Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 13 January (HL13304), what plans there are for co-operation between the Independent Review for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism and the Young People and Work Report led by Alan Milburn.

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

The Independent Review for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD, and Autism, and the Young People and Work Report led by Alan Milburn are complementary. The chairs and the secretariats are in regular discussion to ensure cooperation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects treatments for fatty liver disease to be approved for use on the NHS; what assessment he has made of the readiness of the NHS to make such treatments available; and what steps he is taking to ensure eligible patients will receive these treatments once approved.

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

Newly licensed medicines are appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE aims wherever possible to issue draft guidance on new medicines close to the time of licensing. The NHS in England is legally required to fund drugs recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance.

NICE is currently evaluating potential new treatments for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in anticipation of the medicines being granted a marketing authorisation by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) with guidance expected later this year. NHS England is actively preparing to support the potential introduction of new treatments for MASH, including fatty liver disease with fibrosis, alongside the ongoing NICE appraisal process.

The Department and NHS England will continue to work to ensure that, once approved, effective new treatments for fatty liver disease are introduced in a way that is fair, affordable and protects the wider NHS, while ensuring that patients with the greatest clinical need are able to benefit as quickly as possible.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the NHS in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency on patient safety for people experiencing long waits in Accident and Emergency.

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

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years. We are committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the National Health Service constitutional standard.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements and make services better. The plan commits to reducing the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge to less than 10% of the time. This is supported by almost £450 million of capital investment for Same Day Emergency Care, Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres, and new ambulances, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting the faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

The NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework sets out a further trajectory to improve urgent and emergency care performance year-on-year toward the constitutional standard, reducing long waits and improving patient experience. The plan focuses on practical steps such as expanding urgent treatment centres, improving patient flow, and reducing 12-hour waits, to make emergency departments safer and more efficient.

NHS England provides regional oversight to support local delivery of services and improvement. The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s One Team Improvement Plan has a focus on improving urgent and emergency care outcomes. The programme group looking at quality and patient safety has been focusing on reviewing processes and the fundamentals of care in wards and in the trust’s emergency departments. The trust has also introduced additional consultant cover during the weekends to increase the number of people discharged at the weekend. This helps to keep the emergency department safe as it allows for the movement of people who need to be admitted into the right beds.

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 improve triaging by Accident and Emergency departments at Basildon Hospital.

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

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years. We are committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the National Health Service constitutional standard.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements and make services better. The plan commits to reducing the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge to less than 10% of the time. This is supported by almost £450 million of capital investment for Same Day Emergency Care, Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres, and new ambulances, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting the faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

The NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework sets out a further trajectory to improve urgent and emergency care performance year-on-year toward the constitutional standard, reducing long waits and improving patient experience. The plan focuses on practical steps such as expanding urgent treatment centres, improving patient flow, and reducing 12-hour waits, to make emergency departments safer and more efficient.

NHS England provides regional oversight to support local delivery of services and improvement. The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s One Team Improvement Plan has a focus on improving urgent and emergency care outcomes. The programme group looking at quality and patient safety has been focusing on reviewing processes and the fundamentals of care in wards and in the trust’s emergency departments. The trust has also introduced additional consultant cover during the weekends to increase the number of people discharged at the weekend. This helps to keep the emergency department safe as it allows for the movement of people who need to be admitted into the right beds.

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 reduce the number of patients waiting over 12 hours to be admitted to, or discharged from, Basildon Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.

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

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years. We are committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the National Health Service constitutional standard.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements and make services better. The plan commits to reducing the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge to less than 10% of the time. This is supported by almost £450 million of capital investment for Same Day Emergency Care, Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres, and new ambulances, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting the faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

The NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework sets out a further trajectory to improve urgent and emergency care performance year-on-year toward the constitutional standard, reducing long waits and improving patient experience. The plan focuses on practical steps such as expanding urgent treatment centres, improving patient flow, and reducing 12-hour waits, to make emergency departments safer and more efficient.

NHS England provides regional oversight to support local delivery of services and improvement. The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s One Team Improvement Plan has a focus on improving urgent and emergency care outcomes. The programme group looking at quality and patient safety has been focusing on reviewing processes and the fundamentals of care in wards and in the trust’s emergency departments. The trust has also introduced additional consultant cover during the weekends to increase the number of people discharged at the weekend. This helps to keep the emergency department safe as it allows for the movement of people who need to be admitted into the right beds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish national data on endometriosis diagnostic waiting times.

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

The Department does not centrally hold data on the number of women in England and Wales awaiting specialised endometriosis care, or on the waiting times for patients waiting for a diagnosis of endometriosis.

However, in England, the waiting list for gynaecology care, which includes those waiting for endometriosis care, stands at 575,986. This is a reduction of 19,979 since the Government came into office. Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times data, which includes the above data, is published monthly at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/

Data is currently published on the waiting times for diagnostic tests that are used along an endometriosis pathway, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, but does not differentiate between the suspected diagnosis. This can be found in the Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity dataset, published monthly at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-data-2025-26/

The following table shows the number of patients waiting for MRI and non-obstetric ultrasound, as of November 2025:

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment has been made of whether accident and emergency departments have sufficient capacity to meet current levels of patient demand in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

On data on corridor care, NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements to drive improvement and transparency. We are now reviewing the data internally and will begin publishing it shortly.

On services in Surrey Heath, residents there primarily access urgent and emergency care services at Frimley Park Hospital, which is run by the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust within the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board footprint.

NHS Frimley has implemented winter urgent and emergency care plans to manage increased demand, including maintaining patient flow, expanding same-day emergency care, strengthening community and primary care alternatives, and working with local authorities and community providers to support timely discharge.

We keep performance in all local systems under regular review through established daily operational oversight and escalation arrangements, with patient safety remaining the overriding priority.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate has been made of the number of patients waiting for extended periods in corridors in accident and emergency departments in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

On data on corridor care, NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements to drive improvement and transparency. We are now reviewing the data internally and will begin publishing it shortly.

On services in Surrey Heath, residents there primarily access urgent and emergency care services at Frimley Park Hospital, which is run by the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust within the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board footprint.

NHS Frimley has implemented winter urgent and emergency care plans to manage increased demand, including maintaining patient flow, expanding same-day emergency care, strengthening community and primary care alternatives, and working with local authorities and community providers to support timely discharge.

We keep performance in all local systems under regular review through established daily operational oversight and escalation arrangements, with patient safety remaining the overriding priority.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average national unit cost to the NHS is for an MRI scan used in prostate cancer detection using (a) multiparametric and (b) biparametric MRI.

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

The average cost to the National Health Service for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans using biparametric and multiparametric MRIs is set out in the 2025/26 National Payment Scheme, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-nhs-payment-scheme/.

Biparametric MRI scans are categorised under ‘non contrast’, whilst multiparametric MRI scans are categorised ‘with contrast’. The following table shows the price of different MRI scans:

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 provide adequate facilities and funding for hospital staff to ensure they are able to do their work effectively.

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

The Government is investing in services and facilities to help National Health Service staff provide high quality care. The 2025 Spending Review (SR25) has prioritised health, with an increase of £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24, and delivered the largest ever health capital budget, rising to £15.2 billion by the end of the Spending Review period for 2029/30.

We have set out our ambition for the NHS in the 10-Year Health Plan, backed up the 10 Year Infrastructure Plan. This will deliver:

• over £6 billion of additional capital to be invested in diagnostic, elective, and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS over five years, including £1.65 billion in 2025/26 to deliver new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners, and beds to increase capacity for elective and emergency care;

• £30 billion in capital funding over five years, from 2025/26 to 2029/30, in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the NHS estate, and a £6.75 billion investment over the next nine years to target the most critical building repairs;

• £1.6 billion to continue supporting NHS England’s national Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete programme across the SR25 period;

• 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme supporting the neighbourhood health service, with local multidisciplinary hubs reducing reliance on hospital outpatients and expanding access to primary care. The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030 funded through a mixture of public private partnerships and public capital; and

• over £400 million over four years for improvements in the primary care estate, with half of this funding supporting the upgrades of the existing estate to deliver NHCs.

This investment, together with the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan, will continue to ensure that NHS staff, both in hospitals and in the community, can provide care at the right time and in the right place in line with our 10-Year Health Plan ambitions.

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 stakeholders on his Department's modelling of workforce numbers in the 10 Year Workforce Plan.

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

The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. This plan will set out action to create a National Health Service workforce which is able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way. We are therefore engaging extensively with partners to ensure this plan delivers for staff and patients.

