Written questions by Whittome.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the exercise by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence of its discretionary power to show flexibility in relation to its (a) Standard Technology Appraisal and (b) Highly Specialised Technologies programme routing decisions in circumstances where there is (i) uncertainty on the incidence and prevalence of the disease and (ii) high unmet clinical need to ensure fair and equitable access to innovative new treatments for patients living with rare diseases.

The Department has regular discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about a range of issues, including about the delivery of public commitments. The NICE will consult on proposed changes to its criteria for highly specialised technology appraisals in 2024/25.We have made no assessment of the extent to which the NICE has demonstrated flexibility in making decisions on whether new medicines should be routed to its highly specialised technologies (HST) programme. Decisions on whether topics should be routed to the HST programme are taken independently of the Department by the NICE’s Prioritisation Board, in line with the routing criteria set out in the NICE’s published prioritisation framework, and through engagement with experts and other interested parties. The board’s decisions are published on the NICE’s website.This Government is aware of the challenges facing those living with rare diseases, including access to specialist care, treatment, and medicines. The NICE is actively monitoring the impact of the changes that it made to its methods and processes in 2022 on the availability of medicines for rare diseases, and is planning to publish a report by the end of 2024.

If his Department will take steps to expand access to dementia training for adult social care workers

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.

What discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on implementing the commitment in the England Rare Disease Action Plan 2024 to review the criteria for determining whether a medicine should be routed to its Highly Specialised Technologies programme.

The Department has regular discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about a range of issues, including about the delivery of public commitments. The NICE will consult on proposed changes to its criteria for highly specialised technology appraisals in 2024/25.We have made no assessment of the extent to which the NICE has demonstrated flexibility in making decisions on whether new medicines should be routed to its highly specialised technologies (HST) programme. Decisions on whether topics should be routed to the HST programme are taken independently of the Department by the NICE’s Prioritisation Board, in line with the routing criteria set out in the NICE’s published prioritisation framework, and through engagement with experts and other interested parties. The board’s decisions are published on the NICE’s website.This Government is aware of the challenges facing those living with rare diseases, including access to specialist care, treatment, and medicines. The NICE is actively monitoring the impact of the changes that it made to its methods and processes in 2022 on the availability of medicines for rare diseases, and is planning to publish a report by the end of 2024.

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

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.