Anyone who has assets above the upper capital limit of £23,250 is a self-funder and is expected to meet the full cost of their care. Top-up fees are generally used when someone has assets below £23,250 and falls within the means test.

Payment of top-up fees must be sustainable. Limiting the circumstances in which a first party top-up is allowed ensures those with lower wealth are protected from the negative consequences of no longer being able to afford the top-up, such as having to move to an alternative care home.

The reform of social care and its funding arrangements are complex areas and a range of options for how to deliver on this commitment are being considered. We will bring forward proposals in 2021.

Walking frames, four-wheeled walkers and rollators are largely made of tubular aluminium for lightweight purposes and therefore no impact of the reported steel shortages is expected.

No assessment has been made. It is the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts to have staffing arrangements in place that deliver safe and effective care.

In 2021-22 our focus is on supporting the immediate recovery of National Health Service staff and services. We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and systems and employers to determine our future workforce and people priorities. This will feed into the development of a longer term strategy, overseen by the National People Board.

On 5 March, we announced £79 million of the funding from the Spending Review that will be used to significantly expand children’s mental health services.

Further details about how the remainder of the funding will be allocated will be given in due course.

On 5 March, we announced £79 million of the funding from the Spending Review that will be used to significantly expand children’s mental health services.

Further details about how the remainder of the funding will be allocated will be given in due course.

No Improving Access to Psychological Therapies for Long Term Condition services have been commissioned specifically for people with Parkinson’s or neurological conditions.

A full pilot evaluation report will be published shortly.

During the COVID-19 emergency period, National Health Service Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and Funded Nursing Care (FNC) assessments have not been required due to changes made under section 14 of the Coronavirus Act 2020.

The COVID-19 Hospital Discharge Service Requirements were published on 17 March 2020 to support the safe and timely discharge of patients who no longer need acute care. A copy is attached.

We made £1.3 billion funding available via the National Health Service to support the discharge process. On 17 July 2020, as part of the £3 billion new funding announced for winter, extra funding was confirmed to continue enhanced discharge arrangements over winter.

As set out in the on the third phase of NHS response to COVID-19, from Sir Simon Stevens and Amanda Pritchard, published online by NHS England on 31 July 2020, NHS CHC assessments will resume from 1 September 2020. The COVID-19 discharge service requirements will continue to apply until 31 August 2020.

Where CHC assessments have continued during the emergency period, these must be compliant with the NHS Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups Regulations 2012 and the National Framework for CHC and FNC 2018 (Revised).

While the Department has not made a specific assessment, NHS England and NHS Improvement work closely with the National Neurosciences Advisory Group (NNAG) which is a collaborative leadership group for neurosciences in England. The group is co-chaired by Professor Adrian Williams, who is also Chair of the Neurosciences Clinical Reference Group, at NHS England and NHS Improvement. The report published on 24 July, stems from the June 2019 Mental Health and Neurosciences Leaders Away Day, which was attended by senior NHS England and NHS Improvement officials.

The NNAG will begin consulting NHS England and NHS Improvement on the drafting of new clinical pathways across neurology shortly and aims to publish these on the Neurological Alliance website by the end of 2020. Furthermore, work is ongoing in other areas of NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve integration of care for neurology patients. For example, the training curriculum for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Long-Term Conditions programme is being updated and, once completed, mental health services will be able to pursue integration with neurological pathways

If a prescription item is recalled, the patient is issued with a new prescription for an alternative product which will then be dispensed as a separate item. The prescriptions data systems are unable to identify this as a replacement product; therefore, this information is not held centrally.

In March 2018, NHS England and NHS Improvement and NHS Clinical Commissioners published Conditions for which over the counter items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care: Guidance for Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Since publication of this guidance, there has been a reduction in spend of £32 million on over the counter items. This reduction includes spending on over the counter items for conditions that are self-limiting and conditions which lend themselves to self-care, as well as vitamins, minerals and probiotics. This estimate is correct as at 10 July 2020.

The list of over the counter products is updated as new products become available.

The Department has no plans to suspend or conduct a review of the current system for prescription charges and exemptions, including for those people with long-term conditions in England. Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people access National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of exemptions from the prescription charge for which someone with a long-term condition may qualify, including for people on low incomes through receipt of specific benefits and through the NHS Low Income Scheme.

To support those with the greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, prescription pre-payment certificates are available for three months or 12-month periods. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.

The Department has no plans to suspend or conduct a review of the current system for prescription charges and exemptions, including for those people with long-term conditions in England. Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people access National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of exemptions from the prescription charge for which someone with a long-term condition may qualify, including for people on low incomes through receipt of specific benefits and through the NHS Low Income Scheme.

To support those with the greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, prescription pre-payment certificates are available for three months or 12-month periods. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.

The information requested on the number of people who have paid for prescriptions is not collected centrally. The NHS Business Services Authority collects data on the number of prescription items dispensed and paid for but does not hold data on the number of people who have paid for their prescriptions.

The NHS Business Services Authority processes the NHS Low Income Scheme and issues HC2 certificates. It does not hold data on how many people have used their certificate after it is issued; and multiple people in a household in addition to the applicant might be covered by a certificate, including partner and children. However, data is supplied on the number of HC2 certificates issued in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. This is shown in the following table:

Note: Data is recorded April-March. Data provided is recorded on a monthly basis and recorded in the NHS Low Income Scheme Annual Statistics Report. This data relates to the number of certificates issued, not the number of people supported by the NHS Low Income Scheme.

The information requested on the number of people who have paid for prescriptions is not collected centrally. The NHS Business Services Authority collects data on the number of prescription items dispensed and paid for but does not hold data on the number of people who have paid for their prescriptions.

The NHS Business Services Authority processes the NHS Low Income Scheme and issues HC2 certificates. It does not hold data on how many people have used their certificate after it is issued; and multiple people in a household in addition to the applicant might be covered by a certificate, including partner and children. However, data is supplied on the number of HC2 certificates issued in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. This is shown in the following table:

Note: Data is recorded April-March. Data provided is recorded on a monthly basis and recorded in the NHS Low Income Scheme Annual Statistics Report. This data relates to the number of certificates issued, not the number of people supported by the NHS Low Income Scheme.

During the COVID-19 emergency period, National Health Service Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessments have not been required due to changes made under section 14 of the Coronavirus Act 2020. Where CHC assessments have continued during the emergency period, these must be compliant with the NHS Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) Regulations 2012 and the CHC National Framework.

CCGs may use a number of approaches to arrange Multidisciplinary Team assessments, including video conference. Preferences for how these are carried out should be indicated by the individual being assessed or their representatives.

To ensure the delivery of high-quality assessments, local assurance processes should be in place. There is also a detailed review process for eligibility decisions if an individual is dissatisfied with the outcome.

We recognise there is a need for long-term reform in social care. Therefore, we are reviewing options and have invited cross-party talks to find the best solutions to these complex questions. We will put forward a plan following those talks.

During the COVID-19 emergency period, National Health Service Continuing Healthcare (CHC) assessments have not been required due to changes made under section 14 of the Coronavirus Act 2020. Where CHC assessments have continued during the emergency period, these must be compliant with the NHS Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) Regulations 2012 and the CHC National Framework.

CCGs may use a number of approaches to arrange Multidisciplinary Team assessments, including video conference. Preferences for how these are carried out should be indicated by the individual being assessed or their representatives.

To ensure the delivery of high-quality assessments, local assurance processes should be in place. There is also a detailed review process for eligibility decisions if an individual is dissatisfied with the outcome.