Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that all patients with suspected leukaemia symptoms can access a full blood count test within 48 hours, as recommended by the NICE NG12 guidelines.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is determined to take all the necessary steps to improve early diagnosis for all cancers, including blood cancers such as leukaemia.

To accomplish this, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a guideline on suspected cancer called ‘recognition and referral’ which aim to support the identification of children, young people and adults with symptoms that could be caused by cancer’. The guideline provides guidance on appropriate investigations in primary care, and the selection of people to refer for a specialist opinion. The guideline recommends that people with specific symptoms should be offered a very urgent full blood count to assess for leukaemia. Local NHS organisations are expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account in ensuring that their services meet the needs of their local populations. The NHS is held to account to deliver guidelines, which include all NICE directions, at local and regional level.

The National Cancer Plan for England will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for all patient groups, including leukaemia patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of measures in the Rhode Island Latex Gloves Safety Act 2024 to help prevent latex allergy harm in England.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is working closely with a range of stakeholders across the Government, the National Health Service, voluntary organisations, and patient representative groups to consider how allergy care and support could be improved.

The Expert Advisory Group on Allergy met most recently on 3 December and continues to bring together key stakeholders to inform policymaking and identify priorities in relation to the holistic care of people with allergies.

In terms of the use of gloves for medical purposes, the NHS purchases examination and surgical gloves through NHS Supply Chain’s two national frameworks and, ultimately, it is the choice of NHS trusts which gloves they wish to procure. Regarding examination gloves, latex was once the most commonly used glove, but nitrile, latex-free, gloves are now the most common choice. There are also ‘specialist examination gloves’ available, which aim to provide a reduction in allergy irritation.

Surgical glove purchase decisions are generally more clinically lead, and the choice of manufacturer and glove is usually made by the surgeon or consultant. There are latex and latex-free options available via the Surgical Glove Framework.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the reasons people with brain cancer are seeking treatment outside the UK, particularly in Germany, including the trend in the level of such treatments.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ensuring patients have access to the latest and most effective treatment options is a top priority for the Government.

That is why we are committed to supporting an innovative clinical research ecosystem in the United Kingdom so that patients in this country can be among the first to benefit as we make the National Health Service fit for the future.

The Government is supportive of Scott Arthur’s Private Members Bill on rare cancers, which will make it easier for clinical trials into rare cancers, such as brain cancers, to take place in England by ensuring the patient population can be easily contacted by researchers. This will ensure that the NHS will remain at the forefront of medical innovation and is able to provide patients with the newest, most effective treatment options, and ultimately boost survival rates.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS providers are obligated to (a) advertise positions for British nationals before foreign nationals and (b) hire British residents before overseas residents for (i) nursing and (ii) midwife positions.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is no obligation on National Health Service providers to advertise positions for British nationals before foreign nationals, or to hire British residents before overseas residents for nursing and midwife positions.

At the same time, the 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

As part of that plan, we will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has has discussions with his counterparts in Northern Ireland on pressures on accident and emergency services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As a Government department, we work collaboratively with the devolved administrations to drive forward our objective of supporting people to lead more independent, healthier lives for longer.

While health is primarily devolved and each health system operates in its own context, there are strong benefits from sharing experiences and learning between the devolved administrations. While ministers have not recently discussed pressures on accident and emergency services in recent months, Department and NHS England officials periodically speak informally with counterparts on urgent and emergency care issues.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer to UIN 94508, how many of these unique applications were made by people currently outside the UK, compared to those already based in the UK.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not undertaken an analysis of the information collected as part of the 2025 medical specialty training programme to assess the location of applicants at the point of application.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends of hospital admissions of those with stroke symptoms in the last 5 years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The following table shows the trend in stroke admissions for the last five years:

Source: Fingertips, avaiable at the following link:
https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/stroke%20admissions#page/4/gid/1/pat/159/par/K02000001/ati/15/are/E92000001/iid/90986/age/1/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to fill vacant consultant posts in Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology working in the South West and the Midlands.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver effective care.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills when needed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of staff sickness levels within East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust; and what support is being provided to reduce sickness absence.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As of July 2025, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) had an average annual sickness absence rate of 7.6%. This has remained at the same rate as the average for the 12 months to July 2024. The EEAST average annual sickness absence rate is 0.9 percentage points higher than the average annual sickness absence rate for all ambulance trusts in England, which is 6.7%. This difference has been consistent across the past five years.

NHS England publishes monthly information on the sickness absence rates of staff in National Health Service bodies, which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-sickness-absence-rates

The primary cause for sickness absence amongst professionally qualified ambulance staff remains, anxiety, depression and mental health conditions.

The EEAST recognises that its sickness levels remain high and is committed to reducing these while ensuring its staff are properly supported.

The EEAST continues to work with system partners on effective measures to ensure its staff can handover patients safely as soon as possible and has taken actions to address its sickness levels. These include training for line managers on how to best support staff, a wide-ranging health and wellbeing offer, and temporary and permanent redeployment.

Local employers across the NHS have in place arrangements for supporting staff including occupational health provision, employee support programmes and a focus on healthy working environments.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health and musculoskeletal conditions, the two main causes of sickness absence in the NHS.

To further support this ambition, we are working with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to reduce the diagnosis waiting time for Endometriosis.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, including endometriosis care. The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, has commissioned studies focused on endometriosis diagnosis, treatment, and patient experience.

Diagnosis may involve magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound, but laparoscopy remains the definitive diagnostic and treatment method. We are taking action to transform diagnostic services and increase capacity, including MRI and ultrasound. This includes expanding existing community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and building up to five new ones in 2025/26. Our Elective Reform Plan also committed to CDCs opening 12 hours per day, seven days a week, delivering more same-day tests and consultations.

Surgical hubs are helping endometriosis patients get quicker treatment. National Health Service surgical hubs deliver high-volume, low-complexity elective surgeries, including gynaecological procedures. Currently, over half of the 123 operational elective surgical hubs in England provide gynaecology services, and laparoscopies are a key part of this offering. The Elective Reform Plan commits to expand the number of hubs over the next three years to increase surgical capacity and reduce waiting times.

From 2027, a new “online hospital” will also offer patients the choice to access specialist care, including for menstrual problems potentially indicating endometriosis or fibroids from home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made in implementing workforce recommendations from the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce; and what measures are being taken to help tackle (a) midwife burnout and (b) midwifes working too many hours at maternity services serving Maidenhead constituents.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The health and wellbeing of our National Health Service staff, including midwives, is a top priority.

The independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos, is expected to publish findings in the Spring. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will chair the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to address the recommendations and develop a new national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment.

It is for local NHS trusts to determine what working patterns may be required to meet local service needs in the interest of patients, considering the provisions set out in the Working Time Regulations 1998.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) medical support for and (b) access to medical support for people with Crohn's disease in Leeds Central and Headingley constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is the responsibility of the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) to meet the needs of patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, in the Leeds Central and Headingly constituency, supported by national improvement programmes such as Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and NHS RightCare. These programmes provide evidence-based tools and guidance to reduce unwarranted variation and improve patient outcomes.

In November 2025, GIRFT published a new handbook, Optimising care for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, in addition to an updated IBD pathway. This handbook provides practical advice, key actions, and examples of innovative practices to improve the care of National Health Service patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Gastroenterology is a top priority for reform in the Elective Reform Plan. Specific action in gastroenterology includes developing an integrated pathway across primary, community, and secondary care for common gastroenterology conditions. We will also drive rapid adoption of remote monitoring in appropriate gastroenterology pathways.

We are also introducing an ‘online hospital’ through NHS Online. This will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times. IBD is amongst nine initial conditions for online referrals from 2027.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) medical support for and (b) access to medical support for people with colitis in Leeds Central and Headingley constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is the responsibility of the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) to meet the needs of patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, in the Leeds Central and Headingly constituency, supported by national improvement programmes such as Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and NHS RightCare. These programmes provide evidence-based tools and guidance to reduce unwarranted variation and improve patient outcomes.

In November 2025, GIRFT published a new handbook, Optimising care for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, in addition to an updated IBD pathway. This handbook provides practical advice, key actions, and examples of innovative practices to improve the care of National Health Service patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Gastroenterology is a top priority for reform in the Elective Reform Plan. Specific action in gastroenterology includes developing an integrated pathway across primary, community, and secondary care for common gastroenterology conditions. We will also drive rapid adoption of remote monitoring in appropriate gastroenterology pathways.

We are also introducing an ‘online hospital’ through NHS Online. This will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times. IBD is amongst nine initial conditions for online referrals from 2027.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK have been diagnosed with bladder cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold data on cancer incidence for the United Kingdom. The latest data on bladder cancer incidence available, in England, can be found at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2023

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy NHS support pathways pathways for people with Tourette’s Syndrome in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) England.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS England Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) initiative are playing an important role in improving care for people with Tourette’s syndrome, including in Yeovil. These programmes aim to ensure that patients receive timely, high-quality, and evidence-based care. For Tourette’s, this means supporting local integrated care boards (ICBs) to develop clearer referral pathways, improve access to multidisciplinary teams, and embed best practice in local services. GIRFT also uses data to identify gaps in provision and highlight where improvements can be made, helping to ensure that people with Tourette’s are not left behind in the transformation of neurological care.

Our 10-Year Health Plan is designed to transform the way we deliver care for people with long-term conditions, including Tourette’s syndrome. By shifting the focus from hospital-based treatment to more integrated, community-led care, the plan aims to ensure that individuals with Tourette’s can access timely support closer to home, including in Yeovil.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of whether disabled parking provision at NHS and primary care premises is adequate to meet patient demand.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No national assessment he has made of whether disabled parking provision at National Health Service and primary care premises is adequate to meet patient demand.

Disabled parking provision on the public sector estate is mandated through national planning rules, and all NHS facilities must meet the requirements.

NHS organisations decide how they provide parking locally, based on the needs of patients, visitors, and staff, as well as environmental factors. The NHS car parking guidance requires free parking to be provided for four groups: disabled people; frequent outpatient attenders; parents of sick children staying overnight; and staff working night shifts. Further information is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will address (a) access to and (b) capacity for radiotherapy services for cancer patients.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as how we will reduce waiting times for diagnosis and treatment.

Improving access to all treatment services, including radiotherapy, remains a key priority for the Government. Our commitment to radiotherapy services is demonstrated by our £70 million investment in new LINAC radiotherapy machines to replace older, less efficient equipment. This crucial investment will boost treatment efficiency and productivity, freeing up capacity and reduce waiting times for patients. These new machines are currently being rolled out and have already started treating cancer patients across the country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will address access to, and capacity for, radiotherapy services for cancer patients.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as how we will reduce waiting times for diagnosis and treatment.

Improving access to all treatment services, including radiotherapy, remains a key priority for the Government. Our commitment to radiotherapy services is demonstrated by our £70 million investment in new LINAC radiotherapy machines to replace older, less efficient equipment. This crucial investment will boost treatment efficiency and productivity, freeing up capacity and reduce waiting times for patients. These new machines are currently being rolled out and have already started treating cancer patients across the country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure an adequate (a) supply and (b) distribution of the flu vaccine in (i) Bedfordshire and (ii) East of England, in light of the emergence of the H3N2 “subclade K” virus.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The supply and distribution of flu vaccines for the majority of NHS England’s flu programme is managed by individual providers. NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) work with the pharmaceutical sector to support adequate supply, understand provider ordering, and signpost providers to the continued availability of stock towards the end of the season.

