Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia will reflect the complexity of dementia within system design, including coordination across health and social care services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We want those living with dementia to benefit from better joined up care and coordination across services, and continue to engage with key professional groups, including those working within health and social care and neighbourhood health, while developing the modern service framework to support greater national coordination.

The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework Task and Finish Group is an advisory body to offer insight and guidance, helping to shape the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia by drawing on expertise from across the health and care system. The first meeting took place on 25 March and these meetings will occur monthly.

To ensure we account for considerations across the health and social care sector, the Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework is co-chaired by:

• Dr Jeremy Isaacs, Consultant Neurologist at St George’s and Kingston Hospitals and National Clinical Director for Dementia and Older People’s Mental Health at NHS England;
• Sarah McClinton, Chief Social Worker for Adults and Mental Health Social Work lead in the Department of Health and Social Care; and
• Professor Jugdeep Dhesi, Consultant Geriatrician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at Kings College London and President of the British Geriatrics Society.

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 the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia includes a clear, defined pathway for post-diagnostic support for people with dementia.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In developing the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Frailty and Dementia, we are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with frailty and dementia.

We will consider what interventions should be supported to improve care and support for those living with dementia. We are considering all options to help reduce variation, including reviewing metrics and targets.

We will also review existing guidance and literature, including the Dementia 100 pathway assessment tool, which continues the work of the Dementia Care Pathway and covers all elements of the Well Pathway.

We are working to develop the content of the framework as soon as possible and we will keep partners updated on progress and timings as this work unfolds. We are committed to publishing an interim product in September this year to feed into National Health Service and local government planning cycles, and will aim to publish the full MSF by the end of this calendar year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to ensure that Advance Care Planning for people with dementia is a) proactive, b) effective and c) regularly reviewed.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services.

Those with dementia will benefit from more joined up care through co-created care plans, and by 2027, 95% of those with complex needs will have an agreed care plan.

We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, which is expected this year.

In developing the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, we are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with frailty and dementia.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of publishing a Data Protection Impact Assessment on the quality of public responses to the consultation on digital identity.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We have completed the DPIA for the digital ID consultation and have published a privacy notice, linked here as per UK GDPR requirements. The design and delivery of the digital ID will be informed by the open consultation which will be open till 5 May; this feedback will be important in designing our policy approach.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the level of proposed development on Green Belt land in the Epping Forest District, and what steps his Department is taking to protect the Green Belt.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to preserving Green Belts, which have served England’s towns and cities well over many decades. We have not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework still contains strong protections for the Green Belt, making it clear that inappropriate development should not be approved unless justified by very special circumstances.

It is for local planning authorities themselves, including Epping Forest District Council, to determine whether exceptional circumstances exist that justify the release of Green Belt, and we expect them to first demonstrate that they have examined fully all other reasonable options for meeting identified need for development – including making as much use as possible of suitable brownfield sites and underutilised land, optimising the density of development, and working with neighbouring authorities to assess whether identified need might be sensibly accommodated.

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