Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the engagement of (a) disabled children and adults, (b) their families and (c) representative organisations, in consultations on health and social care policy development.

As part of the 10-Year Health Plan’s process, we are having the largest conversation in the National Health Service’s history. We are undertaking a range of activities, including deliberative events, focus groups, local system events, and partner engagement to hear from all communities. We have ensured this includes people with disabilities, their carers, and the organisations that represent them.

The independent commission into adult social care led by Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock, will start a national conversation about what social care should deliver for citizens. The details of this will be developed by the commission in due course, but we expect it will include engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including people with lived experience and unpaid carers, although this will be subject to the commission.