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 support immunocompromised people.

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

NHS England Specialised Commissioning has recently updated the specialist immunology service specification for adults with deficient immune systems, named the Specialist immunology services for adults with deficient immune systems. This sets out the standards of care that providers of specialist immunology services are expected to meet, including with regards to treatment and monitoring. Further information on the service specification is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/specialist-immunology-adults-service-specification.pdf

The clinical commissioning policy for the use of therapeutic immunoglobulin in England has also recently been updated. The updated document describes all conditions for which therapeutic immunoglobulin is commissioned, including autoimmune conditions, and provides details on the role, dose, and place of therapeutic immunoglobulin in the treatment pathway for individual indications, alongside possible alternative treatment options for use of therapeutic immunoglobulin in both adults and children. Further information on the policy is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ccp-for-the-use-of-therapeutic-immunoglobulin-england-2025.pdf

Sub Regional Immunoglobulin Assessment Panels (SRIAPs) are in place to provide immunoglobulin stewardship and oversight in line with this policy. In April 2025, a new framework for the supply of immunoglobulin will begin. In March 2025, NHS England Specialised Commissioning provided advice to the SRIAPs regarding patient access to immunoglobulin products, with the introduction of the new framework.

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold data centrally on the exact numbers of those who are clinically defined as immunocompromised. However, a recently published paper in the Journal of Infection identified 477,335 immunocompromised individuals aged 12 years old and over in England. This research paper is available at the following link:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016344532500026X

NHS England Specialised Commissioning is developing a patient information sheet to outline the changes to the range of immunoglobulin products available on the National Health Service. It is intended to support patients who rely on immunoglobulin treatment and may be required to switch to a different immunoglobulin product. This will be shared with patient organisations and clinical teams in April 2025.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is committed to working with partners, including NHS England and the Department, to protect the health of immunocompromised patients in the context of infectious disease hazards. Engaging with the Immunocompromised Coalition and other charities supporting vulnerable individuals, in partnership with the Department and the NHS as part of pandemic preparedness, is an important activity for the UKHSA. It enables the prompt implementation of appropriate protective measures with relevant, scalable additional support in the event of a pandemic or another emergency.

The UKHSA has also published COVID-19 guidance, last updated in May 2024, for those individuals whose immune system means they are at higher risk. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of establishing a cross-departmental taskforce for immunocompromised patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

We have already achieved our pledge to deliver two million extra elective appointments in England, as a first step to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to deliver more elective care in England. This includes: expecting community diagnostic centres to open 12 hours a day, seven days per week; launching and expanding 17 new surgical hubs; investing in new DEXA scanners to deliver 29,000 more scans; and streamlining patients’ care pathways and reducing unnecessary appointments.

We are also committed to improving access and capacity in general practices (GPs). That’s why, in October 2024, we provided an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, enabling the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified GPs across England. This will increase the number of appointments delivered in GPs, benefitting thousands of patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to require NHS hospitals to operate pay on exit parking.

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

The NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts states that trusts should consider installing ‘pay on exit’ or similar schemes so that drivers pay only for the time that they have used.

National Health Service organisations should continue to work with their patients and staff, local authorities, and public transport providers to make sure that users can get to the site, and park, if necessary, as safely, conveniently, and economically as possible. Further information is available at the following link:

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for level 7 healthcare apprenticeships on skills shortages in the NHS; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on that funding.

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

Skills England and the Department for Education are reviewing the growth and skills offer, including whether employers will fund level 7 apprenticeships outside of the levy. Ministers, officials, NHS England, and a range of stakeholders across the sector have been feeding into this review and will continue to work closely with Skills England to ensure that the National Health Service has access to the skilled workforce patients need, as we rebuild the NHS and make sure it is there for us all when we need it.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) Officials in his Department have undertaken with the sporting and cultural events sector to discuss proposals for the Care Quality Commission to increase its regulation over them.

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

Following the Manchester Arena Inquiry Volume Two report, the Government sought to make the necessary changes in the law to enable the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to regulate event healthcare at sporting venues and gymnasiums, and at temporary sporting and cultural events. The CQC will not be responsible for regulating sports and cultural events as a whole.

The CQC has taken steps to ensure that any changes are implemented in a way that gives healthcare providers appropriate time to register with the CQC. This provides further reassurance to both event organisers and the public on the level of healthcare expected.

In addition to the recent public consultation, the CQC will consult further on their approach to regulating these activities. The Government and the CQC continues to engage with stakeholders within the health, sports, and events sector regarding the changes in the regulations.

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 capacity of the Care Quality Commission to regulate sporting and cultural events.

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

Following the Manchester Arena Inquiry Volume Two report, the Government sought to make the necessary changes in the law to enable the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to regulate event healthcare at sporting venues and gymnasiums, and at temporary sporting and cultural events. The CQC will not be responsible for regulating sports and cultural events as a whole.

The CQC has taken steps to ensure that any changes are implemented in a way that gives healthcare providers appropriate time to register with the CQC. This provides further reassurance to both event organisers and the public on the level of healthcare expected.

In addition to the recent public consultation, the CQC will consult further on their approach to regulating these activities. The Government and the CQC continues to engage with stakeholders within the health, sports, and events sector regarding the changes in the regulations.

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 implications for its policies of recommendation on (a) screening and (b) research on prostate cancer in Council of the EU recommendation on cancer screening (update), adopted in December 2022.

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

The United Kingdom is not bound by the Council of the European Union's recommendations. The UK National Screening Committee is currently looking at the evidence for prostate cancer screening in accordance with its published processes. This work will evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the implementation of organised prostate cancer screening programmes. It therefore aligns with the Council of the European Union's recommendations.

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 how the NICE Late-Stage Assessment programme aligns with the ambitions of the upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan.

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

Through the Life Sciences Sector Plan and the wider industrial strategy, the Government will take targeted, concerted, and aggressive action to unlock growth. The plan will focus on enabling world-class research and development, making the United Kingdom one of the best places in the world to start, scale, and invest in life sciences, and driving healthcare innovation and reform. This approach will support high-growth businesses, deliver better health outcomes, and cement the UK’s global leadership in life sciences. Backed by deep engagement with industry, the plan will tackle barriers head-on and lay the foundations for long-term, sustainable growth.

The reforms to Part IX of the Drug Tariff and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) late-stage assessments align with this approach by supporting the adoption of innovation. The Part IX reforms include a new two-year temporary listing mechanism so that innovative products can be made available for patients more quickly. The NICE’s late-stage assessments are a central element of the NICE’s lifecycle approach to evaluation, valuing incremental innovation in transformative products once they have become established or widely available to the National Health Service. The assessments will provide guidance on value, especially where there are claims of improvements and innovation over time, to support NHS commissioners, procurement teams, patients, and clinicians to select the most effective and cost-effective products, from those available on the market.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that the review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff is aligned to the Life Sciences Sector Plan.

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

Through the Life Sciences Sector Plan and the wider industrial strategy, the Government will take targeted, concerted, and aggressive action to unlock growth. The plan will focus on enabling world-class research and development, making the United Kingdom one of the best places in the world to start, scale, and invest in life sciences, and driving healthcare innovation and reform. This approach will support high-growth businesses, deliver better health outcomes, and cement the UK’s global leadership in life sciences. Backed by deep engagement with industry, the plan will tackle barriers head-on and lay the foundations for long-term, sustainable growth.

The reforms to Part IX of the Drug Tariff and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) late-stage assessments align with this approach by supporting the adoption of innovation. The Part IX reforms include a new two-year temporary listing mechanism so that innovative products can be made available for patients more quickly. The NICE’s late-stage assessments are a central element of the NICE’s lifecycle approach to evaluation, valuing incremental innovation in transformative products once they have become established or widely available to the National Health Service. The assessments will provide guidance on value, especially where there are claims of improvements and innovation over time, to support NHS commissioners, procurement teams, patients, and clinicians to select the most effective and cost-effective products, from those available on the market.

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 tackle disparities in prostate cancer outcomes for Black men.

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

The Government understands that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for all people with prostate cancer, including for black men.

To address disparities and find ways to better detect prostate cancer earlier, we have invested £16 million in the United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, aimed at helping find the best ways of detecting prostate cancer in men, even if they are not displaying any symptoms. This research will aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis by targeting black men in trial recruitment, ensuring that one in ten participants are black men. This is vital as previous trials have not included enough black men to adequately demonstrate the harms and benefits of screening for this group specifically, despite their significantly higher risk.

In addition, following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will develop a new National Cancer Plan. The plan will seek to improve outcomes and address disparities, including for prostate cancer. A call for evidence, seeking contributions from individuals and organisations, including ideas on how to improve outcomes for prostate cancer, is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

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 inequalities in prostate cancer outcomes.

