Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of adults who have unmet care needs.

No specific assessment has been made. Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals' eligibility for care and support through the Care Act 2014 and where the individual is eligible for financial support, for meeting those needs.  Where individuals are not eligible for financial support, local authorities may assist them to make arrangements for care. The Health and Care Act 2022 includes a duty for the Care Quality Commission to review and assess local authorities’ delivery of adult social care duties.