That engagement began well before the call for evidence was closed. In early November, ministers hosted an event with nearly one hundred representatives of partner organisations to hear views from across the health system.

Engagement is now continuing while we analyse the submissions to our call for evidence, including a roundtable with medical royal colleges on 14 January, which I chaired.

We have committed to publishing regular workforce planning. This will start with the 10-Year Workforce Plan, which will include updated workforce modelling and its underlying assumptions when published in spring 2026. The updated workforce modelling will be subject to independent scrutiny by our appointed external scrutiny panel.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce regional differences in life expectancy; and what steps they are taking to account for housing, employment and environmental factors in health policy.

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

The Government is committed to increasing the amount of time people spend in good health and to preventing premature deaths, with an ambitious commitment to halve the healthy life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest regions.

Our 10-Year Health Plan for England sets out a reimagined service designed to tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as to give everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with the health service on their own terms.

The 10-Year Health Plan and the Environmental Improvement Plan set out how the Government will take action to reduce exposure to harmful emissions of air pollutants. This includes action on domestic burning, on which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have recently launched a consultation.

The 10-Year Health Plan also sets out actions to address poor quality housing and improve the standard of rented homes, alongside £15 billion of investment announced in the Warm Homes Plan. £5 billion of this will be targeted at low-income and fuel poor households. This will help to make homes warmer, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient, which in turn will improve health and reduce health inequalities.

Further to this, the Government recognises that good-quality employment is an important determinant of good health. Sir Charlie Mayfield has submitted the Keep Britain Working review, which highlights how crucial it is to support people to stay healthy and in work.

In partnership with the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Work and Pensions, we are rapidly translating Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of including male veterans and service personnel in the next Men’s Health Strategy.

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

On 19 November 2025, to coincide with International Men’s Health Day, we published the first ever Men’s Health Strategy for England. Our vision is to improve the health of all men and boys in England, including male veterans and service personnel.

This strategy is a crucial first step, laying the foundation from which we can learn, iterate and grow to create a society where all men and boys are supported to live longer, healthier and happier lives. As a first step, we will work with the Men's Health Academic Network and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to develop and publish a one-year-on report, highlighting the improvements made and where future efforts will need to be targeted.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the dismissal of the executive medical director at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, what oversight they are exercising to ensure that there is not a culture of suppressing clinical concerns regarding patient safety and staffing pressures.

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

We have noted the findings of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection report of 28 March 2024 into the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which rated the trust overall as ‘Requires Improvement’, with specific concerns identified in areas such as freedom to speak up. National Health Service staff should have the confidence to speak out and come forward if they have concerns. There is support in place for staff who wish to raise concerns, including a network of more than 1,200 local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians across healthcare in England, whose role is to help and support NHS workers.

On the question of oversight, the CQC has maintained close and sustained regulatory oversight of the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in light of ongoing concerns about service quality and safety. This has included targeted inspections, staff engagement work, and structured monitoring activity. In response to identified risks within urgent and emergency care at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, the CQC undertook an assessment in December 2025, followed by a further inspection on 6 January 2026. Significant risks were identified during this period, and the CQC subsequently issued a Letter of Intent to the trust. The CQC has continued to work collaboratively with NHS England, participating in monthly quality improvement meetings to monitor the trust’s progress against its action plans.

The CQC will continue to use its statutory powers to ensure that services meet the required standards of quality and safety.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Care Quality Commission report published on 28 March 2024 into the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS whistleblowers in Doncaster are protected from professional detriment.

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

We have noted the findings of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection report of 28 March 2024 into the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which rated the trust overall as ‘Requires Improvement’, with specific concerns identified in areas such as freedom to speak up. National Health Service staff should have the confidence to speak out and come forward if they have concerns. There is support in place for staff who wish to raise concerns, including a network of more than 1,200 local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians across healthcare in England, whose role is to help and support NHS workers.

On the question of oversight, the CQC has maintained close and sustained regulatory oversight of the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in light of ongoing concerns about service quality and safety. This has included targeted inspections, staff engagement work, and structured monitoring activity. In response to identified risks within urgent and emergency care at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, the CQC undertook an assessment in December 2025, followed by a further inspection on 6 January 2026. Significant risks were identified during this period, and the CQC subsequently issued a Letter of Intent to the trust. The CQC has continued to work collaboratively with NHS England, participating in monthly quality improvement meetings to monitor the trust’s progress against its action plans.

The CQC will continue to use its statutory powers to ensure that services meet the required standards of quality and safety.

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 levels of current capacity for in-centre dialysis services; and what plans his Department has to ensure that renal service capacity matches both current and projected patient need.

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

NHS England is delivering a comprehensive programme to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of people with kidney disease. In 2023, NHS England published a renal services transformation (RSTP) toolkit to support earlier identification of chronic kidney disease and more joined up services. The RSTP sets out that services, working in partnership with integrated care boards, should undertake capacity planning and activity monitoring to ensure service capacity matches demand requirements.

These changes are intended to make it easier to deliver improvements along the whole patient pathway including earlier diagnosis and treatment, that can potentially prevent or delay the need for dialysis and transplant further downstream in the pathway.

NHS England is also investing in home dialysis for children, supported by a robust network of nurses and clinicians who can move that care from hospital to home. This approach is working, with rates of home dialysis ranging from 64 % to 76% across the 10 National Health Service paediatric dialysis centres.

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 reduce gynaecology waiting lists, which include those who need a diagnosis of, and treatment for, endometriosis.

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

Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission. We are committed to putting patients first by ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care. Our Elective Reform Plan (ERP), published in January 2025, sets out reforms we are making to improve gynaecology waiting times across England. This includes:

- innovative models of care that offer care closer to home and in the community;

- piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding; and

- increasing the relative funding available to incentivise providers to take on more gynaecology procedures.

We are also introducing an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people who are experiencing menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home.

Lastly, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated their guidelines on endometriosis in November 2024, and two new treatments have been approved.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what level of recurrent funding has been identified to fund new treatments through NHS England’s Clinical Priorities Advisory Group Prioritisation meeting.

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

The Clinical Priorities Advisory Group is an advisory committee that makes recommendations on the relative priority of treatments to be commissioned subject to the available discretionary funding. It is not a decision-making body and does not allocate funds or have a budget for approving new treatments. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/cpag/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what indicators they use to measure progress in reducing health inequalities; and how those metrics inform policy and funding decisions.

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

It is a priority for the Government to increase the amount of time people spend in good health and prevent premature deaths, with a vision of ensuring that all individuals, regardless of background or location, live longer, healthier lives.

We remain committed to reducing the gap in healthy life expectancy (HLE) between the richest and poorest, an ambitious commitment that shows the Government is serious about tackling health inequalities and addressing the social determinants of health. Indicators to monitor progress in health inequalities are measured in key data outcomes, such as the life expectancy estimates for England and sub-national areas, produced by the Office for National Statistics.

The Government bases decisions on a robust evidence base. For example, we know that the Carr-Hill formula is considered outdated, and evidence suggests that general practices (GPs) serving in deprived parts of England receive on average 9.8% less funding per needs adjusted patient than those in less deprived communities, despite having greater health needs and significantly higher patient-to-GP ratios. This is why we are currently reviewing the formula to ensure that resources are targeted where they are most needed.

We are targeting key metrics such as the HLE gap to enable cross-Government action on primary prevention such as regulation of tobacco, controlling air pollution, and tackling poverty. We also support NHS England’s CORE20PLUS5 approach which targets action to reduce health inequalities in the most deprived 20% of the population and improve outcomes for groups that experience the worst access, experience, and outcomes within the National Health Service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish an impact summary of the Foundation Programme 2026 recruitment cycle, including (1) the projected breakdown of priority versus non-priority eligible applicant numbers, (2) an assessment of the expected displacement of applicants, and (3) the associated mitigation plan to ensure workforce stability.

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

As part of implementation and ongoing monitoring and evaluation, after each recruitment stage, NHS England will track and monitor the revised recruitment process.

The bill will not exclude any eligible applicant from applying, but applications will be prioritised as the bill describes. The Government and NHS England will develop more detailed monitoring and evaluation plans, subject to parliamentary passage of the bill. These plans would also seek to address known evidence gaps where possible.

Further detail is provided within the published impact statement on the GOV.UK website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to set a target for reducing incidence of cardiovascular disease as part of the 10 Year Health Plan for England.

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

The Government is committed to fewer lives being lost to the biggest killers, such as cardiovascular disease. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, to accelerate progress on the ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease modern service framework later this year.