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

The Government understands that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for all people with prostate cancer.

To address disparities and find ways to better detect prostate cancer earlier, we have invested £16 million in the United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, aimed at helping find the best ways of detecting prostate cancer in men, even if they are not displaying any symptoms. This research will aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis by targeting black men in trial recruitment, ensuring that one in ten participants are black men. We have also asked the National Screening Committee to review the evidence for prostate cancer screening, including for high-risk groups.

The NHS England Cancer Programme also commissions clinical cancer audits, which provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients, including those with prostate cancer.

Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will develop a new National Cancer Plan. The plan will seek to improve outcomes and address disparities for all cancers, including for prostate cancer. A call for evidence, seeking contributions from individuals and organisations, including ideas on how to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities for prostate cancer, is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

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 people living in the most deprived areas receive earlier cancer diagnoses.

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

We recognise that there are challenges for several different populations, particularly for people living in the most deprived areas of the country, and that this impacts early diagnosis rates. The National Health Service’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities includes early cancer diagnosis as a specific priority.

To ensure that people living in the most deprived areas receive earlier cancer diagnoses, we are directly targeting our activity in areas we know will make a difference. This includes awareness-raising campaigns such as the NHS Help Us, Help You campaign, to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage people to get checked.

We know that some cancers disproportionately impact those living in deprived areas, notably lung cancer. People living in deprived areas are four times more likely to smoke, and smoking causes 72% of lung cancers. Through the lung cancer screening programme, early diagnosis rates have increased for all deprivation quintiles, with biggest gains among those living in most deprived areas. When fully rolled out, the programme is expected to detect approximately 9,000 cancers earlier each 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 plans to take to work with volunteers to (a) add resilience to the NHS workforce, (b) reduce waiting lists and (c) move care out-of-hospital and into the community.

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

The National Health Service has always benefitted from the generous support of volunteers. Volunteers will continue to play an important and complementary role in the NHS and care system, supporting patients, families, and staff.

NHS England invested £10 million last year to support programmes across 15 integrated care systems to improve volunteering infrastructure. NHS England is also continuing to invest in the NHS volunteer recruitment portal and deliver on recommendations from the NHS Volunteer Taskforce Report from 2023.

A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and those who support our workforce, so we can ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the right care to 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 steps his Department is taking to help reduce variations in access to treatments approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for advanced and complex Parkinson’s Disease.

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

We have delivered an additional two million appointments in England, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments. These additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology.

We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. A central and core part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients, including for those with Parkinson’s, across our communities.

There are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with Parkinson’s disease in England, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP).

The GIRFT National Specialty Report made recommendations designed to improve services nationally and to support the NHS to deliver care more equitably across the country. The report highlighted differences in how services are delivered, and provided the opportunity to share successful initiatives between trusts to improve patient services nationally. In addition, the NTP has developed a model of integrated care for neurology services to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, which includes providing care closer to home.

Once diagnosed, and with a management strategy in place, the majority of people with Parkinson’s can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. NHS England commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 27 neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals, including Parkinson’s disease nurses, psychologists, and allied health professionals such as dieticians and speech and language therapists, and that they can receive specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.

In addition, in February 2024, a new treatment for advanced-stage Parkinson’s, foslevodopa–foscarbidopa, was rolled out in the NHS. It has been shown to improve motor function, with patients experiencing longer periods of time without dyskinesia.

The NHS in England is legally required to make funding available for treatments recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal guidance. If there are any concerns with the availability of a NICE-recommended treatment in a particular area, they should be raised with the local ICB in the first instance.

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 7 March 2025 to Question 32628 on Parkinson's Disease: Medical Treatments, what steps he is taking to improve access to treatment for people with (a) advanced and (b) complex Parkinson's.

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

We have delivered an additional two million appointments in England, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments. These additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology.

Once diagnosed, and with a management strategy in place, the majority of people with Parkinson’s disease can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. NHS England commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. One of these neurological centres is based at the Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester.

Within specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals, including Parkinson’s disease nurses, psychologists, and allied health professionals such as dieticians and speech and language therapists, and that they can receive specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.

The service specification for neurology, which is in the process of being updated and published later this year, sets out the requirements for specialised neurology services, as well as the expectations of non-specialised neurology services, to support a system-wide approach.

Service specifications must be included in all future provider contracts for specialised services. This is agreed in jointly signed delegation agreements between integrated care boards (ICBs) and NHS England regional teams. ICBs are responsible for monitoring provider compliance with service specifications and may periodically carry out more detailed compliance exercises with providers, as a means of ensuring and improving the quality of care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure Parkinson's services in Integrated Care Systems meet the requirements of the neurology service specifications.

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

We have delivered an additional two million appointments in England, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments. These additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology.

Once diagnosed, and with a management strategy in place, the majority of people with Parkinson’s disease can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. NHS England commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. One of these neurological centres is based at the Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester.

Within specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals, including Parkinson’s disease nurses, psychologists, and allied health professionals such as dieticians and speech and language therapists, and that they can receive specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.

The service specification for neurology, which is in the process of being updated and published later this year, sets out the requirements for specialised neurology services, as well as the expectations of non-specialised neurology services, to support a system-wide approach.

Service specifications must be included in all future provider contracts for specialised services. This is agreed in jointly signed delegation agreements between integrated care boards (ICBs) and NHS England regional teams. ICBs are responsible for monitoring provider compliance with service specifications and may periodically carry out more detailed compliance exercises with providers, as a means of ensuring and improving the quality of care.

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 diagnostic rates for cardiovascular conditions and diseases in young people in (a) Southampton and (b) England.

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

The Government is committed to tackling the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), and our Health Mission sets an ambition to reduce premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade. The 10-Year Health Plan, once published, will set out the Government's overarching vision for delivering the critical shift from a focus on treating illness to preventing conditions such as CVD.

Specific national strategies targeting the improvement of CVD diagnostic rates in children and young people are not featured in current public health programs. However, NHS England’s work emphasises the importance of early intervention and prevention across all age groups, and is committed to improving CVD care and outcomes through enhanced diagnostic support in the community, better personalised planning, and increased access to disease-specific rehabilitation.

Southampton City Council’s Children and Young People’s Strategy 2022-2027 outlines how they will invest in prevention, working with schools and communities to identify needs and deliver services as early as possible. The Health and Wellbeing Strategy similarly focuses on promoting healthy choices and behaviours in children to reduce CVD risk factors. The Government and NHS England will support local leaders to make the best choices to meet the needs of their local populations.

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 potential merits of establishing a cross-departmental taskforce for for immunocompromised patients.

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

NHS England Specialised Commissioning has recently updated the specialist immunology service specification for adults with deficient immune systems, named the Specialist immunology services for adults with deficient immune systems. This sets out the standards of care that providers of specialist immunology services are expected to meet, including with regards to treatment and monitoring. Further information on the service specification is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/specialist-immunology-adults-service-specification.pdf

The clinical commissioning policy for the use of therapeutic immunoglobulin in England has also recently been updated. The updated document describes all conditions for which therapeutic immunoglobulin is commissioned, including autoimmune conditions, and provides details on the role, dose, and place of therapeutic immunoglobulin in the treatment pathway for individual indications, alongside possible alternative treatment options for use of therapeutic immunoglobulin in both adults and children. Further information on the policy is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ccp-for-the-use-of-therapeutic-immunoglobulin-england-2025.pdf

Sub Regional Immunoglobulin Assessment Panels (SRIAPs) are in place to provide immunoglobulin stewardship and oversight in line with this policy. In April 2025, a new framework for the supply of immunoglobulin will begin. In March 2025, NHS England Specialised Commissioning provided advice to the SRIAPs regarding patient access to immunoglobulin products, with the introduction of the new framework.

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold data centrally on the exact numbers of those who are clinically defined as immunocompromised. However, a recently published paper in the Journal of Infection identified 477,335 immunocompromised individuals aged 12 years old and over in England. This research paper is available at the following link:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016344532500026X

NHS England Specialised Commissioning is developing a patient information sheet to outline the changes to the range of immunoglobulin products available on the National Health Service. It is intended to support patients who rely on immunoglobulin treatment and may be required to switch to a different immunoglobulin product. This will be shared with patient organisations and clinical teams in April 2025.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is committed to working with partners, including NHS England and the Department, to protect the health of immunocompromised patients in the context of infectious disease hazards. Engaging with the Immunocompromised Coalition and other charities supporting vulnerable individuals, in partnership with the Department and the NHS as part of pandemic preparedness, is an important activity for the UKHSA. It enables the prompt implementation of appropriate protective measures with relevant, scalable additional support in the event of a pandemic or another emergency.

