Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Departments monitors the number of neuro-developmental conditions confirmed by NHS England by region.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The term neurodevelopmental condition encompasses a wide range of conditions. The majority of services for neurodevelopmental conditions are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). There is no singular dataset which provides data on the number of all neurodevelopmental conditions by region. There are, however, some datasets which provide useful information nationally and locally on the numbers of people being referred for assessments or diagnosed with specific neurodevelopmental conditions, to support local service commissioning and provision. This includes the autism waiting times statistics, the Assuring Transformation data collection, the Mental Health Services Data Set, Community Services Data Set, and the Commissioning Data Sets. There is also an indicator in the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service monthly publication which is a count of all patients that have a diagnosis of autism in their general practice (GP) records, by each GP.
No assessment has been made of NHS England’s ability to categorise neurodevelopmental conditions in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. It is for individual National Health Service organisations, including NHS trusts and ICBs, to comply with the Equality Act 2010, guidance for which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance
The act defines disability as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Further information can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/definition-of-disability-under-equality-act-2010
Patients with neurodevelopmental conditions are not categorised by NHS England as to whether they meet the definition of disabled under the Equality Act 2010, and nor does the act require this.
Written Evidence May. 20 2024
Inquiry: The UK Government’s support of education for Overseas Territories studentsFound: educational needs and disabilities, particularly in relation to communication difficulties and autism
May. 20 2024
Source Page: Five Wells Prison: Action PlanFound: Activities planned so far is rental of an Autism experience bus for 120 staff to participate in June
May. 20 2024
Source Page: Five Wells Prison: Action PlanFound: Activities planned so far is rental of an Autism experience bus for 120 staff to participate in June
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) successfully renewed its Disability Confident Level 3 Leadership Certification in January 2024. This demonstrates our commitment to making the MOD a place that welcomes and encourages people with disabilities.
The MOD has a Disability Champion who is responsible for promoting inclusive behaviour; the postholder facilitates constructive challenge, fosters good relations in the workplace and contributes to the development of an inclusive culture. The Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) is owned by a HR Diversity and Inclusion policy lead who is responsible for engaging with stakeholders across the Department to ensure disability sits at the heart of our policies and processes and can be measured against the DCS criteria.
MOD supports the use of the DCS within its recruitment of civilian personnel and all MOD appointments advertised through Civil Service Jobs ask applicants if they wish to apply using DCS when they start their application. It is MOD policy that candidates using the scheme will be invited to interview provided they meet the minimum essential criteria for the advertised position. Recruiting panels also consider and implement any reasonable adjustments needed for interviews to ensure the selection process is fair for all candidates.
MOD also provides adjustments to support employees with disabilities throughout their employment as part of our responsibilities as an inclusive employer. These provisions take various forms, such as smart and flexible working, the provision of equipment and furniture for both office and home working, and IT software.
The MOD continues to monitor the effects of all actions aimed at making Defence a more attractive, diverse and inclusive employer. This work is having a positive effect on our overall representation of people who have declared a disability which has risen to 14% as at October 2023, an increase of 1.2 percentage points from April 2023.
The MOD has a range of inclusive training and career development opportunities, which are offered on a fair and open basis. The Future Leaders Scheme for eligible Grade 6&7 personnel, and the Senior Leaders Scheme for eligible Senior Civil Servants both offer successful candidates an accelerated development offer for those with a declared disability. The MOD’s Autism Exchange Intern Programme, developed in 2015, is a multi-award-winning programme which supports young people who are on the autistic spectrum to degree/postgraduate level qualifications. Reverse mentoring and challenge boards have also been implemented across the Department using staff from a range of under-represented groups, including those with disabilities. The MOD Talent Management Toolkit also offers advice and guidance to managers to ensure that all employees are treated fairly with regards to career advancement.
Finally, MOD has a DCS action plan and works with relevant stakeholders to implement actions; the group meets regularly to review progress against agreed actions.
May. 17 2024
Source Page: Teachers’ professional development in schoolsFound: practice, be tailored, develop subject matter expertise, help with specific issues children have (e.g. autism
Report May. 17 2024
Committee: Education Committee (Department: Department for Education)Found: evidence processing system and so may not be complete. 1 Ambition Institute ( TTR0124 ) 2 Ambitious about Autism
May. 16 2024
Source Page: Greater support for neurodivergent offenders in bid to cut crimeFound: helping neurodivergent offenders now in place in all public prisons Prisoners with conditions such as autism
May. 16 2024
Source Page: Experience of claiming and receiving Carer’s AllowanceFound: I care for my adult son who has autism.
May. 16 2024
Source Page: Experience of claiming and receiving Carer’s AllowanceFound: The person she cares for is her 12 -year- old son, who has Autism and ADHD.