Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a Commissioner for Older People.

The duties of such a role are covered by work elsewhere in the system. The Chief Nurse champions and raises the profile of nursing in social care and works alongside the Chief Social Worker for Adults, to increase the recognition and appreciation of all social workers in the care sector.

We are committed to building consensus to create a National Care Service, and we will engage with a range of stakeholders, including older people with lived experience of social care, to inform our plans for long-term reform. Our 10-year health plan for change and modernisation to make the National Health Service fit for the future will also involve listening to patients because we want them to feel a difference in their daily lives.