Asked by: Meg Munn (Labour (Co-op) - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice and guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on the effect of the Care Act 2014 on young carers.
Answered by Norman Lamb
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has not had discussions with Minsters in the Department for Education (DfE). However, I have been fully engaged with my counterpart at DfE in relation to the provisions in the Care Act 2014 which affect young carers, and the inter-relation with the provisions of the Children and Families Act 2014.
The Care Act falls within the responsibility of the Department of Health and we issued statutory guidance under the Act last October. The DfE was closely involved in the development of the guidance in relation to issues affecting young carers.
The Government recognises that transition into adulthood is an important time when young people and their families are thinking about their goals and aspirations for the future and to ensure that they are not left without care and support. The Care Act, for the first time, places a legal duty on local authorities to assess the needs of young carers as they approach adulthood and that transition assessment and planning must consider how to support young carers to prepare for adulthood and how to raise and fulfil their aspirations.
The Care and Support (Assessment) Regulations 2014 require local authorities when looking at the needs of an individual, to consider the impact of those needs on any young carer involved in the situation and identify whether the tasks they are performing are inappropriate.
We have also published guidance for local authorities on a ‘whole family approach’ to assessments, which will identify any children who are involved in providing care. Identification of a young carer in the family should result in an offer of a needs assessment for an adult requiring care and support and where it appears that they may have a need for support.
Asked by: Meg Munn (Labour (Co-op) - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on the implementation of the Care Act 2014 and the right of carers to an assessment and support.
Answered by Norman Lamb
Following consultation over last summer, we issued statutory guidance under the Care Act 2014 in October 2014, which is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-statutory-guidance-for-implementation
The guidance covers the purpose of an assessment and outlines what local authorities must do when conducting carers’ assessments and in providing support for their eligible needs.
We have also published guidance for local authorities on a ‘whole family approach’ to assessments, which will identify any children who provide care for a member of their family and put in place appropriate support for the carer, including for a young carer. The guidance is available at:
Asked by: Meg Munn (Labour (Co-op) - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Department for Education on the effect of the Care Act 2014 on young carers.
Answered by Norman Lamb
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has not had discussions with Minsters in the Department for Education (DfE). However, I have been fully engaged with my counterpart at DfE in relation to the provisions in the Care Act 2014 which affect young carers, and the inter-relation with the provisions of the Children and Families Act 2014.
The Care Act falls within the responsibility of the Department of Health and we issued statutory guidance under the Act last October. The DfE was closely involved in the development of the guidance in relation to issues affecting young carers.
The Government recognises that transition into adulthood is an important time when young people and their families are thinking about their goals and aspirations for the future and to ensure that they are not left without care and support. The Care Act, for the first time, places a legal duty on local authorities to assess the needs of young carers as they approach adulthood and that transition assessment and planning must consider how to support young carers to prepare for adulthood and how to raise and fulfil their aspirations.
The Care and Support (Assessment) Regulations 2014 require local authorities when looking at the needs of an individual, to consider the impact of those needs on any young carer involved in the situation and identify whether the tasks they are performing are inappropriate.
We have also published guidance for local authorities on a ‘whole family approach’ to assessments, which will identify any children who are involved in providing care. Identification of a young carer in the family should result in an offer of a needs assessment for an adult requiring care and support and where it appears that they may have a need for support.
Asked by: Meg Munn (Labour (Co-op) - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2015 to Question 220689, when he expects NICE to have developed a quality standard on sleep-disordered breathing.
Answered by George Freeman
NHS England is the lead commissioner for clinical guideline and quality standard for healthcare topics from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE has advised that it has received a formal referral for a clinical guideline and quality standard on sleep disordered breathing from NHS England.
NICE’s clinical guideline work programme is prioritised with NHS England on an annual basis. Sleep disordered breathing has not been included in the initial list of topics to start development in 2015-16 but will be included in future rounds of prioritisation. Once it has been scheduled, the guideline will then take approximately two years to develop and the development of the quality standard will follow on from this.
Asked by: Meg Munn (Labour (Co-op) - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for continuous positive airways pressure therapy for those diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their local populations and for commissioning services to meet those needs. For patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, NHS England expects CCGs to take into account the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines when deciding what services should be made available.
