Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to address inequalities in adult social care receipt by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) ethnicity and (d) geography.

The white paper ‘People at the Heart of Care’, published on 1 December 2021, includes an enhanced assurance framework, data collections and additional funding to address inequalities by identifying and sharing good practice by local authorities and responding where standards are not being met.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan the care and support needs of their populations. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to shape their local markets to ensure a diverse range of quality, person-centred, sustainable care and support services are provided. Local authorities assess whether an individual is eligible for financial support to meet their care needs. Where individuals are not eligible for financial support, local authorities may assist them to make arrangements for care. From October 2023, we will enable more people who fund their own care in care homes to request their local authority to arrange care on their behalf.