Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of (a) care and (b) support for deaf people in care homes.

The Government is taking steps to improve the quality of adult social care, which will include deaf people in care homes. This includes improvements to better support the vital care workforce through a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million, expanded career pathways, and £12 million invested in training and qualifications.

We have also launched an independent commission, chaired by Baroness Casey, to help shape the future of adult social care and ensure it meets the needs of older people and working-age disabled adults. The commission will explore how to improve accountability and drive up quality across the system.

Under section 18 of the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to meet the needs of adults in their area who meet the eligibility criteria, which would include deaf people that have eligible needs. In addition, under the Equality Act 2010, local authorities must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) are assessing how well local authorities in England are performing against their duties under part one of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to the access and provision of care and support for deaf people. Support for deaf people forms part of the CQC’s overall assessment of local authorities’ delivery of adult social care. In that context, the CQC will report on access and provision of care and support for deaf people when there is something important to highlight, such as something being done well, innovative practice or an area for improvement.

The CQC monitors, inspects and regulates adult social care services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. For deaf individuals, this includes providing care that is responsive to their communication needs.