NICE has published technology appraisal guidance which recommends the use of continuous positive airway pressure as a treatment option for adults with moderate or severe symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome, where certain criteria are met.
NICE has been commissioned to develop a quality standard on sleep disordered breathing and will in due course consider which conditions will be covered under the scope of the quality standard and the need for associated clinical guidance.
There are currently no special provisions for people with sleep apnoea who drive for a living, but this will be considered as part of the guideline.
Individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea and who are waiting for continuous positive airways pressure therapy are prioritised according to clinical need.
We do not collect information centrally on the time people wait between diagnosis and treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea. The Referral to Treatment operational standards state that 90% admitted and 95% of non-admitted patients should start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral. In order to sustain delivery of these standards, 92% of patients who have not yet started treatment should have been waiting no more than 18 weeks. Whilst individual National Health Service organisations are monitored on their performance in this area, obstructive sleep apnoea is not separately identified.
Asked by: Meg Munn (Labour (Co-op) - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will introduce a fast track service for continous positive airways pressure therapy for people who drive for a living.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their local populations and for commissioning services to meet those needs. For patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, NHS England expects CCGs to take into account the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines when deciding what services should be made available.
NICE has published technology appraisal guidance which recommends the use of continuous positive airway pressure as a treatment option for adults with moderate or severe symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome, where certain criteria are met.
NICE has been commissioned to develop a quality standard on sleep disordered breathing and will in due course consider which conditions will be covered under the scope of the quality standard and the need for associated clinical guidance.
There are currently no special provisions for people with sleep apnoea who drive for a living, but this will be considered as part of the guideline.
Individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea and who are waiting for continuous positive airways pressure therapy are prioritised according to clinical need.
We do not collect information centrally on the time people wait between diagnosis and treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea. The Referral to Treatment operational standards state that 90% admitted and 95% of non-admitted patients should start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral. In order to sustain delivery of these standards, 92% of patients who have not yet started treatment should have been waiting no more than 18 weeks. Whilst individual National Health Service organisations are monitored on their performance in this area, obstructive sleep apnoea is not separately identified.
Asked by: Meg Munn (Labour (Co-op) - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of waiting times between diagnosis and treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea for people who drive for a living.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their local populations and for commissioning services to meet those needs. For patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, NHS England expects CCGs to take into account the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines when deciding what services should be made available.
NICE has published technology appraisal guidance which recommends the use of continuous positive airway pressure as a treatment option for adults with moderate or severe symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome, where certain criteria are met.
NICE has been commissioned to develop a quality standard on sleep disordered breathing and will in due course consider which conditions will be covered under the scope of the quality standard and the need for associated clinical guidance.
There are currently no special provisions for people with sleep apnoea who drive for a living, but this will be considered as part of the guideline.
Individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea and who are waiting for continuous positive airways pressure therapy are prioritised according to clinical need.
We do not collect information centrally on the time people wait between diagnosis and treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea. The Referral to Treatment operational standards state that 90% admitted and 95% of non-admitted patients should start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral. In order to sustain delivery of these standards, 92% of patients who have not yet started treatment should have been waiting no more than 18 weeks. Whilst individual National Health Service organisations are monitored on their performance in this area, obstructive sleep apnoea is not separately identified.
Asked by: Meg Munn (Labour (Co-op) - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure the exercise of local discretion in the use of the Better Care Fund.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The Better Care Fund has been set up to ensure considerable local discretion. Each plan is developed by local authorities and clinical commissioning groups before being approved by the local health and wellbeing board, to ensure that it is line with local priorities as articulated in joint health and wellbeing strategies. Local areas also have the discretion to put more money than the minimum allocation into the joint fund if this is in the best interest of the community they serve.
This is the biggest ever investment in integrated care and it is important that investing in new community-based services does not destabilise existing health and care provision in the short term. The Government has put in place some national conditions – for example protection of social care services, seven day services to support discharge, an accountable lead professional to coordinate care for those at high risk of hospital admissions - as well as a payment for performance element that links payments to achieving good outcomes for local people while sharing financial risk across health and social care commissioners.
Local commissioners, with their partners, are best placed to make decisions about how best to make integrated care a reality in their area. These national conditions are proportionate and allow local discretion whilst ensuring best use of public money to support integrated care for improved outcomes.