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, what plans he has to issue guidance to specialised neurology centres on the diagnosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current specific plans to issue guidance to specialised neurology centres on the diagnosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia.
The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
A timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support they need. We remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%. This ambition includes ensuring provision of a validated diagnosis of dementia subtype.
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, expected this year.
As we develop this, we will consider what interventions should be supported to improve dementia care and diagnosis.
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 modern service framework by the end of this calendar year as recommended by Baroness Casey.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 involuntary care home moves on older people living with dementia; and what safeguards are in place to prevent inappropriate relocation of such residents.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no current plans to reform the residential care funding framework. The responsibility for meeting eligible needs rests with local authorities under the Care Act 2014. The Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
In terms of an assessment of the impact of involuntary care home moves on older people with dementia, the Care Act places a duty on local authorities to promote wellbeing when arranging social care for an individual, and this provides individuals and their carers with more control over the way in which care and support is provided.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has powers to intervene.
The Independent Commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, is looking at the medium and long-term reforms needed in adult social care to deliver a fair and affordable system that is fit for the future, including looking at what long-term and sustainable funding solutions should look like.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is considering reform of the residential care funding framework to prevent older people being displaced from long‑standing care home placements for purely financial reasons.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no current plans to reform the residential care funding framework. The responsibility for meeting eligible needs rests with local authorities under the Care Act 2014. The Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
In terms of an assessment of the impact of involuntary care home moves on older people with dementia, the Care Act places a duty on local authorities to promote wellbeing when arranging social care for an individual, and this provides individuals and their carers with more control over the way in which care and support is provided.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has powers to intervene.
The Independent Commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, is looking at the medium and long-term reforms needed in adult social care to deliver a fair and affordable system that is fit for the future, including looking at what long-term and sustainable funding solutions should look like.
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: 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: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 improve access to speech and language therapy for people with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), particularly for people who are linguistically and ethnically diverse.
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 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 care for everyone with dementia, including those with primary progressive aphasia, which is why we have funded the work of the Dementia 100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and will help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.
A number of experts, including those with expertise in speech and language therapy and dementia care, provided independent, desktop analysis of the tool, and this invaluable feedback was integrated into the tool. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool can be found at the following link:
NHS England has published a guide which aims to help health and social care workers provide dementia care which corresponds to the needs and wishes of people from a wide range of ethnic groups, especially minority ethnic groups. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/intercultural-dementia-care-guide/
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/