Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide financial support for (a) repair and (b) reconstruction of NHS hospitals affected by the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
Answered by Will Quince
The National Health Service has a comprehensive mitigation plan in place for hospital buildings with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), including significant additional funding worth £698m from 2021 to 2025 for trusts to put in place necessary remediation and failsafe measures, such as propping, as well as to eradicate RAAC in non-whole hospital sites. Further, the seven worst affected hospitals are being rebuilt by 2030 through the New Hospital Programme.
We have committed to eradicating RAAC from the publicly owned NHS estate by 2035, protecting patient and staff safety in the interim period, with NHS prioritising NHS trusts of concern. The estimated cost of full eradication through to 2035 will change over time due to several factors and will be considered at each spending review.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
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 support community-led initiatives for dementia support in Solihull constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Whilst the Department does not promote specific clubs or societies for people living with dementia and their carers, we recognise that clubs and societies can be important in supporting people to engage with their community and reduce social isolation.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Quality Standard on Dementia, published in June 2019, includes guidelines for offering activities such as exercise, aromatherapy, art, gardening, baking, reminiscence therapy, music therapy, mindfulness and animal assisted therapy to help promote wellbeing. Local authorities are also required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population, including unpaid carers, under the Care Act 2014.
There are a number of local initiatives provided via third sector charitable organisations that focus on support within their community living with dementia, allowing them to engage closer with the communities they live in. For example, within Solihull there is the facility of a Dementia Café and the ability to attend a Singing for the Brain event.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to establish additional dementia care facilities in Solihull constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is making available up to £2.8 billion of additional funding for social care in 2023/24 and £4.7 billion in 2024/25 to support local authorities with adult social care and discharge, the biggest funding increase in history.
Local authorities are best placed to plan for the care and support needs of their local population. That is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to shape their local markets, to ensure a diverse range of high quality, sustainable, person-centred care and support services are available to meet the needs of the local population, including those with dementia.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
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 the integration of dementia patients into community activities in Solihull constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Whilst the Department does not promote specific clubs or societies for people living with dementia and their carers, we recognise that clubs and societies can be important in supporting people to engage with their community and reducing social isolation.
Local authorities are also required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population, including unpaid carers, under the Care Act 2014. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to work with the third sector in their geographical area to offer services that meet the needs of their population.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Quality Standard on Dementia, published in June 2019, includes guidelines for offering activities, such as exercise, aromatherapy, art, gardening, baking, reminiscence therapy, music therapy, mindfulness and animal assisted therapy, to help promote wellbeing.
There are a number of local initiatives provided via third sector charitable organisations that focus on support for those within their community living with dementia, allowing them to engage more closely with the communities they live in. For example, within Solihull there is a Dementia Café facility and the opportunity to attend a Singing for the Brain event.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
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 help ensure that people with dementia in Solihull constituency have access to advanced therapeutic interventions.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has produced guidance on what to expect from health and care services following a dementia diagnosis. The guidance can help those diagnosed with dementia, or caring for someone with dementia, to understand the kind of support and services available to them in England.
Advanced therapeutic interventions cover a range of activities, including Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST). CST has been found to help the memory and thinking skills of people with mild to moderate dementia, with people who took part in group therapy reporting improved quality of life. Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that people with mild to moderate dementia should be given the opportunity to take part in a group CST programme. The Community Mental Health Trust has recently re-started formal face-to-face support training of CST for those patients living with dementia when there is clinical evidence that CST will prove a benefit in the management of their dementia.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
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 at-home carers of dementia patients in Solihull constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, under the Care Act 2014, all local authorities including Solihull, are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer. This might include access to respite and breaks or financial support.
The Department has published guidance on what to expect from health and adult social care services after a dementia diagnosis, which includes offering an assessment to the carer. The guidance is available to Solihull’s Constituents and is available at the following link:
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support families in Solihull constituency affected by dementia.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, under the Care Act 2014, all local authorities including Solihull, are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer. This might include access to respite and breaks or financial support.
The Department has published guidance on what to expect from health and adult social care services after a dementia diagnosis, which includes offering an assessment to the carer. The guidance is available to Solihull’s Constituents and is available at the following link:
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for dementia diagnosis in Solihull constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In Solihull, the waiting time for the Memory Assessment Service (MAS), from point of referral to diagnosis, is seven to eight months.
For the Community Mental Health Trust service in Solihull, the volume of patients meeting the threshold for specific assessment is significantly less than for the MAS Service, and from point of referral to diagnosis the average waiting time is three to four months.
These are indicative estimates and will be influenced by the clinical presentation of each individual case. For example, if the referral requires additional screening to ascertain a type of dementia via an MRI, this will add a further two to three months to the process.
A review is currently underway to understand capacity improvements and develop clear and robust pathways to reduce waiting times.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
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 help ensure (a) timely and (b) accurate diagnosis of dementia in Solihull constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently a number of initiatives focused on dementia diagnosis, including those seeking to address diagnosis gaps:
- in primary care, general practices (GPs) are being supported to identify patients that may need referral to dementia diagnosis services;
- a nationally recognised Diadem tool is being led by the Memory Assessment Service and is being used at GP level to assist in the diagnosis of patients living in a care home setting, including in Solihull; and
- a pilot scheme in North Solihull involving a dedicated primary care dementia link worker facilitated by the Alzheimer’s Society is supporting primary care in the identification and assessments of people living with Mild Cognitive Impairment.
In conjunction with the above, in May 2023 Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board published its ‘2023-2028 Birmingham & Solihull ICB Dementia Strategy’, developed in close partnership with both Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Birmingham City Council and Public Health colleagues, and has resulted in a joint strategic action plan focused on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support.
The action plan seeks to address gaps in information and access and health inequalities, and places emphasis on all commissioners in its delivery while strengthening the educational support for care homes across Solihull.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dementia diagnosis centres are operational in Solihull constituency.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Across Solihull there are four commissioned services with the relevant team and diagnostic tools able to formally provide a diagnosis of dementia.