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 stakeholders on his Department's modelling of workforce numbers in the 10 Year Workforce Plan.

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

The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. This plan will set out action to create a National Health Service workforce which is able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way. We are therefore engaging extensively with partners to ensure this plan delivers for staff and patients.

That engagement began well before the call for evidence was closed. In early November, ministers hosted an event with nearly one hundred representatives of partner organisations to hear views from across the health system.

Engagement is now continuing while we analyse the submissions to our call for evidence, including a roundtable with medical royal colleges on 14 January, which I chaired.

We have committed to publishing regular workforce planning. This will start with the 10-Year Workforce Plan, which will include updated workforce modelling and its underlying assumptions when published in spring 2026. The updated workforce modelling will be subject to independent scrutiny by our appointed external scrutiny panel.

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 stakeholders on his Department's modelling of workforce numbers in the 10 Year Workforce Plan.

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

The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. This plan will set out action to create a National Health Service workforce which is able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way. We are therefore engaging extensively with partners to ensure this plan delivers for staff and patients.

That engagement began well before the call for evidence was closed. In early November, ministers hosted an event with nearly one hundred representatives of partner organisations to hear views from across the health system.

Engagement is now continuing while we analyse the submissions to our call for evidence, including a roundtable with medical royal colleges on 14 January, which I chaired.

We have committed to publishing regular workforce planning. This will start with the 10-Year Workforce Plan, which will include updated workforce modelling and its underlying assumptions when published in spring 2026. The updated workforce modelling will be subject to independent scrutiny by our appointed external scrutiny panel.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps has he taken to increase bowel screening uptake in Slough constituency.

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

Improving cancer services is a priority for the Government. We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system. Slough is seeing an improvement in bowel screening uptake, although this remains below the national average.

Commissioners and providers continue to work together to address this variation and to ensure that all eligible residents are supported to participate in screening at the earliest opportunity.

The Berkshire Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and local partners have undertaken several initiatives to increase awareness and participation in Slough including:

• a presentation on bowel cancer screening delivered to the Cippenham Carers group;
• engagement with the 50+ Group at Kingsway United Reformed Church, promoting the importance of early detection; and
• a bowel cancer screening awareness poster circulated to general practices in Slough through the Frimley Health communications team.

In addition, Slough Borough Council is actively supporting improvement in cancer screening uptake through communication and training measures.

All partners remain committed to collaborative working to reduce inequalities, strengthen pathways, and support increased uptake among underserved populations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out the types of health impacts of poor (a) ambient and (b) indoor air quality by (i) geography and (ii) socioeconomic groups.

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

Ambient and indoor air pollution are harmful to health in the United Kingdom. Long-term exposure to air pollution, over years or lifetimes, reduces life expectancy, mainly due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, dementia and lung cancer. Short-term exposure, over hours or days, to elevated levels of air pollution can also cause a range of health impacts, including effects on lung function, exacerbation of asthma, increases in respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions, and mortality. Some groups may be more affected by air pollution exposure due to their location or socioeconomic background, but the types of health impacts from exposure to poor air quality in indoor and ambient settings remains similar. A combination of high ambient air pollution levels and substandard housing in income-deprived areas, pre-existing health issues, and lifestyle factors contribute to a disproportionate burden of air-pollution-related ill health among more deprived groups.

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) bring awareness to and (b) help address the potential adverse impact of poor ambient air quality.

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

The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan sets out actions to reduce people’s exposure to harmful emissions, improve public understanding of air pollution, and strengthen how air quality information is communicated. The Department continues to work with partners across the Government and the health system to ensure the public receives clear, evidence-based advice and that air quality becomes part of everyday conversations.

In line with commitments in both the 10-Year Health Plan and the Environmental Improvement Plan, the Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and across Government to reduce the health harms associated with poor ambient air quality.

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 trends in the level of social care standards across England; and what steps he is taking to support greater consistency of care provision.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

National standards of care will be an integral part of the national care service we are building, so people can rely on consistent, high‑quality care wherever they live.

We are already progressing towards this through our three objectives for adult social care: giving people real choice and control, joining up health and social care around people’s lives, and ensuring consistent high‑quality care underpinned by national standards.

This year, the Government will set new national standards for care technologies and develop trusted guidance. This will mean that people and care providers can easily find out which technologies are fit for purpose, secure and meet compatibility requirements of health and social care systems in the future.

At the same time, in partnership with the Department for Education, we are developing a catalogue of data standards for Children’s and Adult’s Social Care Case Management Systems. This will enable greater data sharing with other agencies involved in organising a person’s care, in turn, improving the experience of care, local authority efficiency and the quality of central government data collection and reporting.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. CQC monitors, inspects and regulates adult social care services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. National measures of care quality have remained steady, with 85% of all social care settings regulated by the CQC rated Good or Outstanding on 2 January 2026. Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses its regulatory and enforcement powers available and will take action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.

The independent commission into adult social care is underway as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a national care service. Phase 1 will report this year.

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 consider the development of national standards for adult social care in England.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

National standards of care will be an integral part of the national care service we are building, so people can rely on consistent, high‑quality care wherever they live.

We are already progressing towards this through our three objectives for adult social care: giving people real choice and control, joining up health and social care around people’s lives, and ensuring consistent high‑quality care underpinned by national standards.

This year, the Government will set new national standards for care technologies and develop trusted guidance. This will mean that people and care providers can easily find out which technologies are fit for purpose, secure and meet compatibility requirements of health and social care systems in the future.

At the same time, in partnership with the Department for Education, we are developing a catalogue of data standards for Children’s and Adult’s Social Care Case Management Systems. This will enable greater data sharing with other agencies involved in organising a person’s care, in turn, improving the experience of care, local authority efficiency and the quality of central government data collection and reporting.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. CQC monitors, inspects and regulates adult social care services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. National measures of care quality have remained steady, with 85% of all social care settings regulated by the CQC rated Good or Outstanding on 2 January 2026. Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses its regulatory and enforcement powers available and will take action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.

The independent commission into adult social care is underway as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a national care service. Phase 1 will report this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the assessments his Department has made on the potential impact of the removal of the Resident Labour Market Test in 2020 on trends in the level of doctors.

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

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of the removal of the Resident Labour Market Test in 2020 on trends in the level of doctors.

The number of applications to foundation and speciality training has increased over recent years, both from people graduating from United Kingdom medical schools, or UK medical graduates, and from graduates of international medical schools, or international medical graduates.

For specialty training, the number of international medical graduates applying for places has significantly increased since 2020. Data from the General Medical Council (GMC) shows that the number of non-UK trained doctors applying for Core Training Year One and Specialty Training Year One places has increased from 5,326 in 2019 to 18,857 in 2024, a 254% increase. Over the same period the number of UK trained applicants increased from 8,836 to 11,319, a 28% increase.

Internationally trained doctors may also be seeking employment outside of medical specialty training posts and GMC data shows that the proportion of doctors taking up or returning to a GMC licence to practice who were trained outside of the UK was 57% in 2019 which has increased to 66% in 2024.

To tackle bottlenecks in medical training pathways, the government introduced The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill to Parliament on 13 January 2026. The bill delivers the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025, to prioritise UK medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period for specialty training.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of reducing NHS-funded activity delivered by independent sector providers on local waiting times in (a) Leicester, (b) The East Midlands and (c) England.

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

Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to putting patients first by ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care. Since the Government came into office, the waiting list for routine appointments, operations, and procedures in England has now been cut by 312,369. This is despite 30.1 million referrals onto the waiting list.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many tonsillectomies were carried out on children in each of the last five years.

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

A count of finished consultant episodes in England for children aged zero to 17 years old with a primary or secondary procedure of tonsillectomy from 2020/21 to 2024/25 is as follows:

• between 2020/21 there were 9,706 procedures;
• between 2021/22 there were 16,914 procedures;
• between 2022/23 there were 21,348 procedures;
• between 2023/24 there were 24,807 procedures; and
• between 2024/25 there were 31,000 procedures.

The increase in the number of procedures carried out each year between 2020/21 and 2024/25 reflects the National Health Service’s ongoing work to recover elective activity following the disruption caused by the COVID‑19 pandemic and represents a return to pre-pandemic levels of treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance is available to people who are not sufficiently technologically proficient to use the NHS app.

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

We are working to improve access to digital services, outcomes, and experiences for the widest range of people, based on their preferences. Digital health tools should be part of a wider offering that includes face-to-face support with appropriate help for people who struggle to access digital services.

