Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to provide training on oral health to care home staff.

It is the responsibility of social care provider organisations by law, to ensure their employees are suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced. They are also responsible for ensuring their employees receive appropriate support, training and professional development, to enable them to carry out the duties they are employed to perform. These include oral health, for adults in care homes.

Guidelines, quality standards, and assessment tools have been developed and published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, working in collaboration with Skills for Care. These provide guidance for residential and nursing care home staff who provide daily personal care to residents.