There is currently good availability of flu vaccines in Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes. Local practices and pharmacies have not reported any significant disruption to supply or distribution. NHS England regional teams monitor availability of appointments and stock levels, and are working with community pharmacies, general practices, and other providers to identify and escalate any providers that need further support with supply, which the NHS England Regional Vaccination Operations Cell will assist with.

For the children’s flu programme, the UKHSA centrally procures and manages the supply of all vaccines to ensure that eligible children aged under 18 years old who present for vaccination can be offered an appropriate vaccine. Supply remains available throughout the entire flu season. Flu vaccines for children are made available to order via the UKHSA’s online ordering platform ImmForm. General practices are able to place weekly orders and receive weekly deliveries of children’s flu vaccines from the UKHSA. School immunisation teams are able to place orders and receive deliveries up to twice per week.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure that families of babies identified as deaf through the newborn hearing screening programme receive timely and appropriate support from birth.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Newborn babies whose hearing screening suggests they may have deafness and hearing impairment are referred for an audiological assessment within four weeks.

A family centred approach underpins all recall processes to prioritise clear communication and support for families, ensuring transparency and minimizing harm. Working with the National Deaf Children’s Society, a range of communications have been developed with families to help support families of babies and children who are deaf or have hearing loss.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned the recently published, independent Kingdon review that includes a number of recommendations on how children’s hearing services need to be improved.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of car parking charges in hospital car parks on access to healthcare.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is important that the National Health Service is as accessible as possible to those that need it most. That is why the NHS already provides free hospital car parking to those in greatest need. This includes disabled blue badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of children staying overnight and NHS staff working overnight.

More widely, all NHS trusts are expected to follow the published NHS Car Parking Guidance. This states that car parking charges, where they exist, should be reasonable for the area, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people died from smoking in England in each year since 2021.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The latest estimates for smoking-attributable mortality in England are for the period 2017 to 2019. The Smoking Profile, produced by the Department, reports 191,903 smoking-attributable deaths of people aged 35 years old and over in the period 2017 to 2019 in England, which is just under 64,000 deaths each year. Further information on the Smoking Profile is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/tobacco-control/data#page/1/gid/1938132887/pat/159/par/K02000001/ati/15/are/E92000001/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure hospitals are routinely up to date with fire safety guidance.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has published guidance through Health Technical Memorandum 05:03 – Firecode, which provides guidance on operational provisions for fire safety for health sector buildings and premises. This guidance is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/fire-safety-in-the-nhs-health-technical-memorandum-05-03/

This HTM is updated when necessary. For example, the ‘Training’ section of the guidance was last updated in 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Department is taking to improve the care system for cardiology patients in the UK; and whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of adopting elements of the structured clinical programme established in Poland in the 1980s by Professor Religa.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to achieving a 25% reduction in premature mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke across England. To accelerate progress and tackle variation across the country, a new CVD Modern Service Framework will be published in 2026. This framework will support improvement, reduce inequalities, and foster innovation where it is needed most.

No assessment has been made of adopting elements of the structured clinical programme established in Poland in the 1980s for heart transplant surgery. The National Health Service’s heart transplant programme provides life-saving heart transplants for adults, those 16 years old or older, with end-stage heart failure, involving assessment, surgery, and lifelong care.

NHS England has been undertaking a review of heart and lung transplantation services, building on a report commissioned by the Department, named Honouring the gift of organ donation, published in 2023 and avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/honouring-the-gift-of-donation-utilising-organs-for-transplant

The goals of the review are to increase the number of transplants, improve patient outcomes, reduce inequalities in access to transplants, and improve patient experience.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will update the Health and Technical Memorandum 03-01 for the latest technical standards.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Published guidance on ventilation in healthcare settings includes the Health Technical Memorandum 03-01: Specialised ventilation for healthcare premises. It gives comprehensive advice and guidance on the legal requirements, design implications, maintenance, and operation of specialised ventilation in healthcare premises providing acute care. Further information is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-ventilation-for-healthcare-buildings/

NHS England will update Health Technical Memorandums, including HTM 03-01, when necessary.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many admissions to hospital there were for flu in December 2025.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In December 2025, an average of 2,888 hospital beds were occupied by patients with flu across all acute settings, including both General and Acute and Critical Care beds.

These figures are published in the NHS England Winter Situation Reports, which are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/uec-sitrep/urgent-and-emergency-care-daily-situation-reports-2025-26/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Warrington South, colleagues and representatives of Royal College of Pathologists about the recruitment of Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology consultants in the South West and the Midlands.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver effective care.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills when needed.

We are engaging with partners throughout this process. As we continue the open and wide-ranging conversations we’ve been having with staff, patients, and organisations, including royal colleges across the country, we will ensure that the engagement is robust and representative of different stakeholder groups.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people eligible for winter flu vaccinations received them in 2025.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

For England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes provisional vaccine uptake data throughout the flu season. Weekly national level data for general practice (GP) patients is available from October to January, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2025-to-2026-season

Monthly national and regional level data for GP patients, school-aged children, and frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) is available from October to January. The latest monthly data for the 2025 to 2026 season includes all vaccinations given between 1 September to 30 November 2025, and is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#seasonal-flu-vaccine-uptake:-figures

Up to 4 January 2026, over 18 million people eligible for the national programme had been vaccinated so far this season.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan to improve diagnosis and treatment for penile cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Reducing the number of lives lost to cancer, including penile cancer, is a key aim of the National Cancer Plan. The plan will be published early this year. It will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for patients with cancer, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates. This will benefit all cancer patients, including penile cancer patients.

The Government supports Scott Arthur’s Private Members Bill on rare cancers which will make it easier for clinical trials into rare cancers, including penile cancer patients, to take place in England by ensuring the patient population can be easily contacted by researchers. This will ensure that the National Health Service will remain at the forefront of medical innovation and is able to provide patients with the newest, most effective treatment options, and ultimately boost survival rates.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when NHS England will publish the delayed breast screening uptake improvement plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England will publish a Breast Screening Programme Uptake Improvement Review this year, to help improve uptake and address inequalities.

The review supports breast screening service providers with national solutions such as:

• introducing digital options for sending out invitations and managing appointments;
• raising awareness of the importance of screening through the media; and
• facilitating learning and gathering evidence to inform programme policy, pathway changes, and guidance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan to improve diagnosis times for myeloma.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

To tackle the late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating them faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years. This will benefit all cancer patients, including leukaemia and myeloma patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to reduce delays in cancer diagnosis, specifically for blood cancers such as leukaemia.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

To tackle the late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating them faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years. This will benefit all cancer patients, including leukaemia and myeloma patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people with Tourette syndrome in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS England Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) initiative are playing an important role in improving care for people with Tourette’s syndrome, including in Yeovil. These programmes aim to ensure that patients receive timely, high-quality, and evidence-based care. For Tourette’s, this means supporting local integrated care boards (ICBs) to develop clearer referral pathways, improve access to multidisciplinary teams, and embed best practice in local services. GIRFT also uses data to identify gaps in provision and highlight where improvements can be made, helping to ensure that people with Tourette’s are not left behind in the transformation of neurological care.

Our 10-Year Health Plan is designed to transform the way we deliver care for people with long-term conditions, including Tourette’s syndrome. By shifting the focus from hospital-based treatment to more integrated, community-led care, the plan aims to ensure that individuals with Tourette’s can access timely support closer to home, including in Yeovil.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure people are able to access a timely diagnosis for arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to improving timely diagnosis and management of arthritis and other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions across England.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance to support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. These guidelines help ensure that patients receive evidence-based care as early as possible.

NHS England is working to improve early diagnosis rates through its Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) rheumatology programme. This initiative focuses on reducing variation in care, improving referral pathways, and ensuring patients with suspected arthritis and other MSK conditions are assessed promptly by specialists.

The Government has funded NHS England’s GIRFT programme to deploy its proven Further Faster model for MSK community services. The programme has been designed to reduce waiting times for community MSK appointments and to enhance access to quality treatment, working with integrated care board leaders to improve data and metrics and referral pathways to wider support services.

We are working together to further develop the approach to better enable integrated care systems to commission the delivery of high quality MSK services in the community, which will benefit patients now and into the future.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to reduce access to treatment variations between ICBs for people with arthritis.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to improving timely diagnosis and management of arthritis and other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions across England.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance to support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. These guidelines help ensure that patients receive evidence-based care as early as possible.

NHS England is working to improve early diagnosis rates through its Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) rheumatology programme. This initiative focuses on reducing variation in care, improving referral pathways, and ensuring patients with suspected arthritis and other MSK conditions are assessed promptly by specialists.

The Government has funded NHS England’s GIRFT programme to deploy its proven Further Faster model for MSK community services. The programme has been designed to reduce waiting times for community MSK appointments and to enhance access to quality treatment, working with integrated care board leaders to improve data and metrics and referral pathways to wider support services.

We are working together to further develop the approach to better enable integrated care systems to commission the delivery of high quality MSK services in the community, which will benefit patients now and into the future.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include health play professionals in the modelling for multi-disciplinary paediatric teams for the new neighbourhood health service.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will deliver a Neighbourhood Health Service that serves everybody, everywhere across the country, including children and young people.

An important feature of our new Neighbourhood Health Service will be the rollout of Neighbourhood Health Centres in every community, including multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams who will work together around the needs of children and families.

The make-up of neighbourhood multi-disciplinary teams for children and young people is locally determined by integrated care boards. Local commissioners determine the role for each practitioner within neighbourhood multidisciplinary teams based upon the clinical interventions being undertaken.

Play specialists could be involved as part of a neighbourhood multi-disciplinary teams for children and young people but this is likely only appropriate for multi-disciplinary teams who provide face to face patient care. For example, when a general practitioner and paediatrician hold a joint clinic in the practice or local setting.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will consider allowing families of vulnerable patients who are at highest risk, particularly those affected by transplants and kidney disease, access to NHS COVID vaccinations.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.

The JCVI has advised that population immunity to COVID-19 has increased due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.

The JCVI has also advised that as currently available COVID-19 vaccines provide limited protection against transmission and mild or asymptomatic disease, the focus of the programme is on offering vaccination to those most likely to directly benefit from vaccination. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed.

The Government has accepted the JCVI advice for autumn 2025 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups:

• adults aged 75 years old and over;
• residents in care homes for older adults; and
• individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed.

As for all vaccines, the JCVI keeps the evidence under regular review.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the availability and quality of data held by Integrated Care Boards on the prevalence of clinically diagnosed allergic conditions and the specialist allergy workforce in their local areas; and what consideration has he given to the potential merits of establishing a National Allergy Register, embedded within the planned Single Patient Record in improving patient safety and reducing regional inequalities in allergy care.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In conducting health needs assessments to inform their commissioning decisions, integrated care boards (ICBs) will have access to a wide range of data sources, including public health data, hospital statistics, primary care data, and social care metrics.

NHS England is working with the UK Fatal Anaphylaxis Register (UKFAR) to develop a mechanism for sharing relevant patient safety anaphylaxis incidents, including the reporting of anaphylaxis in hospitals. The aim will be for the UKFAR to extract and share patient safety incidents reported to the national databases, the National Reporting and Learning System and Learn from Patient Safety Events, relating to severe allergic reactions. Work has been progressing on this.

