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 his department is taking to ensure that Advance Care Planning for people with dementia is a) proactive, b) effective and c) regularly reviewed.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services.
Those with dementia will benefit from more joined up care through co-created care plans, and by 2027, 95% of those with complex needs will have an agreed care plan.
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 frailty and dementia.
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, how the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia will reflect the complexity of dementia within system design, including coordination across health and social care services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want those living with dementia to benefit from better joined up care and coordination across services, and continue to engage with key professional groups, including those working within health and social care and neighbourhood health, while developing the modern service framework to support greater national coordination.
The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework Task and Finish Group is an advisory body to offer insight and guidance, helping to shape the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia by drawing on expertise from across the health and care system. The first meeting took place on 25 March and these meetings will occur monthly.
To ensure we account for considerations across the health and social care sector, the Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework is co-chaired by:
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 ensure that the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia includes a clear, defined pathway for post-diagnostic support for people with dementia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In developing the Modern Service Framework (MSF) 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 frailty and dementia.
We will consider what interventions should be supported to improve care and support for those living with dementia. We are considering all options to help reduce variation, including reviewing metrics and targets.
We will also review existing guidance and literature, including the Dementia 100 pathway assessment tool, which continues the work of the Dementia Care Pathway and covers all elements of the Well Pathway.
We are working to develop the content of the framework as soon as possible and we will keep partners updated on progress and timings as this work unfolds. We are committed to publishing an interim product in September this year to feed into National Health Service and local government planning cycles, and will aim to publish the full MSF by the end of this calendar year.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of charging VAT on Community Interest Companies (CICs) carrying out health support services on the ability of (a) employees of CICs to feasibly continue their work into the future and (b) families who rely on the services of CICs for the care of their loved ones to continue to afford such services.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Supplies of welfare services, including the provision of care for people with permanent disabilities and dementia, are exempt from VAT if they are supplied by eligible bodies, such as public bodies or charities.
Because community interest companies (CICs) are not charities in law, they must meet the criteria of being state-regulated in order to provide VAT-exempt care services. This is to ensure that the VAT relief is carefully targeted at private providers offering safe and high-quality welfare services.
The Government recognises that there are private organisations that bring value to the care sector without being regulated, but extending the VAT relief to include these would have to be carefully balanced against the risks that it poses.
More generally, VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 potential impact of a respiratory modern Service Framework on winter pressures on the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.
The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.
NHS England, working with the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and other partners, took action to reduce the impact of respiratory conditions on the National Health Service during the winter of 2025/26. Further details of the actions taken to reduce demand on acute services during winter is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his Department has given to the potential role of a respiratory Modern Service Framework in reducing winter pressures on the NHS by improving outcomes for long-term respiratory conditions and short-term respiratory illnesses such as flu.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.
The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.
NHS England, working with the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and other partners, took action to reduce the impact of respiratory conditions on the National Health Service during the winter of 2025/26. Further details of the actions taken to reduce demand on acute services during winter is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 the accuracy and consistency of coding practices for young onset dementia across health systems.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To strengthen both local and national insight into dementia care, enable clearer benchmarking, and support the delivery of more timely, targeted, and person-centred support, NHS England continues to monitor the monthly dementia diagnosis rate and analyse trends at national, regional, and integrated care board level. The commitment to recover diagnosis rates to the national ambition, of 66.7%, remains in place, ensuring identification and appropriate support for people living with dementia.
The national ambition to ensure that two-thirds of people estimated to have dementia receive a formal diagnosis includes ensuring provision of a validated diagnosis of dementia subtype.
In addition, NHS England is actively looking to improve the clinical utility and relevance of dementia data reporting. This includes:
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with young onset dementia have received a care plan review in the most recent period for which data is available in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not hold data for the Yeovil constituency centrally. In England, 369,635, or 72.4%, of those with a recorded diagnosis of dementia on 28 February 2026 received a care plan or care plan review in the preceding 12 months. This information is found in the Primary Care Dementia Data, published at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/primary-care-dementia-data
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 co-ordinate the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia with the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Frailty and Dementia. This will be complemented by an MSF for Palliative Care and End of Life Care. Together these MSFs will drive rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. We are committed to publishing an interim product for the MSF for Frailty and Dementia in September this year to feed into National Health Service and local government planning cycles, and will aim to publish the full MSF by the end of this calendar year as recommended by Baroness Casey.
The MSF for Palliative Care and End of Life Care, with a planned publication date of Autumn 2026, will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life, including those living with dementia, and will enable integrated care boards to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. We are committed to publishing an interim product for the Palliative Care and End of Life Care in Spring.
We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build frameworks which are both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future. The teams responsible for the MSFs are working together to ensure alignment and co-ordination.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered the potential merits of providing funding for speech therapy for those suffering from primary progressive aphasia.
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) and may include speech and language therapy. We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.