Written questions by Morello.

What steps his Department is taking to recognise the role of informal carers providing care to psychiatric patients.

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers, including those caring for people with mental ill-health, and is committed to ensuring they have the support they need.We have raised the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit from £151 to £196 per week, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage and representing the largest cash increase ever.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.The Government has not made a specific assessment of the need for additional recognition and support for unpaid carers of people with mental ill-health. Local authorities are required by the Care Act 2014 to undertake carer’s assessments to support people caring for their family and friends who appear to have a need for support, including those caring for people with mental ill-health, and to meet their eligible needs upon request from them.The Government is making approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.Informal carers with common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies or be referred by their general practitioner. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. This includes expanding Talking Therapies services and giving patients better access to 24/7 support directly through the NHS App.

What assessment he has made of the need for additional recognition and support for informal carers supporting people with mental health conditions.

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers, including those caring for people with mental ill-health, and is committed to ensuring they have the support they need.We have raised the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit from £151 to £196 per week, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage and representing the largest cash increase ever.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.The Government has not made a specific assessment of the need for additional recognition and support for unpaid carers of people with mental ill-health. Local authorities are required by the Care Act 2014 to undertake carer’s assessments to support people caring for their family and friends who appear to have a need for support, including those caring for people with mental ill-health, and to meet their eligible needs upon request from them.The Government is making approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.Informal carers with common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies or be referred by their general practitioner. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. This includes expanding Talking Therapies services and giving patients better access to 24/7 support directly through the NHS App.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure informal carers supporting psychiatric patients have access to appropriate support services.

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers, including those caring for people with mental ill-health, and is committed to ensuring they have the support they need.We have raised the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit from £151 to £196 per week, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage and representing the largest cash increase ever.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.The Government has not made a specific assessment of the need for additional recognition and support for unpaid carers of people with mental ill-health. Local authorities are required by the Care Act 2014 to undertake carer’s assessments to support people caring for their family and friends who appear to have a need for support, including those caring for people with mental ill-health, and to meet their eligible needs upon request from them.The Government is making approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.Informal carers with common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies or be referred by their general practitioner. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. This includes expanding Talking Therapies services and giving patients better access to 24/7 support directly through the NHS App.

What steps his Department has considered to support informal carers providing care to psychiatric patients.

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers, including those caring for people with mental ill-health, and is committed to ensuring they have the support they need.We have raised the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit from £151 to £196 per week, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage and representing the largest cash increase ever.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.The Government has not made a specific assessment of the need for additional recognition and support for unpaid carers of people with mental ill-health. Local authorities are required by the Care Act 2014 to undertake carer’s assessments to support people caring for their family and friends who appear to have a need for support, including those caring for people with mental ill-health, and to meet their eligible needs upon request from them.The Government is making approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.Informal carers with common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies or be referred by their general practitioner. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. This includes expanding Talking Therapies services and giving patients better access to 24/7 support directly through the NHS App.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding Continuous Glucose Monitoring for a wider range of diabetes patients.

Improving access to diabetes technologies is a priority for NHS England, which uses routine data from the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) to help integrated care boards and providers benchmark themselves and target improvements. The NDA 2025/26 reports that 64% of people registered as living with type 1 diabetes and eligible for Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) had access to the technology and 65% of people registered as living with type 2 diabetes and eligible for CGM had access to the technology. The eligibility criteria for CGM amongst type 2 diabetics are set in guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG28 NICE is an independent body with its own processes for reviewing and updating its guidance taking account of the best available evidence of both clinical and cost effectiveness A new diabetes technology dashboard is in development, for publication in 2026. This will allow health systems and providers to better understand access to technology and target improvement efforts, to support higher uptake of CGM for those eligible.

Whether he plans to review eligibility criteria for Continuous Glucose Monitoring for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Improving access to diabetes technologies is a priority for NHS England, which uses routine data from the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) to help integrated care boards and providers benchmark themselves and target improvements. The NDA 2025/26 reports that 64% of people registered as living with type 1 diabetes and eligible for Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) had access to the technology and 65% of people registered as living with type 2 diabetes and eligible for CGM had access to the technology. The eligibility criteria for CGM amongst type 2 diabetics are set in guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG28 NICE is an independent body with its own processes for reviewing and updating its guidance taking account of the best available evidence of both clinical and cost effectiveness A new diabetes technology dashboard is in development, for publication in 2026. This will allow health systems and providers to better understand access to technology and target improvement efforts, to support higher uptake of CGM for those eligible.

