Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it compulsory for people working in residential care homes to be trained in (a) mental health screening and (b) bereavement counselling.

All providers of health or adult social care activities that fall under the supervision of the Care Quality Commission already have a legal duty to ensure that all staff working to provide those activities have the qualifications, competence, skills and experience necessary for the work to be performed.

The Department of Health in England is not planning to bring forward further legislative proposals to make it compulsory for people working in residential care homes to be trained in mental health screening and bereavement counselling.