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 proportion of the Better Care Fund will be spent on supporting unpaid family carers.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2022/23, £291.7 million of the Better Care Fund (BCF) has been earmarked to provide short breaks and respite services for carers, as well as additional advice and support.
We cannot provide the exact proportion of BCF spend on supporting unpaid carers for 2023/24 because the overall size of the BCF (including voluntary contributions) will not be known until the end of the year.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
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 expand support for family carers including increasing the options available for respite breaks.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding for respite and short breaks for carers is included in the National Health Service contribution to the Better Care Fund (BCF). 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 carers.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
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 help unpaid carers access respite care in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2022/23, through the Better Care Fund (BCF) £291.7 million has been allocated to provide short breaks and respite services for carers in England, including in the West Midlands and additional advice and support for carers under the Care Act 2014. Integrated care boards and local authorities must agree how carers will be supported through the BCF.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the need for a National Carers Strategy, to support unpaid carers to stay in paid work and have access to adequate breaks and support services, whilst continuing with their caring role.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are supporting for the hon. Member for North East Fife’s (Wendy Chamberlain MP) Private Members’ Bill, which would introduce a new entitlement to one week of Carer’s Leave for all employees providing care for a dependant with a long-term care need. Funding for respite and short breaks for carers is also included in the National Health Service contribution to the Better Care Fund (BCF). In 2022/23, £291.7 million from the BCF will provide short breaks and respite services and advice and support for carers under the Care Act.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Better Care Fund on the provision of support to unpaid carers; and whether she plans to take further steps to improve the working conditions of unpaid carers.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2022-23, £291.7 million of the Better Care Fund is earmarked to provide short breaks and respite services for carers, as well as additional advice and support. This year, for the first time, local partnerships have had to set out how funding is being used to support unpaid carers in their Better Care Fund plans. These plans are currently being assured and moderated.
We are committed to supporting unpaid carers to balance their caring alongside work, and to do so in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing. On Friday 21 October, the Government confirmed its support for the hon. Member for North East Fife’s Private Members’ Bill which would introduce a new entitlement to one week of Carer’s Leave for all employees who are providing care for a dependant with a long-term care need.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mother and baby respite homes to help lower levels of maternal suicide.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
We have no plans to make a specific assessment. However, we are expanding perinatal mental health services in England to include new mental health ‘hubs’ for new, expectant or bereaved mothers. This includes 33 new maternal mental health services, which provide psychological therapy, maternity services and reproductive health for women who have mental health needs following trauma or loss related to their maternity experience. These will be available in England by March 2024.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to provide support for unpaid carers in the context of the cost of living crisis, including ensuring (a) access to breaks, (b) respite and care services and (c) support to balance paid work with care.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a range of sustainable high-quality care and support services, including for unpaid carers. 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.
Funding for respite and short breaks for carers is included in the National Health Service contribution to the Better Care Fund (BCF). In 2022/23, £291.7 million from the BCF is earmarked to provide short breaks and respite services and advice and support for carers under the Care Act. Legislation to introduce one week of leave for unpaid carers will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.
Many carers will be amongst the eight million low-income households in receipt of a means-tested benefit who will receive the £650 Cost of Living payment. Six million people in receipt of an eligible disability benefit will also receive the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment, which includes carers in receipt of a qualifying benefit. The Pensioner Cost of Living Payment of £300 per household will be paid with the winter fuel payment this winter.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure local authorities are using the Better Care Fund to provide respite for carers.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
In 2022/23, £291.7 million from the Better Care Fund is earmarked to provide short breaks and respite services for carers and additional advice and support. Local partnerships will also be required to demonstrate how funding is being used to support unpaid carers in Better Care Fund plans. This will provide insight into areas of best practice and which areas would benefit from further support.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 mother and baby respite homes in helping to prevent escalation of (a) maternal and (b) perinatal mental health conditions.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
We have no current plans to make a specific assessment. However, specialist community perinatal mental health services are now operational in England. The NHS Long Term Plan committed to implementing new measures to improve safety, quality and continuity of care which will allow an additional 24,000 women to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023/24. This will also be available from preconception to 24 months after birth.
Within specialist perinatal mental health services, 33 new maternal mental health services will provide psychological therapy, maternity services and reproductive health for women with mental health needs following trauma or loss related to their maternity experience. These will be available across England by March 2024. We are also investing £100 million in perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support by 2024/25, as part of the Start for Life and Family Hub programme for 75 upper tier local authorities in England.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to ensure adequate (a) financial support and (b) respite opportunities are available to carers.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The Government provides financial support to eligible unpaid carers through the Carer’s Allowance, the carer element in Universal Credit and other benefits. Carers in low-income households may benefit from the Means-Tested Benefit Cost of Living Payment and disabled carers may benefit from the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment. Unpaid carers may also benefit from the £400 rebate through the Energy Bills Support Scheme to Domestic energy users, and those who pay Council Tax in England have received a £150 rebate. In England, the Government is providing assistance through the £421 million Household Support Fund, which will be extended from October 2022 to March 2023.
On 13 May 2022 we wrote to local authorities to reiterate the importance of respite support for unpaid carers and that funding for respite and short breaks for carers is included in the National Health Service contribution to the Better Care Fund (BCF). In 2021/22, £285.7 million was allocated through the BCF to provide short breaks and respite services for carers and additional advice and support.