The National Allergy Strategy Group, an external group of stakeholders, is developing a UK National Allergy Strategy 2025-2035. The Department will carefully consider and respond to it when we receive it next year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include information in the Green Book on the HPV vaccine that includes reference to its role in reducing the risk of oral cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Green Book is written for healthcare professionals. The chapter on human papillomavirus (HPV) does highlight the causal link between infection with this virus, cervical cancer, and some non-cervical cancer including those of the head and neck. The HPV chapter 18a from the Green Book is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/human-papillomavirus-hpv-the-green-book-chapter-18a

Broader UK Health Security Agency guidance on HPV also highlights the protection the vaccine provides against HPV infection and related conditions. This public‑facing information also explains that the vaccine helps protect against cancers of the mouth and is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64919b26103ca6000c03a212/HPV_Vaccination_For_All_-_English_Leaflet_from_September_2023.pdf

It also highlights that the greatest risk comes from infection with high-risk types of HPV. There is very good evidence that the vaccine in use in the United Kingdom offers excellent protection against these high-risk types.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support paediatric settings to adopt the recommended Play Well standards in NHS England's Play Well toolkit published in June 2025.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play in healthcare settings.

The NHS England and Starlight Play Well Toolkit, published in June 2025, includes the first national guidelines and standards for commissioning and delivering health play services in England. It aims to improve access to child-friendly care and specialised health play services across paediatric healthcare.

To support adoption of Play Well standards, NHS England is promoting the toolkit to managers of health play services across a wide range of settings, including community clinics, emergency departments, children’s hospices, and acute paediatric wards. The toolkit provides clear guidance on supporting practical training and mentorship in healthcare settings.

A range of communication channels have been used to raise awareness, including engagement with services via professional bodies, messaging via the Chief Nursing Officer, a blog posts and ongoing promotion of the toolkit across the National Health Service through operational delivery networks, directly to trusts and directly with professional groups.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that cancer patients in Newbury are treated within 62 days.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments across elective, diagnostic, and cancer care, having now delivered over five million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment.

Between November 2024 to October 2025, approximately 110,000 more patients were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days compared to the previous 12 months. This supports the achievement of the 62-day treatment standard, as faster diagnosis means that patients can begin treatment sooner.

The latest available data shows that the 62-day treatment standard for the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board has improved by 3.5% between October 2024 and October 2025.

However, we recognise that there is more to do, including for patients in Newbury.

To ensure that the most advanced treatment is available to the patients who need it, and so that patients can be treated sooner, the Government has also invested £70 million of central funding to replace outdated radiotherapy machines, including one at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to increase (a) capacity of and (b) access to radiotherapy cancer treatment in (i) England and (ii) Stratford-upon-Avon.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Radiotherapy is crucial to cancer treatment, and it remains a key priority for the Government to reduce radiotherapy waiting times and provide high quality treatment for all patients, including those in Stratford-upon-Avon. This is why the Government has invested £70 million of central funding on 28 new LINAC radiotherapy machines across the country to replace older, less efficient radiotherapy machines. This crucial investment will boost treatment efficiency and productivity, freeing up capacity and reduce waiting times for patients. These new machines are currently being rolled out and have already started treating cancer patients across the country.

The Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust received £2.3 million to replace ageing radiotherapy equipment from an underspend in the National Health Service’s capital settlement for 2024/25.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the current age limits for routine breast cancer screening; and whether he plans to review these limits to improve early detection for patients outside of the standard screening range.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is guided by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. It is only where the committee is confident that screening would provide more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended, as all medical interventions carry an inherent risk.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHS BSP) offers all women in England between the ages of 50 to 71 years old the opportunity to be screened every three years for breast cancer, to help detect abnormalities and intervene early to reduce the number of lives lost to invasive breast cancer.

The AgeX research trial has been looking at the effectiveness of offering some women one extra screen between the ages of 47 to 49 years old, and one between the ages of 71 to 73 years old. The biggest trial of its kind ever to be undertaken, AgeX will provide robust evidence about the effectiveness of screening in these age groups, including the benefit and harms. The UK NSC will review the publication of the age extension trial when it reports.

Women with a very high risk of breast cancer, for example due to family history, may be offered screening earlier and more frequently, sometimes using magnetic resonance imaging rather than a mammogram.

While the NHS BSP does not automatically invite women for breast screening after their 71st birthday, women aged 71 years old or over can still have breast screening every three years if they want to, by calling their local breast screening service to ask for an appointment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which public health factors created the 10 largest direct cost impacts on the NHS in 2024; and how much the NHS spent in 2024 on tackling the health impacts of the following public health factors: (a) air pollution, (b) alcoholism, (c) obesity, (d) excessive salt consumption and (e) smoking.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Global Burden of Disease data considers the top ten public health factors in the United Kingdom in 2023 in order of importance to be: tobacco, high body mass index, dietary risks, high fasting plasma glucose, high blood pressure, high alcohol use, high cholesterol, occupational risks, kidney dysfunction, and drug use. Further information on the Global Burden of Disease data is available at the following link:

https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/

The following table shows the various estimates of the cost to the National Health Service of the five factors specified:

Comparisons of costs should not be made between these estimates because of the different methodologies used in their construction.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local cancer treatment facilities, such as mobile chemotherapy units and hospital breast cancer clinics, have sufficient resources to meet demand and reduce waiting times for patients.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the plan for reforming elective care, the Government is committed to improving performance on cancer waiting times.

To improve access to cancer treatment, the Government is investing an extra £26 billion in the National Health Service and providing it with the resources it needs, including community diagnostic centres, to ensure patients are diagnosed faster and earlier so that they receive timely access to treatment. £70 million will also be spent on replacing out-of-date radiotherapy equipment so that cancer patients benefit from faster and safer cancer treatment using the most up-to-date technology. Replacing these older machines will save as many as 13,000 appointments from being lost to equipment breakdown.

NHS England has partnered with the charity Hope For Tomorrow to establish mobile chemotherapy units across England, bringing chemotherapy and cancer treatments closer to patients' homes, reducing waiting time for hospital appointments, with units staffed by specialist nurses offering personalised care.

The NHS has made important progress on the treatment of cancer, including breast cancer, delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week to ensure faster treatment for those who need it most.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to build capacity in the health play professional sector, including training, qualifications and registration, as sought in NHS England's Play Well toolkit published in June 2025.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play in healthcare settings.

The NHS England and Starlight Play Well Toolkit, published in June 2025, includes the first national guidelines and standards for commissioning and delivering health play services in England. It aims to improve access to child-friendly care and specialised health play services across paediatric healthcare.

NHS England is promoting the toolkit to managers of health play services across a wide range of settings, including community clinics, emergency departments, children’s hospices, and acute paediatric wards. The toolkit provides clear guidance on supporting practical training and mentorship in healthcare settings.

The Play Well toolkit aims to ensure that health play services have the right staff with the right qualifications to deliver a high-quality service. This includes ensuring that services are able to support the training and development of the health play specialists they employ.

Health play specialists are trained through foundation degrees and prospective health play specialists can also be trained through the apprenticeship route.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with (1) Chrohn's and (2) Colitis in (a) South Holland and the Deepings and (b) Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold data on the total number of people diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or colitis in South Holland and the Deepings or Lincolnshire in each of the last five years. However, the following table shows a count hospital admissions (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis Crohn's disease or colitis and where the patient was resident in Lincolnshire or South Holland and the Deepings, each year from 2020/21 to 2024/25:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, published by NHS England

Notes:

1. an FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes;
2. for the purposes of this data, the following ICD-10 codes have been used: K50 for Crohn’s Disease; A09.0 for other and unspecified gastroenteritis and colitis of infectious origin; A09.9 for gastroenteritis and colitis of unspecified origin; K51. For ulcerative colitis; K52. For other noninfective gastroenteritis and colitis; A06.2 for amoebic non-dysenteric colitis; and A04.7 for enterocolitis due to clostridium difficile;
3. the data presented here is a count of the number of admissions rather than the number of patients. It’s possible that the same person may have been admitted to hospital on more than one occasion within any given period; and
4. the majority of cases of Crohn’s disease and colitis are treated through routine access to primary and secondary care services, with only a smaller number of cases, typically the most serious, requiring hospital admission. The data presented here will, therefore, only represent a small proportion of the total number of cases that were treated.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2023 to Question 183643 on Public Health, what methodologies were used to estimate the costs to the NHS for each of the five risk factors specified.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The applicable methodologies for the National Health Service cost attributed to each of the risk factors outlined are explained in the following reports.

The estimated air pollution related costs to the NHS can be found in the Public Health England report ‘Estimation of costs to the NHS and social care due to the health impacts of air pollution: summary report’ , from 2018, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-pollution-a-tool-to-estimate-healthcare-costs

An estimate of the NHS and healthcare costs of alcohol from 2021/22, produced by the Institute of Alcohol Studies, can be found at the following link:

https://www.ias.org.uk/factsheet/economy/

Estimated obesity related costs to the NHS can be found in the Frontier Economics report for NESTA, published in July 2025, ‘The Economic and Productivity Costs of Obesity and Overweight in the UK’, which is available at the following link:

https://media.nesta.org.uk/documents/The_economic_and_productivity_costs_of_obesity_and_overweight_in_the_UK_.pdf

Estimated Hypertension related costs to the NHS can be found in the Optimity Matrix Cost-effectiveness review of blood pressure interventions, ‘A Report to the Blood Pressure System Leadership Board’, published November 2014, available at the following link:

https://cleanair.london/app/uploads/vdocuments.site_cost-effectiveness-review-of-blood-pressure-cost-effectiveness-review-of-blood.pdf

The most recent estimated smoking related costs to the NHS can be found in the press release, ‘New figures show cost of smoking to society in England dwarfs tobacco tax revenue’. This is available at the following link:

https://ash.org.uk/media-centre/news/press-releases/new-figures-show-cost-of-smoking-to-society-in-england-dwarfs-tobacco-tax-revenue

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many removals from elective waiting lists there have been as a result of data validation exercises in 2025-26; and what the cost to his Department has been of those exercises.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Validation is a well-established component for the effective management of waiting lists, ensuring that the patients who are on the list should still be there. While we have significantly reduced the size of the total elective waiting list by over 206,000 since the Government took office, a large list requires consistent validation in order to ensure that all patients on the list still require care, and all appointments are of optimum value for patients and clinicians.

The Department does not hold data centrally on the number of patient pathways removed from the elective waiting list as a result of data validation.

NHS England has paid the system £18,818,566 for validation exercises from April to September 2025. Payments for the most recent validation exercises have not yet been issued to providers. We know validation provides significant benefits for patients by reducing missed appointments, making effective use of clinical time, and ensuring patients are on the best care pathway for their needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with radiotherapy professionals on the upcoming national cancer plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have been working closely with radiotherapy professionals and the national clinical adviser for radiotherapy, throughout the development the National Cancer Plan to understand the specific challenges that radiotherapy services face. We will continue to work with professionals to identify how we can reduce barriers to access, cut waiting lists, and improve outcomes for cancer patients who require radiotherapy services. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.

All key evidence from clinicians, stakeholders and parliamentarians has been considered in the plan's development, as well as over 11,000 responses, many of which were from clinicians to our Call for Evidence. We are grateful for everyone's involvement in this important work.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2025 to Question 95676, whether his Department has conducted any evaluation of patient safety risks affecting people with severe and very severe ME/CFS, including malnutrition.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Patient safety risks affecting people with severe and very severe myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), including malnutrition, have been considered during the development of the final delivery plan (FDP) published in July this year, through engagement with stakeholders, including clinicians and patient groups.