Centrally built services, such as the NHS App and National Health Service website, are designed to meet international accessibility standards. We are modernising the mobile patient experience within the NHS App, ensuring information is clearly structured and easy to find and understand.

NHS England has successfully run several programmes to support patients, carers, and health service staff with their digital skills. These include:

• the Digital Health Champions programme, a proof of concept to support citizens who have no or low digital skills with understanding how to access health services online;

• the Widening Digital Participation programme, aimed to ensure more people have the digital skills, motivation, and means to access health information and services online; and

• the NHS App ‘Spoken Word’ Pilot project, designed to test the efficacy of promoting NHS digital health products and services in languages other than English.

We have also recruited over 2,000 NHS App ambassadors and 1,400 libraries to help people to learn how to use the NHS App.

NHS England has published a framework for NHS action on digital inclusion and is developing further resources to support practical actions. All programmes are actively considering how they can contribute to improvements in healthcare inequalities and digital inclusion.

We are also developing a national proxy service to grant authorised access for people to manage health care on behalf of other people that are unable to use the NHS App.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term physical, mental and legal consequences of the Puberty Suppression and Transitional Healthcare with Adaptive Youth Services study of children with gender dysphoria.

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

The Government is following expert, independent advice from the Cass Review to implement a programme of research to support high quality National Health Service care for children and young people with gender incongruence. Responding to the specific recommendations of the review, the programme includes the PATHWAYS trial, a carefully designed clinical trial to assess the relative benefits and harms of puberty-suppressing hormones as a treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence when provided alongside an updated model of NHS care incorporating holistic assessment and a tailored package of psychosocial support.

The trial is now in the set-up phase following comprehensive independent scientific, ethical, and regulatory review and approvals. It was designed by an independent research team, in conjunction with patient and public involvement as well as independent ethics, clinical, and legal experts. The team responsible for the protocol design have given considerable thought to the most appropriate eligibility criteria for entry into the trial, and to the physical and mental outcome measures to be monitored, to properly assess and protect young people's wellbeing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of technology investments, including optical character recognition and natural language processing, to automate manual processes in clinical audit and registry submission across NHS England; whether businesses cases for that investment have been prepared; if so, in which disease areas or audit programmes those cases were prepared; and what were the outcomes of those cases.

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

NHS England is exploring a range of functionality to automate manual data processes aligned to clinical improvement, including for our Outcomes & Registries Programme, National Disease Registration Service, frontline digitisation and the promotion and adoption of new technology across provider systems. Our central data and digital transformation business cases are primarily focused on the adoption of the technical capabilities and innovations, applicable in many areas, rather than focusing within specific individual audits or registries alone. Some business cases have been accepted and moved forward.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the vacancy for the chief executive of NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board will adhere to the standard NHS very senior manager pay framework, or whether they intend to approve an exceptional salary business case for this post that exceeds the national midpoint.

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

The Chief Executive Officer for the NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) role is subject to the Very Senior Manager’s pay framework and is currently covered on an interim basis in line with that framework. Should permanent cover of the role require a review of pay for the new employee, the expectation would be that this is also done in line with the framework, but if an exceptional salary was proposed by the ICB, that would be subject to review and approval by the Department.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer the Minister of State for Care on 5 January (HC99433), whether they have considered allowing local authorities to set or amend the means-testing criteria for the mandatory Disabled Facilities Grant scheme that such authorities administer on behalf of the Government.

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

In England, we continue to fund the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which is administered by local authorities. This grant helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes to make them safe and suitable for their needs. Practical changes include installing stairlifts, level-access showers, and ramps.

As highlighted in the response to HC99433, local authorities already have a significant amount of flexibility in how they deliver the DFG. This includes setting or amending the means-testing criteria.

We have recently announced an additional £50 million for the DFG in 2025/26. This could fund approximately 5,000 home adaptations supporting older and disabled people to live more independently in their homes, it brings the total DFG amount this year to £761 million.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government on what basis the chief executive of the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board was reportedly allowed to receive redundancy payments and pay in lieu of notice after he announced his retirement in September 2025.

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

The number of integrated care boards (ICBs) is reducing from 42 to 26 and this has had an impact on senior leadership roles resulting in a number of ICB chief executive officers being subject to compulsory redundancy in August 2025 and receiving contractual redundancy pay. The Chief Executive Officer for the South Yorkshire ICB was within this group and his selection for redundancy pre-dated any communication that his exit was linked to retirement.

The severance payments he received were contractual redundancy in line with national Agenda for Change terms and conditions and contractual pay in lieu of notice.

The Chief Executive Officer for the NHS South Yorkshire ICB role is subject to the Very Senior Manager’s pay framework and is currently covered on an interim basis in line with that framework. Should permanent cover of the role require a review of pay for the new employee, the expectation would be that this is also done in line with the framework, but if an exceptional salary was proposed by the ICB, that would be subject to review and approval by the Department.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the delays faced by those ordering essential disability equipment from overseas.

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

No such assessment has been made. At this time the Department is not centrally managing any shortages related to delayed overseas orders of disability equipment. We would encourage any specific detail of supply issues to be shared with the Department.

The Department's National Supply Disruption Response team works with system partners to help mitigate supply issues, including through the coordination of mutual aid, identifying alternative products or clinical practices, regulatory easements, and/or use of the Express Freight Service which can provide bespoke global logistics services in the event of critical supply disruption.

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 28 December 2025 to Question 100476 on Brain: Tumours, what plans the National Institute for Health and Care Research has to undertake horizon scanning of the pharmaceutical and biotech project pipelines to identify potential candidates suitable for developing vaccines for brain tumours in conjunction with the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.

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

The Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is a major area of NIHR spending at £141.6 million in 2024/25, reflecting its high priority.

The NIHR is continuing to invest in brain tumour research. For example, in December 2025, the NIHR announced the pioneering Brain Tumour Research Consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments. The NIHR invested an initial £13.7 million in the consortium with a further £11.7 million announced in January 2026. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.

The NIHR supports cancer vaccine innovation through a coordinated national model, combining the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad’s clinical prioritisation with the Vaccine Innovation Pathway and the NIHR Industry Hub’s horizon scanning, feasibility, and delivery capability. The NIHR Industry Hub undertakes horizon scanning of pharmaceutical and biotechnology pipelines, as part of its national industry engagement and delivery role, to identify emerging cancer vaccine and immune-therapy platforms, including those with potential relevance to hard-to-treat cancers such as brain tumours. Promising candidates are supported through a single national operating model delivered via the NIHR Industry Hub, which provides a coordinated entry point for industry, structured feasibility assessment, and delivery assurance. Cancer vaccine trials continue to be prioritised and delivered in partnership with the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, with accelerated delivery capability provided through the Vaccine Innovation Pathway. Together, this integrated approach ensures that as the science matures, the United Kingdom is able to identify, assess, and rapidly progress suitable cancer vaccine candidates into high-quality clinical trials within the NHS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Answer of Question 108286 on Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust: ADHD and Autism, what steps he is taking to help support Surrey and Borders to meet their diagnostic targets for the assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

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

In April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services. This guidance intends to help the National Health Service improve autism assessment services and improve the experience for those referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also set out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism.

Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.

NHS England established an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support. The final report was published on 6 November 2025, and we are carefully considering its recommendations.

Building on the work of the Independent ADHD Taskforce, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on the 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. The review will inform our approach so that people with ADHD and autistic people 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 are being taken in response to inaccuracies, omissions and loss of NHS medical records relating to historic sodium valproate prescribing.

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

Affected patients who feel there are inaccuracies or omissions in their medical record can ask for their records to be amended. NHS England’s guidance on amending patient and service user records is available at the following link:

https://transform.england.nhs.uk/information-governance/guidance/amending-patient-and-service-user-records/

Where patients are not satisfied with the response to their request, they can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Fuller Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government Interim Update on Progress, when he plans to respond to recommendations 29, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 69, 71 and 72.

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

The Government will publish a full response to the Inquiry’s recommendations in summer 2026, setting out progress and next steps on the 75 recommendations, including the 11 specified.

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 work with NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB to reduce the number of patients that are waiting an extended period for a wheelchair.

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, based on the needs of their local population.

NHS England supports ICBs to reduce variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from ICBs on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required. The latest figures from the Quarter 2 2025/26 National Wheelchair Data Collection showed that 84% of adults and 78% of children received their equipment within 18 weeks. Further information is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhse-national-wheelchair-data-collection/q2-2025-26

The Community Health Services Situation Report, which will be used to monitor ICB performance against waiting time targets in 2026/27, currently monitors waiting times for both children and young people and adult waiting times under the ‘Wheelchair, Orthotics, Prosthetics and Equipment’ line. The Community Health Services Situation Report is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/community-health-services-waiting-lists/

The NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework, published October 2025, requires that, from 2026/27, all ICBs and Community Health Services must actively manage and reduce the proportion of waits across all community health services over 18 weeks and develop a plan to eliminate all 52-week waits.

