Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to report to hon Members on the steps he is taking to ensure the continued quality and availability of assistive technology.

Through the Mandate we have asked NHS England to improve the lives of three million people with long-term conditions through the use of the assistive technologies of telehealth and telecare by 2017; supporting them to manage and monitor their condition at home, and reducing the need for avoidable visits to their general practitioner practice and hospital.

NHS England’s Technology Enabled Care Services Programme is the national initiative which aims to improve the lives of people with long term conditions through the use of technologies such as telehealth, telecare, telemonitoring, telecoaching and self-care applications.

NHS England's annual report and assessment of progress against the Mandate will be laid before Parliament this summer.