What steps he is taking to address regional variation in access to continuous glucose monitoring, including in Dorset.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning health services to meet the needs of their populations. In doing so they must have regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance, including for diabetes. The National Diabetes Audit (NDA), and the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA) along with NHS Digital’s NDA and NPDA dashboards provide comprehensive data on care processes and outcomes and highlight variation. The dashboards help commissioners, providers, and paediatric diabetes units benchmark themselves and target improvements.NHS Dorset has a policy in place for the provision of prescribable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.In order to ensure that Dorset patients are being treated appropriately, use of CGM is tracked against patient eligibility criteria as set out in NICE guidance and the NHS Dorset CGM policy.

Whether his Department has had discussions with the Information Commissioner’s Office on potential investigations into electronic record-sharing in the NHS in West Dorset constituency.

The Department has not had any discussions with the Office of the Information Commissioner about electronic record sharing in the National Health Service in West Dorset.

What steps his Department is taking to integrate child and adolescent mental health service provision into schools nationally.

For children and young people in distress or struggling with their mental health, fast access to early, high-quality support is critical, including in West Dorset. That is why the 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by continuing to roll out mental health support teams in schools and colleges, to reach full national coverage by 2029. The 10-Year Health Plan will build on the work that has already begun to bring down waiting lists. This includes providing mental health support for almost one million more young people in school this year and an extra £688 million in Government funding this year to transform mental health services, specifically to hire more staff, deliver more early interventions, and get waiting lists down.

What steps he is taking to review the NHS Pension Annual Allowance rules to prevent excessive charges for staff covering rota gaps.

The annual allowance limits the amount that an individual can save in their pension pot before they have to pay tax. It aims to ensure that the incentives for pension saving, which are costly to the taxpayer, are appropriately targeted across society. Tax policy, including the level of the annual allowance, is a matter for my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.From 6 April 2023, the previous administration introduced reforms to the annual allowance, increasing both the standard and tapered annual allowances, allowing National Health Service staff to save more into their pensions each year before facing a tax charge.Where NHS staff have pension savings that exceed the annual allowance, for example due to unexpected circumstances such as taking on extra hours or additional responsibilities within the NHS, they can carry forward any unused annual allowance from the previous three tax years. This will increase their current year’s allowance, reducing or potentially avoiding any annual allowance tax charge that is due.Additionally, the NHS Pension Scheme offers a Scheme Pays facility which allows impacted members to pay charges using the value of their pension. This spreads the cost of paying a tax charge over the lifetime of the pension rather than requiring an immediate outlay. For most members, the growth in their pension benefits at retirement, even net of a charge, would still represent an excellent return on their pension contributions.Information for trusts is available on NHS Employers website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/annual-allowance.Information for members is available on the NHS Pensions website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/annual-allowance.

How his Department is supporting senior NHS staff in West Dorset constituency who face large Annual Allowance charges due to extra hours worked during staffing shortages.

The annual allowance limits the amount that an individual can save in their pension pot before they have to pay tax. It aims to ensure that the incentives for pension saving, which are costly to the taxpayer, are appropriately targeted across society. Tax policy, including the level of the annual allowance, is a matter for my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.From 6 April 2023, the previous administration introduced reforms to the annual allowance, increasing both the standard and tapered annual allowances, allowing National Health Service staff to save more into their pensions each year before facing a tax charge.Where NHS staff have pension savings that exceed the annual allowance, for example due to unexpected circumstances such as taking on extra hours or additional responsibilities within the NHS, they can carry forward any unused annual allowance from the previous three tax years. This will increase their current year’s allowance, reducing or potentially avoiding any annual allowance tax charge that is due.Additionally, the NHS Pension Scheme offers a Scheme Pays facility which allows impacted members to pay charges using the value of their pension. This spreads the cost of paying a tax charge over the lifetime of the pension rather than requiring an immediate outlay. For most members, the growth in their pension benefits at retirement, even net of a charge, would still represent an excellent return on their pension contributions.Information for trusts is available on NHS Employers website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/annual-allowance.Information for members is available on the NHS Pensions website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/annual-allowance.