The UKHSA has also published COVID-19 guidance, last updated in May 2024, for those individuals whose immune system means they are at higher risk. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of establishing a cross-departmental taskforce for immunocompromised patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last issued guidance for clinicians on treating immunocompromised patients in health settings.

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

NHS England Specialised Commissioning has recently updated the specialist immunology service specification for adults with deficient immune systems, named the Specialist immunology services for adults with deficient immune systems. This sets out the standards of care that providers of specialist immunology services are expected to meet, including with regards to treatment and monitoring. Further information on the service specification is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/specialist-immunology-adults-service-specification.pdf

The clinical commissioning policy for the use of therapeutic immunoglobulin in England has also recently been updated. The updated document describes all conditions for which therapeutic immunoglobulin is commissioned, including autoimmune conditions, and provides details on the role, dose, and place of therapeutic immunoglobulin in the treatment pathway for individual indications, alongside possible alternative treatment options for use of therapeutic immunoglobulin in both adults and children. Further information on the policy is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ccp-for-the-use-of-therapeutic-immunoglobulin-england-2025.pdf

Sub Regional Immunoglobulin Assessment Panels (SRIAPs) are in place to provide immunoglobulin stewardship and oversight in line with this policy. In April 2025, a new framework for the supply of immunoglobulin will begin. In March 2025, NHS England Specialised Commissioning provided advice to the SRIAPs regarding patient access to immunoglobulin products, with the introduction of the new framework.

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold data centrally on the exact numbers of those who are clinically defined as immunocompromised. However, a recently published paper in the Journal of Infection identified 477,335 immunocompromised individuals aged 12 years old and over in England. This research paper is available at the following link:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016344532500026X

NHS England Specialised Commissioning is developing a patient information sheet to outline the changes to the range of immunoglobulin products available on the National Health Service. It is intended to support patients who rely on immunoglobulin treatment and may be required to switch to a different immunoglobulin product. This will be shared with patient organisations and clinical teams in April 2025.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is committed to working with partners, including NHS England and the Department, to protect the health of immunocompromised patients in the context of infectious disease hazards. Engaging with the Immunocompromised Coalition and other charities supporting vulnerable individuals, in partnership with the Department and the NHS as part of pandemic preparedness, is an important activity for the UKHSA. It enables the prompt implementation of appropriate protective measures with relevant, scalable additional support in the event of a pandemic or another emergency.

The UKHSA has also published COVID-19 guidance, last updated in May 2024, for those individuals whose immune system means they are at higher risk. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of establishing a cross-departmental taskforce for immunocompromised patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the United Kingdom are clinically defined as immunocompromised.

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

NHS England Specialised Commissioning has recently updated the specialist immunology service specification for adults with deficient immune systems, named the Specialist immunology services for adults with deficient immune systems. This sets out the standards of care that providers of specialist immunology services are expected to meet, including with regards to treatment and monitoring. Further information on the service specification is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/specialist-immunology-adults-service-specification.pdf

The clinical commissioning policy for the use of therapeutic immunoglobulin in England has also recently been updated. The updated document describes all conditions for which therapeutic immunoglobulin is commissioned, including autoimmune conditions, and provides details on the role, dose, and place of therapeutic immunoglobulin in the treatment pathway for individual indications, alongside possible alternative treatment options for use of therapeutic immunoglobulin in both adults and children. Further information on the policy is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ccp-for-the-use-of-therapeutic-immunoglobulin-england-2025.pdf

Sub Regional Immunoglobulin Assessment Panels (SRIAPs) are in place to provide immunoglobulin stewardship and oversight in line with this policy. In April 2025, a new framework for the supply of immunoglobulin will begin. In March 2025, NHS England Specialised Commissioning provided advice to the SRIAPs regarding patient access to immunoglobulin products, with the introduction of the new framework.

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold data centrally on the exact numbers of those who are clinically defined as immunocompromised. However, a recently published paper in the Journal of Infection identified 477,335 immunocompromised individuals aged 12 years old and over in England. This research paper is available at the following link:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016344532500026X

NHS England Specialised Commissioning is developing a patient information sheet to outline the changes to the range of immunoglobulin products available on the National Health Service. It is intended to support patients who rely on immunoglobulin treatment and may be required to switch to a different immunoglobulin product. This will be shared with patient organisations and clinical teams in April 2025.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is committed to working with partners, including NHS England and the Department, to protect the health of immunocompromised patients in the context of infectious disease hazards. Engaging with the Immunocompromised Coalition and other charities supporting vulnerable individuals, in partnership with the Department and the NHS as part of pandemic preparedness, is an important activity for the UKHSA. It enables the prompt implementation of appropriate protective measures with relevant, scalable additional support in the event of a pandemic or another emergency.

The UKHSA has also published COVID-19 guidance, last updated in May 2024, for those individuals whose immune system means they are at higher risk. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of establishing a cross-departmental taskforce for immunocompromised patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when did his Department last issue guidance to patients that are immunocompromised.

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

NHS England Specialised Commissioning has recently updated the specialist immunology service specification for adults with deficient immune systems, named the Specialist immunology services for adults with deficient immune systems. This sets out the standards of care that providers of specialist immunology services are expected to meet, including with regards to treatment and monitoring. Further information on the service specification is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/specialist-immunology-adults-service-specification.pdf

The clinical commissioning policy for the use of therapeutic immunoglobulin in England has also recently been updated. The updated document describes all conditions for which therapeutic immunoglobulin is commissioned, including autoimmune conditions, and provides details on the role, dose, and place of therapeutic immunoglobulin in the treatment pathway for individual indications, alongside possible alternative treatment options for use of therapeutic immunoglobulin in both adults and children. Further information on the policy is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ccp-for-the-use-of-therapeutic-immunoglobulin-england-2025.pdf

Sub Regional Immunoglobulin Assessment Panels (SRIAPs) are in place to provide immunoglobulin stewardship and oversight in line with this policy. In April 2025, a new framework for the supply of immunoglobulin will begin. In March 2025, NHS England Specialised Commissioning provided advice to the SRIAPs regarding patient access to immunoglobulin products, with the introduction of the new framework.

Neither the Department nor NHS England hold data centrally on the exact numbers of those who are clinically defined as immunocompromised. However, a recently published paper in the Journal of Infection identified 477,335 immunocompromised individuals aged 12 years old and over in England. This research paper is available at the following link:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016344532500026X

NHS England Specialised Commissioning is developing a patient information sheet to outline the changes to the range of immunoglobulin products available on the National Health Service. It is intended to support patients who rely on immunoglobulin treatment and may be required to switch to a different immunoglobulin product. This will be shared with patient organisations and clinical teams in April 2025.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is committed to working with partners, including NHS England and the Department, to protect the health of immunocompromised patients in the context of infectious disease hazards. Engaging with the Immunocompromised Coalition and other charities supporting vulnerable individuals, in partnership with the Department and the NHS as part of pandemic preparedness, is an important activity for the UKHSA. It enables the prompt implementation of appropriate protective measures with relevant, scalable additional support in the event of a pandemic or another emergency.

The UKHSA has also published COVID-19 guidance, last updated in May 2024, for those individuals whose immune system means they are at higher risk. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of establishing a cross-departmental taskforce for immunocompromised patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which Department or agency leads on the Cross Government Working Level Group on Indoor Air Quality; how often it has met since Public Health England closed in September 2021; and which Ministers are involved in its meetings.

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

The Department co-ordinated the Cross Government Working Level Group on Indoor Air Quality following the closure of Public Health England in September 2021. Since that date the group has met five times, most recently in July 2023. Ministers have not attended this official-level group. Government departments involved in the group have included the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Education, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Department for Transport, as well as the Scottish Government, the UK Health Security Agency, and the Health and Safety Executive.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the sustainability of local brain injury reablement services.

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

The Government wants a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition such as an acquired brain injury (ABI), receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care.

The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention met the original proponent of the ABI strategy, Sir Chris Bryant MP, at the end of 2024 to discuss acquired brain injuries and had a very fruitful discussion about what might be achievable in both the short and long term. Sir Chris remains a huge advocate for those that have suffered from an ABI, and the Department fully agrees with him that the Government should, and importantly will, do more.

As such, whilst no assessment been made on the sustainability of local brain injury reablement services, the Department and NHS England are keen to showcase those areas that have effectively integrated post-hospital care and support, including rehabilitation, to other areas where patients are not getting the care and support they deserve.