To this end, the FDP includes an action for the Department and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for very severe ME/CFS. Officials from the Department have commenced discussions with NHS England on how best to take forward this action.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered permitting the term probiotic to be used in mandatory food labelling.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under existing legislation, the Department considers the term ‘probiotic’ to constitute a health claim as it implies that consuming a food or food supplement containing these bacteria may provide a health benefit. Health claims may only be used if they have been scientifically substantiated and authorised in accordance with nutrition and health claims legislation.

There is an established process for authorising health claims, which requires industry to submit detailed scientific evidence for assessment. Since the exit of the European Union, the Department has not received any applications for new health claims relating to probiotics or specific bacterial strains. As no claims are authorised, ‘probiotics’ should not be used as a claim on food labels.

The term ‘probiotic’ could only be used on food labels if a specific authorised health claim existed for the particular strain of live bacteria used. The authorisation process remains available to industry, and any future applications would be considered in line with the requirements to ensure that health claims used on food are accurate, evidence‑based, and not misleading for consumers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of Matha's Rule on enhancing patient care and saving lives for those with learning disabilities.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Martha’s Rule is being implemented in all acute hospitals in England. Early indications suggest a positive impact on patient care across patient groups, including people with learning disabilities, through improved recognition of physiological deterioration, strengthened patient and family voice, and earlier clinical review.

Data published by NHS England shows that from September 2024 to November 2025, 9,135 Martha’s Rule calls were made, with the highest proportion of calls, or 72%, made via the family escalation process. 3,186 Martha’s Rule escalation calls, or 36%, related to acute deterioration and of those, 412 calls resulted in potentially life-saving transfers of care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in the Westminster Hall debate on Parkinson's disease on 17 November 2025, col. 230WH, what steps he will take to encourage medical researchers to propose more projects for National Institute for Health and Care Research funding to help cure that disease.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In the 2024/25 financial year, the NIHR committed £6 million to Parkinson’s disease research through its research programmes and capacity building schemes.

As well as funding research itself, the NIHR invests significantly in research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, support services, and collaborations to support and deliver research in England. Collectively this forms NIHR infrastructure. NIHR infrastructure enables the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research into Parkinson’s disease.

In order to inform priorities and guide future research commissioning by funders of Parkinson’s research, the NIHR Dementia and Neurodegeneration Policy Research Unit at Exeter has undertaken a mapping exercise of the current evidence landscape.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including Parkinson’s disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Welcoming applications on Parkinson's disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to encourage the use of a surgical robot in Cornwall, in the context of it being the only region in England and Wales without one.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Our 10-Year Health Plan commits to expanding surgical robot adoption over the next decade. We recognise the importance of ensuring equitable access and we will establish national registries for robotic surgery data from 2029 and develop telesurgery networks to support geographical equity of access to robotic assisted surgery.

Decisions on the procurement of robotic‑assisted surgery are made locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards, in line with local need and national guidance. The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) has a robotic surgery programme as a commitment in their refreshed 10-year strategy, which was approved at the RCHT Board on 8 January 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all pregnant women are offered the whooping cough vaccine at the optimal time in pregnancy.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

All pregnant women are offered the whooping cough vaccination in every pregnancy, around the time of the mid-pregnancy scan, usually 20 weeks, and ideally before 32 weeks, via midwifery in the community or their general practice.

The Department is working with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to encourage high uptake of all immunisations, including in underserved communities and in groups with historically lower vaccination rates.

Significant efforts have been made to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination to protect babies against whooping cough, also known as pertussis. These include targeted campaigns using social media, digital screen graphics, and community outreach. The National Health Service actively promotes vaccination for pregnant women to protect their newborns, and efforts are underway to enhance the recording and monitoring of vaccinations, ensuring accurate data collection to assess the programme’s effectiveness.

Recent data shows maternal pertussis vaccination coverage from July to September 2025 was 71.9%, which was 7.5% higher than the equivalent period in 2025. However, there is more to do to stabilise and improve uptake, and that is why we have set out actions to improve uptake in our 10-Year Health Plan for England. Putting our plans into action, we have recently launched a campaign to promote awareness and confidence in vaccination, including for pregnant women, which will run throughout the year.

To improve accessibility, community pharmacies in areas of high deprivation and low uptake are now also commissioned to offer some vaccinations, making it more convenient for individuals to get vaccinated.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 84923 on Public Houses: Electronic Cigarettes, whether his Department has assessed the potential impact of a ban on vaping in pubs on their (a) financial viability and (b) profitability.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill gives the Government powers to make most public places and workplaces that are smoke-free also vape-free.

We plan to consult on making most indoor settings, that are subject to existing smoke-free legislation, vape-free. This would include inside pubs and other hospitality venues. A number of places have already done this voluntarily.

These measures will be subject to a full consultation, and we will be guided by public health advice. All future regulations will be accompanied by an impact assessment that will consider the economic effects of the proposed measures and will be published as part of the consultation process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration he has made of the need for a national bladder cancer audit.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In regards to a National Bladder Cancer Audit consideration, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell on 10 December 2025 to Question 96365.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of diagnosis and ongoing care for people with Crohn’s disease and Colitis in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for ensuring that appropriate treatment and support is available for people diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, in their areas. In Surrey Heath, this responsibility sits with either the NHS Frimley ICB or the NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB, with national improvement programmes such as Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and NHS RightCare driving change. Together, these programmes help deliver consistent, high-quality diagnostic processes and ongoing care and support across the National Health Service in England.

The GIRFT national report on gastroenterology recommends rapid access to specialist review within four weeks, personalised care plans, increased endoscopy capacity, the standardised use of diagnostic tests such as endoscopy and imaging, and early involvement of multidisciplinary teams, including IBD specialist nurses, gastroenterologists, surgeons, dietitians, and mental health professionals.

In November 2025, GIRFT published a new handbook, ‘Optimising care for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease’ in addition to an updated IBD pathway. This handbook provides practical advice, key actions, and examples of innovative practices to improve the care of NHS patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

‘Hannah’s story’, published by NHS England as part of its RightCare scenario series, is a fictional case study designed to show the difference between a suboptimal and an optimal care pathway for someone living with Crohn’s disease. This scenario underlines the importance of integrated services, proactive treatment planning, and consistent adherence to IBD Standards to reduce variation and improve outcomes for patients across England.

Gastroenterology is a high-volume specialty identified as a top priority for reform in the Elective Reform Plan due to its waiting list challenges. Specific action in gastroenterology includes developing an integrated pathway across primary, community, and secondary care for common gastroenterology conditions. We will also drive rapid adoption of remote monitoring in appropriate gastroenterology pathways.

We are also introducing an ‘online hospital’ through NHS Online. This will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times. IBD is amongst nine initial conditions for online referrals from 2027.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the support available to people living with Crohn’s disease and Colitis in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for ensuring that appropriate treatment and support is available for people diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, in their areas. In Surrey Heath, this responsibility sits with either the NHS Frimley ICB or the NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB, with national improvement programmes such as Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and NHS RightCare driving change. Together, these programmes help deliver consistent, high-quality diagnostic processes and ongoing care and support across the National Health Service in England.

The GIRFT national report on gastroenterology recommends rapid access to specialist review within four weeks, personalised care plans, increased endoscopy capacity, the standardised use of diagnostic tests such as endoscopy and imaging, and early involvement of multidisciplinary teams, including IBD specialist nurses, gastroenterologists, surgeons, dietitians, and mental health professionals.

In November 2025, GIRFT published a new handbook, ‘Optimising care for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease’ in addition to an updated IBD pathway. This handbook provides practical advice, key actions, and examples of innovative practices to improve the care of NHS patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

‘Hannah’s story’, published by NHS England as part of its RightCare scenario series, is a fictional case study designed to show the difference between a suboptimal and an optimal care pathway for someone living with Crohn’s disease. This scenario underlines the importance of integrated services, proactive treatment planning, and consistent adherence to IBD Standards to reduce variation and improve outcomes for patients across England.

Gastroenterology is a high-volume specialty identified as a top priority for reform in the Elective Reform Plan due to its waiting list challenges. Specific action in gastroenterology includes developing an integrated pathway across primary, community, and secondary care for common gastroenterology conditions. We will also drive rapid adoption of remote monitoring in appropriate gastroenterology pathways.

We are also introducing an ‘online hospital’ through NHS Online. This will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times. IBD is amongst nine initial conditions for online referrals from 2027.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve quality of life for people being diagnosed, treated for or living with cancer under the National Cancer Plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan for England will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care in England to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer.

The plan will aim to improve how, in England, the physical and psychosocial needs of people with cancer can be met, with a focus on personalised care to improve quality of life. It will address how the experience of care can be improved for those diagnosed, treated, and living with and beyond cancer in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to address regional disparities in whooping cough vaccination uptake among pregnant women.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The latest published data for September 2025 shows that prenatal pertussis vaccination coverage has improved in all seven NHS England regions when compared to September 2024.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) report shows monthly prenatal pertussis vaccination coverage followed an increasing trend since April 2024. The report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pertussis-immunisation-in-pregnancy-vaccine-coverage-estimates-in-england-october-2013-to-march-2014/prenatal-pertussis-vaccination-coverage-in-england-from-january-to-march-2025-and-annual-coverage-for-2024-to-2025

To support continued improvements, NHS England has developed and implemented a vaccination in pregnancy improvement plan. Actions delivered to date include:

- system level oversight and leadership of programme commissioning and delivery, to strengthen the offer process and tackle factors contributing to low vaccine uptake;

- ensuring commissioned providers are aware of their responsibilities within the vaccination in pregnancy programmes and are working to strengthen the vaccination offer and ensure consistency in delivery approach;

- commissioning community pharmacy providers in areas of low uptake and high deprivation to deliver National Health Service pertussis vaccinations to pregnant women opportunistically or on request;

- revised governance arrangements for vaccination in pregnancy programmes, with regional and national colleagues meeting regularly to share learning and good practice from local systems; and

- improved vaccination recording and accurate data collection to monitor programme effectiveness, allowing regional teams and their partner integrated care boards to access timely NHS operational data. This informs targeted action to increase uptake and reduce inequalities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the proportion of pregnant women who are not offered the whooping cough vaccine by 20 weeks’ gestation; and what steps are being taken to improve timely access.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

All pregnant women in England should be offered the pertussis vaccination in every pregnancy, around the time of the mid-pregnancy scan, usually 20 weeks, and ideally before 32 weeks.

Recent data shows maternal pertussis vaccination coverage from July to September 2025 was 71.9%, which was 7.5% higher than the equivalent period in 2025. The data is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pertussis-immunisation-in-pregnancy-vaccine-coverage-estimates-in-england-october-2013-to-march-2014/prenatal-pertussis-vaccination-coverage-in-england-from-july-to-september-2025

NHS England has implemented a range of measures to ensure timely access to the pertussis vaccination programme, including NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency having developed a joint maternal vaccines toolkit and campaign to promote timely uptake of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and flu vaccines during pregnancy, highlighting the protection provided to newborns.

NHS England has commissioned community pharmacies in the North West, Midlands, London, and the East of England to deliver pertussis and RSV vaccines, increasing convenience and capacity, particularly in areas of high deprivation and low uptake.

A maternal vaccination postcard has been translated into seven additional languages and distributed to 200 practices with lower uptake. Tailored communications are shared through community and faith-based channels, including radio, podcasts, and local publications.

NHS England regularly shares vaccination information with pregnancy and parenting organisations such as Tommy’s and the NCT, as well as community and faith groups, for use on their websites, newsletters, and social media.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve quality of life for people being diagnosed, treated for or living with cancer under the National Cancer Plan .

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer.