How his Department is supporting schools in West Dorset constituency to provide mental health support for children on the child and adolescent mental health services waiting list.

For children and young people in distress or struggling with their mental health, fast access to early, high-quality support is critical, including in West Dorset. That is why the 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by continuing to roll out mental health support teams in schools and colleges, to reach full national coverage by 2029. The 10-Year Health Plan will build on the work that has already begun to bring down waiting lists. This includes providing mental health support for almost one million more young people in school this year and an extra £688 million in Government funding this year to transform mental health services, specifically to hire more staff, deliver more early interventions, and get waiting lists down.

What measures are being considered to prevent NHS staff nationally from being deterred from covering rota gaps due to Annual Allowance charges.

The annual allowance limits the amount that an individual can save in their pension pot before they have to pay tax. It aims to ensure that the incentives for pension saving, which are costly to the taxpayer, are appropriately targeted across society. Tax policy, including the level of the annual allowance, is a matter for my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.From 6 April 2023, the previous administration introduced reforms to the annual allowance, increasing both the standard and tapered annual allowances, allowing National Health Service staff to save more into their pensions each year before facing a tax charge.Where NHS staff have pension savings that exceed the annual allowance, for example due to unexpected circumstances such as taking on extra hours or additional responsibilities within the NHS, they can carry forward any unused annual allowance from the previous three tax years. This will increase their current year’s allowance, reducing or potentially avoiding any annual allowance tax charge that is due.Additionally, the NHS Pension Scheme offers a Scheme Pays facility which allows impacted members to pay charges using the value of their pension. This spreads the cost of paying a tax charge over the lifetime of the pension rather than requiring an immediate outlay. For most members, the growth in their pension benefits at retirement, even net of a charge, would still represent an excellent return on their pension contributions.Information for trusts is available on NHS Employers website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/annual-allowance.Information for members is available on the NHS Pensions website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/annual-allowance.

What guidance his Department has provided to NHS trusts in West Dorset constituency on managing staff concerns over Annual Allowance charges.

The annual allowance limits the amount that an individual can save in their pension pot before they have to pay tax. It aims to ensure that the incentives for pension saving, which are costly to the taxpayer, are appropriately targeted across society. Tax policy, including the level of the annual allowance, is a matter for my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.From 6 April 2023, the previous administration introduced reforms to the annual allowance, increasing both the standard and tapered annual allowances, allowing National Health Service staff to save more into their pensions each year before facing a tax charge.Where NHS staff have pension savings that exceed the annual allowance, for example due to unexpected circumstances such as taking on extra hours or additional responsibilities within the NHS, they can carry forward any unused annual allowance from the previous three tax years. This will increase their current year’s allowance, reducing or potentially avoiding any annual allowance tax charge that is due.Additionally, the NHS Pension Scheme offers a Scheme Pays facility which allows impacted members to pay charges using the value of their pension. This spreads the cost of paying a tax charge over the lifetime of the pension rather than requiring an immediate outlay. For most members, the growth in their pension benefits at retirement, even net of a charge, would still represent an excellent return on their pension contributions.Information for trusts is available on NHS Employers website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/annual-allowance.Information for members is available on the NHS Pensions website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/annual-allowance.

What steps are being taken to ensure that NHS staff are not penalised financially for taking on extra responsibilities to maintain patient care.

The annual allowance limits the amount that an individual can save in their pension pot before they have to pay tax. It aims to ensure that the incentives for pension saving, which are costly to the taxpayer, are appropriately targeted across society. Tax policy, including the level of the annual allowance, is a matter for my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.From 6 April 2023, the previous administration introduced reforms to the annual allowance, increasing both the standard and tapered annual allowances, allowing National Health Service staff to save more into their pensions each year before facing a tax charge.Where NHS staff have pension savings that exceed the annual allowance, for example due to unexpected circumstances such as taking on extra hours or additional responsibilities within the NHS, they can carry forward any unused annual allowance from the previous three tax years. This will increase their current year’s allowance, reducing or potentially avoiding any annual allowance tax charge that is due.Additionally, the NHS Pension Scheme offers a Scheme Pays facility which allows impacted members to pay charges using the value of their pension. This spreads the cost of paying a tax charge over the lifetime of the pension rather than requiring an immediate outlay. For most members, the growth in their pension benefits at retirement, even net of a charge, would still represent an excellent return on their pension contributions.Information for trusts is available on NHS Employers website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/annual-allowance.Information for members is available on the NHS Pensions website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/annual-allowance.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to child and adolescent mental health services in schools in West Dorset constituency.

For children and young people in distress or struggling with their mental health, fast access to early, high-quality support is critical, including in West Dorset. That is why the 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by continuing to roll out mental health support teams in schools and colleges, to reach full national coverage by 2029. The 10-Year Health Plan will build on the work that has already begun to bring down waiting lists. This includes providing mental health support for almost one million more young people in school this year and an extra £688 million in Government funding this year to transform mental health services, specifically to hire more staff, deliver more early interventions, and get waiting lists down.

If he will review the rules on NHS Pension Annual Allowance charges to reduce the risk of staff being financially penalised for working additional hours.

The annual allowance limits the amount that an individual can save in their pension pot before they have to pay tax. It aims to ensure that the incentives for pension saving, which are costly to the taxpayer, are appropriately targeted across society. Tax policy, including the level of the annual allowance, is a matter for my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.From 6 April 2023, the previous administration introduced reforms to the annual allowance, increasing both the standard and tapered annual allowances, allowing National Health Service staff to save more into their pensions each year before facing a tax charge.Where NHS staff have pension savings that exceed the annual allowance, for example due to unexpected circumstances such as taking on extra hours or additional responsibilities within the NHS, they can carry forward any unused annual allowance from the previous three tax years. This will increase their current year’s allowance, reducing or potentially avoiding any annual allowance tax charge that is due.Additionally, the NHS Pension Scheme offers a Scheme Pays facility which allows impacted members to pay charges using the value of their pension. This spreads the cost of paying a tax charge over the lifetime of the pension rather than requiring an immediate outlay. For most members, the growth in their pension benefits at retirement, even net of a charge, would still represent an excellent return on their pension contributions.Information for trusts is available on NHS Employers website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/annual-allowance.Information for members is available on the NHS Pensions website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/annual-allowance.

What steps is he taking alongside Cabinet colleagues to increase healthcare provision on new housing estates in West Dorset constituency.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient medical services, including general practice, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes.Local planning authorities are responsible for negotiating and agreeing developer contributions to support necessary associated infrastructure when new housing developments are built. The Department for Health and Social Care is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to determine how developer contributions from new housing developments can be better used towards local health services and infrastructure.As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has committed to deliver a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community across the country over the course of the plan. We announced our commitment at the Autumn Budget to deliver 250 NHCs through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments to expand and improve sites over the next three years, and new-build sites opening in the medium term.

What steps he is taking to ensure that CHC funding cuts do not reduce access to care in West Dorset constituency.

The Department and NHS England have made clear that any work to manage costs by integrated care boards (ICB) must be carried out with clear safeguards in place to protect frontline responsibilities.ICBs remain legally responsible for the operational delivery of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and must have regard to the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-framework-for-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-careFunding for CHC is not ringfenced, but is calculated using the ICB allocation formula. Individual ICBs should decide how best to use their overall funding allocation to deliver their statutory functions, including CHC. Any ICB measures to manage costs should not impact on an individual’s eligibility for CHC, or their care. This means that eligible individuals must continue to receive appropriate care that meets their assessed needs.NHS England has issued a good practice guide for CHC to support National Health Service staff by providing practical ways for ICBs to enhance system efficiency and deliver sustainable services.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of cuts to Continuing Healthcare funding on patient care.

The Department and NHS England have made clear that any work to manage costs by integrated care boards (ICB) must be carried out with clear safeguards in place to protect frontline responsibilities.ICBs remain legally responsible for the operational delivery of NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and must have regard to the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-framework-for-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-careFunding for CHC is not ringfenced, but is calculated using the ICB allocation formula. Individual ICBs should decide how best to use their overall funding allocation to deliver their statutory functions, including CHC. Any ICB measures to manage costs should not impact on an individual’s eligibility for CHC, or their care. This means that eligible individuals must continue to receive appropriate care that meets their assessed needs.NHS England has issued a good practice guide for CHC to support National Health Service staff by providing practical ways for ICBs to enhance system efficiency and deliver sustainable services.