Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the mental health of medical practitioners of withdrawing NHS Practitioner Health services for new applicants.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that the NHS Practitioner Health service is valued by many doctors. NHS England is reviewing the service as part of a wider review of its mental health and wellbeing offer to National Health Service staff. It was confirmed on 15 April 2024 that the service will continue to accept new patients from primary and secondary care whilst this review is undertaken over the next 12 months. NHS England will confirm future arrangements once the review has been completed.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to combat antisemitism (1) in medical schools, and (2) amongst medical professionals.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are deeply concerned about the rise in antisemitic incidents since 7 October 2023. That is why on 22 November 2023, the Chancellor announced in his Autumn Statement an additional £7 million over three years to tackle antisemitism in education.
The Secretary of State for Education and the Minister for Skills wrote to all schools, colleges, and universities on 11 October 2023, urging them to respond swiftly to hate-related incidents and actively reassure Jewish students that they can study without fear of harassment or intimidation. The Minister for Skills wrote again to Vice Chancellors on 16 November 2023, further emphasising the use of disciplinary measures and the importance of police engagement, as well as the suspension of student visas where the student is a foreign national. This was one of the key actions in the five-point plan for tackling antisemitism in higher education, How we’re protecting Jewish students on university campuses, which was published on GOV.UK on 5 November 2023 in an online-only format.
On 3 November 2023, the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care wrote to healthcare regulators, including the General Medical Council (GMC), which is the independent regulator of all medical professionals practising in the United Kingdom, to emphasise that there can be no place in our healthcare professions for those espousing racism or extremism. The letter asked the regulators what action they are taking, in the context of a rise in incidents of an antisemitic nature and of individuals expressing support for proscribed terrorist organisations.
All doctors must meet the expected standards set out in Good medical practice, the GMC’s framework of professional standards. These standards make clear that all doctors must treat patients and colleagues fairly and without discrimination. The GMC has a zero-tolerance approach to racism. Failure to uphold and adhere to the principles within these standards and related guidance may put a doctor’s registration with the GMC at risk. A copy of these standards is attached.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce a national registration of care workers and their qualifications.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to introduce a national register of care workers. As part of our reforms for the adult social care workforce we plan to introduce a verified record of qualifications and training for the care workforce. This will establish a foundation for registration of care workers in future.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether initial reports on performance metrics in social care have been received from local authorities, as was set out as a condition of funding in the White Paper Next Steps to Put People at the Heart of Care, published on 4 April.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has now received initial reports from all local authorities in England, as part of the £1.4 billion Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF) grant conditions.
In accordance with the guidance published in March 2023, local authorities can use MSIF flexibly to drive tangible improvements across a range of target areas, to best address local sustainability and improvement needs. These target areas are reducing adult social care waiting times, increasing adult social care workforce capacity and retention, and increasing fee rates paid to adult social care providers. Local authorities must evidence improvement in at least one of the target areas, using Departmental performance metrics provided in the guidance. Improvements will be assessed in local authorities’ final reports, which will be submitted to the Department in May 2024.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards the introduction of a care workforce pathway.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our call for evidence to inform the development of a new Care Workforce Pathway for adult social care closed on 31 May 2023. We are currently analysing the responses and intend to publish the first part of the Pathway, focused on staff in direct care roles, in autumn 2023. We will work with the sector to implement the Pathway over the following months.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcome of the national recruitment campaign for care workers, ‘Made with Care’.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Due to the fragmented nature of the adult social care sector and no centralised operational recruitment data tracking, it is not possible to assess the number of new adult social care workers expected to be recruited as a result of campaign activity.
However, to mitigate this, proxy measures have been developed to assess campaign impact, which include visits to the campaign website and searches for a job in adult social care during the campaign period.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what access social service departments have to expert advice, such as that from medical attendants, when assessing applications for social care.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Care Act 2014 sets out the framework within which local authorities carry out their responsibilities for undertaking appropriate care and needs assessments. Furthermore, the Act sets out how local authorities should work with other experts, such as health services, to ensure the packages of support meet the needs of people drawing on care.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many applications for social care have been waiting more than six months for their assessment to be concluded in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold the data requested.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many applications for social care have been assessed for need and have been funded after having been means tested in each of the past 10 years.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014.
Eligible needs are those which relate to, for example, maintaining personal hygiene and nutrition, and maintaining and developing relationships, and which significantly impact on the adult’s wellbeing. Full details of the eligibility requirements can be found in The Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulations 2014.
We do not currently hold data on how many applications for social care have been assessed for need. Through a new data collection, Client Level Data, we are beginning to collect event-level information from local authorities on adult social care activity. This will include records of assessment of eligible needs and the funding status of local authority-commissioned services.
To assess means, local authorities must follow The Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014 and have regard to the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) guidance. The responsibility for interpreting and applying the Regulations and the CASS guidance rests with local authorities.
Whether or not a person qualifies for any financial support towards their care costs depends on their capital assets as follows: anyone who has above the upper capital limit of £23,250 is expected to meet the full cost of their care; anyone who has below the lower capital limit of £14,250 pays what they can afford from income only; and anyone between the above two limits pays what they can afford from income plus a contribution from their assets.
A means-tested contribution from assets is determined by tariff income, which assumes that a person can afford to pay £1 per week for every £250 of assets between the limits. In 2021/22 there were almost 1,978,550 requests for support from new clients received by local authorities. Data on the funding of means testing done in the past 10 years is not held centrally.
Asked by: Lord Turnberg (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria social service departments use to assess the (1) need, and (2) means, of applicants for social care.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014.
Eligible needs are those which relate to, for example, maintaining personal hygiene and nutrition, and maintaining and developing relationships, and which significantly impact on the adult’s wellbeing. Full details of the eligibility requirements can be found in The Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulations 2014.
We do not currently hold data on how many applications for social care have been assessed for need. Through a new data collection, Client Level Data, we are beginning to collect event-level information from local authorities on adult social care activity. This will include records of assessment of eligible needs and the funding status of local authority-commissioned services.
To assess means, local authorities must follow The Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014 and have regard to the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) guidance. The responsibility for interpreting and applying the Regulations and the CASS guidance rests with local authorities.
Whether or not a person qualifies for any financial support towards their care costs depends on their capital assets as follows: anyone who has above the upper capital limit of £23,250 is expected to meet the full cost of their care; anyone who has below the lower capital limit of £14,250 pays what they can afford from income only; and anyone between the above two limits pays what they can afford from income plus a contribution from their assets.
A means-tested contribution from assets is determined by tariff income, which assumes that a person can afford to pay £1 per week for every £250 of assets between the limits. In 2021/22 there were almost 1,978,550 requests for support from new clients received by local authorities. Data on the funding of means testing done in the past 10 years is not held centrally.