Birmingham and Solihull ICB providers are working towards reducing waiting times in line with the NHS 10-Year Health Plan. In Birmingham in December 2025, equipment handovers were completed within the 18-week target for 42.9% of children and 71.9% of adults.

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 accessibility of obtaining proof of a new hearing loss diagnosis from the NHS is for people in Yeovil constituency.

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

National Health Service audiology services are locally commissioned, and the responsibility for meeting the needs of non-hearing people lies with local NHS commissioners.

NHS Somerset commissions a range of hearing loss support services, with services provided at Yeovil Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, as well as in community hospitals for easier access, with further services provided in primary care.

In January 2026, the new community diagnostic centre at Yeovil Hospital opened and it includes audiology services.

Audiology services are provided by the Somerset Foundation Trust, which provides an ‘individual management plan’ for newly referred patients and will send letters as proof of a patient’s hearing loss or need for hearing aids.

At the Somerset Foundation Trust, there has been considerable effort in recent years to improve waiting times and access to audiology services to support patients with hearing loss. Compared to the beginning of 2023/24, the proportion of patients seen within six weeks of referral has risen by over 20%, from 68.7% to 89.1%. The number of people waiting more than six weeks has gone from over 350 to approximately 100. This means that people are receiving diagnosis and specialist input sooner.

NHS Somerset is currently in the process of bringing together a working group which comprises key people from NHS Somerset, the Somerset Foundation Trust, general practices, patients with hearing loss, and members of the public to work together to improve access to audiology services.

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 tackle the harm caused by sodium valproate to people in (a) England, (b) Warwickshire, and (c) Stratford-on-Avon.

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

Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies.

The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, First Do No Harm, identified significant shortcomings in National Health Service care pathways for people harmed by sodium valproate, including fragmented services, limited diagnostic expertise, delays in diagnosis, and inequitable access to multidisciplinary care.

In response, NHS England has commissioned a Fetal Exposure to Medicines Services Pilot, being delivered by the NHS in Newcastle and Manchester. The pilot provides multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and is informing the development of improved care pathways, better coordination of care, and reduced reliance on emergency care. Findings from the pilot will inform future decisions on the commissioning of services, subject to funding.

The Government is also carefully considering the Patient Safety Commissioner’s recommendations made in the Hughes Report, which includes proposed approaches to redress for those harmed by sodium valproate. I recently met the Patient Safety Commissioner to provide an update on the ongoing health initiatives led by the Department regarding sodium valproate and pelvic mesh, and agreed to providing an update on her report recommendations in due course.

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 ensure that people with cystic fibrosis have access to Orkambi, Symkevi and Kaftrio on the NHS.

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

In July 2024, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved three disease modifying treatments, Orkambi, Symkevi, and Kaftrio, as treatment options for eligible National Health Service patients with cystic fibrosis, under the terms of a commercial agreement reached between NHS England and the manufacturer, Vertex. These treatments are now routinely funded by the NHS in England for eligible patients.

Across England, further access to Orkambi, Symkevi, and Kaftrio on the NHS for people with cystic fibrosis who do not meet the eligibility requirements in the NICE guidance, is guided by the NHS England commissioning statement at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-england-commissioning-statement-arrangements-for-access-to-cystic-fibrosis-transmembrane-conductance-regulator-cftr-modulators-for-licensed-and-off-label-use-in-patients-with-cystic-fibrosis/

This means that means approximately 95% of people with cystic fibrosis in England are now eligible for modulator therapy.

NICE is an England-only body. Health is largely a devolved matter and decisions on the availability of medicines for use in the NHS in the devolved administrations is a matter for the devolved government.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the correspondence from the Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear to the Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, dated 30 January 2026, if he will to publish the joint analysis undertaken by his Department, NHS England and NICE on the cost impact of the UK-US life sciences deal.

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

There are no current plans to publish the joint analysis undertaken by the Department, NHS England, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the cost of the United Kingdom and United States’ pharmaceutical trade deal.

Tens of thousands of National Health Service patients will benefit from this deal, which will secure and expand access to vital drugs, and thereby safeguard our medicines supply chain.

Costs will start smaller but will increase over time as NICE approves more life improving and lifesaving medicines. Total costs over the Spending Review period are expected to be approximately £1 billion. The final costs will depend on which medicines NICE recommends and the actual uptake of these.

This deal is a vital investment that builds on the strength of our NHS and world leading life sciences without taking essential funding from our frontline NHS services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to reduce the financial cost of blood ketone tests.

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

The Department is updating the NHS Drug Tariff Part IX, starting with the category of Point of Care Testing and Hypodermic Equipment, which includes blood ketone testing strips. The intention behind these updates is to ensure that the products listed on the NHS Drug Tariff, which can be prescribed in the National Health Service, are of good quality. It will also help to minimise unnecessary price discrepancies the NHS pays between similar items. These products are being renewed in 2026 and reflected in the updated Drug Tariff around October 2026.

NHS England has published guidance for prescribers on the quality and cost-effectiveness of blood ketone meters and testing strips available in the NHS. The combined effect of these two steps is expected to reduce the financial cost of blood ketone tests

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 his counterparts in the Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on extending medical evacuation support to people currently in Gaza requiring access to urgent or serious medical treatment who have families based in the UK.

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

On 25 July 2025, the Prime Minister announced that the United Kingdom was taking immediate steps to alleviate the humanitarian situation, including getting injured children out of Gaza and into British hospitals. 50 children and their immediate families have been evacuated from Gaza to the UK as part of the UK Government led process. Participation in the UKG Gaza Medevacs is solely through the World Health Organization supported process and UKG will not consider direct requests for assistance. Outside of the UKG Gaza Medevacs process those wishing to come to the UK from Gaza should do so under the existing immigration rules.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to produce clinical guidance on pica.

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

Topics for new or updated National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance are considered through an established prioritisation process. Decisions as to whether NICE will create new, or update existing, guidance are overseen by a prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s chief medical officer.

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 medication available on the NHS to treat Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in babies.

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

Acute myeloid leukaemia is rare in babies, as there are approximately 10 cases in England each year. Standard upfront chemotherapy is available but options for patients who do not respond to standard chemotherapy or relapse are limited. NHS England encourages clinicians to submit proposals to expand the range of clinical commissioning policies, helping to ensure that patients are able to access the latest, evidence-based treatments and care.

The Department continues to work with NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to support the development of new treatments for rare paediatric cancers.

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 recent trends in levels of regional disparity in Dental Delivery Rates between the South West and London; and what steps he will take to increase delivery in the South West.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Dental Statistics - England 2024/25, published by NHS Business Services Authority on 28 August 2025, is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425

This shows that 31% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the South West, in the previous 24 months up to June 2025, and that 52% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2025. By comparison, in London 39% of adults were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2025, and 53% children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2025.

In 2024/25, there were 40.5 NHS dentists per 100,000 population in the South West, compared to 52.7 NHS dentists per 100,000 population in London.

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural areas such as the South West.

We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available since April 2025.

ICBs are recruiting dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on the quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available from the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

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 Think Pharmacy First campaign on helping to encourage people use pharmacies for treatment.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Pharmacy First advertising campaign has now been run on several occasions. Data collected from the campaign run from November to December 2024 showed an increase in public knowledge that pharmacies can treat ‘Pharmacy First’ conditions, from 71% to 79%, and trust in the advice given by the pharmacy team increased from 61% to 70%. Public intention to use the pharmacy if they experienced any of the Pharmacy First conditions increased from 32% to 37%.

This positive shift in people’s attitudes is reflected through an increased use of the Pharmacy First service. There were 198,794 completed clinical pathways in October 2024, the month before the advertising campaign. This increased to 259,323 completed clinical pathways during December 2024.

A second public advertising campaign on Pharmacy First ran from 20 October 2025 to 4 January 2026. Evaluation of this most recent campaign is underway.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists have been successfully recruited and retained in the Thornbury and Yate constituency under the 'golden hello' scheme since its inception.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards are continuing to recruit dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. The scheme offers a £20,000 recruitment incentive payment to dentists to work in those areas that need them most. The scheme remains a national priority.

Golden Hello data will be published this year and will consist of data showing the regional distribution of the original allocation of posts and the number of posts recruited at both a national and regional level.

