Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase specialist knowledge of cerebral palsy across the (a) health and (b) social care workforce.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standards of training for health care professionals are the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies, including the General Medical Council (GMC), the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and the Health and Care Professions Council. These have the general function of promoting high standards of education, and co-ordinating all stages of education, to ensure that health and care students and newly qualified health care professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for professional practice, including knowledge of cerebral palsy.
The training curricula for postgraduate specialty training is set by the relevant royal college, and has to meet the standards set by the GMC. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they do emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has also published a range of guidance on care and support for children and young people, and adults with cerebral palsy, to support health care professionals and commissioners. The guidance outlines the kind of specialist care that children, young people, and adults with cerebral palsy may need from health and social care professionals. The guidance document for children and young people with cerebral palsy, and the guidance document for adults with cerebral palsy, are available respectively at the following links:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng62
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng119
NHS England has also produced an e-learning course on the prevention of cerebral palsy in preterm labour, which is available at the following link:
https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/prevention-of-cerebral-palsy-in-preterm-labour/
NHS England has established the Getting It Right First Time (GRIFT) national programme, which is designed to improve the treatment and care of patients through an in-depth clinically led review of specialties, to examine how things are currently being done and how they could be improved. The GRIFT National Speciality Report on Neurology makes recommendations on the diagnosis and management of a range of neurological conditions, including cerebral palsy, and will support the National Health Service in delivering care more equitably across the country, and improving services nationally.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by £2.4 billion, sets out the steps needed to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. The plan will double medical school training places by 2031, and sets out that the NHS will focus on expanding the number of clinicians who train to take up enhanced and advanced roles and work as part of multidisciplinary teams. We expect that this will increase the number of health care professionals in the speciality of neurology, and those that have specialist knowledge of cerebral palsy.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support children with cerebral palsy.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published a range of guidance on care and support for children and young people and adults with cerebral palsy, to support healthcare professionals and commissioners. The guidance recommends service providers develop clear pathways that allow patients with cerebral palsy access to multi-disciplinary teams, specialist neurology services and regular reviews of their clinical and functional needs.
NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme aims to improve care for people with neurological conditions, including those with cerebral palsy, by reducing variation and delivering care more equitably across the country.
The majority of services for people with cerebral palsy are commissioned locally by integrated care boards, which are best placed to make decisions according to local need. Nevertheless, at a national level, the Government is working closely with NHS England to continue to improve services for people with neurological conditions, including those with cerebral palsy.
The NHS Long-term Workforce Plan (LTWP) aims to grow the number and proportion of National Health Service staff working in mental health, primary and community care. The LTWP, published in 2023, sets out an ambition to grow these roles 73% by 2036/37, including plans to increase the community workforce specifically by 3.9% each year. By growing the community workforce, we will be better able to support people to participate in daily living, including those with cerebral palsy.
As set out in the LTWP, NHS England’s ambition is that, by 2028, no child or young person will be lost in the gaps between any children’s and adult services, and that their experience of moving between services is safe, well planned and prepared for so they feel supported and empowered to make decisions about their health and social care needs. The Department is working closely with NHS England to support this work, and the Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme has developed a national framework for transition which includes the key principles of a 0-25 model of care, including for young people with cerebral palsy.
Asked by: Dean Russell (Conservative - Watford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help support adults with cerebral palsy.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published a range of guidance on care and support for children and young people and adults with cerebral palsy, to support healthcare professionals and commissioners. The guidance recommends service providers develop clear pathways that allow patients with cerebral palsy access to multi-disciplinary teams, specialist neurology services and regular reviews of their clinical and functional needs.
NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme aims to improve care for people with neurological conditions, including those with cerebral palsy, by reducing variation and delivering care more equitably across the country.
The majority of services for people with cerebral palsy are commissioned locally by integrated care boards, which are best placed to make decisions according to local need. Nevertheless, at a national level, the Government is working closely with NHS England to continue to improve services for people with neurological conditions, including those with cerebral palsy.
The NHS Long-term Workforce Plan (LTWP) aims to grow the number and proportion of National Health Service staff working in mental health, primary and community care. The LTWP, published in 2023, sets out an ambition to grow these roles 73% by 2036/37, including plans to increase the community workforce specifically by 3.9% each year. By growing the community workforce, we will be better able to support people to participate in daily living, including those with cerebral palsy.
As set out in the LTWP, NHS England’s ambition is that, by 2028, no child or young person will be lost in the gaps between any children’s and adult services, and that their experience of moving between services is safe, well planned and prepared for so they feel supported and empowered to make decisions about their health and social care needs. The Department is working closely with NHS England to support this work, and the Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme has developed a national framework for transition which includes the key principles of a 0-25 model of care, including for young people with cerebral palsy.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the National Council for the Training of Journalists on the potential impact of the requirement for a shorthand proficiency of 100 words per minute to achieve the National Qualification in Journalism on (a) disabled people and (b) people with cerebral palsy.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department has not discussed the impact of the requirements needed for the National Qualification in journalism with the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), newspapers or other media organisations. Higher education (HE) courses are designed and delivered by individual institutions, such as universities and colleges, according to their own academic standards and quality assurance processes. The government does not have a direct role in the development of the HE curriculum or the content of the courses. The government's role is to provide a regulatory framework for HE in England, which aims to protect the interests of students.
