Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what additional (1) practical, and (2) financial, support they intend to provide to unpaid careers, given new research by Carers UK which shows they are providing unpaid care worth £162 billion each year, equivalent to NHS spending in England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Governments of the United Kingdom provide financial support to unpaid carers through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Universal Credit and through other benefits. As adult social care is a devolved matter, Devolved Administrations are responsible for delivery of services and support to carers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England, Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carers who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer. We have earmarked £327 million in the Better Care Fund for 2023/24 to provide short breaks and respite services, as well as additional advice and support for carers.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) practical and (b) financial support the Government plans to provide to unpaid carers in (i) Liverpool and (ii) the UK.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Adult social care is a devolved matter and Devolved Administrations are responsible for delivery of services and support to carers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support, and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer.
In 2023/24, £327 million has been earmarked in the Better Care Fund to provide short breaks and respite services for carers, as well as additional advice and support.
In addition, the Governments of the United Kingdom provide financial support to unpaid carers through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Universal Credit and through other benefits.
Asked by: Kim Leadbeater (Labour - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of providers of respite care that have closed since January 2022; and what steps he is taking to support those providers and ensure local respite care provision is protected.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data for the number of respite care providers that have been deregistered.
Local authorities are best placed to assess local resources and need, distributing their funding based on local population needs and regional issues. They should have contingency plans in place where needed, particularly if services are to close. If services close, local authorities should provide information and advice on alternative care to support people affected by any service changes. We continue to work closely with local authorities and the adult social care sector to understand the impact of cost and demand pressures on service delivery.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hospice and End of Life Care The Lasting Impact of COVID-19 on Death, Dying and Bereavement, published on 1 March, what steps they will take to address the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) the workforce in the health and social care sector, (2) families and unpaid carers, and (3) communities.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has commissioned NHS England to develop a Long Term Workforce Plan for the National Health Service. Additionally, steps have been taken to deliver the 50,000 nurses commitment by providing a financial support package.
To reduce waiting lists in community health, the Government is allocating core funding growth for community health services, investing £8 million this financial year to provide training to support community staff, and on track to reach our commitment of 200,000 personal health budgets by March 2024. Furthermore, the publication of the Urgent and Emergency Care Plan will work to scale up community teams.
The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable high-quality care and support services, including support for unpaid carers. Additionally, funding for respite and short breaks for carers is included in the NHS contribution to the Better Care Fund.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve support for people who care for individuals with motor neurone disease.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are required under the Care Act 2014 to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer.
Funding for respite and short breaks for unpaid carers has been included in the National Health Service contribution to the Better Care Fund (BCF) since 2015. In 2022/23, £291.7 million of BCF funding has been earmarked to provide short breaks and respite services for carers, as well as advice and support to unpaid carers.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February to Question 135221, how many (a) hours of respite care will be provided and (b) carers will benefit from that funding.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This information is not held.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February to Question 135221, how much funding was provided for (a) short breaks and (b) respite services to carers by the Government in each of the last 13 years; and how many carers benefited from this funding each year.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on short breaks and respite care services for unpaid carers. Funding for respite and short breaks for unpaid carers has been included in the National Health Service contribution to the Better Care Fund (BCF) since 2015. In 2022/23, £291.7 million of BCF funding has been earmarked to provide short breaks and respite services for carers, as well as advice and support to unpaid carers.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many days' worth of respite care services have been received by family carers in each of the last 13 years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold the data requested on respite care services.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many family carers received respite breaks in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold the data requested on respite care services.
Asked by: Liz Kendall (Labour - Leicester West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the average number of days of respite care services received by family carers in each of the last 13 years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold the data requested on respite care services.