Written questions by Morello.

If he will make it his policy to introduce free personal care for (a) elderly and (b) disabled residents in West Dorset constituency.

Local authorities have the power to charge for care, and it is for them to decide whether to do so. Two local authorities in England currently offer free home care to their residents.Where local authorities do choose to charge for care, they must do so in accordance with the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014, and they must act under the Care and Support Statutory guidance.We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.The commission, which began work in April 2025, will be comprehensive and will build on the expert proposals of other reviews, including that of Sir Andrew Dilnot into care funding and support.

How many overheating incidents have been logged in NHS hospitals in West Dorset constituency in each of the last five years.

Data on overheating incidents is collected as part of the Estates Return Information Collection, and is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collectionThe following table shows how many overheating incidents have been logged in National Health Service hospitals in the South West in each of the last five years:YearOverheating incidents2023/244132022/232592021/221912020/21Not collected2029/20Not collectedTotal863Source: Estates Returns Information Collection dataset, published January 2025.

What discussions he has had with the Chair of the independent commission into adult social care on progress to completing the first stage in 2026.

The Independent Commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, has begun its work on how to build a social care system fit for the future, and will first report in 2026.The commission is independent, and Baroness Casey has the autonomy to decide when in 2026 she reports, and to define her own engagement plans, including with ministers, as she believes is most appropriate for the commission’s work.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that people in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other rural areas benefit from technology enabled independent living.

As part of the immediate reforms announced in January 2025, the Government has committed to setting new national standards for care technologies and to developing trusted guidance. This information will help people who draw on care, and their loved ones, to confidently buy effective, compatible products for their homes.Furthermore, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are working together to ensure people in hard-to-reach communities who require care technology to live independently can access fast, reliable connectivity. This includes continued investment in Project Gigabit to expand gigabit-capable broadband, and the Shared Rural Network, which has already extended 4G coverage to 95% of the United Kingdom.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that unpaid carers are guaranteed respite breaks.

The Government is determined to recognise the crucial role that unpaid carers play in caring for family and friends and helping people to remain at home. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for carer support, including short breaks and respite services. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will start a national conversation about what care and support working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care, including exploring the needs of unpaid carers, who provide vital care and support.In addition, through measures in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are equipping and supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining their caring tasks by introducing a new ‘MyCarer’ section to the NHS App.

Whether his Department plans to establish a Royal College of care workers.

The Government is committed to a well-supported adult social care workforce who are recognised as the professionals they are. Enhancing the skills of staff working in adult social care is vital to ensure that the care provided is of good quality, fair, personalised, and accessible. Promoting opportunities to develop skills and knowledge is essential to raise the status of adult social care as a career. We have expanded the first ever national career structure for adult social care, the Care Workforce Pathway, adding new roles and clear career pathways. Backed by £12 million for training through the Learning and Development Support Scheme, this supports staff development and recognises the vital work care professionals do.The Department has no current plans to introduce a Royal College of care. The Government is committed to transforming adult social care to create a National Care Service and to improving the lives of people drawing on care, unpaid carers, and the social care workforce. We have also launched an independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Casey, as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission's Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to define its remit to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a personal care allowance for people who are assessed as needing personal care.

Local authorities are required to undertake a needs assessment for any individual who requests it, which will consider all of the adult’s care and support needs. As part of this process, the local authority will provide the person with a personal budget, which is an amount sufficient to cover the cost of the local authority meeting their eligible needs.Direct payments are one of the ways adults receiving local authority support with their social care costs can choose to receive their personal budget. Direct payments provide people with greater independence, choice, and control by enabling them or their nominated representative or representatives to commission their own care in order to meet their eligible personal care and support needs.

Whether his Department is developing a digital strategy for social care users.

The Government recognises the transformative potential of digital technology for people who draw on adult social care. While the Department is not developing a digital strategy for social care users at this time, we are taking forward immediate reforms to ensure that people who draw on care benefit from digital transformation. These reforms build on progress to drive adoption of digital social care records, which now benefit 85% of people who draw on adult social care, as well as Government-funded testing, scaling, and evaluation of care technologies to help people live independently for longer.We are developing new standards and guidance for care technologies to improve the confidence of people who draw on care, their loved ones, and care providers, to purchase effective and compatible products.We are also developing new national data infrastructure for social care, which will lay the foundations for staff to access real-time information from health and care services. This will enable the right people to access the right information at the right time, which is key to ensuring people receive safe, personalised care, without having to repeat themselves multiple times to different health and care professionals. We aim for all care providers to be fully digitised by the end of the Parliament.To support the digitisation of adult social care, we have produced a digital skills learning offer. By developing the digital skills, confidence, and capabilities of the adult social care workforce, we can empower them to support the people drawing on care to choose the care technology that is right for them.We are continuing our work with delivery partners to support local authorities in digitising adult social care assessments. This support is helping local authorities improve the timeliness and efficiency of assessments. Where digital tools have been trialled, evaluations have shown that people drawing on care and support have experienced quicker assessments, leading to reduced waiting times.

