In developing the new Carers Strategy we have been consulting widely and working closely with carers to understand the many issues that may impact on them, including the role of breaks for carers. The Strategy will look at the support we provide to carers themselves; to their families and will reach beyond the health and care system to help support carers in employment, education and in the development of ‘carer friendly communities’.

It is the responsibility of employers to ensure their staff are suitably trained and appropriately supported to undertake the roles for which they are employed.

The Care Quality Commission’s Fundamental Standards include a regulation on staffing which ensures that suitably qualified, competent, skilled persons must be deployed.

Some local authorities provide packages of care to people in private homes that include elements that either prompt and or administer medication.

The Care Quality Commission assesses every care provider against a list of 15 fundamental standards. These take into account regulations for regulation of medicines.

We are informed by NHS Improvement that the Patient Safety team supports a network of Medication Safety Officers who it works with to improve the safety of medication, including correct dosing in hospital and community settings. NHS Improvement also learns from incidents reported to the National Reporting and Learning System and issue Patient Safety Alerts that support safe medication administration.

National Health Service carers are defined on a basis consistent with that of healthcare assistants used in the Cavendish Review (DH, 2012). Staff included as carers for this query are Healthcare assistants, Nursing assistants / auxiliaries and Nursing assistants /practitioners.

In November 2016, 5,731 (4.4%) NHS carers working in NHS Trusts and clinical commissioning groups declared their nationality as other European Union nationals, excluding the United Kingdom. This is out of a total headcount of 131,006.

The November data is the most recent data available.

The potential effect on nationals and productivity of leaving the EU will be dependent on the outcome of negotiations. My Rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here. It is the Government’s aim to get the best settlement for the UK in all areas including the healthcare system.

The Department expects to publish the new national strategy for carers in the spring. No publication date has yet been set.

In 2016, the Department carried out an extensive call for evidence, including a roundtable event with employers, to inform the development of a new Carers Strategy. As part of this exercise, the Department reviewed many examples of employers which have implemented workplace policies to support employees with caring responsibilities, and the growing evidence base on the benefits to businesses and carers of flexible working arrangements.

Earlier this month, the Department for Work and Pensions published Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach, which sets out a range of ongoing partnership work with employers to support working carers aged over 50 and to continue to grow the evidence base in this area.

The Government’s mandate to NHS England for 2016-17 set a clear expectation that carers should routinely be identified by services and given access to information and advice about the support available.

The Government’s mandate to NHS England for 2017-18 is currently being developed in consultation with NHS England and Healthwatch England, and will be published in due course.

Discussions are ongoing between the Government and NHS England to develop a range of actions to further support carers through the forthcoming Carers Strategy.

The Department expects to publish the new national strategy for carers in the spring. No publication date has yet been set.

Local authorities carried out 255,750 carer assessments in 2015/16, following the Care Act coming into force in April 2015. This figure represents around two-thirds of the total number of carers identified by local authorities in England (386,910) in that year.

The diversity of caring roles – and the impact that caring might have on the carer - means that not every carer will want or need an assessment; and not every carer will want or need formal support through local adult care services.

The forthcoming national Carers Strategy will therefore take a wide view of carers and their caring roles. Crucial to this will be increasing public awareness of caring, in order to improve timely identification, ensure carers are aware of the range of support available to them, and can take advantage of that which best meets their needs.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 December 2016 to Question 57855.

The Department uses a range of publicly available data to inform its understanding of informal care, including:

- The United Kingdom 2011 Census asked about provision of unpaid care by age and number of hours provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The UK Family Resources Survey provides a breakdown by age, gender and hours of care provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The Health Survey for England 2014 provides details of hours of care provided, with a breakdown by age and gender. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England 2014-15 surveys those carers known to local authorities in England, and includes data on the support needs of the person being cared for. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Survey of Carers in Households 2009-10 includes some details of the support needs of the person being cared for, with some additional information on hours of care provided.

- The Office for National Statistics Household Satellite Accounts includes a specific module on the economic value of informal adult care. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In addition, the Department is currently leading the development of a new cross-Government Carers Strategy, due for publication in 2017. To inform this, the Department has recently undertaken a wide ranging Call for Evidence to gather the views and experiences of carers and other stakeholders, and to supplement the significant amount of publicly available data. This included asking carers directly about their caring roles and experiences, including the impact on their finances, and any health need or disability they may have that affects their caring role.

