The Government remains committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). On 7 February 2024, the JCVI published further advice on the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 vaccination programme. The JCVI advice is that a COVID-19 vaccine should be offered in spring 2024 to those at greatest risk of serious disease, and who are therefore most likely to benefit from vaccination. Those eligible are: adults aged 75 years old and over; residents in a care home for older adults; and individuals aged six months old and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in chapter 14a of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book. The JCVI’s advice for spring 2024, including the approach to eligibility, is available via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-spring-2024-and-future-vaccination-programmes-jcvi-advice-4-december-2023/jcvi-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-spring-2024-and-considerations-on-future-covid-19-vaccination-4-december-2023.

The Government has accepted this advice, and the spring 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme is now in progress. The spring programme is targeted to those at highest risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19. Whilst carers as a group are therefore not recommended for vaccination in this programme, any carer who falls within one of the above cohorts will be eligible. Everyone who is eligible is encouraged to take up the offer of spring COVID-19 vaccination.

Prior to April 2023, Op COURAGE was formed from the three separate services of the Transition, Intervention and Liaison service, the Complex Treatment Service, and the High Intensity Service. Performance data for these services did not collect uniquely identifiable information on individual veterans, so it would not be possible to identify instances where a veteran had attended Op COURAGE for more than one course of treatment.

No data is held on the numbers of veterans with gambling additions that have used Op COURAGE. Data analysed includes the primary mental health reason for referral to Op COURAGE. From April 2023, there have been no referrals to Op COURAGE with a primary mental health reason of gambling addiction. Since April 2023, less than 1.5% of referrals to Op COURAGE have been with a primary mental health reason of either obsessive-compulsive disorder or drug or alcohol difficulties.

Between August 2021 and September 2024, £339,000 has been allocated across the three social prescribing pilot projects which are in Cornwall, Durham, and Dorset. The National Health Service provides wellbeing support to all full-time carers. Veterans who identify as a carer are offered a Carer’s Assessment, which is undertaken by local authorities. The outcome of the Carer’s Assessment will inform a care and support plan, which is bespoke to the needs of the carer.

The Better Care Fund in 2023/24 includes £327 million for carers support, including short breaks and respite services for carers. It also funds advice and support to carers and a small number of additional local authority duties. There is no data on how much of that funding may have been used for veterans.

That right to flexible working would particularly benefit workers with caring responsibilities, most of whom are women, but unfortunately the UK Government’s response to the results of their consultation on flexible working simply does not go far enough to provide some of the real practical support needed by many people with such responsibilities. Last week Nikki Pound of the TUC told the Women and Equalities Committee that one in three requests for flexible working were denied by employers. What steps are the UK Government taking to give real support to workers with caring responsibilities and ensure that flexible working is a day-one right by default?

What steps the Government is taking to help support women with caring responsibilities to continue working.

The ministerial team knows that it is an absolute scandal that in all these years of so-called popular Conservative Government we have seen such a bad deal for early years, carers and talented women. Legions of them want to use their talent at work but are stopped by the highest childcare costs in the world.

We all know that women take on the bulk of caring responsibilities. The Carer’s Leave Regulations 2024 will come into force on 6 April across England, Wales and Scotland, allowing carers to take a week of unpaid leave from the workplace knowing that their jobs are protected.

The demand on National Health Service mental health services has risen significantly as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the cost of living on people’s mental health continue to be felt. This means that some people including unpaid carers are facing waiting times that are longer than we would like. The NHS is working to ensure that help is available for people as early as possible.

The NHS Long Term Plan commits to investing £2.3 billion extra funding a year in expanding and transforming mental health services by March 2024, enabling an extra two million people, including unpaid carers, to be treated by NHS mental health services, including Talking Therapies. The Plan also commits to growing the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff in the same period.

The NHS is also working towards implementing five new access and waiting time standards for mental health services as part of its clinical review of NHS Access Standards.

The demand on National Health Service mental health services has risen significantly as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the cost of living on people’s mental health continue to be felt. This means that some people including unpaid carers are facing waiting times that are longer than we would like. The NHS is working to ensure that help is available for people as early as possible.

The NHS Long Term Plan commits to investing £2.3 billion extra funding a year in expanding and transforming mental health services by March 2024, enabling an extra two million people, including unpaid carers, to be treated by NHS mental health services, including Talking Therapies. The Plan also commits to growing the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff in the same period.

The NHS is also working towards implementing five new access and waiting time standards for mental health services as part of its clinical review of NHS Access Standards.

The demand on National Health Service mental health services has risen significantly as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the cost of living on people’s mental health continue to be felt. This means that some people including unpaid carers are facing waiting times that are longer than we would like. The NHS is working to ensure that help is available for people as early as possible.

The NHS Long Term Plan commits to investing £2.3 billion extra funding a year in expanding and transforming mental health services by March 2024, enabling an extra two million people, including unpaid carers, to be treated by NHS mental health services, including Talking Therapies. The Plan also commits to growing the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff in the same period.

The NHS is also working towards implementing five new access and waiting time standards for mental health services as part of its clinical review of NHS Access Standards.

The advice of the National Health Service is to discuss concerns with the provider of the service early on as they may be able to address the concern quickly. Parents and carers can also raise their concerns through the use of the NHS complaints system, under which the NHS organisation is legally required to acknowledge the complaint within three working days, and work to resolve the complaint in a speedy and efficient manner.

We are working with NHS England on the introduction of this new waiting time standard for children and young people’s community-based mental health services as part of its clinically led review of National Health Service access standards. A date for its introduction has not yet been set.

The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable high-quality care and support services, including support for unpaid carers. Local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who are carers. We are supporting ICBs to expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 so that an additional two million people can get the support they need.

ICBs and National Health Service trusts should have due regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline NG87: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management. This guideline aims to improve the diagnosis of ADHD and the quality of care and support that people with ADHD receive.

This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by carers in supporting some of the most vulnerable in society.  Unpaid carers can receive a range of support depending upon their circumstances, including from local authorities, the NHS and through the benefit system.

In England, the Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable high-quality care and support services, including support for unpaid carers, and local authorities are required to undertake a Carer’s Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer.