Bishop of Manchester asks about children’s social care reform

The Bishop of Manchester received the following written answers on 4th December 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase investment in early intervention and prevention as part of children’s social care reform.

Baroness Barran (Con, DfE): The government has invested billions in local services. This year alone, the total social care grant for local government is over £2 billion. In the ‘Stable Homes Built on Love’ Strategy, the department outlined its plans to build on the strengths of current early help and Child in Need services, through the creation of Family Help.

Continue reading “Bishop of Manchester asks about children’s social care reform”

King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of London speaks on health & social care

During a debate on the King’s Speech on 9th October 2023, the Bishop of London gave a speech focusing on issues of health and social care:

The Lord Bishop of London: My Lords, it is a pleasure to participate in this debate on the gracious Speech. I declare my interests as recorded in the register.

I begin by joining noble Lords across the House in welcoming the indication in the Speech that the Government will legislate for a ban on smoking. As we have heard, smoking is the single biggest preventable killer in the UK, but it is also an example of pronounced health inequality. The Chief Medical Officer gave this evidence to the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee:

“Smoking is usually twice as high in people with lower incomes and more than twice as high in people living with mental health issues”.

He went on to say:

“The cigarette industry goes absolutely unerringly for the most vulnerable in society”.

Continue reading “King’s Speech Debate: Bishop of London speaks on health & social care”

Bishop of Sheffield raises potential of a national covenant for social care

The Bishop of Sheffield spoke in a debate on a Report from the Adult Social Care Committee on 16th October 2023, referencing the Archbishop’s Commission on reimagining care and the founding of a national care covenant:

The Lord Bishop of Sheffield: My Lords, I start by paying tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Andrews, and to all the members of the Adult Social Care Committee for the excellent report they produced last year, full of thoroughly perceptive and practical recommendations to government and speaking to the longing we all have to live a life of joy, fulfilment and purpose. The committee undertook its work in precisely the same period as the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care and it is heartening to see the considerable amount of overlap in the values proposed and the conclusions reached. Both contribute to the growing consensus that we cannot any longer tinker around the edges of the existing system. We must reset and reimagine the way that social care is understood, organised and delivered.

Continue reading “Bishop of Sheffield raises potential of a national covenant for social care”

Bishop of St Albans asks about number of care homes in the UK

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote accurate recording of the number of care homes.

Lord Markham (Con, Department of Health and Social Care): The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for the accurate recording of the number of care homes as well as all health and adult social care providers that fall within the scope of registration with the CQC within England. A list of all the providers is publicly available on CQC’s website and is updated monthly. This has been the case since 2012, prior to which it was available on request.

Hansard

Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asks about support for unpaid carers

The Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asked a question on support for unpaid carers on 12th July 2023, during a debate on waiting lists for community health services:

The Lord Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham: My Lords, in a recent survey of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, over 90% agreed that unpaid carers are now coming forward with an increased level of need, with directors ranking burnout as the number one reason for the increasing carer breakdown over the past year. Unpaid carers are clearly bearing the brunt of shortages in health and social care support, so can the Minister say what the Government can do to help more with unpaid carers?

Continue reading “Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham asks about support for unpaid carers”

Bishop of London asks about upcoming workforce strategy for social care

The Bishop of London received the following written answer on 10th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of London asked His Majesty’s Government whether the upcoming workforce strategy for social care will implement recommendations contained in the Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, published by the NHS Confederation on 9 May, including (1) support for pharmacists to implement the Pharmacy First initiative, and (2) additional locum cover for GPs as they transition into ‘modern General Practices’.

Continue reading “Bishop of London asks about upcoming workforce strategy for social care”

Bishop of Exeter asks about investment in social care

The Bishop of Exeter asked a question on the need for investment in the social care workforce on 4th July 2023, following a government statement on the NHS workforce plan:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: My Lords, we on these Benches very much welcome this workforce plan, in particular the expansion of places for training with a range of clinicians and the shift of gaze towards community care and prevention. Our anxiety very much mirrors that of the noble Baroness, Lady Merron, and the noble Lord, Lord Allan of Hallam. We notice that page 23 of the report says:

“This Plan is predicated on access to social care services remaining broadly in line with current levels or improving”.

Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about investment in social care”

Bishop of London asks about patient care and health inequalities

The Bishop of London received the following written answers on 20th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of London asked His Majesty’s Government, further to The Hewitt Review: an independent review of integrated care systems, published on 4 April, what plans they have to implement the recommendation contained in that review to publish a strategy for the social care workforce.

Continue reading “Bishop of London asks about patient care and health inequalities”

Bishop of St Albans asks about meals on wheels service

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 17th April 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of how many people used a meals on wheels service in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, (3) 2020, (4) 2021, and (5) 2022.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con): This information is not held centrally by the Department.

Hansard

Future of Social Care: Bishop of Carlisle speaks on need to rethink approaches to care

The Bishop of Carlisle also spoke in the debate on the future of social care on 30th March 2023, highlighting the central themes of the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care, and the need for change in the approach to social care:

The Lord Bishop of Carlisle: My Lords, I have had the great privilege of sitting on both the Adult Social Care Committee and the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care. I also pay tribute to the outstanding work of their respective chairs, the noble Baroness, Lady Andrews, and Dr Anna Dixon.

When the two reports were published, it came as no great surprise that there were huge areas of overlap. In fact, a careful analysis has revealed at least 17 different points of congruence, ranging from providing everyone with the opportunity to lead a full life, through to appointing a commissioner for care and support and properly implementing the Care Act 2014—all of which have already been mentioned.

As we have heard, the role of unpaid carers, including children, was highlighted in particular by both reports. Because that became such a central feature of the Select Committee’s investigation and report, it is being fully addressed by many noble Lords speaking in this important debate. Rather than repeating their valuable contributions, I, like the noble Lord, Lord Polak, and the noble Baroness, Lady Shephard, want to focus on another area of concern raised by both reports, namely the current difficulty experienced by those who try to navigate the statutory care and support system. Phrases such as a “baffling range of organisations” and a “fog of confusion” abound. As we heard from the noble Baroness, Lady Pitkeathley, whose long-term contribution to this debate we so value, dealing with the complex and circular bureaucracy is time-consuming and frustrating.

Continue reading “Future of Social Care: Bishop of Carlisle speaks on need to rethink approaches to care”