The Call for Evidence also included new research commissioned by the Department from the Economics of Social Care and Health Research Unit to estimate the future demand for informal care, and the likely availability of informal care in England. This research will supplement existing data from previous work by the Personal Social Services Research Unit.

Alongside the Call for Evidence, the Department for Education has commissioned new research to improve understanding of the numbers and needs of young carers and their families, carried out by TNS BMRB Research in partnership with Loughborough University. This research includes a qualitative strand, entitled ‘The Lives of Young Carers in England’ published in February 2016; and quantitative work to be published before the end of this year that will provide information on the nature of the care and support that young carers are providing; the perceived impact of caring responsibilities on physical and mental health, education and development; and the types of support that young carers receive.

The Department of Health is currently working with stakeholders to develop the new Carers Strategy. This will set out the findings from the Call for Evidence, and the priorities and actions contained in the Strategy will therefore be based on an assessment of this wide evidence base as well as the range of published qualitative evidence of the issues of most concern to carers.

The Department uses a range of publicly available data to inform its understanding of informal care, including:

- The United Kingdom 2011 Census asked about provision of unpaid care by age and number of hours provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The UK Family Resources Survey provides a breakdown by age, gender and hours of care provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The Health Survey for England 2014 provides details of hours of care provided, with a breakdown by age and gender. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England 2014-15 surveys those carers known to local authorities in England, and includes data on the support needs of the person being cared for. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Survey of Carers in Households 2009-10 includes some details of the support needs of the person being cared for, with some additional information on hours of care provided.

- The Office for National Statistics Household Satellite Accounts includes a specific module on the economic value of informal adult care. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In addition, the Department is currently leading the development of a new cross-Government Carers Strategy, due for publication in 2017. To inform this, the Department has recently undertaken a wide ranging Call for Evidence to gather the views and experiences of carers and other stakeholders, and to supplement the significant amount of publicly available data. This included asking carers directly about their caring roles and experiences, including the impact on their finances, and any health need or disability they may have that affects their caring role.

The Call for Evidence also included new research commissioned by the Department from the Economics of Social Care and Health Research Unit to estimate the future demand for informal care, and the likely availability of informal care in England. This research will supplement existing data from previous work by the Personal Social Services Research Unit.

Alongside the Call for Evidence, the Department for Education has commissioned new research to improve understanding of the numbers and needs of young carers and their families, carried out by TNS BMRB Research in partnership with Loughborough University. This research includes a qualitative strand, entitled ‘The Lives of Young Carers in England’ published in February 2016; and quantitative work to be published before the end of this year that will provide information on the nature of the care and support that young carers are providing; the perceived impact of caring responsibilities on physical and mental health, education and development; and the types of support that young carers receive.

The Department of Health is currently working with stakeholders to develop the new Carers Strategy. This will set out the findings from the Call for Evidence, and the priorities and actions contained in the Strategy will therefore be based on an assessment of this wide evidence base as well as the range of published qualitative evidence of the issues of most concern to carers.

The Department uses a range of publicly available data to inform its understanding of informal care, including:

- The United Kingdom 2011 Census asked about provision of unpaid care by age and number of hours provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The UK Family Resources Survey provides a breakdown by age, gender and hours of care provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The Health Survey for England 2014 provides details of hours of care provided, with a breakdown by age and gender. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England 2014-15 surveys those carers known to local authorities in England, and includes data on the support needs of the person being cared for. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Survey of Carers in Households 2009-10 includes some details of the support needs of the person being cared for, with some additional information on hours of care provided.

- The Office for National Statistics Household Satellite Accounts includes a specific module on the economic value of informal adult care. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In addition, the Department is currently leading the development of a new cross-Government Carers Strategy, due for publication in 2017. To inform this, the Department has recently undertaken a wide ranging Call for Evidence to gather the views and experiences of carers and other stakeholders, and to supplement the significant amount of publicly available data. This included asking carers directly about their caring roles and experiences, including the impact on their finances, and any health need or disability they may have that affects their caring role.