The plan will aim to improve how the physical and psychosocial needs of people with cancer can be met, with a focus on personalised care to improve quality of life. It will address how the experience of care can be improved for those diagnosed, treated, and living with and beyond cancer. The plan will be published early this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual cost to the NHS is of providing healthcare to illegal migrants.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England do not hold the information requested. The overall management of asylum seekers is a matter for the Home Office.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2025 to Question 94029, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Food Scanner app on people with eating disorders.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has a series of digital tools to support adults and families to eat better and move more, including the food scanner app and the National Health Service weight loss plan app, email programmes, and websites. These tools are evidence-based and regularly reviewed to ensure alignment with current Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition guidance. Updates are ongoing to reflect the latest Government advice.

We are always looking to improve the app experience, including extending and personalising messaging. We welcome feedback from parents as well as organisations to aid us in this process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of laboratory and record-keeping systems supporting Clozapine treatment, and whether they meet the standards expected for equivalent safety-critical medicines in physical healthcare.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England’s National Patient Safety Team collect records of all patient safety incidents recorded by National Health Service trusts via the Learn From Patient Safety Events service. These records are used to identify new and under-recognised risks to patient safety and to understand themes and trends. The insight generated informs work to improve patient safety across the NHS. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-safety/patient-safety-insight/learning-from-patient-safety-events/using-patient-safety-events-data-to-keep-patients-safe/#

The safety of clozapine is kept under continual review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) using a number of data sources, including reports of suspected side effects through the Yellow Card Scheme, data from marketing authorisation holders, and research published in the scientific literature.

Each clozapine marketing authorisation holder operates a Patient Monitoring Scheme which focuses on the blood monitoring requirements for clozapine. However, regular contact with healthcare professionals caring for patients receiving clozapine has resulted in a high proportion of suspected side effects being reported through the Yellow Card scheme. These reports are published by the MHRA in the interactive drug analysis profile for clozapine, with further information avaiable at the following link:

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/idaps/CLOZAPINE

The Summary of Product Characteristics for clozapine outlines the monitoring requirements needed to minimise the risks of possible side effects for healthcare professionals. However, the MHRA does not regulate clinical practice or audit NHS record-keeping systems.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people diagnosed with SOD 1 MND are currently unable to access tofersen.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Companies may put in place Early Access Programmes (EAPs) to allow early access to new medicines which have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, but which do not yet have National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Participation in such programmes is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level. The manufacturer of tofersen, Biogen, has established an EAP for people diagnosed with SOD1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria set out by the company.

Under EAPs, the cost of the drug is free both to patients taking part in it and to the NHS, although NHS trusts must still cover the costs of administering the medicine. NHS England does not therefore have any involvement in directing EAP enrolment by trusts and the Department has no plans to issue any national direction to trusts to participate in such programmes.

Many NHS hospitals have been able to identify the extra staff and resources needed to take part in the EAP and safely provide tofersen to as many eligible patients as possible. Neither NHS England nor the Department holds any data on the number of NHS trusts or patients accessing tofersen through the company led EAP.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his Department has given to repealing S2(4) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office report.

We welcome the report by the National Audit Office. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to address the rising legal costs of clinical negligence.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office report.

We welcome the report by the National Audit Office. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has data on the average waiting times for (a) ADHD and (b) Autism assessments for young people in the (i) South East, (ii) Surrey, and (iii) Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and recognises the need for early intervention and support. 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 provision of autism and ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

The NICE guidance for the assessment of autism recommends that the length between referral and first appointment should be no more than 13 weeks. We know that this is not happening routinely across the country. In respect of ADHD, the NICE guideline on ADHD does not recommend a maximum waiting time for people to receive an assessment for ADHD or a diagnosis, however it sets out best practice on providing a diagnosis.

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for assessment and diagnosis for ADHD for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual NHS trusts or commissioners.

NHS England published management information on ADHD waits at a national level for the first time on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan, which is avaiable at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-adhd/november-2025

In respect of autism, the most recent data, published on 13 November 2025, is available on the NHS England website at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/autism-statistics/october-2024-to-september-2025

Through the NHS Medium-term planning framework, published 24 October 2025, NHS England has set clear expectations for local ICBs and trusts to improve access, experience, and outcomes for autism and ADHD services over the next three years, focusing on improving quality and productivity.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD, and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve allergy care.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Expert Advisory Group on Allergy (EAGA), co-chaired by the Department and the National Allergy Strategy Group, meets regularly to bring together stakeholders across the Government, the National Health Service, voluntary organisations, professional bodies, and patient representative groups, to consider how allergy care and support could be improved. The purpose of the EAGA is to inform policymaking, and to identify priorities in relation to the holistic care of people with allergies. The EAGA last met on 3 December2025.

In July 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare products regulatory Agency licensed a new adrenaline nasal spray, EURneffy, for use in the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis. The Government welcomes the approval of needle free delivery methods of adrenaline, recognising the potential to benefit to those who suffer from allergies.

More widely, there are a number of policies outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan which should have a positive impact on care for patients with allergy. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of technology will all support people to manage allergies closer to home.

Neighbourhood Health Services will be organised around the needs of their patients. The plan will create joined-up working across hospitals and into community settings with multi-disciplinary teams who can provide wrap-around support services to people with allergies or other long-term conditions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NICE positive recommendations in each year since 2023 were issued as optimised decisions; and what proportion of the eligible patient population was able to access those medicines on the NHS.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The following table shows the number of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendations since 2023 that have been issued as optimised decisions:

Source: NICE

Notes:

1. the data for 2025/26 is for the year so far; and
2. data includes all Cancer Drugs Fund and Innovative Medicines Fund recommendations.

The Government does not hold data on the proportion of the eligible patient population able to access those medicines on the National Health Service. Some data may be available via the innovation scorecard and estimates report, avaiable at the following link:

https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiOWVkZmY1MDEtOWQzMS00YzU1LWJkZmYtMTc2NGQ2MTZkYjc2IiwidCI6ImNmNmQwNDgyLTg2YjEtNGY4OC04YzBjLTNiNGRlNGNiNDAyYyJ9

This is a publication which reports on the use of medicines and medicine groupings in the NHS in England which have been positively appraised by NICE, including some NICE optimised decisions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to insure that NHS correspondence is accessible for constituents in Yeovil with a visual impairment.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. NHS England is rolling out a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag which enables the recording of key information about a disabled patient or client and the reasonable adjustments to care and treatment that they need, to ensure support can be tailored appropriately and equitably. This might include, although is not limited to, recording details of specific communication methods that are required for interacting with the person such as providing information in a specific format.

Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss, including people with a visual impairment. Provision of correspondence in an accessible format is specifically covered within the AIS.

On 30 June 2025, NHS England published a revised AIS. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using NHS services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will include specific actions to deliver neighbourhood cancer care close to home, particularly for those in rural or underserved areas.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Bringing cancer care into the Neighbourhood Health Service is an important part of our forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England, enabling cancer patients to be treated and cared for closer to home.

The National Cancer Plan, which will be published early this year, will seek to make cancer care easier, more local, and more responsive. Rather than requiring endless trips to hospitals, cancer care will happen as locally as it can. This means digitally by default, in a patient’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and in a hospital if necessary. As a larger proportion of England’s population survives cancer, this new model offers the potential for a higher quality of life, so that people in England to live longer, better lives after cancer diagnosis.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of medication options for bronchiectasis.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance in 2019 on antimicrobial prescribing for managing and preventing acute exacerbations of bronchiectasis, sometimes called non-cystic fibrosis. The guideline is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng117

NICE guidelines are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and should be taken fully into account by healthcare professionals in the care and treatment of individual patients.

NICE makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether all new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of the available evidence. NICE has selected brensocatib for treating non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in people 12 years old and over as a topic for guidance development, and currently expects final guidance to be published by July 2026, subject to it being granted a marketing authorisation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The progress of this appraisal can be followed on NICE’s website, at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta11564

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to meet cancer waiting time targets and ensure people living with and affected by cancer receive the timely care they need.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Improving cancer waiting times for patients is a high priority for the Government.

We will do this through the increased use of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) which will increase the available capacity and bring healthcare closer to the community. CDCs are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country with 103 of these being are open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, offering at least one test in expanded hours, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around their busy working lives.

The National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published early this year, will set out how we will increase performance, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately provide better outcomes for cancer patients. It will ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology and improve patient experience and outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the restriction on pursuing clinical negligence cases to direct financial dependents only in cases where an individual has died on the justice system.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the restriction on pursuing clinical negligence cases to direct financial dependents only in cases where an individual has died on the justice system.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office report.

We welcome the recent report by the National Audit Office on the costs of clinical negligence. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the identification of mental health needs among people entering the criminal justice system.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are committed to diverting offenders with mental health, substance misuse, and other vulnerabilities away from prison or out of the criminal justice system altogether, where appropriate.

NHS Liaison and Diversion services identify people who have mental health, learning disability, substance misuse or other vulnerabilities when they first come into contact with the criminal justice system as suspects, defendants or offenders.

Mental health screening also takes place when someone is detained in prison, as set out in the National Health Service service specification for health care in prisons. As part of the formal prisoner induction process, all prisoners must undergo health screening that incorporates a mental health assessment. This is an essential standard under the specification.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of Crohn’s disease and Colitis in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to improving awareness and understanding of Crohn’s disease and colitis across England, including in the Surrey Heath constituency.

The NHS.UK website provides comprehensive, clinically assured information on Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, and advice on when to seek help. It also signposts to specialist services and support organisations. The National Health Service website receives approximately 650 million visits annually and is maintained to ensure content reflects the latest clinical guidance and best practice.

The enhanced NHS App, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, will improve awareness of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis by providing easy access to clinically assured information from the NHS website, personalised care tools, and signposting to trusted support organisations. New features such as My Health and My Medicines will help patients track symptoms and manage treatment, while integrated resources and self-referral options will empower individuals to understand their condition and seek timely care. By combining reliable guidance with digital engagement, the app will raise public awareness and support better self-management for those living with these conditions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve outcomes for cardiovascular disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years. To accelerate progress towards this ambition, we will publish a cardiovascular disease (CVD) Modern Service Framework later this year. The framework will support consistent, high quality and equitable care whist fostering innovation across the CVD pathway.

Alongside this, work is underway to improve the impact of the NHS Health Check, which is a core component of England’s CVD prevention programme, and prevents approximately 500 heart attacks and strokes a year.

To improve access and to give patients more flexibility and choice, we are developing an NHS Health Check Online service that people can use at home at a time and place convenient to them, to understand and act on their CVD risk. Community pharmacies continue to strengthen prevention efforts, and since 2021 they have delivered nearly 4.2 million blood pressure checks, supporting earlier detection and management of key CVD risk factors.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) ADHD and (b) autism assessments for children and young people in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and recognises the need for early intervention and support. 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 provision of autism and ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

The NICE guidance for the assessment of autism recommends that the length between referral and first appointment should be no more than 13 weeks. We know that this is not happening routinely across the country. In respect of ADHD, the NICE guideline on ADHD does not recommend a maximum waiting time for people to receive an assessment for ADHD or a diagnosis, however it sets out best practice on providing a diagnosis.

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for assessment and diagnosis for ADHD for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual NHS trusts or commissioners.

