Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will implement the recommendation in the Palliative Care Funding Review that short breaks which provide respite for the carers and families of children requiring palliative care should be funded by local authorities and the NHS under their respective legal short breaks duties.

The recommendations of the Palliative Care Funding Review in England led to the development of a currency model that sought greater equity in funding of specialist palliative care in all settings, including for respite care for children with palliative care needs. The intention to publish the new currency model was signalled in 2016 as part of the National Tariff for 2017/19 Tariff Engagement Document, which is available online on the NHS Improvement website at:

https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/national-tariff-policy-proposals-1718-and-1819/

NHS England will very shortly be publishing the currency model and guidance on how the currencies can be used to support commissioning and payment for palliative care services locally.

Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to provide short break services for disabled children. Clinical commissioning groups should be considering respite needs as part of their role in securing services to meet people’s health needs. In addition, under the statutory framework introduced in 2014, local authorities in England and clinical commissioning groups must agree joint arrangements for supporting the health, education and social care needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities, including respite care. The Care Quality Commission and Ofsted are currently reviewing these arrangements in all local areas.

The Department of Health and the Department for Education work closely together in supporting commissioners across health, social care and education in securing services for children with complex needs and disabilities.