The Call for Evidence also included new research commissioned by the Department from the Economics of Social Care and Health Research Unit to estimate the future demand for informal care, and the likely availability of informal care in England. This research will supplement existing data from previous work by the Personal Social Services Research Unit.

Alongside the Call for Evidence, the Department for Education has commissioned new research to improve understanding of the numbers and needs of young carers and their families, carried out by TNS BMRB Research in partnership with Loughborough University. This research includes a qualitative strand, entitled ‘The Lives of Young Carers in England’ published in February 2016; and quantitative work to be published before the end of this year that will provide information on the nature of the care and support that young carers are providing; the perceived impact of caring responsibilities on physical and mental health, education and development; and the types of support that young carers receive.

The Department of Health is currently working with stakeholders to develop the new Carers Strategy. This will set out the findings from the Call for Evidence, and the priorities and actions contained in the Strategy will therefore be based on an assessment of this wide evidence base as well as the range of published qualitative evidence of the issues of most concern to carers.

The Department uses a range of publicly available data to inform its understanding of informal care, including:

- The United Kingdom 2011 Census asked about provision of unpaid care by age and number of hours provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The UK Family Resources Survey provides a breakdown by age, gender and hours of care provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The Health Survey for England 2014 provides details of hours of care provided, with a breakdown by age and gender. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England 2014-15 surveys those carers known to local authorities in England, and includes data on the support needs of the person being cared for. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Survey of Carers in Households 2009-10 includes some details of the support needs of the person being cared for, with some additional information on hours of care provided.

- The Office for National Statistics Household Satellite Accounts includes a specific module on the economic value of informal adult care. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In addition, the Department is currently leading the development of a new cross-Government Carers Strategy, due for publication in 2017. To inform this, the Department has recently undertaken a wide ranging Call for Evidence to gather the views and experiences of carers and other stakeholders, and to supplement the significant amount of publicly available data. This included asking carers directly about their caring roles and experiences, including the impact on their finances, and any health need or disability they may have that affects their caring role.

The Call for Evidence also included new research commissioned by the Department from the Economics of Social Care and Health Research Unit to estimate the future demand for informal care, and the likely availability of informal care in England. This research will supplement existing data from previous work by the Personal Social Services Research Unit.

Alongside the Call for Evidence, the Department for Education has commissioned new research to improve understanding of the numbers and needs of young carers and their families, carried out by TNS BMRB Research in partnership with Loughborough University. This research includes a qualitative strand, entitled ‘The Lives of Young Carers in England’ published in February 2016; and quantitative work to be published before the end of this year that will provide information on the nature of the care and support that young carers are providing; the perceived impact of caring responsibilities on physical and mental health, education and development; and the types of support that young carers receive.

The Department of Health is currently working with stakeholders to develop the new Carers Strategy. This will set out the findings from the Call for Evidence, and the priorities and actions contained in the Strategy will therefore be based on an assessment of this wide evidence base as well as the range of published qualitative evidence of the issues of most concern to carers.

The Department uses a range of publicly available data to inform its understanding of informal care, including:

- The United Kingdom 2011 Census asked about provision of unpaid care by age and number of hours provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The UK Family Resources Survey provides a breakdown by age, gender and hours of care provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The Health Survey for England 2014 provides details of hours of care provided, with a breakdown by age and gender. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England 2014-15 surveys those carers known to local authorities in England, and includes data on the support needs of the person being cared for. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Survey of Carers in Households 2009-10 includes some details of the support needs of the person being cared for, with some additional information on hours of care provided.

- The Office for National Statistics Household Satellite Accounts includes a specific module on the economic value of informal adult care. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In addition, the Department is currently leading the development of a new cross-Government Carers Strategy, due for publication in 2017. To inform this, the Department has recently undertaken a wide ranging Call for Evidence to gather the views and experiences of carers and other stakeholders, and to supplement the significant amount of publicly available data. This included asking carers directly about their caring roles and experiences, including the impact on their finances, and any health need or disability they may have that affects their caring role.

The Call for Evidence also included new research commissioned by the Department from the Economics of Social Care and Health Research Unit to estimate the future demand for informal care, and the likely availability of informal care in England. This research will supplement existing data from previous work by the Personal Social Services Research Unit.

