Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of joined up working between local authority social services and the NHS in dementia cases where a patient and their carer live in different local authority areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Carer support where a carer lives in a different local authority or National Health Service integrated care board area is not specifically detailed in the dementia guidance documents. However, all core dementia guidance, including The Dementia 100, The Dementia Care Pathway, and The Dementia RightCare scenario, signal the expectation to provide person-centred, integrated pathways across health and social care. This principle is intended to support carers irrespective of location.
We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
Those with dementia will also benefit from more joined-up care through co-created care plans, as by 2027, 95% of those with complex needs will have an agreed care plan.
The My Carer tool will give family, friends, and carers, including those looking after someone with dementia, access to the NHS App. This will ensure decisions are agreed and taken by those who best know the patient, who may not be able to make those decisions independently, whilst making it easier for unpaid carers to manage their care and access professionals whenever they need them.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of hospice funding for dementia end-of-life care is provided by central government and local authorities; and whether he plans to increase statutory funding for hospices.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities about the funding of hospice services, including those providing end-of-life care for dementia patients.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made in setting out a strategy on dementia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the contribution of (a) arts, (b) media, and (c) cultural experiences to patient wellbeing in (i) healthcare and (ii) hospice environments in Surrey.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS has undertaken extensive research into the impact of arts and creativity on health. Through the Culture and Heritage Capital (CHC) Programme, the Department published a 2024 study monetising the health and wellbeing benefits of cultural and heritage engagement. Our analysis has found that even general adult engagement in culture contributes around £8 billion in health related benefits for our society each year. This evidence helps explain continued Government investment in the sector, with one third of organisations funded through Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Investment Programme (334 organisations) reporting delivery of creative health activity.
Arts Council England has invested nearly £1 million in National Lottery Project Grants to artists and organisations delivering creative health work in Surrey over the last three years. In addition, Arts Council England provides over £3 million per annum to National Portfolio Organisations (2023 – 2026) in Surrey that deliver creative health programmes, such as The Lightbox, an award winning gallery and museum in Woking that puts wellbeing at the centre of its mission. Initiatives such as Art in Mind dementia workshops and Open Mind tours with local mental health partners provide safe, welcoming spaces where participants can connect with others, build confidence, and engage in creative activities to support their mental health and resilience.
In addition, the benefits of using heritage sites and projects to reduce isolation and improve quality of life are increasingly being explored and integrated. The National Lottery Heritage Fund is supporting such projects in Surrey, with recent grants including £100k to the heritage and wellbeing partnership project What Keeps Us Well in conjunction with Surrey Heritage, and a grant of over £780,000 to the Cranleigh Heritage Trust to transform Cranleigh Cottage Hospital into a multi-purpose heritage and wellbeing community hub.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to recognise and support Kevin Sinfield CBE's fundraising for motor neurone disease.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We pay tribute to the outstanding work that Kevin Sinfield had done to raise money for motor neurone disease (MND) charities and raise awareness of the condition. It will truly make a huge difference to those living with MND and their loved ones. We welcome the recent opening of the new Rob Burrow Centre for MND in Leeds. Kevin Sinfield’s fundraising was instrumental to this centre being upbuilt.
The Government is investing in MND research across a range of areas, including an £8 million investment via the National Institute for Health and Care Research into the EXPERTS-ALS study, a pre-clinical study which is designed to accelerate the identification and testing of the most promising treatment candidates for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, the most common form of MND.
The MND Translational Accelerator, supported by £6 million of Government funding, is connecting the UK Dementia Research Institute, the UK MND Research Institute, and Dementias Platform UK. Twelve projects have been funded through the Accelerator, with all aimed at speeding up the development of treatments for MND.
Asked by: Richard Quigley (Labour - Isle of Wight West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to reopen specialist dementia units.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving dementia care and is empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including those with dementia.
The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs) and may include specialist dementia units. We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the fairness of the current means tested social care system for people with dementia in cases where individuals are required to sell their homes or exhaust lifetime savings to fund care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The adult social care system is means tested and provides funded support for those with the least financial means. While the Department sets the minimum thresholds for accessing local authority support, local authorities have the discretion to set more generous thresholds if they choose.
Individuals are not required to sell their home to pay for care if they, their spouse, or another eligible relative still lives there, as the property is disregarded in the financial assessment. In cases where a person’s property is included in the financial assessment, the universal deferred payment agreement (DPA) scheme means that the person should not be forced to sell their home in their lifetime to pay for their care. By entering into a DPA, a person can defer paying the costs of their care and support in a care home until a later date.
The Government has launched an Independent Commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will deliver recommendations for the transformation of adult social care, addressing demographic change, how services should be organised to deliver this, and how to best create a fair and affordable adult social care system.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what terms dementia care specialists have been employed by the NHS in Derbyshire in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This information is not held centrally.
Care for those living with dementia is provided by multidisciplinary teams, with many elements of this care being in place for many years. This includes, but is not limited to, general practitioners, nurses, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, and social workers.
Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Asked by: Jim Dickson (Labour - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which (a) individuals and (b) organisations have been appointed to governance structures responsible for developing the Modern Service Frameworks for Dementia and Frailty.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a modern service framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia and frailty both now and in the future.
No specific individuals or organisations have been appointed at this time. However, we intend to formalise a governance structure for the development of the modern service framework shortly which we will share with partners in due course.