Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve mental health support services for military veterans, including those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Service Personnel who have been assessed and diagnosed with a mental health need are able to access the Ministry of Defence community mental health services for up to six months after discharge, to provide continuity of care during the transition period, until appropriate handover to the National Health Service and other services can be completed as required.
In April 2023, NHS England commissioned Op COURAGE which is the veterans’ mental health and wellbeing service providing a comprehensive mental health treatment pathway to respond to veterans’ needs. Access to Op COURAGE is via referral or by direct contact from veterans. There is ever increasing investment in this area with the highest level to date in 2023/2024 with planned spend of £23.5 million. Following the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, an additional £2.7 million was pledged over three years until March 2025, to expand Op COURAGE services to support those experiencing complex mental and/or physical trauma or alcohol and substance misuse.
The Government is providing an additional £10 million to support the Veterans’ Places, People and Pathways Programme to increase support to a significant community of vulnerable veterans throughout the United Kingdom and enable it to become self-sustaining.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had about processes for supporting patients presenting at GP surgeries with mental health issues related to potential gambling habits.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Primary care services play an important role in supporting people with mental health conditions, including in helping them to access the most appropriate services for their needs.
As set out in the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan, 15 new National Health Service specialist problem gambling clinics will be opened by March 2024. This will include piloting provision for children under 18 years old. Twelve of these clinics are already operational with the remaining three expected to open by the end of the year. Through the clinics, representing every region of England, the NHS will be able to treat up to 3,000 people experiencing gambling-related harm each year.
In April 2023, the Government published its white paper, High Stakes – gambling reform for the digital age. This announced the introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators to fund research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harms. Once operational, the levy will help to expand and improve existing treatment and support service to ensure those in need are able to access the right care at the right time. A copy of the white paper is attached.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the quality of NHS care for veterans and their families.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have no current plans to make a specific assessment. NHS England regularly review their service provision. This is done through a range of key performance indicators including waiting times and number of referrals and through engagement exercises when procuring new services. As health is a devolved matter, it will be for the devolved administrations in conjunction with the National Health Service to determine which services and the quality of those services, should be assessed in their jurisdiction.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of funding delivered to community mental health projects in the last two years.
Answered by Lord Kamall
While no formal assessment has been made, we have committed to invest at least an additional £2.3 billion a year to expand mental health services in England by 2023/24, including community mental health support.
In 2020/21, we provided £500 million to accelerate plans to improve National Health Service mental health provision. This included £15 million for prevention and early intervention in over 250 local projects promoting better mental health and wellbeing in 40 of the most deprived local authority areas in England. We also provided an additional £10.2 million to support mental health charities, including Samaritans and the Campaign Against Living Miserably in response to the pandemic.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provision of autism support services.
Answered by Lord Kamall
No specific assessment has been made. However, in 2021/22 we have invested £10.5 million to improve autism diagnostic and post-diagnostic pathways. In 2022/2023, we will develop guidance and support to embed effective post-diagnostic pathways.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) level, and (2) quality, of (a) Alzheimer’s, and (b) dementia, clinical research in England.
Answered by Lord Kamall
No recent assessment has been made. However, between 2015/16 and 2019/20, the Government’s expenditure on all types of dementia research, including for Alzheimer’s disease, was approximately £420 million. We will set out plans for dementia in England for future years in a new strategy to be published later this year. The strategy will include the ambitions for all types of dementia research
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to end geographical disparities in (1) Alzheimer's, and (2) dementia, care.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for services and support for people with dementia. We would expect CCGs to commission services which take into account the relevant guidance, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines and the dementia care pathway, which provides standards to improve the delivery and quality of care. Following a dementia diagnosis, patients should receive information on local services and access to relevant advice and support.
In 2021/22, the Government allocated £17 million to NHS England and NHS Improvement to address dementia waiting lists and increase the number of diagnoses. This funding was made available to CCGs in June 2021. Later this year, we will set out plans for dementia in England.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what long-term support they are providing for (1) people with, and (2) carers of people with, dementia; and what steps they are taking to ensure those with dementia are diagnosed quickly.
Answered by Lord Kamall
In 2021/22, the Government allocated £17 million to NHS England and NHS Improvement to address dementia waiting lists and increase the number of diagnoses. This funding was made available to clinical commissioning groups in June 2021.
Following a dementia diagnosis, patients should receive information on local services and access to relevant advice and support. We will continue to support carers to provide care as they would wish and to do so in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing, access to education, employment and life choices. Local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any carer who appears to have a need for support.
Later this year, we will set out plans for dementia in England. The new strategy will include a focus on improving the experience of being diagnosed and living with dementia, both for people with dementia and their carers.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timetable for the vaccine booster rollout, in particular for those designated as clinically extremely vulnerable.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The first booster vaccine was administered on 16 September 2021 and in the week commencing 20 September 2021 over 1.5 million people were invited for their vaccine.
Booster vaccines will be offered to individuals who received vaccination in phase one of the vaccination programme in priority groups one to nine, including all those aged 16 to 49 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advises that the dose is offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course, and that the programme should as far as possible be deployed in the same order as phase one.
Asked by: Lord Hay of Ballyore (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introduce a COVID Pass Service for British citizens who have been vaccinated abroad.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Work is underway to input eligible British citizens’ overseas vaccination data into the existing NHS COVID Pass. The system will only record vaccines that we are confident to recognise. A solution is being launched in England as a pilot from the end of September.