NHS England published management information on ADHD waits at a national level for the first time on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan, which is avaiable at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-adhd/november-2025

In respect of autism, the most recent data, published on 13 November 2025, is available on the NHS England website at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/autism-statistics/october-2024-to-september-2025

Through the NHS Medium-term planning framework, published 24 October 2025, NHS England has set clear expectations for local ICBs and trusts to improve access, experience, and outcomes for autism and ADHD services over the next three years, focusing on improving quality and productivity.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD, and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how learning from serious incidents involving accidental Clozapine withdrawal is being recorded and shared nationally across NHS mental health services.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Clozapine is used to treat people with schizophrenia in whom other medicines have not worked. It is also used to treat severe disturbances in the thoughts, emotions, and behaviour of people with Parkinson’s disease in whom other medicines have not worked.

The known side effects of clozapine are outlined in the product information, the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for healthcare professionals, and the Patient Information Leaflet which is provided in each pack of the medicine. The SPC states that clozapine should be stopped in a number of clinical situations including after developing a low white blood cell count, fever above 38^oC, high blood glucose, also known as hyperglycaemia, as well as jaundice or clinically relevant increases in liver enzymes. If clozapine is restarted it must be carefully titrated and monitoring requirements followed.

Inadvertent withdrawal of clozapine is an issue that is included in the National Health Service’s Time Critical Medicines Safety Improvement Programme, with further information avaiable at the following link:

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/safer-use-of-time-critical-medicines-programme/

The programme is supporting over 50 NHS hospitals to improve the reliability of administration of Time Critical Medicines such as clozapine.

In July 2024 a thematic review of clozapine safety conducted in the North West of England was shared with the NHS England National Medication Safety Officer Network. This included a range of clozapine safety resources published online, such as:

- Managing the risks associated with patients prescribed clozapine, which is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/managing-the-risks-associated-with-patients-prescribed-clozapine/;

- Clinical considerations for patients prescribed clozapine, which is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/clinical-considerations-for-patients-prescribed-clozapine/;

- Managing constipation in people taking clozapine, which is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/managing-constipation-in-people-taking-clozapine/;

- Clozapine use in adults with swallowing difficulties, which is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/clozapine-use-in-adults-with-swallowing-difficulties/;

- Managing specific interactions with smoking, which is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/managing-specific-interactions-with-smoking/; and

- Managing complexities of medication use across care boundaries, which includes a podcast on clozapine safety and which is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/managing-complexities-of-medication-use-across-care-boundaries/.

As with all medicines, the safety of clozapine is kept under continual review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) using a number of data sources. The MHRA is currently reviewing the blood monitoring requirements associated with clozapine.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2025 to Question 36392, if he will provide an update on funding for lobular breast cancer research.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the crucial need for research into all forms of cancer, including lobular breast cancer. We remain committed to the role of research in driving a stronger collective understanding of the biology behind lobular breast cancer and to improve outcomes for women.

Government responsibility for delivering cancer research is shared between Department for Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation, which includes the Medical Research Council.

In November 2025, the NIHR issued a highlight notice encouraging applications for new research into lobular breast cancer, to improve the detection, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term surveillance of patients.

The NIHR continues to welcome high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including lobular breast cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take with the Northern Ireland Executive to help improve the supply of ADHD drugs to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has overall responsibility for the continuity of medicine supply in the United Kingdom and crown dependences, including shortages management. However, responsibility for managing the impact of shortages is devolved for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

We regularly share information about higher impact and critical medicine shortages with the devolved administrations to support management of medicine supply issues across the UK.

The Department has made significant progress in improving the availability of medicines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), working closely with industry and key stakeholders to overcome previous supply challenges. Through intensive collaboration with industry, NHS England, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, supply issues have now been fully resolved. All ADHD medicines, across all formulations and strengths, are readily available for prescribing.

We continue to work closely with ADHD medicine suppliers to address any challenges promptly and to strengthen the resilience of the supply chain. This includes securing additional stock, expediting deliveries, and broadening the UK supplier base to meet future demand. To ensure a robust and sustainable supply, we are partnering with NHS England’s ADHD taskforce to develop growth forecasts and share them with industry, enabling effective planning and continuity of supply.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to allow NHS professionals to view the health records of ex-military patients from their time in military service.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Defence Medical Services (DMS) provide primary healthcare for serving personnel. All serving personnel will have a Defence Health Record which records their healthcare through their military service, whether provided by DMS or the National Health Service.

Serving personnel are provided with a medical care summary and a patient’s full Defence Health Record are transferred on request from their NHS general practitioner (GP). These are then available to be used and viewed as part of the individual’s medical records. These would also form part of digital records available via the NHS App and held by the respective veteran patient.

To improve the transfer of healthcare information, DMS is working towards a greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from DMS to NHS GPs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which recommendations from the Fuller Inquiry he plans to implement; and in what timeline.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 16 December 2025, the Government published an Interim update on government progress in responding to the Fuller inquiry phase 2 report, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuller-inquiry-government-interim-update-on-phase-2-recommendations

The interim update set out the solid progress that has been made in taking forward recommendations. Of the 75 recommendations: 11 have been accepted in full; 43 accepted in principle; and 21 remain under consideration. Full details of the status of all recommendations are contained in the published update.

The Government will publish a full response to the inquiry’s recommendations in summer 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the availability of clinical trials for cancer patients across the UK.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department funds research and research infrastructure through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which supports National Health Service patients, the public, and NHS organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials into cancers.

The NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research', which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies, including those with cancer, and register their interest.

NHS England is delivering The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, a platform that is speeding up access to clinical trials for cancer vaccines and immunotherapies for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across the country. It will ensure that more patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to clinical trials.

The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. The bill will make it easier for clinical trials, on for example pancreatic cancer, to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to regulate health advice on AI overviews on internet browsers.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England and the Department are taking steps to ensure that health related information is easily available and well-structured to support safe and reliable answers by artificial intelligence (AI), including AI overviews in internet browsers. The NHS.UK website and information provided through the NHS App on different health conditions is clinically assured and we are working with different technology providers to encourage the use of verified and trusted health information to train their AI models to provide content to citizens.

Where AI tools meet the definition of a medical device, they fall under the regulation of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). General‑purpose AI systems that do not qualify as medical devices, such as AI‑generated summaries within search engines, may fall within the scope of the Online Safety Act. Services covered by the act must protect users from illegal and harmful content, including misleading health information. The Government has asked Ofcom to use its existing powers to safeguard users and will consider further action if needed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to put in place a long term funding strategy for research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the Government’s final delivery plan for myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) that was published in July 2025, the Department has taken action to strengthen research capacity and capability for ME/CFS to support the long-term future of the research field.

These actions include hosting a research showcase event, a new development award to evaluate repurposed pharmaceutical interventions, and announcing newly funded studies in health and care services, research infrastructure, and capacity-building.

We are determined to accelerate progress in the treatment and management of ME/CFS and will continue working with the community to identify and address barriers to research.

The Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including ME/CFS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure porcine insulin is available to users who are dependent on it.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is aware of the global discontinuation of insulin porcine vials, including Hypurin Porcine Isophane, Hypurin Porcine Neutral, and Hypurin Porcine 30/70 Mix vials, by Wockhardt. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to the National Health Service, including all general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists, on 23 July 2025. This management guidance contains information on alternative licensed medicines including Hypurin Porcine cartridges.

Hypurin Porcine Isophane and Hypurin Porcine Neutral cartridges remain available. Following a short-term supply issue from 1 January 2026, Hypurin Porcine 30/70 Mix cartridges will be available from the week closing on 19 January 2026.

Patients and/or patient representatives should speak to their GP on the most appropriate treatment option.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions has he had to help conclude the dialogue between NHS England and the manufacturer of givinostat as part of the NICE appraisal.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has had no such discussions. NHS England is responsible for any commercial discussions with companies whose products are undergoing a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence evaluation.

Following discussions in November 2025, NHS England invited the manufacturer, ITF Pharma UK and Ireland, to submit a written proposal to progress a potential commercial agreement in December, with a range of ideas being offered by NHS England that could form the basis of a deal.

NHS England is still awaiting a proposal from the company and has continued to press ITF Pharma on the need to make progress as patients and campaigners deserve certainty on the next steps regarding access to this treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many registered organ donors there are, listed by (a) religious and (b) ethnic group.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for organ donation in the United Kingdom, including managing the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR). The following table shows the number of registered organ donors by religion, as of 8 January 2026:

Source: NHSBT

Note: this data reflects the total number of ‘opt-in’ ODR registrations by religion and ethnic group, including duplicates when individuals have registered more than once and those who have since passed away, this means the total number of reported potential donors in any one group may be overestimated.

In addition, the following table shows the number of registered organ donors by ethnic group:

For further details on ethnic differences in organ donor registration, see the Annual Report on Ethnicity Differences in Organ Donation and Transplantation, which is avaiable at the following link:

https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/37859/annual-report-on-ethnicity-differences-2024_2025.pdf

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure tofersen can be administered to MND patients under the early access programme.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Companies may put in place Early Access Programmes (EAPs) to allow early access to new medicines which have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, but which do not yet have National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Participation in such programmes is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level. The manufacturer of tofersen, Biogen, has established an EAP for people diagnosed with SOD1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria set out by the company.

Under EAPs, the cost of the drug is free both to patients taking part in it and to the NHS, although NHS trusts must still cover the costs of administering the medicine. NHS England does not therefore have any involvement in directing EAP enrolment by trusts and the Department has no plans to issue any national direction to trusts to participate in such programmes.

Many NHS hospitals have been able to identify the extra staff and resources needed to take part in the EAP and safely provide tofersen to as many eligible patients as possible. Neither NHS England nor the Department holds any data on the number of NHS trusts or patients accessing tofersen through the company led EAP.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of wheelchair provision services in Derbyshire.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services, and NHS England supports ICBs to commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services.

Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required.

NHS England is taking steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025 which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets. The framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/wheelchair-quality-framework/

Local authorities in England have a statutory duty under various legislations, including the Care Act 2014, and the Children and Families Act 2014, to make arrangements for the provision of disability aids and community equipment, including wheelchair provision, to meet the assessed eligible needs of individuals who are resident in their area. Some local authorities deliver this themselves, but a significant number have external contracts for an integrated community equipment service.

On 1 April 2025, the NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB appointed Blatchford Ltd to run wheelchair services.

The NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB provided additional funding to address the most clinically urgent, long-standing patients that are waiting for a wheelchair and is monitoring with Blatchford on a weekly basis. There are, however, still 1,000 long-standing patients currently waiting for a wheelchair.

The NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB has put in place a clinical priority plan developed jointly between the NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB and Blatchford Ltd to address long-standing patients. As of Mid-November 2025, with regard to long-standing patients waiting for a wheelchair, there has been a 56% deduction in adults and a 54% reduction in children and young people. The ICB continues to work through the remaining patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to encourage collaboration between NHS Trusts and pharmaceutical companies to enhance cancer clinical trials.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

We are incentivising clinical trials and strengthening collaboration between pharmaceutical companies and National Health Service trusts by streamlining processes and cutting set‑up times to 150 days by March 2026, ensuring the United Kingdom offers a faster, more competitive environment for delivering high‑quality research.

The Department funded National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research. This includes Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, co-funded by NIHR, Cancer Research UK, and the Little Princess Trust, which form a UK-wide network that brings together world leading laboratory and clinical researchers to deliver pioneering early phase cancer trials for adults and children. Additionally, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will introduce a 14-day assessment route for phase 1 trials, adopting an innovative stepwise approach, restoring a rapid pathway for the earliest testing of new medicines in people, a key draw for global pharmaceutical companies deciding where to base their research.