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 adequacy of care provided by care agencies to vulnerable people.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have understood that the term care agencies refers to employment agencies. Care providers are required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) where they carry out a regulated activity, as described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. However, employment agencies do not usually carry out regulated activity and as such do not typically need to be registered.

Providers such as care homes and those providing domiciliary care do typically carry out regulated activity and therefore are registered with the CQC. The CQC requires all health and social care providers registered with them to deploy enough suitably qualified, competent, and experienced staff, including both registered and unregistered professionals. This requirement applies where that provider chooses to recruit staff via employment agencies.

It is therefore the responsibility of the regulated provider to ensure robust and safe recruitment practices are in place, and to make sure that all staff, including agency staff, are suitably experienced, competent, and able to carry out their role.

To support providers to do so, the Department provides reimbursement towards the cost of training and qualifications through the Adult Social Care Learning and Support Scheme, backed by up to £12 million in funding this financial year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that dental practices are subject to effective regulation.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates all health and social care services, including dental services in England. The commission ensures quality and safety across a range of sectors that deliver health and care to people in England.

The CQC carries out assessments of primary dental services to determine if they are compliant with regulations. The CQC does not rate dental practices in the same way that it rates other healthcare services. The inspections focus on compliance with regulations and result in a ‘regulations met’ or ‘regulations not met’ judgement. Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/assessment/assessing-quality-and-performance/services-we-do-not-rate

The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry in the UK, with the primary role of protecting patient safety and maintaining public confidence. It fulfils this role by registering qualified dental professionals, setting standards for education, training, and conduct, and investigating serious complaints regarding professionals’ fitness to practise. The GDC’s Standards for the Dental Team set out professional standards of conduct, performance, and ethics, including principles for honest and transparent business practices.

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 oversight of care agencies and to enhance enforcement powers against providers who fail to meet required care standards.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have understood that the term care agencies refers to employment agencies. Care providers are required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) where they carry out a regulated activity, as described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. However, employment agencies do not usually carry out regulated activity and as such do not typically need to be registered.

Providers such as care homes and those providing domiciliary care do typically carry out regulated activity and therefore are registered with the CQC. The CQC requires all health and social care providers registered with them to deploy enough suitably qualified, competent, and experienced staff, including both registered and unregistered professionals. This requirement applies where that provider chooses to recruit staff via employment agencies.

It is therefore the responsibility of the regulated provider to ensure robust and safe recruitment practices are in place, and to make sure that all staff, including agency staff, are suitably experienced, competent, and able to carry out their role.

To support providers to do so, the Department provides reimbursement towards the cost of training and qualifications through the Adult Social Care Learning and Support Scheme, backed by up to £12 million in funding this financial year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to ensure that agency care workers receive appropriate and accredited training to meet the needs of vulnerable service users.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have understood that the term care agencies refers to employment agencies. Care providers are required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) where they carry out a regulated activity, as described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. However, employment agencies do not usually carry out regulated activity and as such do not typically need to be registered.

Providers such as care homes and those providing domiciliary care do typically carry out regulated activity and therefore are registered with the CQC. The CQC requires all health and social care providers registered with them to deploy enough suitably qualified, competent, and experienced staff, including both registered and unregistered professionals. This requirement applies where that provider chooses to recruit staff via employment agencies.

It is therefore the responsibility of the regulated provider to ensure robust and safe recruitment practices are in place, and to make sure that all staff, including agency staff, are suitably experienced, competent, and able to carry out their role.

To support providers to do so, the Department provides reimbursement towards the cost of training and qualifications through the Adult Social Care Learning and Support Scheme, backed by up to £12 million in funding this financial year.

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 prevent care agencies from supplying staff who deliver unsupervised personal care without the required registration with the Care Quality Commission.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have understood that the term care agencies refers to employment agencies. Care providers are required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) where they carry out a regulated activity, as described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. However, employment agencies do not usually carry out regulated activity and as such do not typically need to be registered.

Providers such as care homes and those providing domiciliary care do typically carry out regulated activity and therefore are registered with the CQC. The CQC requires all health and social care providers registered with them to deploy enough suitably qualified, competent, and experienced staff, including both registered and unregistered professionals. This requirement applies where that provider chooses to recruit staff via employment agencies.

It is therefore the responsibility of the regulated provider to ensure robust and safe recruitment practices are in place, and to make sure that all staff, including agency staff, are suitably experienced, competent, and able to carry out their role.

To support providers to do so, the Department provides reimbursement towards the cost of training and qualifications through the Adult Social Care Learning and Support Scheme, backed by up to £12 million in funding this financial year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current average waiting times are for patients to begin radiotherapy treatment following referral, broken down by region and cancer type.

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

The published data on cancer waiting times in England does not include average waiting times for patients to begin treatment, and the Department does not publish radiotherapy data broken down by tumour type, as we present tumour type and treatment modality breakdowns separately.

However, the Department does publish the 31-day standard performance data for radiotherapy. Whilst the publication does not directly present this data at a regional level, the published commissioner-level data can be aggregated using publicly available mapping tables.

The following table shows 31-day standard performance data for radiotherapy at the regional and national levels, for the latest month of data available at the time of production, November 2025:

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (i) whether Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) claims are matched to assessors with condition-specific expertise, (ii) whether the Department for Health and Social Care holds audits or quality assurance exercises on the accuracy and consistency of medical determinations under the VDPS since 2021, and (iii) what steps are being taken to ensure the transparency and accountability of the VDPS medical assessment process.

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

Each claim to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) is assessed on a case-by-case basis by a medical assessor. All medical assessors are General Medical Council registered doctors, who have undertaken specialised training in vaccine damage and disability assessment.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), as the administrator of the VDPS, is responsible for managing quality assurance with the medical assessment supplier. Medical assessors write a comprehensive medical assessment report for each claim, explaining how they reached their decision and what evidence they considered. NHSBSA shares this report with the claimant.

If a claim is rejected, the claimant can challenge the medical assessor’s decision by submitting a mandatory reversal request. The original decision will then be reviewed.

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 current provision for young adults with cerebral palsy but with no diagnosed learning disability.

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

The Department recognises the importance of ensuring that young adults with cerebral palsy, including those without a diagnosed learning disability, can access appropriate, high‑quality services that meet their individual needs.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing the health needs of their local populations and for commissioning the necessary services, including specialist neurodisability, therapy, community rehabilitation, and wider support for people with cerebral palsy.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a guideline for adults with cerebral palsy, reference code NG119. The guideline recommends regular reviews of clinical and functional needs, clear care pathways, and access to multi-disciplinary teams and specialist neurology services. The guideline is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng119

ICBs are expected to take full account of NICE guidance when designing and commissioning services for their local populations. NICE guidelines provide authoritative, evidence‑based recommendations on best practice, including clinical and cost‑effectiveness considerations. NHS England ensures that ICBs follow NICE guidance through a combination of statutory oversight frameworks, annual performance assessments, and local clinical governance requirements.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a vision for a health and care system that delivers more personalised, integrated, and proactive care for people with long-term and complex conditions, including those with cerebral palsy but no diagnosed learning disability. By 2027, 95% of people with complex needs should have an agreed personal care plan. These will promote shared decision-making and access to personal health budgets, giving individuals more choice and control over therapies, equipment, and support tailored to their needs. Additionally, integrated neighbourhood health teams will bring together professionals across disciplines to deliver joined-up care for people with cerebral palsy.

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 that patients with long covid receive condition specific care.

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

Long COVID, or post-COVID, services are commissioned by integrated care boards. These services should comprise of an integrated pathway of assessment, medical treatment, and multifaceted rehabilitation, with direct access to required diagnostics. Referral should be via a single point of access which is managed by clinician-led triage. At all stages in the care pathway, patients should be offered a range of support, treatment, and rehabilitation services, depending on the specific needs of the individual.

NHS England has set up specialist post-COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, and is investing in ensuring general practice teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition. The Living with Covid Recovery mobile phone app also supports people recovering from long COVID at home. The app has enabled the National Health Service to monitor and support the recovery of those suffering from long COVID more effectively.

While there is no single treatment for long COVID, there are treatments available to help manage some of the symptoms. Specifically, the Government has funded clinical trials to test and compare different treatments such as antihistamines, anticoagulants, and anti-inflammatory medicines, as well as trials such as REGAIN.

The Neighbourhood Health Service, delivered by new multidisciplinary teams of professionals, will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, to support more services being delivered in the community, including for people with long COVID.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the National Cancer Plan will support people with secondary breast cancer.

