Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what oversight arrangements are in place to safeguard people with learning disabilities in local care settings in Surrey Heath constituency.

In the statutory guidance of the Care Act 2014, it states that local authorities must ensure that the services they commission are safe, effective, and of high quality.

Each integrated care board must have an executive lead for learning disability and autism who will support the board in addressing health inequalities, thereby supporting equal access to care across all health services and improving overall health outcomes.

Under the Health and Care Act 2022, Care Quality Commission registered providers are required to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role, to provide safe and informed care.

A Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag is being rolled out across health and care services to ensure that disabled people’s reasonable adjustments are recorded and shared, to enable tailoring of appropriate support. This is aided by e-learning for health and social care staff.