Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to reform the funding model for charitable hospices as part of the 10 year plan for health and social care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver an NHS fit for the future, by driving three shifts in the way health care is delivered, specifically: moving healthcare from hospital to the community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. We will carefully consider policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders, including those in the hospice sector, as we develop the plan.
Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services. The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by integrated care board (ICB) area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth of palliative and end of life care provision within each ICB catchment area.
I recently met with NHS England and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and the quality of, palliative and end of life care in England. We will consider next steps on palliative and end of life care, including hospice funding, in the coming months.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to establish (a) dedicated care pathways, (b) specialist clinics and (c) home support for people with long covid.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since 2020, the National Health Service in England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist post-COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, as well as investing in ensuring general practice (GP) teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition.
As of 1 April 2024, there are over 90 adult post-COVID services across England, along with an additional 10 children and young people’s hubs. These services assess people with long COVID and direct them into care pathways which provide appropriate support and treatment. GPs will assess patients that have COVID-19 symptoms lasting longer than four weeks, and refer them into a long COVID service where appropriate. Referral should be via a single point of access, which is managed by clinician-led triage.
More widely, we are committed to moving to a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities, to spot problems earlier. This includes shifting resources to primary care and community services over time.
Having suffered from long COVID myself, improving services and outcomes for patients remains a priority.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 impact of community hospitals with (a) in-patient wards and (b) other integrated healthcare facilities on healthcare provision in rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for arranging healthcare services that meet the needs of their population, including those provided for by community hospitals in rural areas. ICBs are best placed to use local autonomy to determine the needs of their respective populations and how best to address them.
As part of the Government’s five missions, the Department will launch a 10-year plan for change and modernisation, to make the National Health Service fit for the future. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, sickness to prevention.