A decision on the next steps for ABIs at the national level will be taken in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many families are receiving Healthy Start in Islington North constituency.

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

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/

The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start. The number of people on the scheme in March 2025 in Islington North was 1,763.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many families receive support under the Healthy Start scheme in York.

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

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/

The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start. The number of people on the scheme in March 2025 in York was 595.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of participating in the EU4Health programme as a third country.

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

A closer, more cooperative relationship with the European Union is in the United Kingdom’s national interest, and we are working to identify areas where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit. However, the UK currently has no plans to join the EU4Health programme as an associated third country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that Parkinson’s Disease services across England are supported to provide the full range of NICE-approved treatment options to eligible patients in a timely manner.

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

We have delivered an additional two million appointments in England, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments. These additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology.

We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. A central and core part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients, including for those with Parkinson’s, across our communities.

There are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with Parkinson’s disease in England, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP).

The GIRFT National Specialty Report made recommendations designed to improve services nationally and to support the NHS to deliver care more equitably across the country. The report highlighted differences in how services are delivered, and provided the opportunity to share successful initiatives between trusts to improve patient services nationally. In addition, the NTP has developed a model of integrated care for neurology services to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, which includes providing care closer to home.

Once diagnosed, and with a management strategy in place, the majority of people with Parkinson’s can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. NHS England commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 27 neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals, including Parkinson’s disease nurses, psychologists, and allied health professionals such as dieticians and speech and language therapists, and that they can receive specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.

In addition, in February 2024, a new treatment for advanced-stage Parkinson’s, foslevodopa–foscarbidopa, was rolled out in the NHS. It has been shown to improve motor function, with patients experiencing longer periods of time without dyskinesia.

The NHS in England is legally required to make funding available for treatments recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal guidance. If there are any concerns with the availability of a NICE-recommended treatment in a particular area, they should be raised with the local ICB in the first instance.

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 adequacy of the NHS's genomic testing capacity for patients diagnosed with cancer.

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

Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes tests for over 200 cancer clinical indications, and which sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing.

In the 2019 NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England set the commitment to offer whole genome sequencing as part of routine care, including for children with cancer and for adults suffering from specific cancers. The latest data, from April 2024 to December 2024, showed cancer genomic testing activity of 129,610, which was half of all types of genomic testing in the same period.

To support more extensive cancer genomic testing, NHS England is working to ensure collaboration between pathology and genomics networks to address issues, including capacity, networking, and optimisation of cancer tissue pathways.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding for domestic plasma collection; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such funding on supply chains, in the context of the UK’s reliance on US plasma imports.

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

The Department, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), and NHS England are working in partnership to develop a more sufficient and resilient supply of plasma, reducing the need for reliance on imports of plasma derived medicines.

A new end-to-end supply chain has been built, enabling the first National Health Service patients to receive life-saving plasma treatments made from the blood of United Kingdom donors in March, and increasing self-sufficiency for plasma derived medicines, specifically for immunoglobulins, from 0% to 25% self-sufficiency, and for albumin, from 0% to 80% self-sufficiency.

NHSBT has incorporated plasma collection into its business model, enabling growth in domestic plasma collection. This includes the use of modern automated collection technologies, used to enhance efficiency and consistency in the donation process. NHSBT is currently exploring future locations to expand its collection footprint and develop more donor centres.

Plasma collection is benefitting from the Department’s investment in NHSBT’s work to increase blood collection capacity and resilience, as plasma is collected from whole blood donations as well as dedicated plasma donation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding for plasma (a) collection and (b) automation technologies; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such funding on the resilience of plasma-derived medicine supply chains.

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

The Department, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), and NHS England are working in partnership to develop a more sufficient and resilient supply of plasma, reducing the need for reliance on imports of plasma derived medicines.

A new end-to-end supply chain has been built, enabling the first National Health Service patients to receive life-saving plasma treatments made from the blood of United Kingdom donors in March, and increasing self-sufficiency for plasma derived medicines, specifically for immunoglobulins, from 0% to 25% self-sufficiency, and for albumin, from 0% to 80% self-sufficiency.

NHSBT has incorporated plasma collection into its business model, enabling growth in domestic plasma collection. This includes the use of modern automated collection technologies, used to enhance efficiency and consistency in the donation process. NHSBT is currently exploring future locations to expand its collection footprint and develop more donor centres.

Plasma collection is benefitting from the Department’s investment in NHSBT’s work to increase blood collection capacity and resilience, as plasma is collected from whole blood donations as well as dedicated plasma donation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to consult on the temporary exemption for sporting and cultural events at associated premises to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

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

From 26 April 2024 to 21 June 2024, a public consultation was run to gather views on the Government’s proposal. An easy read version was then made available from 13 August 2024 to 27 September 2024. The Government’s response to the consultation was published on 18 December 2024. A copy of the consultation response can be viewed on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-regulations-relating-to-the-care-quality-commission/outcome/government-response-to-the-results-of-the-consultation-on-changing-regulations-relating-to-the-cqc#:~:text=Across%20the%20easy%20read%20and,72%20hours%20of%20its%20use..

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of speech and language therapy posts are vacant in (a) each Integrated Care Board and (b) England.

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

The Department does not hold information on the number of speech and language therapist posts which are vacant.

NHS England publishes quarterly NHS hospital trust vacancy and job advert data. This data identifies vacancy rates for total NHS staff and also separately for registered nurses and doctors at a national and regional level but is not detailed enough to identify vacancy rates for speech and language therapists.

The vacancy statistics are published at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-vacancies-survey

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to the NHS of missed appointments by children and young people with cancer due to unaffordable travel costs.

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

The Department knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families. NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of their local communities are met, including providing support for travel.

The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.

Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also a number of charities in the United Kingdom who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.

The Department has not made an estimate of the potential cost to the NHS of missed appointments by children and young people with cancer due to travel costs. On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The Taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The Taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce a fund to support young cancer patients and their families in access to treatment and care.

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

The Department knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families. NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of their local communities are met, including providing support for travel.

The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.

Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also a number of charities in the United Kingdom who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.

The Department has not made an estimate of the potential cost to the NHS of missed appointments by children and young people with cancer due to travel costs. On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The Taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The Taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve access to preventative intervention for patients at risk of lower-limb amputation.

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

For patients at risk of lower-limb amputation, including those diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI), timely interventions for revascularisation are crucial, along with preventative measures and early diagnosis.

In 2022, NHS England commissioned a two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework (PAD-QIF), which aims to reduce delays in assessment, investigation, and revascularisation in patients with CLTI and in turn amputation rates.

Alongside this, NHS England has implemented a range of initiatives aimed at improving prevention and early diagnosis of conditions which increase the risk of needing lower-limb amputations. These include NHS Health Checks for early detection of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, and expanding community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to improve early detection.

The 10-Year Health Plan, once published, will set out the Government's overarching vision for delivering the critical shift from a focus on treating illness to preventing conditions such as CVD.

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 20 March 2025 to Question 38182 on LGBT+ People: Fertility, whether his Department plans to remove the requirement for female same sex couples to self-find prior to accessing IVF services on the NHS.

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

The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues on joint advice from the Department and NHS England about the offer around NHS-funded fertility services, including the issues for female same sex couples.

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. We expect these organisations to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England. The NICE is currently reviewing these guidelines.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 10 March (HL5185), how many of the 1,010 full-time equivalent employees working for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will be tasked with working on the prevention of gambling harms under the gambling statutory levy.

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

There is currently a project team of four working directly on the establishment of the gambling prevention commissioning programme of work, within the wider Alcohol and Gambling policy team. The team also draws on analytical, financial, and legal specialists from across the Department to support policy development. As work progresses on the development of the future approach to prevention, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will consider any additional resource requirements.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 10 March (HL5185), how many of the 1,010 full-time equivalent employees working for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities are working on problem gambling and gambling harms.

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

There is currently a project team of four working directly on the establishment of the gambling prevention commissioning programme of work, within the wider Alcohol and Gambling policy team. The team also draws on analytical, financial, and legal specialists from across the Department to support policy development. As work progresses on the development of the future approach to prevention, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will consider any additional resource requirements.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of people who were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in (a) Bournemouth and (b) South West England for each of the past five years.

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

The following table shows the number of HIV diagnoses, and the number of those diagnoses that were first diagnosed in the United Kingdom, for Bournemouth and the South West region, from 2019 to 2023:

Further information on the number of people diagnosed with HIV by local authority and health region is publicly available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/sexualhealth/data#page/4/gid/1938133286/pat/15/par/E92000001/ati/6/are/E12000009/iid/91818/age/1/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1/page-options/car-do-0

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve children's facilities in hospitals.