NHS England is delivering specific collaborative initiatives with industry such as the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP). The NHS CVLP is a platform that is speeding up access to clinical trials for cancer vaccines and immunotherapies for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. The CVLP platform is designed to be company and clinical trial agnostic. Different companies have been involved in the CVLP and trials in the CVLP portfolio have included cancers such as head and neck cancer melanoma and colorectal cancer.

35 Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs), including primary care been established largely within NHS trusts. CRDCs will expand capacity, streamline set-up, and give patients faster access to innovative treatments and clinical trials, including those concerning cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2025 to Question 99967, whether he will place copies of the training modules on close relative marriage and genetic risk for midwives and health visitors, and the associated guidance on submitting data on consanguinity and pregnancy to the Maternity Services Dataset, in the Library of the House of Commons.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no plans to place the training modules on close relative marriage and genetic risk for midwives and health visitors, or the associated guidance on submitting data on consanguinity and pregnancy to the Maternity Services Dataset, in the library of the House of Commons.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2025 to WPQ 96699, if he will provide a hyperlink to that information.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Guidance on how to submit data about consanguinity and pregnancy to the Maternity Services Dataset is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/maternity-services-data-set/guidance/msds-consanguinity-data-quality-guidance

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on implementing the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, with up to £150 million expected to be allocated to, or aligned with it, aims to speed up the development of new treatments for dementia and neurodegenerative conditions by accelerating innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation. This is co-chaired by Hilary Evans-Newton CBE and Professor Nadeem Sarwar.

So far, the programme has invested approximately £100 million into biomarker innovation projects, experimental medicine studies, and clinical trial infrastructure. This covers a broad range of biomarker technologies and studies to help researchers, patients, and industry partners work together to better understand how dementia begins and progresses. This amount also supports the Medical Research Council’s Dementia Trials Accelerator which aims to embed more innovation in how clinical trials are designed and delivered in order to increase the speed and quality, while driving down the cost of large-scale trials, as well as the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s UK Dementia Trials Network which seeks to speed up early-stage clinical trials.

The programme is now setting up the Neurodegeneration Initiative, which will be a globally unique, not-for-profit, industry led, public-private partnership with charitable status, that will work together across the Government, industry, academia, the National Health Service, and third sector, and will deliver the programme’s remaining objectives.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) prioritise research into pancreatic cancer and (b) encourage innovations in earlier diagnosis.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and in 2024/25, spent £141.6 million on cancer research, signalling its high priority. This includes studies that focus specifically on pancreatic cancer as well as studies that are relevant to or include pancreatic cancer. For example, between the 2020/21 to 2024/25 financial years, the NIHR committed £1.5 million to specific pancreatic cancer studies.

One instance of this is ongoing research funded by the NIHR which aims into improve the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer by utilising artificial intelligence as well as reducing instances of missed cancer.

The NIHR’s wider investments in research infrastructure, including facilities, services, and the research workforce, supported the delivery of 160 pancreatic cancer research studies and enabled over 8,200 people to participate in potentially life-changing research during this time period. This includes support for the PemOla trial, which is the first to explore using precision immunotherapies to treat pancreatic cancer.

The Office for Life Sciences’ Cancer Healthcare Goals programme aims to maximise and direct global industrial investment for the development and acceleration of new cancer diagnostic and therapeutic technologies and devices in the United Kingdom through: providing research investments to support the development of innovations in the early stages of the development pathway and; supporting industry to accelerate cancer diagnostic and therapeutic technologies and devices in the latter stages of development into the National Health Service.

The programme launched the £10.9 million NIHR i4i Cancer Healthcare Goals: Early Cancer Diagnosis Clinical Validation and Evaluation Call. This has funded six projects which are developing breakthrough technologies that can increase the proportion of cancers which are detected earlier in the disease course and/or target health inequalities in cancer diagnosis.

This includes the miONCO-Dx multi-cancer early detection test, developed by XGenera, which can identify 12 of the most lethal and common cancers, including pancreatic cancer, at even the earliest stages from just 100 microlitres of blood. This technology is currently testing the diagnostic test accuracy on over 20,000 patient samples with promising early results.

The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome high quality funding applications into pancreatic cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that 85 per cent of breast cancer patients start treatment within 62 days of urgent referral.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Cancer patients are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment, and improving performance against cancer waiting time standards, including the 62-day standard, is a priority for the Government.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including breast cancer, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes for patients across England. The Department is committed to improving waiting times for cancer treatment so that people with cancer can access the care they need more quickly.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet demand through investment in new diagnostic capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. As a first step towards earlier diagnosis and faster treatment, the NHS is now delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans and appointments each week.

In May 2025, NHS England announced the world’s first roll out of liquid biopsy testing, which is now available for all eligible breast cancer patients, and which aims to speed up diagnosis and inform better treatment options for those with breast cancer.

£70 million has been invested into new LINAC radiotherapy machines, to replace older, less efficient machines. This vital investment demonstrates our commitment to improving radiotherapy services, and will ensure that the most advanced treatments are available to patients who need it and will boost productivity, reducing waiting lists and ultimately improving outcomes.

The upcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology and bring cancer care back into communities which need it the most. The plan will be published early this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has assessed the adequacy of access to CAMHS services for children in Eastleigh constituency.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has made no assessment of the adequacy of access to children and adolescent mental health services for children in the Eastleigh constituency.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country, including children and young people’s mental health services in the Eastleigh constituency.

As prioritised in our Medium-Term Planning Framework, we are taking action to reduce the longest waits for specialist mental health support, tackling regional disparities, and expanding access, thereby making services more productive so children and young people spend less time waiting for the treatment they need.

We are also accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029. As part of this, we are investing an additional £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff so that they can offer more effective support to young people with complex needs, such as trauma, neurodivergence and disordered eating. With an additional 900,000 children and young people having access by this spring, 60% of all pupils will have access to this early support at school, up from 44% in spring 2024.

More widely, we are, rolling out Young Futures Hubs. The Government’s first 50 Young Futures Hubs will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention. We will work to ensure there is no wrong door for young people who need support with their mental health.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Written Parliamentary Question 85637, when his Department expects to publish the research funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research that will look at how to cost-effectively improve care coordination to align to the needs of patients.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Steps are being taken to improve the coordination of care for all rare diseases as a priority under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. Through the England Rare Diseases Action Plans, which set out actions to deliver against this priority, we commissioned research funded by NIHR to build on the CoOrdinated Care Of Rare Diseases (CONCORD) study with RAND Europe and University of Cambridge. The NIHR-funded CONCORD study sought to investigate how services for people with rare diseases are coordinated in the United Kingdom, and how people living with rare diseases, and healthcare professionals who treat rare diseases, would like them to be coordinated. The new study will help us understand how to best make improvements to care co-ordination in a way which aligns to the needs of patients with rare conditions and which is as cost-effective as possible for the NHS. The study is due to end in May 2026. Findings will be submitted to scientific journals after this date. Further information is avaiable on the CONCORD study at the following link:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/population-health-sciences/epidemiology-health-care/research/behavioural-science-and-health/research/health-care-organisation-and-management-group/concord-coordinated-care-rare-diseases

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the specific challenges that face adults with learning difficulties in accessing health services; and what actions he is taking to ensure that they receive an acceptable level of service.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

A learning difficulty is a reduced ability for a specific form of learning and includes conditions such as dyslexia and dyspraxia. These are life-long conditions.

Under the Equality Act 2010, public sector organisations are required to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people as well as to everybody else.

Reasonable adjustments can make a real difference to people’s care and are based on physical or mental impairment, not on diagnosis. The Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag is being rolled out across health and care services to ensure that disabled people’s reasonable adjustments are recorded and shared, enabling support to be tailored appropriately. This is supported by e-learning for all health and social care staff. All organisations that provide National Health Service care or adult social care must also follow the Accessible Information Standard.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population. Further information on specific learning difficulties can be found on the NHS website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to clinical trials for patients with pancreatic cancer.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with pancreatic cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department funds research and research infrastructure through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which supports National Health Service patients, the public, and NHS organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials into cancers.

NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research', which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across the country. It will ensure that more patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to clinical trials.

The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. The bill will make it easier for clinical trials, on for example pancreatic cancer, to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish a consultation on access to naloxone.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Naloxone is a lifesaving medicine that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, including highly potent synthetic opioids which are growing in prevalence in the United Kingdom. It is more important than ever to increase access to naloxone products, which will save lives.

In 2024, the Department amended the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to expand access to naloxone. The legislation enabled more services and professionals to supply this medication, making it easier to access for people at risk, and for their loved ones.

Since then, the Government has launched a ten-week UK-wide public consultation on further legislative options to expand access to take-home and emergency use naloxone.

This a central part of the government’s comprehensive approach to drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and recovery, supported by £3.4 billion of funding delivered through the Public Health Grant over the next three years.

The Department has also published guidance, Supplying take home naloxone without a prescription, that sets out essential practical information such as who can supply naloxone, the products available, how to use naloxone and other basic lifesaving tools, and the training required. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supplying-take-home-naloxone-without-a-prescription

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure consistent application of NICE guidelines across Integrated Care Boards for the diagnosis and access to specialist care for the treatment of ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines are evidence-based, informed by clinical expertise, and represent best practice. Healthcare professionals and integrated care board (ICB) commissioners are expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account when designing and delivering services, including for the diagnosis and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). NHS England ensures that ICBs follow NICE guidance through a combination of statutory oversight frameworks, annual performance assessments, and local clinical governance requirements.

We published the final ME/CFS delivery plan in July 2025, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mecfs-the-final-delivery-plan

The plan focuses on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease. It also sets out a series of actions, which will help address the key challenges and drive forward improvements to outcomes and quality of life for people living with ME/CFS in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many illegal migrants received (a) dental and (b) healthcare in the each of the last three years.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England do not hold the information requested. The overall management of people seeking asylum is a matter for the Home Office.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money is allocated to providing illegal migrants with (a) dental and (b) health care.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England do not hold the information requested. The overall management of people seeking asylum is a matter for the Home Office.

