Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will undertake a review of the proportion of patients with communication needs who can access their health information in a format suitable to their personal needs.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
There are no plans to undertake such a review. Under the Equality Act (2010), health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.
Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations are required to comply with the Accessible Information Standard. The Standard sets out a specific, consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.
The standard sets out that NHS organisations must ask people if they have any information or communication needs and take steps to ensure that people receive information which they can access and understand and receive communication support if they need it.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled Your life and CF, published in June 2023 by Cystic Fibrosis Trust, if he will make an assessment of the impact of hospital car park charges on the proportion of appointments missed by people with (a) cystic fibrosis and (b) other long term conditions.
Answered by Will Quince
We have no current plans to make a specific assessment. Through the Government’s commitment, all trusts that charge for hospital car parking now provide free parking to in-need groups, which include National Health Service staff working overnight, frequent outpatient attenders, disabled people and parents of children staying overnight in hospital. An assessment of in-need groups was undertaken during the development of this policy to capture as wide a range of patients as possible.
To minimise the risk of patients missing appointments owing to parking issues, NHS England advise trusts that they should consider installing ‘pay on exit’ or similar schemes so that drivers pay only for the time that they have used when they leave.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disability employment advisors there are in the UK; and how many of those advisors there are per job centre.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
There are currently over 770 Disability Employment Advisers in the UK. Disability Employment Adviser resource is allocated at district level and covers every Jobcentre in England, Scotland and Wales. We are ensuring that every Work Coach in every Jobcentre continues to have access to a Disability Employment Adviser.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work coaches there are in Job Centres in the UK.
Answered by Guy Opperman
As of 1st April 2023 there are:
12,171 – Universal Credit Work Coaches
1,868 – Legacy Benefit Work Coaches
805 – Disability Employment Advisor (DEA)
Total Work Coach, including DEA, is 14,844
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work coaches in job centres have specialist disability training.
Answered by Guy Opperman
All new DWP Work Coaches undergo comprehensive learning to support customers with additional or complex needs, particularly disabilities and they continue to build on this in the workplace through accessing point of need learning products.
The learning provides the work coach with an understanding of assisted digital, and how they can effectively coach claimants who find using digital services a challenge.
Work coaches are also signposted to tools, guidance support and websites to effectively use resources from both internal and external sites. This ensures that they access the most up to date advice and expertise on a particular health condition.
In addition, within DWP, there are staff who undertake the Disability Employment Advisor (DEA) role. Staff who undertake this role are expected to have completed the Work Coach Learning Journey prior to commencing specific learning for the DEA role.
DEAs support Work Coaches by providing expert knowledge on how to support disabled customers, building the skills and capability of Work Coaches, and influencing employer engagement in local communities. DEA’s can also directly support customers with a health condition or disability where additional support can benefit the customer.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his timeline is for completion of the local government redundancy modification order.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Announcements will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a new assessment will be introduced for Personal Independence Payment to take account of the end of the work capability assessment.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper announced that we will legislate to remove the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) so that in future there will only be one health and disability assessment, the PIP assessment.
This will remove the need to be found to have limited capability for work and limited capability to prepare for work to receive additional income-related support for a disability or health condition, giving people confidence that they will receive support, for as long as it is needed, regardless of whether they are working.
In today’s benefits system some people that receive the Universal Credit health element as a result of being determined to have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity do not receive Personal Independence Payment. This is also the case for some people that are in the Employment and Support Allowance Support Group.
For this group, we will carefully consider whether they meet the PIP assessment and eligibility criteria. As we develop our reform proposals, we will consider how disabled people and people with health conditions who need additional financial support may receive it.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what new data on the life chances of disabled people his Department has commissioned since July 2021.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon Lady’s Parliamentary Question of 30th March is attached.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of malaria and other global health issues on the UK’s overseas trade with countries disproportionately affected by malaria and tropical diseases, including trade with Commonwealth countries.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is an economic growth department that will support British businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and prosperity across the UK; such health assessments fall outside its remit.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) malaria and (b) other global health issues on recent levels of trade by UK businesses with (i) countries in the Commonwealth and (ii) other countries with a high level of malaria.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is an economic growth department that will support British businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and prosperity across the UK; such health assessments fall outside its remit.