Alongside the Call for Evidence, the Department for Education has commissioned new research to improve understanding of the numbers and needs of young carers and their families, carried out by TNS BMRB Research in partnership with Loughborough University. This research includes a qualitative strand, entitled ‘The Lives of Young Carers in England’ published in February 2016; and quantitative work to be published before the end of this year that will provide information on the nature of the care and support that young carers are providing; the perceived impact of caring responsibilities on physical and mental health, education and development; and the types of support that young carers receive.

The Department of Health is currently working with stakeholders to develop the new Carers Strategy. This will set out the findings from the Call for Evidence, and the priorities and actions contained in the Strategy will therefore be based on an assessment of this wide evidence base as well as the range of published qualitative evidence of the issues of most concern to carers.

The Department uses a range of publicly available data to inform its understanding of informal care, including:

- The United Kingdom 2011 Census asked about provision of unpaid care by age and number of hours provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The UK Family Resources Survey provides a breakdown by age, gender and hours of care provided. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

- The Health Survey for England 2014 provides details of hours of care provided, with a breakdown by age and gender. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England 2014-15 surveys those carers known to local authorities in England, and includes data on the support needs of the person being cared for. Data is also included on the types of caring task undertaken.

- The Survey of Carers in Households 2009-10 includes some details of the support needs of the person being cared for, with some additional information on hours of care provided.

- The Office for National Statistics Household Satellite Accounts includes a specific module on the economic value of informal adult care. Separate data is available for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In addition, the Department is currently leading the development of a new cross-Government Carers Strategy, due for publication in 2017. To inform this, the Department has recently undertaken a wide ranging Call for Evidence to gather the views and experiences of carers and other stakeholders, and to supplement the significant amount of publicly available data. This included asking carers directly about their caring roles and experiences, including the impact on their finances, and any health need or disability they may have that affects their caring role.

The Call for Evidence also included new research commissioned by the Department from the Economics of Social Care and Health Research Unit to estimate the future demand for informal care, and the likely availability of informal care in England. This research will supplement existing data from previous work by the Personal Social Services Research Unit.

Alongside the Call for Evidence, the Department for Education has commissioned new research to improve understanding of the numbers and needs of young carers and their families, carried out by TNS BMRB Research in partnership with Loughborough University. This research includes a qualitative strand, entitled ‘The Lives of Young Carers in England’ published in February 2016; and quantitative work to be published before the end of this year that will provide information on the nature of the care and support that young carers are providing; the perceived impact of caring responsibilities on physical and mental health, education and development; and the types of support that young carers receive.

The Department of Health is currently working with stakeholders to develop the new Carers Strategy. This will set out the findings from the Call for Evidence, and the priorities and actions contained in the Strategy will therefore be based on an assessment of this wide evidence base as well as the range of published qualitative evidence of the issues of most concern to carers.

On 5 July, the Government set out its plans to improve end of life care in the Government response to the independent Review of Choice in End of Life Care. It set out the Government’s commitment to everyone at the end of life, including that everyone should be able to expect the involvement of their family, carers and those important to them such as close friends in their care, to the extent they wish them to be.

All staff involved with dying people must be capable of having difficult conversations about death and dying, take the time to listen carefully to what dying people and those important to them say, and provide opportunities for developing, reviewing and updating personalised care plans with dying people. Health and care providers delivering this care must ensure that staff have the time and space to achieve this.

NHS England is working with two New Care Model sites of Airedale and Southend to test an innovative approach to ‘serious illness conversations’ in which clinicians are trained to support people with serious illnesses to discuss what is important to them, treating these discussions as a clinical intervention which delivers patient-centred care.

Health Education England (HEE) is developing a refreshed core competency framework to standardise end of life care training and working with partners to strengthen the undergraduate and postgraduate curricula to support patient choice and improve quality of care.

Following a wide ranging Call for Evidence over the summer, the Department expects to publish a summary of the findings in the coming months alongside plans for publication of the Carers Strategy.

The Carers Strategy will be accompanied by an impact assessment which sets out the full costs and benefits to all relevant sectors, including the costs to the public sector.