If he will hold discussions with the Independent Commission into Adult Social Care on bringing forward the deadline for reporting on each phase of the commission's work.

The Independent Commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, launched in April, and has already begun its work on how to build an adult social care system fit for the future.The commission is independent and Baroness Casey has the autonomy to decide when it reports within the timelines set out in the published terms of reference. The first report will be published next year, with the second due by 2028 at the latest.

What discussions his Department has had with South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust on the potential impact of replacing fire service co-responders with volunteer Community First Responders on ambulance response times to Category 1 calls in (a) rural and (b) West Dorset consitutency.

No discussions have been held. Operational decisions on how best to improve services for patients and deliver value for money are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.

What discussions his Department has had with fire and rescue services in the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust area on phasing out co-responder schemes for Category 1 cardiac incidents.

No discussions have been held. Operational decisions on how best to improve services for patients and deliver value for money are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.

Whether his Department had discussions with the South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust on the potential impact of replacing fire and rescue co-responders with volunteer community first responders on (a) response times and (b) the effectiveness of the service.

No discussions have been held. Operational decisions on how best to improve services for patients and deliver value for money are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.

Whether he plans to include policies on supporting mental healthcare as part of the 10 year health plan in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other rural areas.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver more care locally, including in rural areas like West Dorset, supporting people to stay healthier including with their mental health.A neighbourhood mental health model, providing open access to specialist services and holistic support in community locations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is already being piloted in six locations and we plan to go further. There will be 85 new dedicated mental health emergency departments and people will get better access to mental health support directly through the NHS App.We will also expand mental health support teams to cover all schools in England by 2029/30 and new Young Future Hubs will provide additional support for children and young people's mental health.

What recent discussions he has had with South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust on the potential impact of the level of funding on its capacity to deliver fire service co-responder support for Category 1 cardiac emergencies.

No discussions have been held. Operational decisions on how best to improve services for patients and deliver value for money are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.

What discussions his Department has had with South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust on its decision to end support for fire service co-responders attending Category 1 cardiac emergencies.

No discussions have been held. Operational decisions on how best to improve services for patients and deliver value for money are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.

What guidance his Department has issued on the use of volunteer Community First Responders to respond to Category 1 medical emergencies.

No guidance has been issued. Each ambulance trust has responsibility for the arrangements and publishing of guidance on their Community First Responder schemes.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of a national trauma-informed mental health strategy on (a) early intervention and (b) treatment outcomes.

Trauma informed care is a key theme within National Health Service national guidance. The Community Mental Health Framework for Adults and Older Adults sets out that interventions available from integrated services should include access to trauma-informed care.As part of its Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Quality Transformation Programme, NHS England has developed care standards for mental health inpatient care to support its vision of inpatient care being trauma informed, autism informed and culturally competent.

What recent discussions his Department has had with (a) NHS England, (b) integrated care boards, and (c) mental health charities on establishing a national strategy for trauma-informed care.

Trauma informed care is a key theme within National Health Service national guidance. The Community Mental Health Framework for Adults and Older Adults sets out that interventions available from integrated services should include access to trauma-informed care.As part of its Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Quality Transformation Programme, NHS England has developed care standards for mental health inpatient care to support its vision of inpatient care being trauma informed, autism informed and culturally competent.

What steps his Department is taking to develop a national strategy for trauma-informed mental health care in England.

Trauma informed care is a key theme within National Health Service national guidance. The Community Mental Health Framework for Adults and Older Adults sets out that interventions available from integrated services should include access to trauma-informed care.As part of its Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Quality Transformation Programme, NHS England has developed care standards for mental health inpatient care to support its vision of inpatient care being trauma informed, autism informed and culturally competent.

What steps he has taken to (a) monitor and (b) assess the impact of the Dentistry Rescue Plan in West Dorset constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the West Dorset constituency, this is the NHS Dorset ICB.We are working with NHS England, the NHS Business Services Authority, and the ICBs to set out the requirements for monitoring and reporting progress against the 700,000 urgent appointments, which will enable us to identify where further support is needed. Data on the number of dentists recruited under the Golden Hello scheme is regularly collected by NHS England. As of 6 May 2025, in England, there were 66 dentists in post with a further 24 dentists who have been recruited but are yet to start in post under this scheme. A further 231 posts are currently being advertised.