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

The National Cancer Plan, published 4 February 2026, will transform outcomes for people with secondary breast cancer.

The National Health Service is piloting the use of self-referral breast cancer pathways to streamline diagnostic pathways using the NHS App and NHS 111 online service. This is in addition to the Government’s commitment for the NHS to deliver 9.5 million additional tests by 2029 through a £2.3 billion investment in diagnostics. We are also ensuring as many community diagnostic centres as possible are fully operational and open 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

To improve the diagnosis of breast cancer, the NHS will harness 'circulating tumour DNA' tests for breast cancer, which can pick up relapse months earlier. This will accelerate clinical decisions and allow patients to start the most effective treatment faster.

The NHS will monitor the emerging evidence from the BRAID trial, which aims to determine whether additional imaging with one of several types of scans, is helpful in diagnosing breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue. This will target screening programmes at women who are at greater risk of cancer.

The NHS is also improving the experience of those with a cancer diagnosis. Every patient diagnosed with cancer will be supported through a full neighbourhood-level personalised care package, covering mental and physical health as well as any practical or financial concerns. For people with secondary breast cancer, this will be a step forward in building care around them, their needs, their lives, and their families.

We will harness data, as we begin counting metastatic disease, starting with breast cancer, so that people living with incurable cancer are properly recognised and better supported.

Through these National Cancer Plan actions, we will ensure that people with secondary breast cancer have faster diagnoses and treatment, access to the latest treatments and technology, and high-quality support throughout their journey, while we work to drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

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 Cabinet colleagues on delivering national targets for ambient air including by sharing data.

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

Department of Health and Social Care ministers engage regularly with ministerial colleagues on air quality. The 10-Year Health Plan for England details action the Government will take to reduce the health harms of air pollution. This includes the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ refreshed Environmental Improvement Plan which sets out action to further improve air quality in England including through revised interim targets.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many clinical psychology training places were commissioned in each of the last five years, and how this compares to the number of applicants.

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

The following table provides the number of training places across the 28 training providers of Doctorates in Clinical Psychology in England over the past five years:

Source: Clearing House, available at the following link:
https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/

In addition, the following table shows the data on places and unique applicants, as applicants can apply to more than one course, that are available in total across all English, Scottish, and Welsh courses:

Source: Clearing House, available at the following link:
https://www.clearing-house.org.uk/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of ambulance handover times at accident and emergency departments in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

Surrey Heath is served by the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAMB). The most recent National Health Service performance figures show that the average handover time in SECAMB is 18 minutes and 37 seconds. This is over two minutes faster than the same period last year.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements this winter and make services better every day, including reducing ambulance handovers to a maximum of 45 minutes, helping get more ambulances back on the road for patients, and reducing category 2 ambulance response times to 30 minutes on average. NHS England continues to monitor average hospital handover times, sharing data with regions to support focussed discussions and identify improvement actions with those trusts not achieving handovers in 45 minutes.

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 potential merits of lowering the income threshold for the NHS salary sacrifice car scheme.

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

No specific assessment has been made. Employers in the National Health Service offer a broad range of salary sacrifice schemes which have varying values and requirements. The interaction with the national minimum wage must be considered for all employees who participate in one or more of these schemes. Participation must not mean that an employee’s cash earnings fall below the National Minimum Wage. This is not new policy and is not specific to the NHS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology about the potential merits of a respiratory Modern Service Framework to improve the UK’s life sciences ecosystem by scaling up the adoption of new medicines and innovations for lung conditions.

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

The Government will consider the long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including for respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore innovation and policy prioritisation in respiratory health, including the cross‑Government alignment that may be required.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the emergency FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ in Mid Sussex and for England overall, in English National Health Service hospitals and for English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.
Note: the data for 2025/26 is provisional.

The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our NHS needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.   

Through the community diagnostic centres, we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get tested closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. We are also focused on expanding capacity and improving quality in pulmonary rehabilitation delivery to support patients living with respiratory conditions. We are also taking action to reduce the causes of respiratory conditions such as enabling a smoke free generation and cross Government action to improve air quality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his department’s timeline is for deciding on the second wave of Modern Service Frameworks, and whether respiratory conditions will be considered.

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

The Government will consider the long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including for respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore innovation and policy prioritisation in respiratory health, including the cross‑Government alignment that may be required.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the emergency FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ in Mid Sussex and for England overall, in English National Health Service hospitals and for English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.
Note: the data for 2025/26 is provisional.

The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our NHS needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.   

Through the community diagnostic centres, we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get tested closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. We are also focused on expanding capacity and improving quality in pulmonary rehabilitation delivery to support patients living with respiratory conditions. We are also taking action to reduce the causes of respiratory conditions such as enabling a smoke free generation and cross Government action to improve air quality.

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 (a) the prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Mid Sussex constituency; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally, including through the introduction of a Modern Service Framework for respiratory care.

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

The Government will consider the long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including for respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore innovation and policy prioritisation in respiratory health, including the cross‑Government alignment that may be required.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the emergency FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ in Mid Sussex and for England overall, in English National Health Service hospitals and for English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.
Note: the data for 2025/26 is provisional.

The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our NHS needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.   

Through the community diagnostic centres, we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get tested closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. We are also focused on expanding capacity and improving quality in pulmonary rehabilitation delivery to support patients living with respiratory conditions. We are also taking action to reduce the causes of respiratory conditions such as enabling a smoke free generation and cross Government action to improve air quality.

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 role of a respiratory Modern Service Framework on winter pressures in the NHS.

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

The Government will consider the long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including for respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to winter pressures.

NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore innovation and policy prioritisation in respiratory health, including the cross‑Government alignment that may be required.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the emergency FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ in Mid Sussex and for England overall, in English National Health Service hospitals and for English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.
Note: the data for 2025/26 is provisional.

The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our NHS needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.   

Through the community diagnostic centres, we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get tested closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. We are also focused on expanding capacity and improving quality in pulmonary rehabilitation delivery to support patients living with respiratory conditions. We are also taking action to reduce the causes of respiratory conditions such as enabling a smoke free generation and cross Government action to improve air quality.

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) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) ongoing care for patients with 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 diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care.  It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis, and we have already taken action to address this.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated their guideline on endometriosis in November 2024 to make firmer recommendations on referral and investigations, and this will help women receive a diagnosis and effective treatment faster.

Research has led to new treatments being made available, including the NICE approval of two pills to treat endometriosis this year, namely Relugolix and Linzagolix. Both are estimated to help approximately 1,000 women with severe endometriosis for whom other treatment options haven’t been effective.

Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department has commissioned several studies focused on endometriosis diagnosis, treatment, and patient experience.  At present, the NIHR is funding five active research awards into endometriosis totalling an investment of approximately £5.5 million. A further £2.3 million award on the effectiveness of pain management for endometriosis is due to commence in March 2026.

We are expanding the number of dedicated and protected surgical hubs, of which gynaecology procedures are a key offering.

As announced in September, we will establish an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. Menstrual problems that may be a sign of several conditions, including endometriosis, will be among the conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027.

NHS England is also updating the service specification for severe endometriosis which is due to be published in due course. This will improve the standards of care for women with severe endometriosis by ensuring specialist endometriosis services have access to the most up-to-date evidence and advice.

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 increase standards in and ensure effective regulation of the cosmetic surgery sector.

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

On 7 August 2025, the Government announced its plans to introduce measures to improve the safety of the cosmetics sector. This included prioritising the introduction of legal restrictions which will ensure that the highest risk cosmetic procedures are brought into Care Quality Commission regulation and can only be performed by specified regulated healthcare professionals.

In addition, the Government also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme in England for lower risk procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under this scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed.  To protect children and young people, the Government is also committed to mandating age restrictions for cosmetic procedures.

The proposals will be taken forward through secondary legislation and therefore subject to the parliamentary process before the legal restrictions, or licensing regulations, can be introduced. We are now working with stakeholders to develop detailed plans and intend to consult on proposals for restrictions around the performance of the highest risk procedures in the spring.

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 implications for his Department's policies of the analysis by Age UK on A&E wait times, published on 21 January 2026.

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

Age UK’s analysis reinforces the need to reduce crowding, tackle the longest waits and corridor care, and improve care for older people, all priorities for the Government.

Through the Urgent and Emergency Care Plan and the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework, we are expanding urgent community response and same day care, improving hospital flow and strengthening services for frail and older people to ensure they receive timely, appropriate care in the right setting. We are also committed to tackling corridor care and will soon start publishing data on its prevalence for the first time, following work by NHS England with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements. This data will help to drive improvement and transparency. Where corridor care cannot be avoided, we have published updated guidance to support trusts to deliver it safely, ensuring dignity and privacy is maintained to reduce impacts on patients and staff.

