Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the post-diagnosis support available to people with dementia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
The Government is committed to improving dementia care and is empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including for those with dementia. That is why we have recently published the Dementia 100 Pathway Assessment Tool, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia. The Dementia 100 Pathway Assessment Tool has now been launched, and is available at the following link:
To improve care for patients with dementia, we have refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario. The scenario works through the dementia well pathway journey from diagnosing well through to dying well, detailing optimal and sub optimal approaches, with associated costings for each. They have developed a dementia model pathway based on data for each component of the dementia well pathway, to provide a high-level view of what dementia care activity looks like for local areas and to aid targeted support where appropriate.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
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 improve dementia care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving dementia care and is empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including for those with dementia. That is why we have recently published the Dementia 100 Pathway Assessment Tool, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia. The Dementia 100 Pathway Assessment Tool has now been launched, and is available at the following link:
To improve care for patients with dementia, we have refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario. The scenario works through the dementia well pathway journey, from diagnosing well through to dying well, detailing optimal and sub optimal approaches, with associated costings for each. They have developed a dementia model pathway based on data for each component of the dementia well pathway, to provide a high-level view of what dementia care activity looks like for local areas and to aid targeted support where appropriate.
To aid dementia diagnosis and the provision of support in care homes, we funded an evidence-based improvement project to fund two trusts in each region, 14 sites, to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate protocol. Learning is currently being shared and promoted with regional and local partners, following an impact assessment of the pilots.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to issue updated guidance on the placement of dementia patients in hospital wards.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance on dementia states which aspects of care should be expected to ensure quality dementia care in hospital. This includes appropriate admission to hospital, comprehensive assessments, and personal history taking. Further information on the NICE’s dementia guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng97
The NICE’s guidance on the transition between inpatient hospital settings and community or care home settings for adults with social care needs covers the transition between inpatient hospital settings and community or care homes for adults with social care needs. Further information on the NICE’s transition guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng27
The NICE’s guidance will be reviewed if there is new evidence that is likely to change the recommendations. The 10-Year Health Plan will address the challenges diagnosed by Lord Darzi and set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of complex health and care needs. It will set out how we support and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide that joined-up care. The Government is launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.
To improve care for patients with dementia, NHS England's RightCare team has refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario. The scenario works through the dementia well pathway journey, from diagnosing well through to dying well, detailing optimal and suboptimal approaches, with associated costings for each.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 strengthen dementia diagnostic pathways.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To support the implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, NHS England has developed a dashboard. The aim is to support commissioners and providers of memory services with appropriate data and enable targeted support where needed. NHS England has also supported the development of resources for integrated care boards (ICBs), including an integrated care system self-assessment framework, to support the design of integrated dementia pathways. NHS England's RightCare team has refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario. The scenario works through the dementia well pathway journey from diagnosing well through to dying well, detailing optimal and sub optimal approaches, with associated costings for each.
NHS England is hosting a series of webinars to share best practice in dementia for staff in memory assessment services, primary care, urgent and emergency care, and ICBs. To aid improvement in dementia diagnosis rate performance, NHS England has also initiated a regional delivery group to address variation and enhance diagnosis rates.
The Department delivers research into dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into diagnosing dementia, including investing in two dementia and neurodegeneration Policy Research Units to further boost evidence for policymaking. One of the units is undertaking a project to investigate the United Kingdom’s healthcare system’s readiness for using blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers at scale outside of specialist services.
The NIHR-funded CONGA trial is also seeking to improve the diagnostic process for dementia, providing more accurate evidence for clinicians and helping patients to get appropriate treatment quickly.
Asked by: Melanie Onn (Labour - Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on improving dementia care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To improve care for patients with dementia, including those with Alzheimer’s disease, NHS England's RightCare team has refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario. The scenario works through the Dementia Well Pathway journey, from diagnosing well through to dying well, detailing optimal and sub optimal approaches, with associated costings for each. The RightCare team has also developed a dementia model pathway, based on data for each component of the Dementia Well Pathway, to provide a high-level view of what dementia care activity looks like for local areas, and to aid targeted support where appropriate. We have a national career framework for adult social care, the Care Workforce Pathway, which is linked to a number of existing competency frameworks, including the dementia training standards framework. The Department has also launched a new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate qualification which links to the outcomes in the Care Workforce Pathway. This contains the baseline knowledge required to provide quality care, and will make sure that those who are starting out their careers have an informed awareness of dementia.
In addition, the Government is investing in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis, and prevention, to treatment, care, and support, including for carers. The Department delivers dementia care research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into dementia care, including partnering with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Alzheimer’s Society to award £6 million to NetworkPlus grants, allowing the development of research and communities focused on the use and development of tools and technologies to enable people to live independently with dementia.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Marie Curie report Dying in Poverty, published on 12 November 2024, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) tackle fuel poverty and (b) reduce the number of people who die in fuel poverty in Liverpool each year.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health. Keeping people warm and well at home and improving the quality of new and existing homes will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer, healthier lives, reducing pressures on the NHS.
There are multiple targeted schemes delivering energy efficiency measures to low-income and fuel poor households. The Warm Home Discount schemes provide a £150 rebate off bills to eligible low-income households across Great Britain.
The Government has kickstarted delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, including an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next 3 years.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of people dying in fuel poverty in Lambeth.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health. Keeping people warm and well at home and improving the quality of new and existing homes will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer, healthier lives, reducing pressures on the NHS.
There are multiple targeted schemes delivering energy efficiency measures to low-income and fuel poor households. The Warm Home Discount schemes provide a £150 rebate off bills to eligible low-income households across Great Britain.
The Government has kickstarted delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, including an initial £1.8 billion to support fuel poverty schemes over the next 3 years.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2024 to Question 8297 on Prisons: Food and Prescription Drugs, what steps he is taking to monitor the adequacy of (a) suicide prevention provision, (b) palliative care, (c) medical emergency care and (d) mental health care in prisons; and whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of those steps.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England, via the regional health and justice teams, has regular meetings with prison healthcare providers to ensure the quality of the services that are provided. These are also supplemented with local partnership boards where governors, commissioners, and providers meet to discuss any issues, risks, and areas of concern. This could include the number of prisoners who are currently under an Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork approach where there is a risk of self-harm, and the overall healthcare provision, including any issues around enablement.
The Dying Well in Custody Framework and supporting self-assessment framework describes a set of national standards for local adoption, and provides a tool for a local multi-disciplinary approach to providing agreed standards of palliative and end of life care to people in prison.
Asked by: Connor Naismith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to support people who require long term care for (a) dementia and (b) other debilitating diseases with the costs of such care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want a society where every person, including those with dementia and other long-term conditions, receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care, with their families and carers also supported. Central to this is the provision of personalised care.
This person-centred approach is echoed throughout the Dementia Well Pathway. This includes diagnosing well, living and supporting well, and dying well. The pathway highlights that services need to be integrated, commissioned, monitored, and aligned with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence standards for each component of the pathway.
Some individuals with the highest levels of complex, intense, and unpredictable needs may be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare. This is a package of health and social care arranged and funded solely by the National Health Service for adults assessed as having a primary health need.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the impact of hospice funding on people's experience of death and dying in Wokingham.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift.
Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.
Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life, as well as their loved ones.
No assessment has been made of the impact of hospice funding on people’s experiences of death and dying. Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding charitable hospices receive varies by ICB area, and will, in part, be dependent on the breadth and range of palliative and end of life care provision within their ICB footprint.