Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to develop a national service framework or equivalent long-term strategy for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, as well as an overall quality strategy, the National Quality Board is overseeing the development of a new series of service frameworks to accelerate progress in conditions where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.
Early priorities include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia. The Government will consider other long-term conditions with significant health and economic impacts for future waves of modern service frameworks.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of public service response to support for missing from home dementia patients.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Tackling this issue requires a multi-agency response and co-ordination across a range of policies and operational partners including the health care sector, local authorities and the police.
The provision of specific dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Many police forces are now participating in the Herbert Protocol, with partner agencies, to assist in locating missing vulnerable people living with dementia. The Herbert Protocol is a national scheme by police forces in partnership with other agencies which encourages carers to compile useful information which could be used in the event of a vulnerable person, living with dementia, going missing. Carers, family members and friends can complete in advance, a form recording vital details, such as medication required, mobile numbers, places previously located, a photograph etc. In the event of a person going missing this information can then easily be provided to the police to assist them in searching for the person, saving valuable time.
The Government is harnessing digital technology to transform adult social care, helping people to stay independent in their homes, joining up services and improving the quality of care provided.
In January, ministers announced immediate steps the Department is taking to improve adult social care. These reforms build upon progress over the last four years to drive adoption of digital social care records by registered care providers to 80%, from a start point of 41% in December 2021, and to test, scale and evaluate innovative care technologies.
In the next year, the Government will set new national standards for care technologies and produce trusted guidance, so that people can confidently buy and use technology which supports them or the people they care for.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities about the funding of hospice services, including those providing end-of-life care for dementia patients.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not had any recent discussions with local authorities about the funding of hospice services.
Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment.
Local authorities don't have direct responsibility for end of life care. However, statutory guidance encourages local authorities to prioritise integration activity in areas where there is evidence that effective integration of services materially improves people’s wellbeing, for example, end of life care.
As the majority of hospices are independent charitable organisations, neither the Government nor NHS England collect data on their financial accounts. As such, we do not hold data on the proportion of the total income that hospices receive that is provided by central Government.
In December 2024, we announced a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England. We are pleased to say that this capital funding has just been increased by a further £25 million.
The Government will consider contracting and commissioning as part of developing the forthcoming Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting ICBs to commission more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of hospice funding for dementia end-of-life care is provided by central government and local authorities; and whether he plans to increase statutory funding for hospices.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not had any recent discussions with local authorities about the funding of hospice services.
Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment.
Local authorities don't have direct responsibility for end of life care. However, statutory guidance encourages local authorities to prioritise integration activity in areas where there is evidence that effective integration of services materially improves people’s wellbeing, for example, end of life care.
As the majority of hospices are independent charitable organisations, neither the Government nor NHS England collect data on their financial accounts. As such, we do not hold data on the proportion of the total income that hospices receive that is provided by central Government.
In December 2024, we announced a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England. We are pleased to say that this capital funding has just been increased by a further £25 million.
The Government will consider contracting and commissioning as part of developing the forthcoming Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting ICBs to commission more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the accurate identification, collection and annual publication of data on the number of people living with young onset dementia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The dementia diagnosis rate for patients aged 65 years old and over is calculated and published monthly via the Primary Care Dementia Data publication, which is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/primary-care-dementia-data
While the dementia diagnosis rate is not calculated for patients aged under 65 years old, the publication does include a monthly count of the number of patients aged 65 years old and under who do have a dementia diagnosis on their patient record, and this is expressed as a raw count and as a percentage of registered patients aged between zero and 64 years old.
Data quality is generally considered to be very good for all General Practice Extraction Service (GPES) extracts. Between 90 and 100% of practices in England participate each month. Data collected is 100% complete, as it is automated extract GPES extracts data for all patients who have specified codes on their record. Further information about the data quality for the statistical publication can be found at the following link:
We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, which is expected this year.
In developing the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, we are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with dementia. As part of this exercise, we are considering all options to help reduce variation, including reviewing data, metrics, and targets.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to announce the next phase of the National Service Frameworks.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early priorities for Modern Service Frameworks will include cardiovascular disease, sepsis, severe mental illness and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia. As advised by the National Quality Board, the Government will consider other conditions for future phases of MSFs and has recently announced an MSF on palliative and end-of-life care.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to announce the next phase of the Modern Service Frameworks.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early priorities for Modern Service Frameworks will include cardiovascular disease, sepsis, severe mental illness and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia. As advised by the National Quality Board, the Government will consider other conditions for future phases of MSFs and has recently announced an MSF on palliative and end-of-life care.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to announce the next phase of modern service frameworks.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early priorities for Modern Service Frameworks will include cardiovascular disease, sepsis, severe mental illness and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia. As advised by the National Quality Board, the Government will consider other conditions for future phases of MSFs and has recently announced an MSF on palliative and end-of-life care.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of York Frailty Hub on his Department's screening and prevention agenda.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee has not been asked to look at frailty as a screening programme and no specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of York Frailty Hub on the Department's screening and prevention agenda.
The provision of frailty health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs), and may include services like the York Frailty Hub, which contain an element of frailty prevention. We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, which will give us a significant opportunity to radically change how resources are deployed across health, social care, and wider services in local communities. There needs to be a stronger focus on prevention and early intervention, both to improve outcomes for people and to reduce pressure on both National Health Service and local government services.
We will also deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, which is expected this year. The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect NHS priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
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, what steps his Department is taking to reimburse or provide financial support to families of dementia patients who are required to pay for care while local authorities consider their applications for support.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs, as set out in the Care Act 2014.
The Care and Support Statutory Guidance states that “an assessment should be carried out over an appropriate and reasonable timescale taking into account the urgency of needs and a consideration of any fluctuation in those needs”. In addition, under Section 19 of the Care Act 2014, local authorities have powers to meet urgent needs for care and support without first carrying out a needs assessment or financial assessment.
There is no legal entitlement to reimbursement for care costs incurred prior to a local authority decision.
Individuals who are concerned about delays or decisions may raise these through local authority complaints processes or with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.