Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of mirroring social care sector pay with the NHS Agenda for Change pay scales.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Most care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay and terms and conditions, independent of the Government.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
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 (a) recruit and (b) retain social care workers.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to supporting the recruitment and retention of the adult social care workforce, by ensuring that there are opportunities to develop and progress, and that people feel recognised. In January 2024 we launched the care workforce pathway, which will provide for the first time ever, a national career structure for the workforce. This is alongside our new nationally accredited care qualification, subsidised training places for care staff, and social work and social care nursing apprenticeships. The Government also continues to deliver the Made with Care national recruitment campaign, which promotes social care as a career.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to publish her Department's recommendations for a new care workforce pathway for adult social care.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department will publish the first version of the Care Workforce Pathway and response to the call for evidence as soon as is practicable.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations she has received on establishing a social care council.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My officials and myself enjoy strong engagement with sector representatives and experts as we develop policy and deliver for the social care sector. We receive representations on a number of issues including on ideas for forums to hear from the social care workforce and shape policy, most recently on establishing a social care council, which my officials are following up on.
We already engage workforce representatives on the creation, development, and implementation of our ambitious workforce reforms. Most recently, this includes co-developing a new career structure for care workers so that all staff can build their careers and are recognised for their skills, and one that reflects the realities of providing adult social care.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of diagnostic funding was spent on diagnostic endoscopy procedures in the NHS Kent and Medway integrated care system in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Will Quince
£2.3 billion was awarded at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years to increase diagnostic capacity, including for endoscopy services. This funding will also increase the number of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, including a number delivering endoscopy services.
In 2022/23, Kent and Medway Integrated Care System spent a total of £92,251,788 on all diagnostic services collected on DM01. DM01 includes the 15 key diagnostic tests and procedures. Of this, £51,185,316 (55.5%) was spent on diagnostic endoscopy procedures.
Cutting National Health Service waiting lists, including for endoscopy services, is one of the Government’s top priorities. This is a shared ambition amongst integrated care systems (ICSs), including Kent and Medway ICS. Priorities are set locally through joint strategic needs assessments as part of joint forward plans across the ICS and partnering NHS trusts.
NHS Kent & Medway ICS is actively working with providers across Kent & Medway, including Ashford, to support waiting list reduction through waiting list validation, providing additional capacity and the redesign of patient pathways. This includes endoscopy procedures.
The Government has not made a recent assessment of the barriers to reducing endoscopy waiting lists in the NHS Kent and Medway integrated care system. It is the responsibility of individual ICSs to work with NHS England to understand local barriers to delivering the required diagnostics services, including endoscopy, and to implement appropriate waiting list solutions based on local need.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the barriers to reducing endoscopy waiting lists in the NHS Kent and Medway integrated care system.
Answered by Will Quince
£2.3 billion was awarded at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years to increase diagnostic capacity, including for endoscopy services. This funding will also increase the number of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, including a number delivering endoscopy services.
In 2022/23, Kent and Medway Integrated Care System spent a total of £92,251,788 on all diagnostic services collected on DM01. DM01 includes the 15 key diagnostic tests and procedures. Of this, £51,185,316 (55.5%) was spent on diagnostic endoscopy procedures.
Cutting National Health Service waiting lists, including for endoscopy services, is one of the Government’s top priorities. This is a shared ambition amongst integrated care systems (ICSs), including Kent and Medway ICS. Priorities are set locally through joint strategic needs assessments as part of joint forward plans across the ICS and partnering NHS trusts.
NHS Kent & Medway ICS is actively working with providers across Kent & Medway, including Ashford, to support waiting list reduction through waiting list validation, providing additional capacity and the redesign of patient pathways. This includes endoscopy procedures.
The Government has not made a recent assessment of the barriers to reducing endoscopy waiting lists in the NHS Kent and Medway integrated care system. It is the responsibility of individual ICSs to work with NHS England to understand local barriers to delivering the required diagnostics services, including endoscopy, and to implement appropriate waiting list solutions based on local need.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS Kent and Medway integrated care system plans to take to increase the delivery of endoscopy procedures in Ashford.
Answered by Will Quince
£2.3 billion was awarded at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years to increase diagnostic capacity, including for endoscopy services. This funding will also increase the number of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) up to 160 by March 2025, including a number delivering endoscopy services.
In 2022/23, Kent and Medway Integrated Care System spent a total of £92,251,788 on all diagnostic services collected on DM01. DM01 includes the 15 key diagnostic tests and procedures. Of this, £51,185,316 (55.5%) was spent on diagnostic endoscopy procedures.
Cutting National Health Service waiting lists, including for endoscopy services, is one of the Government’s top priorities. This is a shared ambition amongst integrated care systems (ICSs), including Kent and Medway ICS. Priorities are set locally through joint strategic needs assessments as part of joint forward plans across the ICS and partnering NHS trusts.
NHS Kent & Medway ICS is actively working with providers across Kent & Medway, including Ashford, to support waiting list reduction through waiting list validation, providing additional capacity and the redesign of patient pathways. This includes endoscopy procedures.
The Government has not made a recent assessment of the barriers to reducing endoscopy waiting lists in the NHS Kent and Medway integrated care system. It is the responsibility of individual ICSs to work with NHS England to understand local barriers to delivering the required diagnostics services, including endoscopy, and to implement appropriate waiting list solutions based on local need.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of direct payments for social care.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is a matter for local authorities to determine how best to meet the eligible care and support needs of care users in their areas and ensure that those needing care and support, or their nominated representatives, are given timely information about direct payments to facilitate choice.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to expand support for family carers including increasing the options available for respite breaks.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding for respite and short breaks for carers is included in the National Health Service contribution to the Better Care Fund (BCF). In 2022/23, £291.7 million of BCF funding has been earmarked to provide short breaks and respite services for carers, as well as advice and support to carers.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what Government support has been made available to encourage the implementation of innovative forms of care and support in the social care sector.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The ‘People at the Heart of Care’ white paper published in December 2021 recognised the transformative role technology and new innovations can play in improving the quality and safety of care. As part of this, we committed to achieving 80% adoption of digital social care records by March 2024 and have launched a scheme to scale care technology where there is proven benefit and build the case for further change and innovation across the sector by testing new ideas. To support these ambitions, we have made £25 million available to integrated care systems.