Found: the Home Office (HO), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Department of Health and Social Care

Found: with digital technology suppliers HC 640 26th Tackling Violence against Women and Girls HC 644 25th DHSC

Found: cqc.org.uk) Professor Meghana Pandit, Interim Medical Director, Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: We are very concerned that DHSC, with the HFEA, has twice sanctioned increasing ‘compensation’ payments

Found: action-on-sponsors-but-insufficient-protection-for-migrants-and-the-care-sector/> accessed 1 December 2025. 4 Department of Health and Social Care

Found: In social care the TUC and affiliates have long called for the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: is waived for those employing General Practitioners in the NHS or NHS England (shortly to become DHSC

Found: charge is waived for those employing General Practitioners in the NHS or NHS England (shortly to become DHSC

Found: is waived for those employing General Practitioners in the NHS or NHS England (shortly to become DHSC

Found: workplace-justice-visa-and-other-proposals-from-a-six-country-comparison/ 16 Home Office, Department of Health and Social Care

Found: It was pushed by the Department of Health and Social Care, forced on the Home Office and very badly

Found: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: Recommendations Recommendation 1: Integrate TRI with Keep Britain Working and NHS Pathways DBT, working with DHSC

Found: This is an example of government (both Defra and DHSC) bringing forward significant costly regulation

Found: (DHSC) has classified fruit and nut bars with over 50% fruits, nuts and seeds as “sweet

Found: (DHSC) has classified fruit and nut bars with over 50% fruits, nuts and seeds as “sweet

Found: This is an example of government (both Defra and DHSC) bringing forward significant costly regulation

Found: Article 5.3 in a June 2025 letter to the Cabinet Secretary, it was passed to the Department of Health and Social Care

Found:  Health-related policies from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), such as the NHS 10

Found: Policy relevant to food and drink sits across multiple government departments: DEFRA, DBT, DHSC in addition

Found: role to play in developing and implementing pro-growth policies, so too does the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The Premier League has provided evidence to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) in its

Found: River Associates (CRA) in 2022 and NERA Economic Consulting in 2007 (both of which are quoted by DHSC

Found: process from FCDO, where we spoke to DSIT, DEFRA, DESNZ, the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: felt both by patients and by the companies who are delivering these innovations, the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: DfE and DHSC must work closely together to embed shared reading across early years education and health

Found: DCMS will continue to work with DfE, DHSC and councils further on work to increase reading for pleasure

Found: across a whole host of Departments—the MoD, the Home Office, MHCLG, the Department for Education, DHSC—all

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is supporting systems and trusts to deliver that target

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is supporting systems and trusts to deliver that target

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is supporting systems and trusts to deliver that target

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is supporting systems and trusts to deliver that target

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is supporting systems and trusts to deliver that target

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is supporting systems and trusts to deliver that target

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is supporting systems and trusts to deliver that target

Found: with digital technology suppliers HC 640 26th Tackling Violence against Women and Girls HC 644 25th DHSC

Found: DHSC maintains ministerial accountability for the wider health system, including medicines pricing policy

Found: The DHSC is responsible for those and, again, under the road map on digital government we will set out

Found: I have mentioned MHCLG, and we have benefited from Department of Health and Social Care funding, DFE

Found: We all sit round the table with DHSC on the taskforce for licensing, for example, and creating the

Found: We all sit round the table with DHSC on the taskforce for licensing, for example, and creating the

Found: We all sit round the table with DHSC on the taskforce for licensing, for example, and creating the

Found: contact, but where there are very practical reasons for liaising directly with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: example, the Food Standards Agency might benefit from having some expertise from the Department of Health and Social Care

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on special measures for local authorities not meeting statutory requirements for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department publishes annual SEN2 data on education, health and care (EHC) plans and assessments, including timeliness. This informs performance monitoring and targeted support. Where a council does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement, including through issuing improvement notices or statutory directions to drive urgent improvements.

The department works with NHS England, to support and intervene in areas of poor performance following inspection.

Recent changes to the Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) framework conducted by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, in consultation with the department and the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, include specifying which member of the partnership should take forward areas for improvement or areas for priority action. This would include areas for improvement and priority action being directed specifically to health where appropriate.

We will work together with all stakeholders to understand the impact of any SEND reforms on Area SEND inspections and changes needed as a result of these reforms.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that young disabled people can enter and stay in work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way.

Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain.

DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.

Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust.

Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined.

In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support disabled people who face the greatest barriers to work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way.

Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain.

DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.

Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust.

Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined.

In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on setting up the Workplace Health Intelligence Unit proposed in the Mayfield Review, and what its planned remit, governance arrangements, and timetable for operation are.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Work has commenced on the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase following publication of the review’s final report in November. We are working with Sir Charlie Mayfield, Vanguard employers and regions to mobilise and design this next phase of work and establish effective ways of working. The vanguards will play a pivotal role in shaping how health issues and disabilities are managed in the workplace, building an evidence base and understanding of what works through effective partnership with employers.

As part of the Vanguard Phase, Sir Charlie Mayfield has agreed to establish and lead a Vanguard Taskforce/advisory board in partnership with Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Business and Trade, and Department of Health and Social Care. The Vanguard Taskforce will bring together a group of external experts from various sectors and organisations to provide external advice, and guidance to steer the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase. We are currently considering the Terms of Reference and potential membership of the taskforce.

The Workplace Health Intelligence Unit (WHIU) will serve as the central hub for delivery of the whole Vanguard Phase and to drive on-going work. We are currently working to establish the Intelligence Unit within Government and considering options for its design and details of its function. A comprehensive governance framework, incorporating the taskforce, will be established to ensure strategic oversight and accountability of the Unit as it is set up and developed.

Further information on the shape and remit of the Vanguard Taskforce and Workplace Health Intelligence Unit is expected in Spring 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on establishing the Vanguard taskforce proposed in the Mayfield Review, and when the taskforce is expected to start work.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Work has commenced on the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase following publication of the review’s final report in November. We are working with Sir Charlie Mayfield, Vanguard employers and regions to mobilise and design this next phase of work and establish effective ways of working. The vanguards will play a pivotal role in shaping how health issues and disabilities are managed in the workplace, building an evidence base and understanding of what works through effective partnership with employers.

As part of the Vanguard Phase, Sir Charlie Mayfield has agreed to establish and lead a Vanguard Taskforce/advisory board in partnership with Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Business and Trade, and Department of Health and Social Care. The Vanguard Taskforce will bring together a group of external experts from various sectors and organisations to provide external advice, and guidance to steer the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase. We are currently considering the Terms of Reference and potential membership of the taskforce.

The Workplace Health Intelligence Unit (WHIU) will serve as the central hub for delivery of the whole Vanguard Phase and to drive on-going work. We are currently working to establish the Intelligence Unit within Government and considering options for its design and details of its function. A comprehensive governance framework, incorporating the taskforce, will be established to ensure strategic oversight and accountability of the Unit as it is set up and developed.

Further information on the shape and remit of the Vanguard Taskforce and Workplace Health Intelligence Unit is expected in Spring 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguards are in place to protect individuals on the Health and Care Worker visa who report that they have been asked to pay additional sums to their employer in order to maintain their visa sponsorship and continue residing and working in the UK; and what steps are being taken to investigate and penalise employers unlawfully extracting such payments and ensure migrants in this situation can (a) report safely without fear of visa cancellation, (b) access alternative sponsorship or settlement options and (c) receive compensation or redress for exploitation.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

All reports of H&C visa holders being forced to pay additional sums are investigated. The sponsor guidance expressly prohibits certain specific costs being passed onto workers. Since the introduction of care workers to the Health and Care Worker visa, UKVI have revoked the licence of more than 1000 sponsors who were operating in the social care sector.

The Home Office continues to work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) funded Regional Partnerships to support care workers, who have been impacted by exploitative employers.

DHSC are funding 15 regional hubs in England, made up of Local Authorities and Directors of Adult Social Services. UKVI work very closely with the Regional Partnerships in order to fund working together to support displaced workers gain new roles within the care sector and to respond to unethical practices. Where broader concerns are identified, these are referred to the relevant authorities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of employers not providing the work guaranteed under a visa sponsorship agreement on migrant care workers; what steps her Department is taking to ensure that such workers are not disadvantaged as a result of sponsor non-compliance; and how any changes to settlement requirements, including the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain, will take account of individuals who have been unable to work or accrue National Insurance contributions due to circumstances beyond their control.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government is acutely aware of the levels of sponsor non-compliance in the care sector and this includes failing to provide adequate paid work. In response, we have revoked the licenses of more than 1000 care providers who are now no longer able to sponsor migrant workers.

The Home Office continues to work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) funded Regional Partnerships to support care workers, who have been impacted by exploitative employers. DHSC are funding 15 regional hubs in England, made up of Local Authorities and Directors of Adult Social Services, working together to support displaced workers into new roles within the care sector. These regional hubs have received £12.5 million this financial year to support them to prevent and respond to unethical practices in the sector.

The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, announced changes to the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain. It also set out mandatory requirements for settlement, including a minimum level of National Insurance contributions. A public consultation was launched on 20 November 2025 and is open until 12 February 2026. The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the independent report Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2025: infections, published on 4 December 2025, what action they plan to take in response to the specific additional recommendation about the link between agricultural use of novel fungicides and the spread of resistant strains of fungi with the capacity to cause serious disease.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government recognises the importance of carefully managing pesticide use, including fungicides, to protect the environment and human health and address the risks of resistance.

During the plant protection product approvals process, the Health and Safety Executive considers the potential for resistance development in the target pest organism. Where resistance is known or anticipated, limitations are placed on product use to mitigate resistance developing. Defra is also funding work by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board which provides farmers best practice to minimise the risk of resistance emerging.

Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department of Health and Social Care has provided over £12 million in funding over the last five years for research into fungal infections and tackling antifungal resistance. Defra has also co-funded a research programme for UK Research and Innovation on ‘Transdisciplinary research to tackle antimicrobial resistance’.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is routinely monitoring threats from antifungal resistance. The National Mycology Reference Laboratory performs antifungal susceptibility testing of fungi from human infections from across the UK. UKHSA also monitors antifungal susceptibility testing data for fungal yeast pathogens isolated from blood samples from local microbiology laboratories in England. Trends are published annually.

Found: At the time of writing, it had received over 3,770 signatures. 77 DHSC, Medical Training (Prioritisation

Found: Department of Health and Social Care 2024-25

Found: Department of Health and Social Care 2024-25

Found: DHSC estimates that total capital funding of £56 billion is required.

Found: DHSC has overall responsibility for the NHP and NHSE is responsible for its delivery.

Found: to downloads In 2020, following years of under-investment, the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC

Found: Combined update: - Devolved Administrations - Local Government - DHSC - NAO FRAB 157 (14) 18

Found: Those outstanding are three Ministerial Departments (Defra, DHSC and NIO), three non-Ministerial Departments

Found: Combined Updates: Devolved Administrations Local Government DHSC NAO FRAB 156 (14)

Found: on the board: Charlotte Goodrich (HM Treasury), Kim Jenkins (Welsh Government), Vanessa Singleton (DHSC

Found: Department of Health and Social Care: 12.1. NHS Business Services Authority; 12.2.

Found: www.gov.uk/government/collections/algorithmic- transparency-recording-standard-hub 27 Department of Health and Social Care

Found: In line with HMG’s mission approach, The Ten Year Health Plan outlines that DESNZ will work with DHSC

Found: In line with HMG’s mission approach, The Ten Year Health Plan outlines that DESNZ will work with DHSC

Found: In line with HMG’s mission approach, The Ten Year Health Plan outlines that DESNZ will work with DHSC

Found: the long-term safety of our drinking water, we will work in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: the long-term safety of our drinking water, we will work in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is supporting systems and trusts to deliver that target

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is supporting systems and trusts to deliver that target

Found: Department of Health and Social Care. 355 OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Davis, C.

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.     

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.  

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.  

Found: The new Jess’s Rule posters were co-designed by the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England

Found: UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Found: www.gov.uk/government/collections/algorithmic- transparency-recording-standard-hub 27 Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Infections (ARI) Team or EPRR will share information with the relevant UKHSA Director, the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), a part of the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: OHID was officially launched in October 2021 as a part of the Department of Health and Social Care,

Found: UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Found: UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Found: UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Found: UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Found: Reviews Others Arthritis Action Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) Department of Health and Social Care

Found: NICE is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Reviews Others Arthritis Action Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Society • Royal Society of Medicine • UK Clinical Pharmacy Association Others • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: lazertinib for untreated EGFR mutation-positive advanced non-small- cell lung cancer The Department of Health and Social Care

Found: adults (2012; updated 2019) NICE quality standard 17 Related National Policy Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Radiographers • UK Clinical Pharmacy Association • UK Oncology Nursing Society Others • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: adults (2012; updated 2019) NICE quality standard 17 Related National Policy Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Radiographers • UK Clinical Pharmacy Association • UK Oncology Nursing Society Others • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: government response to the M1 report, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme interim payments which are funded from the UK Department of Health and Social Care