The government recognises that shorthand is a valuable skill for journalists, and that the NCJT sets the industry standard for journalism training and qualifications. The department acknowledges that some disabled people may face difficulties or barriers in acquiring or demonstrating shorthand proficiency, and that this may affect their access to and progression in the journalism profession.
The department wants to ensure people of all ages and backgrounds can study at universities.
Under the Equality Act 2010 and Disability Discrimination Act, universities have the same responsibilities as all other service providers. Universities must make reasonable adjustments to make sure students with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with (a) newspapers and (b) other media organisations on the potential impact of shorthand proficiency requirements for journalism-related jobs on (a) disabled people and (b) people with (i) cerebral palsy and (ii) disabilities related to fine motor function.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department has not discussed the impact of the requirements needed for the National Qualification in journalism with the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), newspapers or other media organisations. Higher education (HE) courses are designed and delivered by individual institutions, such as universities and colleges, according to their own academic standards and quality assurance processes. The government does not have a direct role in the development of the HE curriculum or the content of the courses. The government's role is to provide a regulatory framework for HE in England, which aims to protect the interests of students.
The government recognises that shorthand is a valuable skill for journalists, and that the NCJT sets the industry standard for journalism training and qualifications. The department acknowledges that some disabled people may face difficulties or barriers in acquiring or demonstrating shorthand proficiency, and that this may affect their access to and progression in the journalism profession.
The department wants to ensure people of all ages and backgrounds can study at universities.
Under the Equality Act 2010 and Disability Discrimination Act, universities have the same responsibilities as all other service providers. Universities must make reasonable adjustments to make sure students with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan does not make specific reference to (a) cerebral palsy and (b) physical disability; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children with cerebral palsy are not overlooked by the SEND and alternative provision implementation board.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department wants all children and young people to be able to reach their full potential and receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.
The Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan is designed to support all children, rather than being restricted to specific conditions, and to meet those needs within a fair and financially sustainable system, by improving national consistency. This will mean that the right support is provided in the right place at the right time for children and young people with SEND.
Under the Children and Families Act 2014, mainstream schools and colleges must use their best endeavours to make sure any child or young person who has Special Educational Needs, including those with cerebral palsy and physical disabilities, gets the special educational provision they need. Alongside this, all schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 towards individual disabled children and young people. They must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services for disabled children, to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with cerebral palsy in (a) Bootle constituency and (b) England and Wales have been assigned education, health and care plans.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s ambition is for all children and young people, no matter what their Special Educational Need (SEN), to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department wants them to achieve well in early years, at school (whether mainstream or special), in further education and to live more fulfilling and independent adult lives with improved employment outcomes. The department is creating a new single national SEN and disability system in England for how needs are identified and met across education, health and care, including for those with cerebral palsy.
The department does not hold the data requested.
The department collects data from schools in England on pupils with SEN, but type of need is held according to the categories specified in the school census.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children with cerebral palsy attend mainstream schools.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department’s ambition is for all children and young people, no matter what their Special Educational Need (SEN), to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department wants them to achieve well in early years, at school (whether mainstream or special), in further education and to live more fulfilling and independent adult lives with improved employment outcomes. The department is creating a new single national SEN and disability system in England for how needs are identified and met across education, health and care, including for those with cerebral palsy.
The department does not hold the data requested.
The department collects data from schools in England on pupils with SEN, but type of need is held according to the categories specified in the school census.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
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 help support young people with arthritis to transition from child to adult health services.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To support young people with arthritis transitioning from child to adult health services, each integrated care board (ICB) has an Executive Lead for Children and Young People. This lead is responsible for ensuring the functions of their ICBs work in the best interests of children and young people, including those with arthritis.
As set out in the Long Term Plan, NHS England is working to ensure that no child or young person will be lost in the gaps between children’s and adults’ services. In addition, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance for healthcare practitioners and commissioners to support young people with cerebral palsy during their transition from children to adult’s services. Specific recommendations include clear pathways for transition and a named support worker.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
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 support adults with cerebral palsy to remain economically active.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A range of Government initiatives are supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including cerebral palsy, to start, stay, and succeed in work. These include:
- Employment Advice in NHS Talking Therapies, which combines psychological treatment and employment support for people with mental health conditions;
- increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres for people with health conditions receiving Universal Credit or Employment Support Allowance;
- Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offering advice and expertise on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work;
- the Work and Health Programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support, providing tailored and personalised support for participants;
- access to Work grants towards extra costs of working beyond standard reasonable adjustments;
- Disability Confident encouraging employers to think differently about disability and health, and to take positive action to address the issues employees face in the workplace; and
- the Information and Advice Service providing better integrated and tailored guidance on supporting and managing health and disability in the workplace.