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

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever across the United Kingdom. This involves ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it. To make children’s services better, we are changing the National Health Service through our 10-Year Health Plan, to make it fit for the future. The plan will be published in June 2025.

Health is a devolved matter, and it is the responsibility of the individual devolved administrations to commission comprehensive healthcare based on population need.

Guidance has been provided to the NHS on the provision of children’s facilities in hospitals in the best practice guidance, Hospital accommodation for children and young people, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/HBN_23.pdf

NHS England has work currently ongoing with the Starlight Foundation to produce recommended guidelines, standards, and checklists for designing health play services for babies, children, and young people.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make an assessment of the (a) adequacy of the requirement for UK-produced phages to be manufactured under good manufacturing practice and (b) potential impact of this requirement on patient access to treatment.

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

In the March 2024 response to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee’s report on bacteriophages, the Government acknowledged the challenges of requiring United Kingdom-produced phages to meet Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, which is essential for clinical use.

To address this, the Government committed to exploring the case for a dedicated GMP facility to support phage innovators, working with key stakeholders, including funders and research organisations, to strengthen the UK’s phage manufacturing capabilities and thereby improve patient access to these therapies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission in (a) Bournemouth West constituency, (b) the South West and (c) areas with high prevalence of HIV.

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

The HIV Action Plan was published in 2022 and sets out steps to reduce HIV transmission between 2019 and 2025, including the importance of HIV testing, access to pre-exposure prophylaxis, and for those who test positive, rapid access to treatment. A new HIV Action Plan will be published in 2025.

The HIV Action Plan was written to be implemented at both the national and local level. The HIV Action Plan is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/towards-zero-the-hiv-action-plan-for-england-2022-to-2025

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 31 March 2025 to Question 41063 on Low Alcohol Drinks: Labelling and Marketing, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of amending labelling regulations on pubs.

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

While the Government has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of amending labelling regulations on no or low alcohol products in pubs, work continues across the Government to better understand how we can reduce alcohol-related harms by exploring potential opportunities, including changes to alcohol labelling.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of general practice staff that received the 2024 pay increase in full.

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

For 2024/25, we accepted the recommendations of the Doctors' and Dentists' Pay Review Body in full, and the pay element of the GP Contract was uplifted by 6% on a consolidated basis, through an increase of 4% on top of the 2% interim uplift in April, to provide practices with the funding to uplift general practice (GP) partner, salaried GP, and other salaried staff pay by 6%. The uplift is backdated to April 2024, and it was our expectation that this funding should be passed on to all salaried GP staff.

As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is for practices to determine uplifts in pay for their employees within the agreed GP Contract funding envelope. The Department does not centrally hold information on pay for salaried staff in GPs, nor could we provide a breakdown by gender. The data in the annual GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates is based on partner, contractor, and GP tax returns. Further information on the GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/gp-earnings-and-expenses-estimates/2020-21?key=I2IiJBo2P3DKdCqny5NcDpglRExoUa4d6Q6VkCGWQzX7ewE8OL3O1ZiI3lQBMduR

For 2025/26, we are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. The 7.2% cash growth, estimated to be 4.8% of real growth on overall 2024/25 contract costs, on the contract funding envelope includes funding for an assumed increase in salaries of 2.8% in 2025/26. Once the Department has received the recommendations for GPs for 2025/26 from the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Renumeration, it will be considered in the usual way.

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 independent pharmacy closures on (a) local GP capacity, (b) hospital capacity, (c) the healthcare needs of the local community and (d) local pharmacists in need of employment.

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

The impact of any specific pharmacy closure will differ depending on the remaining access to health services in the area. We monitor access carefully and in general, access to pharmacies in England continues to be good, with 80% of people able to reach a pharmacy within a 20 minute-walk and twice as many pharmacies in the most deprived areas. We continue to support those in areas where there are fewer pharmacies through the Pharmacy Access Scheme. Additionally, in rural areas where there is no pharmacy, general practitioners are permitted to dispense medicines. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the nearly 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients and deliver other services remotely.

Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served, and must keep these assessments under review in the interim. Integrated care boards must give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications to open new pharmacies in their areas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department plans to have with general practice nursing staff on the development of the general practice contract for 2026-27.

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

As in previous years, the Department will engage with a range of stakeholders and will consult with the profession on the GP Contract for 2026/27. More details will be communicated in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS GP surgeries have closed in each year since 2010; and how many new NHS GP surgeries have been built in each of those years.

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

The Department does not hold this information centrally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of funding for the 2025-26 general practice contract in England will be allocated to the general practice nursing workforce.

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

We hugely value the critical role that general practice (GP) nurses play and are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community.

GPs are independent businesses, providing GP services to their local populations under an NHS contract. Practices have autonomy in deciding how to provide services, including their workforce mix, in order to deliver their contracts.

We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

The investment includes funding for an assumed increase in GP staff salaries of 2.8% in 2025/26. Once the Department has received the recommendations for GPs for 2025/26 from the independent Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Renumeration, it will be considered in the usual way.

As self-employed contractors to the NHS, it is for practices to determine uplifts in pay for their employees within the agreed GP Contract funding envelope.

The contract changes for 2025/26 also include increased flexibilities for the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, to allow primary care networks to better respond to local workforce needs. Practice nurses have also been added to the scheme, with no restrictions on the numbers or type of staff able to be funded through the scheme.

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 impact of the abolition of NHS England on (a) (i) autism and (ii) ADHD assessments and (b) other functions of the Patient Choice department.

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

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. We will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for all patients, driving productivity up, and getting waiting times down.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending Early Intervention in Psychosis services to include people with bipolar who do not experience psychosis.

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

Early Intervention in Psychosis services provide evidence-based, specialist interventions, and treatment for individuals presenting with psychosis. These services recognise that bipolar disorder diagnoses can be uncertain and are therefore available to individuals irrespective of their diagnosis, including individuals experiencing bipolar 1 and bipolar 2.

The aim is for individuals who experience psychosis as part of a manic episode to be seen by an early intervention in psychosis service within two weeks of referral. If an individual experiences mood disturbance over time, bipolar disorder may be identified and treated.

Early Intervention in Psychosis services are not affective disorder services. It would therefore not be appropriate to extend services to individuals who are not experiencing psychosis. Individuals with bipolar 2 who do not experience mania or psychosis will receive support and treatment from primary care and community mental health teams as appropriate.

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 2 April 2025 to Question 42329 on General Practitioners: Finance, if he will list the (a) job roles and (b) areas of specialism used to compile salary data; and what those salaries were in (i) 2000-01 and (ii) 2024-25.

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

The Market Forces Factor used in the Carr-Hill formula was estimated from a statistical model using all employees, anonymised, in the New Earnings Survey. The New Earnings Survey is undertaken by the Office for National Statistics, and is based on a 1% sample of employees in employment, information on whose earnings and hours is obtained in confidence from employers. It does not cover the self-employed.

The model included factors such as industry, occupation, and the age of each employee, to remove the modelled impact of these on earnings and thereby identify differences in earnings due to geographical location alone. The geographical earnings differentials form the Market Forces Factor in the Carr-Hill formula. There are no modelled earnings by geographical location for 2024/25.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) his Department and (b) the National Institute for Health Research have commissioned (i) research and (ii) evaluation on systemic racism in maternity services.

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

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The NIHR Research Inclusion Strategy 2022-2027 sets out how the NIHR will become a more inclusive funder of research and widen access to participation in clinical trials for under-represented groups such as pregnant women and ethnic minorities. In addition to these priorities, the NIHR will specifically consider intersectionality, recognising that multiple social identities overlap to exacerbate the experience of inequities.

The NIHR is actively supporting research to address disparities and improve equity in maternity services, including projects focussed on racism and its impact on maternal health. For example, the NIHR has supported research to understand how multiple inequalities, including racism, shape postnatal mental health among Black Caribbean and Black African women. The NIHR is also funding a study which is undertaking a wider exploration of the harms that health and social care services can cause the African-Caribbean communities in the United Kingdom. This study will explore how health researchers can work more positively with people of African-Caribbean heritage; to start having conversations about the harms that health and social care services can cause to these communities and determine how research and practice in this area can improve.

In addition, in March 2024, the NIHR launched a £50 million ‘Challenge’ funding call for research to tackle inequalities in maternity care bringing together experts across the country into a new consortium. The research carried out by the consortium will focus on inequalities before, during and after pregnancy and identify specific areas where measurable improvements can be made.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of maternal health, including research on systemic racism in maternity 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 establish specialist care pathways for people with bipolar to (a) improve treatment and (b) reduce the levels of misdiagnosis

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

We recognise that there can often be a long time taken to diagnose bipolar disorder because of under-reporting, the episodic nature of the condition, and the prevalence of comorbid conditions in individuals.

