over the coming years.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report entitled Pharmacy Pressures Survey 2024: Funding and Profitability Report, published on 19 October 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As noted in the review by Lord Darzi, primary care is under pressure and in crisis. The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible front door to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals. Unfortunately, we inherited a system that has been neglected for too long and is no longer supporting the pharmacists we need to deliver for patients at a local level. I am committed to working with the sector, and would encourage all pharmacists to work with us to achieve what we all want, a service fit for the future.
Now that the Budget for the Government has been set, we will shortly be resuming our consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements. I am unable to say more until these have been concluded.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of awarding teaching status to Lister Hospital; and when his Department plans to respond to the application on this matter.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Lister Hospital is part of the East and North Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Officials are in correspondence with the trust about amending their establishment order to reflect teaching status.