NHS England is also running the National Frailty Improvement Collaborative, which is focussed on testing and learning how to deliver evidence-based, frailty attuned care and shift appropriate care from hospital to community settings. This work will generate insights to inform national policy and planning and will improve outcomes for older people living with frailty.

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 reduce diagnostic waiting times for endometriosis in (a) England and (b) Chichester constituency.

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

Patients waiting for an endometriosis diagnosis may receive diagnostic tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, though the only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis is by a laparoscopic procedure. The laparoscopy is also used to treat endometriosis.

To improve diagnosis times, we are transforming diagnostic services and taking steps to increase diagnostic capacity. This includes expanding existing community diagnostic centres (CDCs), building up to five new ones as part of £600 million capital funding for diagnostics in 2025/26 and opening more CDCs 12 hours per day, seven days a week.

NHS Sussex ICB have increased diagnostic capacity by setting up a well-established CDC programme. Seven CDCs operate across Sussex, including University of Chichester Bognor CDC, and are expected to deliver an additional 460,000 diagnostic tests in 2025/26, including 40,000 MRI scans, and nearly 90,000 ultrasound scans.

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 written question 89790, how much the annual cap is.

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

Funding for the eligible apprenticeships has been capped in line with 2023/24 start numbers, which is equivalent to £8.4 million per financial year for new apprenticeship starts. Funding will be allocated according to workforce need, training provider capacity and the priorities set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his expected timetable is for the implementation of measures to expand access to talking therapies, assertive outreach, and digital access to mental health support through the NHS App under the 10-Year Health Plan.

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

To deliver the shift from analogue to digital that is set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will create a digital front door for mental health care through the NHS App to boost access to early support and to empower people to take steps to manage their symptoms.

This has already started, with mental health appointment management now available in eight National Health Service trusts, with a further 18 trusts now funded to come online soon. Underserved groups will be able to find and access Talking Therapies through targeted messaging from next year as well.

We have also been making improvements to the self-referral pathways between NHS 111 online and NHS Talking Therapies, meaning that the 20,000 people with mental health queries who go to NHS 111 online are now better served. This is in addition to supporting people in crisis through the 111 online symptom checker that advises on what to do next.

We are also planning to move all direct-to-patient communication services to NHS Notify and use NHS App-based ‘push’ notifications as the preferred method of contact so that patients can access referral and appointment details, and share and update information with ease.

More widely, we support the adoption of digital technology across the NHS Talking Therapies pathway. NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provide assurance around Digitally Enabled Therapies with a strong evidence base, and 7% of NHS Talking Therapies treatments are delivered via these tools. More recently, NICE has provided assurance around Digital Front Doors into NHS Talking Therapies services and we are seeing rapid adoption of these tools, which use artificial intelligence and can improve the quality and accuracy of the assessment.

The NHS 10-Year Health Plan committed to improving assertive outreach care and treatment to ensure 100% national coverage in the next decade. Following the 2025/26 Planning Guidance, systems have reviewed their provision and developed local action plans to strengthen care and treatment. This has been supported by national guidance on intensive and assertive community mental health treatment which helps local areas assess and enhance their services. Recognising all the hard work and improvements systems have already made, we will continue working with regions and integrated care boards to ensure this remains a local priority.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will consider Tourette's in its Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism.

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

This review focuses on mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism. Tourette’s is a neurological disorder and therefore it will be at the Chair's discretion as to how far the review considers Tourette's with this in mind.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will increase the level of funding for import of medication from abroad to treat Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.

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

It is important that patients with acute myeloid leukaemia can access safe and effective treatments when they need them. The Government’s priority is to maintain the continuity of supply of all medicines, including those sourced from abroad, and to take action with suppliers, National Health Service organisations, and regulators where supply issues arise.

Where there are no licensed available medicines in the United Kingdom, companies may manufacture or import unlicensed medicines. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency operates established routes that can enable clinicians and pharmacists to obtain unlicensed medicines for individual patients. Funding for these medicines is not set nationally. Instead, decisions on commissioning, procurement, and reimbursement for unlicensed medicines are made locally by NHS commissioners, who are best placed to determine how resources are allocated to meet the needs of their populations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has has with (i) the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, (ii) the Children's Commissioner, (iii) the Local Government Association and (iv) Adoption UK on waiting times for current and previously looked-after children for mental health services.

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

The Minister of Care met with the Children’s Commissioner’s office and other stakeholders at the Care Leaver Ministerial Board in October 2025, where they discussed mental health support and ways to improve health outcomes for both current and previously looked after children. Officials have also engaged with the Local Government Association on similar issues.

In addition, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health took part in a care leavers advisory group meeting in October 2024, where conversations focused on care leavers’ health, their mental health needs, and waiting times for services.

We have not engaged with Adoption UK on this particular issue.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England holds data on the number of (i) current and (ii) previously looked-after children on waiting lists for (a) mental health services and (b) neurodevelopmental assessments.

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

NHS England holds data on the number of current looked-after children accessing or waiting for contact with secondary mental health services. We can identify individuals waiting for neurodevelopmental, autism, or mental health assessment via the indicated primary reason for referral or type of team they were referred to.

NHS England does not hold specific data on the number of previously looked after children. If an individual is no longer a looked-after child, this would not be held within the dataset.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people that have been waiting over six months to access Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services support in Slough constituency.

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

There are currently six young people living within the Slough Local Authority area who have been waiting for a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) intervention for over 26 weeks. There are no young people within Slough waiting for longer than 104 weeks to be seen by CAMHS.

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 changes to safe staffing levels in mental health services on patient safety; whether the Department has revised its definition of safe staffing levels in response to workforce shortages; and what steps he is taking to ensure that staffing standards are maintained at levels that protect both patient safety and staff wellbeing.

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

No assessment has been made. NHS England is currently updating guidance on how trusts should set their staffing levels, via the Developing Workforce Safeguards and Safe Staffing in Mental Health Services 2018 framework, to reflect current evidence and operations. Staffing any service and any shift should be built around the needs of patients which should be the aim of all National Health Service providers.

Guidance on safe staffing levels also specifies that every NHS organisation should have a strategic workforce plan which is discussed and agreed at the trust board level and should also have escalation processes to cover staffing shortages or changes.

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Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Adoption and Permanence entitled Adoptee Voices, published on 28 January 2026, if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to ensure mental health provision is available for adoptees that is trauma and adoptee-informed.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The ‘Adoptee Voices’ publication enabled the department to hear directly from adoptees and about their experience of trauma and mental health provision, such provision must be informed by lived experience as well as clinical evidence. The department recently published a consultation, ‘Adoption Support that Works for All’, confirming that we are working in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care to design their new pilot to improve mental health support for children in care and their families. This pilot will include support for adoptive families starting in one area and aims to test an integrated model of mental health support for children and families

Alongside this, we are expanding our investment in Regional Adoption Agency multi‑disciplinary teams, which bring together social care, health and education professionals to deliver a holistic package of assessment and support for adopted children and their families.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent changes to Apprenticeship Levy funding on Level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeships.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57098.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the provision of data on employee health benefits to SME decision makers on levels of employee ill health.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is working with the Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care on the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase, focused on tackling health-related economic inactivity and promoting healthy and inclusive workplaces. We are partnering with employers of all sectors and sizes, including SMEs, alongside employee health benefit providers, to test and identify what interventions are most effective in preventing and managing employee ill health. This will include exploring what support SMEs need to make informed decisions about accessing suitable health benefit provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Disabled Children’s Partnership and the Speech, Language and Communication Alliance's 2025 report entitled How to spend less and get better outcomes for children with speech, language challenges.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that early identification and intervention is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. We are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings. Recently published evidence reviews from University College London highlight the most effective tools and strategies to identify and support different types of needs. We recently announced new government-backed research which will aim to develop and test effective approaches to help early identification.

The department is also working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the education system distinguishes between children with short-term speech and language delays and lifelong communication needs.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

We know that continuing to build the pipeline of speech and language therapists is essential. This is why the department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

We also know that effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The department is strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve early identification in mainstream settings and announced a new training package, backed by £200 million of new funding, to ensure that every teacher, teaching assistant and leader can be trained to support pupils with SEND.

We will set out our proposals for SEND reform in the upcoming Schools White Paper and will consult widely on these proposals, continuing to work with a wide range of partners to refine and deliver them.

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