We are committed to increasing access to community mental health services for people with severe mental illness, including those with bipolar disorder. The community mental health framework, developed by NHS England, sets out the National Health Service’s vision for transforming community mental health services. This includes ensuring that services are needs led and that individuals do not require a specific diagnosis or care pathway to access care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the average time taken to diagnose bipolar disorder in line with early intervention targets for other conditions

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

We recognise that there can often be a long time taken to diagnose bipolar disorder because of under-reporting, the episodic nature of the condition, and the prevalence of comorbid conditions in individuals.

We are committed to increasing access to community mental health services for people with severe mental illness, including those with bipolar disorder. The community mental health framework, developed by NHS England, sets out the National Health Service’s vision for transforming community mental health services. This includes ensuring that services are needs led and that individuals do not require a specific diagnosis or care pathway to access care.

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 the availability of mental health services in Bournemouth West constituency.

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

It is the responsibility of the NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board to make available adequate and appropriate provision to meet the mental health needs of the people in Bournemouth.

Nationally, we know that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services across England are too long.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, introduce open access Young Futures hubs in communities, and recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to cut wait times and provide faster treatment.

Despite the challenging fiscal environment, the Government has chosen to prioritise funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support schemes, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the root cause of mental health issues and providing support for people with severe mental illness to contribute to the economy by remaining in or returning to work.

We have also committed £26 million in capital investment to open new mental health crisis centres, reducing pressure on the busy mental health and accident and emergency services, and ensuring people have the support they need 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 estimate his Department has made of the cost to community pharmacies of the rise in (a) business rates and (b) the National Minimum Wage from 1 April 2025.

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

We have taken the necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.

The Department has considered the increases in the National Living Wage when consulting on the funding arrangements for community pharmacy. We have now agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion from April 2025. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

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 31 March 2025 to Question 40751 on GP Practice Lists, how the standardised mortality ratio for people aged under 65 years old is calculated in each constituency.

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

The standardised mortality ratio for those aged under 65 years old is calculated by multiplying the number of people in each age group under 65 years old, within an area, by the national average death rate for each age group.

This is calculated at a ward level, with no constituency-level data calculated or used.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of female staff working in general practice not receiving the 2024 pay increase in full.

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

For 2024/25, we accepted the recommendations of the Doctors' and Dentists' Pay Review Body in full, and the pay element of the GP Contract was uplifted by 6% on a consolidated basis, through an increase of 4% on top of the 2% interim uplift in April, to provide practices with the funding to uplift general practice (GP) partner, salaried GP, and other salaried staff pay by 6%. The uplift is backdated to April 2024, and it was our expectation that this funding should be passed on to all salaried GP staff.

As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is for practices to determine uplifts in pay for their employees within the agreed GP Contract funding envelope. The Department does not centrally hold information on pay for salaried staff in GPs, nor could we provide a breakdown by gender. The data in the annual GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates is based on partner, contractor, and GP tax returns. Further information on the GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/gp-earnings-and-expenses-estimates/2020-21?key=I2IiJBo2P3DKdCqny5NcDpglRExoUa4d6Q6VkCGWQzX7ewE8OL3O1ZiI3lQBMduR

For 2025/26, we are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. The 7.2% cash growth, estimated to be 4.8% of real growth on overall 2024/25 contract costs, on the contract funding envelope includes funding for an assumed increase in salaries of 2.8% in 2025/26. Once the Department has received the recommendations for GPs for 2025/26 from the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Renumeration, it will be considered in the usual way.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution in response to the hon. Member for Christchurch of 25 March 2025, Official Report, column 773, whether he has received an update from the Dorset Integrated Care Board about the Burton Branch Surgery application.

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

The NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB) has received applications to open a branch surgery in the Village of Burton, near Christchurch in Dorset. Applications are currently going through the ICB governance process, which is expected to conclude following the ICB Prevention, Equity and Outcomes Committee on 23 April.

Following a local practice closure in August 2024, the ICB is assessing capacity in the area, which remains good. Access to general practice (GP) services for local residents remains very good, with a choice of five practices in the Christchurch area that are all accepting new patients and growing their lists. The NHS Dorset ICB is engaging with local partners, other GP practices, and the Wessex Local Medical Committees to ensure views are collated while going through our governance processes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on increasing the availability of (a) methylphenidate and (b) pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy.

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

As a result of intensive work, some issues with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medicines have resolved. All strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, atomoxetine oral solution, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.

However, whilst supply of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets has greatly improved, some issues persist. We are continuing to work to resolve these remaining issues by engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets and capsules to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to build further capacity to support the continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. The Department is also working with new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to improve supply and resiliency for the United Kingdom’s market.

The Department is continuing to engage with all suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to mitigate the supply issue that is affecting the whole of the UK. Through this, we have managed to secure additional volumes of PERT for 2025 for the UK. We are continuing to work with all suppliers to understand what more can be done to add further resilience to the market. The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.

In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the abolition of NHS England does not lead to a loss of institutional knowledge critical to NHS operations.

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

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation.

There are talented, dedicated public servants working across the country, and at every level, of NHS England and the Department. The transition team will be working at pace to develop plans for the future to give certainty to those with the talent and skills needed for the future and ensure they are retained.

As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

As we work through the next steps on merging the two organisations, we will be putting in place plans to ensure there are no risks to patient safety and that critical information and systems are effectively transferred.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 34747, when responsibility for oversight and funding of the National Lung Screening Programme will transfer from NHS England to his Department.

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

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation. This reform is about devolving resources and responsibility to the frontline, thereby empowering staff to focus on delivering better care for patients.

As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds, and will put plans in place to ensure continuity of care. We recognise the importance of lung cancer screening and are committed to ensuring its continuity during the transformation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that the planned reductions in headcount in NHS England and his Department do not result in disruption to the implementation of lung cancer screening.

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

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation. This reform is about devolving resources and responsibility to the frontline, thereby empowering staff to focus on delivering better care for patients.

As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds, and will put plans in place to ensure continuity of care. We recognise the importance of lung cancer screening and are committed to ensuring its continuity during the transformation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the effective continuation of existing contracts and agreements currently held by NHS England after it is abolished.

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

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds, and will put plans in place to ensure continuity of care.

The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. We will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up, and getting waiting times down.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, from what date Baroness Casey is contracted to start work on the social care commission.

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

Baroness Casey of Blackstock will start work on her independent commission into adult social care later this month, April 2025. Baroness Casey of Blackstock and her team are currently in the process of setting up the Independent Commission, ahead of its formal launch.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review the regulations on the sale of energy drinks to children under the age of 16.

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

As set out in the King’s Speech, we plan to bring forward the necessary secondary legislation to deliver on our commitment to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16 years old.

We are developing plans which consider the potential impact of high-caffeine energy drinks on children, and will set these out in a consultation in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of NHS England's staff were clinically qualified as of 1 March 2025.

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

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

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 brain injury survivors have access to community-based specialist neurorehabilitation services.

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

The Government wants a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition such as an acquired brain injury (ABI), receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently developing guidance ‘Rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders including acquired brain injury’, which is expected to be published in September 2025. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10181

The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention along with officials met the original proponent of the ABI strategy, Sir Chris Bryant MP, at the end of 2024 to discuss ABI, and had a useful discussion about what might be achievable in both the short term and the longer term. Sir Chris remains a huge advocate for those that have suffered an ABI, and the Department fully agrees with him that the Government should, and importantly will, do more. The Department and NHS England are keen to showcase those areas that have effectively integrated post-hospital care and support, including rehabilitation, to other areas where patients are not getting the care and support they deserve.

A decision on next steps on ABI at the national level will be taken in due course.

More widely, our 10-Year Health Plan will deliver three big shifts from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including ABI, closer to home.

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 the provisions outlined in his Department's press release entitled Crack teams get patients off waiting lists at twice the speed, published on 16 March 2025, on people in Bedfordshire.

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

The Government is committed to putting patients first, and we have wasted no time in getting to work cutting National Health Service waiting lists and ensuring people have the best possible experience during their care.

Further Faster 20 (FF20) is a scheme to tackle waiting lists through targeted support to improve and streamline pathways for patients at 20 trusts in areas with high levels of economic inactivity. The latest data from October 2024 to January 2025 shows that waiting lists in areas with an FF20 trust have, on average, been reduced at more than double the rate of the rest of the country, falling 130% faster in areas where the Government’s scheme is in action, compared to the national average. A total of 37,000 cases have been removed from waiting lists in those 20 areas, averaging almost 2,000 patients per local trust. Following the success of the programme, the Government has confirmed that this initiative will be rolled out to additional providers this year, to boost NHS productivity and cut waiting times.

The Bedfordshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was not one of the 20 trusts targeted through the FF20 scheme, though the trust may access the resources of the wider Further Faster programme, which was rolled out to all trusts in March 2024.

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 4 March 2025 to Question 35462 on Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy shortages, what the (a) dates and (b) attendees were of meetings held with (i) clinicians, (ii) patient advocacy groups, (iii) affected charities, and (iv) manufacturers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy to discuss (A) shortages and (B) steps to increase supply.

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

The Department is in regular discussions with the suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy on the latest stock availability and the actions being taken to mitigate the supply issue that is affecting the whole of the United Kingdom. We have had discussions with representatives from UK and global supply teams, and will continue these meetings to understand what more can be done to add further resilience to the UK market.

The Department has worked with specialist clinicians from impacted therapeutic areas, the Medicine Shortage Response Group, and the Specialist Pharmacy Service to devise guidance for healthcare professionals with comprehensive management advice for the treatment of patients during this time.

The Department meets regularly with the affected patient advocacy groups and charities, including Pancreatic Cancer UK, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Guts UK, and Neuroendocrine Cancer UK to ensure they are kept informed on the latest supply picture and any communications issued to healthcare professionals.

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 4 March 2025 to Question 35462 on Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy shortages, if he will publish the volume of unlicensed pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy stock imported since 1 January 2024.

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

The Department does not hold details on the volume of unlicensed pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) stock imported since 1 January 2024. The Department continues to work with specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a webpage to include easily accessible advice on the prescribing and ordering of alternative PERT products, including unlicensed imports where licensed stock is unavailable.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the provision of pacemakers and implanted defibrillators.

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

The volume of implantable devices purchased by cardiac providers has increased by 22% in 2024/25, when compared with the same period in 2023/24. Commissioned providers determine the need for cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation using a multi-disciplinary team approach, which considers the needs of the individual patient and clinical guidelines.

In 2023/24, approximately 60,000 CIEDs, which includes implantable cardioverter defibrillators and pacemakers, were implanted by National Health Service providers, as per the National Audit of Cardiac Rhythm Management report 2025.

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 Car-Hill formula for funding to GPs in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle.

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

There has been no assessment made of the adequacy of the Carr-Hill formula for funding to general practices (GPs) in Camborne, Redruth, and Hayle.

Plans to review this funding formula may be revisited in future. However, any changes would need careful planning to ensure they do not threaten stability or cause financial uncertainty for practices.

We are committed to ensuring that primary medical services receive appropriate support and resources. We are investing an additional £889 million in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) severance payments and (b) redundancy packages for NHS England staff following the abolition of NHS England.

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

We recognise that there may be some short-term upfront costs as we undertake the integration of NHS England and the Department, but these costs and more will be recouped in future years because of a smaller and leaner centre. By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.

As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of restructuring administrative functions following NHS England’s abolition.

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

We recognise that there may be some short-term upfront costs as we undertake the integration of NHS England and the Department, but these costs and more will be recouped in future years because of a smaller and leaner centre. By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.

As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress each NHS Trust providing maternity services has made on implementing each of the immediate and essential actions set out in the Final report of the Ockenden review, published on 30 March 2022.

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

All of the recommendations made by Donna Ockenden in her review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust in 2022 were accepted, including the requests made to the Government, the health system more widely, and the trust. Following publication of the Ockenden review, NHS England wrote to all trusts and systems asking them to deliver the recommendations and report to their public boards.

To support this delivery, the three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services brought together the immediate and essential actions from the Ockenden review with those from other reports and guidance. The National Health Service’s operational planning guidance sets out the expectation that trusts should implement the key actions from the plan. In accordance with the NHS operating framework, it is for integrated care boards to oversee local progress with this. The technical guidance which accompanies the plan sets out how we are monitoring progress at a national level.

The plan aims to grow the maternity workforce, develop a culture of safety, and ensure women receive safe, compassionate care across the country. NHS England is in the second year of delivery, and progress has been made across the four themes to improve outcomes and experiences for women and their babies.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust has seen a significant improvement in overall midwifery staffing levels. The trust has enhanced its senior and specialist midwifery teams to provide additional leadership, expert advice, and support for women and families, as well as the clinical teams. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust now has in place robust training programmes that equip the maternity workforce with up-to-date skills, training, and development, including in the management of emergency scenarios.

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 27 March 2025 to Question 40390 on Data, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, whether his Department plans to implement the recommendations of the Sullivan Review of Data, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender, published on 19 March 2025.

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

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

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 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on health technology assessment methods for evaluating novel therapies for Alzheimer's disease.

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

Department officials have regular discussions with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about a range of topics, including its health technology assessment methods.

The NICE develops its guidance independently on the basis of an assessment of the available evidence, in line with its published health technology evaluation manual. The NICE keeps its methods and processes under review to ensure that they are appropriate to emerging new treatments and aligned with best practice.

The NICE has established a Health Technology Assessment Innovation Laboratory (HTA Lab) that aims to address the challenges that may arise in the assessment of innovative health technologies.

The NICE’s HTA Lab carried out a project to identify the key issues that are likely to emerge during the evaluation of the disease modifying treatments for dementia, including those licensed for Alzheimer’s disease. The project concluded that the NICE’s current approach and methods are appropriate for evaluating these treatments. The report is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/about/what-we-do/our-research-work/hta-lab-projects#dmdts

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 monitor (a) PCSE and (b) Capita's performance in managing the NHS Pension Scheme.

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

The NHS Business Service Authority is the scheme manager for NHS Pensions. NHS England is the employing authority for general practitioners (GPs) and undertakes local pension administration for GPs through Primary Care Support England (PCSE). NHS England has a monthly governance board in place to monitor and assure the delivery of the PCSE service, which includes an assessment of quality and performance indicators.

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 through (a) recruitment and (b) retention practices to increase the diversity of the maternity healthcare professional workforce.

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

Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service employers. NHS England’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion plan, published in 2023, includes a commitment to embed fair and inclusive recruitment processes and talent management strategies that target under-representation and lack of diversity.

Targeted retention work for midwives is being undertaken by NHS England and led by the Chief Nursing Officer. This includes a midwifery and nursing retention self-assessment tool, mentoring schemes, and targeted efforts to improve the diversity of the workforce through four nationally run programmes to develop staff from ethnic minority backgrounds.

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) retain existing and (b) recruit new GPs in Sussex.

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

We are committed to training thousands more general practitioners (GPs) across the country, including in Sussex. We invested an additional £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs.

We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encouraging them to return to practice. We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession and we are tackling morale issues through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge, to improve job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.

The fully qualified GP workforce in Sussex has increased by 6.3% or 51.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) compared to January 2024 and compared with 2.7% nationally or 1,019 FTE.

I understand that the Sussex Primary Care Workforce Plan was developed and published last year, and aims to further develop a sustainable healthcare workforce, ensuring high-quality patient care despite rising demand. The plan prioritises expanding the workforce, improving staff retention, and introducing innovative training methods.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle regional differences in (a) timely and (b) accurate diagnostic rates for dementia.

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

We are committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate (DDR) to the national ambition of 66.7%, which in England, at the end of February 2025, was 65.4%. To support the implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, we have developed a memory service dashboard to support commissioners and providers with appropriate data on the diagnostic pathway and enable targeted support where needed.

To reduce variation in diagnosis rates, OHID’s Dementia Intelligence Network has developed a tool for local systems, which includes an assessment of population characteristics such as rurality and socio-economic deprivation. This enables systems to investigate local variation in diagnosis and take informed action to enhance their diagnosis rates. The tool has been released and is available via the NHS Futures Collaboration platform.

To aid dementia diagnosis and the provision of support in care homes, NHS England funded an evidence-based improvement project to fund two Trusts in each region, which is 14 sites, to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate (DiADeM) protocol. Learning is currently being shared and promoted with regional and local partners following an impact assessment of the pilots. The Department delivers dementia research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into dementia, for example investing nearly £11 million to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia. The NIHR is also partnering with the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Alzheimer’s Society to support a £5.5 million investment in four Dementia Network Plus research grants. One of the Networks, EQUADEM, seeks to address inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care.

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 the recent announcement on the level of employment at Hinchingbrooke Hospital on (a) clinical procedures (b) appointments and (c) work related to the New Hospitals Programme.

