Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with private social care providers on levels of challenges for their staff.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I regularly hold discussions with providers from across the social care sector, including private and voluntary sectors, and with local authority providers. This includes roundtables and site visits.
Department officials also regularly engage with private adult social care providers and sector representatives to understand the challenges faced by their workforce.
In order to gain a full understanding of issues affecting the workforce, the Department commissioned ‘The Adult Social Care workforce and their work-related quality of life survey’ which provides detailed evidence on the issues most affecting staff.
The full survey report is available at the following link:
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 social care staff working in supported living accommodation.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the vital role of social care staff working in supported living accommodation in enabling people to live independently with dignity.
We are committed to transforming adult social care and supporting adult social care workers, turning the page on decades of low pay and insecurity. That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028, backed by £500 million of funding to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce. This will improve recruitment and retention and give staff better recognition for their vital work. The £500 million forms part of an increase of over £4 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028-29, compared to 2025-26.
Ensuring staff have the skills and training needed to work in social care is also essential, both to attract people to join and remain in the workforce, and for the provision of high-quality care and support. That is why we have developed the Care Workforce Pathway, the first national career framework for adult social care, and, we are investing £12 million in learning and development through the Learning and Development Support Scheme, to enable eligible staff to complete eligible courses and qualifications.
These actions form part of our wider commitment to improving skills and support for the social care workforce.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 improve access to affordable home adaptations for people with motor neurone disease.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise how important the right housing arrangements are in supporting people to live as independently and safely as possible. In England, we continue to fund the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), which is administered by local authorities. This grant helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes, including people with motor neurone disease, to adapt their homes.
We have provided an additional £172 million over this and the last financial year to uplift the DFG. This uplift could provide approximately 15,600 extra home adaptations to give people more independence in their homes. This brings the total funding for the DFG to £711 million in each of 2024/25 and 2025/26.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on how many people resident outside the UK received medical treatment on the NHS in each of the last three years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect or hold the information requested.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the cost to the public purse of treatment for people who came to Britain only for (a) health and (b) medical treatment in each of the last three years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect or hold the information requested.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 help ensure there is adequate mental health support in Ashfield constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning National Health Service mental health services to meet the needs of people in Ashfield.
Nationally, the Government is committed to creating an environment that promotes good mental health, prevents people from developing mental health problems, and improves the lives of people living with a mental health problem including those in the Ashfield constituency.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to transform mental health services to improve access and treatment, and to promote good mental health and wellbeing for the nation. This includes improving assertive outreach, investing in mental health emergency departments and neighbourhood mental health centres, and increasing access to talking therapies and evidence-based digital interventions.
The recently published Medium Term Planning Framework sets targets for integrated care boards to expand coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges, expand NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement Support schemes, and eliminate inappropriate out-of-area placements by 2029.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 help ensure veterans receive appropriate support for PTSD.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In addition to the mainstream mental health services commissioned by integrated care boards, NHS England commissions Op COURAGE which is the bespoke integrated veterans’ mental health and wellbeing service. The service provides a fully integrated mental health care pathway for veterans, which includes support for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. People benefit from personalised care plans, ensuring they can access support and treatment both in and out of hours. Op COURAGE is available across England and individuals can contact the service to make an appointment or ask someone to do this on their behalf.
The Government recognises that not all veterans want to use veteran-specific mental health services and can instead choose to use mainstream services in the National Health Service, such as talking therapies, which are available to both veterans and civilians.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many tests for spiking were conducted in hospitals in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The requested data is not collected centrally. NHS England does not routinely collect hospital admissions data specifically related to spiking, nor the number of tests conducted explicitly labelled as being for spiking in hospitals.
The Home Office has published public guidance for victims and witnesses of spiking, and a statutory report setting out measures to tackle spiking including training for door staff, research into testing, and coordinated policing. The guidance signposts victims to emergency medical care, police reporting, and victim support services. This information is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/spiking-advice-and-support
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) testing and (b) support in hospitals for victims of spiking.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The requested data is not collected centrally. NHS England does not routinely collect hospital admissions data specifically related to spiking, nor the number of tests conducted explicitly labelled as being for spiking in hospitals.
The Home Office has published public guidance for victims and witnesses of spiking, and a statutory report setting out measures to tackle spiking including training for door staff, research into testing, and coordinated policing. The guidance signposts victims to emergency medical care, police reporting, and victim support services. This information is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/spiking-advice-and-support
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many deaf individuals have been wrongly assessed under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 as a result of communication barriers in the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold the requested data.