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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barbara Keeley on 2016-01-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of (i) NHS staff, (ii) healthcare assistants and (iii) social care support workers have received training on dementia in each of the last three years.

Ben Gummer

The Department does not collect data centrally on how many National Health Service staff, healthcare assistants and social care support workers have received training on dementia. This information is held locally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barbara Keeley on 2016-01-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether all newly-appointed healthcare assistants and social care support workers receive training on dementia as part of the Care Certificate process.

Ben Gummer

As of 1 April 2015, all new health care assistants and social care support workers are expected to attain the new Care Certificate within their first 12 weeks of employment. In order to do so, each new worker must demonstrate to their employer that they meet all 15 of the Care Certificate standards of fundamental skills and knowledge. Standard 9 of the Care Certificate concerns awareness of mental health, dementia and learning disabilities.

In meeting this standard, each worker must show that they understand: the needs and experiences of people with mental health conditions, dementia or learning disabilities; the importance of promoting their health and wellbeing; the adjustments which may be necessary in delivering their care; and the importance of early detection. They must also prove that they understand the legal context, including mental capacity considerations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barbara Keeley on 2016-01-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of closing the College of Social Work on the ability of social workers to achieve the best outcome for people with dementia and for their carers.

Alistair Burt

We recognise the significant amount of work that the College of Social Work undertook and its achievements in helping raising professional standards for social work. Practice guidance for social work with people with dementia and their carers was developed by the College and published in 2015, helping raise the quality of social work practice in this crucial area. The Chief Social Workers and officials supported the College to ensure that this and other resources continue to be available through the sector and play a role in the future development and growth of social work.

On 14 January, the Secretary of State for Education announced the creation of a new regulatory body for social work, responsible for driving up practice standards and raising the status of the social work profession. This body will support the development of further specialisms in social work practice, including dementia, helping deliver our ambition to continue to raise the quality and status of a profession which plays such a vital role in improving the lives of our most vulnerable people.