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 steps he is taking to develop intervention strategies which tackle poor psychological wellbeing as a contributory factor to the development of dementia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Depression and social isolation are risk factors for developing dementia. They can be caused by, or contribute to, poor psychological wellbeing. By tackling these factors, we will therefore support wellbeing and reduce the risk of developing dementia.
We deliver dementia research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR invested £2.9 million to develop an app that will address identified risk factors for dementia, including depression and social isolation.
NHS Talking Therapies provide treatment to adults with common mental health conditions including depression. People can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies Services or be referred by their general practitioner. We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, easing pressure on busy mental health services.
Social prescribing is a key component of the National Health Service’s Universal Personalised Care. Social prescribing link workers take a holistic approach to people’s health and wellbeing. They connect people to community groups and statutory services for practical and emotional support.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to expand access to dementia training for adult social care workers
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The adult social care workforce provides vital care and support to people of all ages and with diverse needs, including those with dementia. Care workers are essential to those who draw on care and support, helping them maintain their quality of life, independence, and connection to the things that matter to them.
Enhancing skills for staff working in social care is of critical importance. As such, we will continue to develop the Care Workforce Pathway, the new national career structure for adult social care, and linked to this, a new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate qualification has already been developed and launched.
We will develop a long-term plan for social care, with those working in social care being at the heart of our reforms. We will outline our further plans for workforce reform in due course.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 implications for his policies of the recommendation in the report entitled A Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England, published by Skills for Care's on 18 July 2024, that all social care workers should have dementia training aligned to the Dementia Training Standards Framework
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National training, including the Department’s Care Workforce Pathway and new Level 2 Adult Care Certificate qualification, has been developed using current standards and competency frameworks to support people with dementia. This includes the Dementia Training Standards Framework.
As we develop a long-term plan for social care, those working in social care will be at the heart of our reforms. We will outline further plans for social care workforce reform in due course.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
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 in England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Dementia Training Standards Framework sets out the required essential knowledge and skills, as well as the expected learning outcomes applicable across the health and care spectrum. To support the quality of dementia care planning by primary care providers, the Dementia: Good Personalised Care and Support Planning guide promotes consistent personalised care and support planning. To further improve care, NHS England has refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario. This sets out best practice for supporting people with dementia, from diagnosis to dying well.
To enhance an integrated approach to hospital discharge, six national discharge frontrunner pilots are testing improved dementia care. This includes dementia hubs, which aim to improve care and support for dementia patients waiting for discharge, so that their needs are at the centre of every decision.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
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 adequacy of dementia training in the adult social care workforce.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The adult social care workforce provides vital care and support to people of all ages and with diverse needs, including those with dementia. Care workers are essential to those who draw on care and support, helping them maintain their quality of life, independence, and connection to the things that matter to them.
No specific assessment has been made of the adequacy of dementia training for the adult social care workforce, but as we develop a long-term plan for social care, those working in social care will be at the heart of our reforms. We will outline further plans for social care workforce reform in due course.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 31 July 2024 to Question 1576 on Mental Health Services: Finance, what the total planned expenditure for mental health services was in (a) cash and (b) real terms in each year since 2015-16.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the planned and real expenditure for National Health Service mental health services, including learning disabilities and dementia, each year since 2016/17, as the information for 2015/16 is not available:
Year | Planned expenditure in cash terms | Planned expenditure in real terms |
2016/17 | £9,490,700,000 | £11,983,200,000 |
2017/18 | £11,860,000,000 | £14,743,300,000 |
2018/19 | £12,154,900,000 | £14,797,600,000 |
2019/20 | £13,055,400,000 | £15,527,500,000 |
2020/21 | £14,024,300,000 | £15,817,800,000 |
2021/22 | £15,007,700,000 | £17,066,900,000 |
2022/23 | £15,555,100,000 | £16,572,400,000 |
2023/24 | £16,814,400,000 | £16,814,400,00 |
Source: the NHS mental health dashboard, published by NHS England, and available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-mental-health-dashboard/.
Note: the planned expenditure in real terms is at 2023/24 monetary value.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 (a) improve and (b) standardise the quality of annual dementia reviews.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Dementia: Good Personalised Care and Support Planning guide sets out how primary care providers can ensure personalised care and support planning is undertaken consistently and reliably. This includes annual dementia reviews. The guide offers a quality assurance framework to ensure care planning is responsive to needs and preferences.
To improve care for patients with dementia, NHS England's RightCare team has refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario, which works through the Well Pathway for Dementia, detailing optimal and suboptimal approaches. The RightCare team has developed a model dementia pathway based on data for each component of the 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: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a dementia strategy.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone should have access to high quality care that supports choice and control, and enables people to live independent, dignified lives. This includes people living with dementia. We know that the health and social care system faces significant challenges, and that long-term reform is needed. This is why we plan to create a National Care Service and are developing a 10-year plan to radically reform the National Health Service and build a health service that is fit for the future. As part of this work, we will consider how best to meet the needs of people with dementia, including whether it is appropriate to develop a dementia strategy.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding the NHS allocated to mental health services in (a) cash terms and (b) adjusted for inflation in the (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not available for 2009/10, as National Health Service expenditure on mental health services was not separately identified prior to 2015/16. The total planned spend on mental health for 2023/24, including learning disabilities and dementia, was £16,814,000,000. The final figures for 2023/24 are not yet available, and will be published through the NHS mental health dashboard, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-mental-health-dashboard/
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, if he will make it his policy to publish an action plan to help tackle heart disease.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Long Term Plan set an aim to prevent up to 150,000 heart attacks, strokes, and dementia cases by 2029, and activity is underway. However, we know there is more to do to tackle cardiovascular disease, including heart disease. That is why in our Health Mission to Build an NHS Fit for the Future, we have committed to reducing deaths from heart disease and strokes by a quarter within 10 years. The Department and NHS England are working together on this ambitious mission, and we will share more in due course.