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

It is the responsibility of local National Health Service trusts to determine the right level of staffing.

The Government is committed to cutting NHS waiting lists and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care, including at Hinchingbrooke Hospital and across the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust. We have already delivered on our pledge of two million extra elective appointments, and this is just a first step to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the NHS constitutional standard, by March 2029.

Additionally, the New Hospital Programme is prioritising the rebuild of Hinchingbrooke Hospital alongside six other hospitals built primarily from reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, to protect patient and staff safety. It is expected that it will enter construction between 2027 and 2028.

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 effectiveness of NHS England's Right to Choose policy.

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

The Government is committed to giving patients greater choice and control over their care. Patients have a legal right to choose where they go for their first appointment, when referred to consultant-led care as an outpatient.

Currently, however, less than a quarter of patients recall being offered a choice of provider. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the work needed to empower patients with greater choice and control, in order to make informed choices. This includes making the NHS App and the Manage Your Referral website the default routes for patients to choose their provider, and improving the information available to patients to support their decision, such as improved waiting time information.

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 (a) PCSE and (b) Capita's management of the NHS pension scheme.

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

Primary Care Support England’s (PCSE) services are contracted to Capita Business Services Ltd under a contract held by NHS England. As part of the service, PCSE collects general practitioner pension contribution and earnings information and passes this to NHS Pensions, which is administered by the NHS Business Services Authority. NHS England has governance in place to oversee the performance of Capita Business Services Ltd in delivering the PCSE contract in a range of ways. This includes holding PCSE to account for service delivery using key performance indicators, monitoring of complaints, and annual third-party audits.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the abolition of NHS England will require (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c) no legislation.

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

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation.

Primary legislation will be required, and we intend to bring this forward when Parliamentary time allows.

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 (a) the recruitment and (b) levels of training of GPs.

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

We have invested an additional £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) in 2024/25 to enable the recruitment of over 1,000 recently qualified general practitioners (GPs). Under the 2025/26 GP contract changes, the ARRS will become more flexible to allow primary care networks to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots will be combined to create a single pot for the reimbursement of direct patient staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including GPs and practice nurses.

The curriculum for postgraduate training is set by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges for foundation training, and by individual Royal Colleges and faculties for specialty training. The General Medical Council approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. Curricula emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.

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 develop a (a) comprehensive and (b) fully-funded plan to effectively (i) recruit, (ii) train, and (iii) retain a sustainable social care workforce.

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

We are launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. We expect that the commission will look at workforce issues, building on work already underway to provide a career structure, give care professionals greater skills and legislate for the first ever Fair Pay Agreements.

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 levels of (a) early and (b) accurate diagnosis for dementia; and if he will take steps to help increase the use of (i) blood tests and (ii) AI-driven assessments as diagnostic tools.

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

We are committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%, which in England, at the end of February 2025, was 65.4%. To support the implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, we have developed a memory service dashboard to support commissioners and providers with appropriate data on the diagnostic pathway and enable targeted support where needed.

The Department delivers dementia research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into dementia, for example investing nearly £11 million to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia.

To aid dementia diagnosis and provision of support in care homes, NHS England funded an evidence-based improvement project to fund two trusts in each region (14 sites), to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate protocol. Learning is currently being shared and promoted with regional and local partners following an impact assessment of the pilots.

The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme has invested £13 million into three biomarker innovation competitions, which include an AI tool designed to improve the accuracy of blood tests for dementia. Alongside Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the People’s Postcode Lottery, the NIHR is funding the Blood Biomarker Challenge, which seeks to produce the clinical and economic data that could make the case for the use of a blood test in the National Health Service to support improved diagnosis of dementia in the future, if validated for clinical use.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) adults and (b) children currently waiting for an diagnosis of autism.

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

In England, in December 2024, the Autism Waiting Time Statistics show that there were a total of 212,964 patients with an open suspected autism referral. 129,179 of these patients were aged zero to 17 years old, and 83,837 of these patients were aged 18 years old and over. The median waiting time of all patients across England with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 427 days for zero to 17 year olds, and 266 days for over 18 year olds.

It should be noted that since each metric is rounded to the nearest five in the published data, the number of adults and children do not add up to the total number of patients. Data on children and young people in this dataset is expected to be an underestimate and caution should be used when interpreting these statistics, since they are experimental rather than official statistics. The majority of children assessed for autism in the United Kingdom are seen in child development services, which are out of the scope of this dataset. This means the published figures will underestimate the volume of referrals or diagnoses, and the associated impact on health services. NHS England continues to conduct exploratory analysis into the Community Services Dataset, with a view to including autism waiting times data from that dataset.

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 regional inequalities of access to mental health services.

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

The Severe Mental Illness Profile, developed by the Department, aims to help develop an understanding of severe mental illness at a regional and local level. It provides a set of metrics that allow planners, providers, and stakeholders to profile their area and benchmark against similar populations. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile-group/mental-health/profile/severe-mental-illness

The profile shows that new referrals to secondary mental health services increased from 5,960 per 100,000 population in 2017/18, to 6,897 per 100,000 in 2019/20, an increase of 15.7%. In 2019/20, rates varied from 5,618 per 100,000 in the South East, to 8,429 per 100,000 in the West Midlands. Across the three-year period, the greatest increase was seen in the West Midlands, at 22.3%.

Attended contacts with community and outpatient mental health services increased from 26,899 per 100,000 in 2017/18, to 30,674 per 100,000 in 2019/20, an increase 14.1%. In 2019/20, rates varied from 24,950 per 100,000 in the South East, to 45,016 per 100,000 in the North East. Across the three-year period, the greatest increase was again seen in the West Midlands, at 19.9%. The East Midlands region had the lowest increase, of 4.6%.

Inpatient stays in secondary mental health services increased from 239 per 100,000 in 2017/18, to 241 per 100,000 in 2019/20, an increase of 1.2%. In 2019/20, rates varied from 186 per 100,000 for the South West, to 276 per 100,000 in the London region. Across the three-year period, the greatest increase was seen in the East Midlands, at 10.5%. The London region had a decrease of 3.5%. Data for the following years is expected to be published this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of patients received urgent cancer treatment within 62 days of a GP referral in Dorset integrated care board since October 2023.

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

There were 642 diagnoses of cancer within Bournemouth West constituency between January 2024 and December 2024. Between October 2023 and December 2024, within the Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB), there have been 7,157 patients treated. Across this time, 69.2% of those treated were within the 62-day target. Performance as of December 2024 for Dorset ICB is 73.2% and exceeding the 70% recovery target.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of cancer were diagnosed within Bournemouth West constituency in the most recent year for which data is available.

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

There were 642 diagnoses of cancer within Bournemouth West constituency between January 2024 and December 2024. Between October 2023 and December 2024, within the Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB), there have been 7,157 patients treated. Across this time, 69.2% of those treated were within the 62-day target. Performance as of December 2024 for Dorset ICB is 73.2% and exceeding the 70% recovery target.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to other governments regarding the importance of international action to promote the uptake of vaccinations.

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

The United Kingdom continues to be the largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private partnership that works to ensure that 54 of the world’s poorest countries have affordable access to life-saving vaccines. We are providing a further £1.65 billion in financing for the period covering 2026 to 2030.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works in partnership with the devolved administrations to deliver on our commitments to the global elimination of vaccine preventable diseases such as polio, measles, rubella, hepatitis B and C. The UKHSA collaborates closely with international partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), on a range of activities aimed at strengthening routine immunisation programmes and improving uptake.

The UKHSA holds a mandatory role in the WHO’s Expanded Programmes for Immunization to ensure that all children, in all countries, benefit from life-saving vaccines, and is also contributing to work in the European Immunization Agenda 2030. The UKHSA also collaborates with international partners on relevant research, for example the Reducing Inequalities in Vaccine uptake in the European Region – Engaging Underserved communities project.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, sponsored by the Department, supports international work to improve the development of evidence-based advice on vaccination. This includes representation on the global National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) steering committee, and through bilateral and multi-lateral communication with NITAGs globally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the NHS 10 Year Health Plan will include a long-term strategic approach to managing long-term conditions.

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

We have committed to developing a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. While it’s too soon to say exactly what will be in the plan, it will set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with long-term complex health needs.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts, from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. All of these are relevant to managing and improving long-term conditions in all parts of the county.

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Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the introduction of a retailer licensing scheme, as outlined in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be the biggest public health intervention in a generation—tackling the harms of smoking, breaking the cycle of addition, and paving the way for a smoke-free UK. The Bill provides powers for Ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vapes and nicotine products. This will strengthen enforcement and support Trading Standards to crack down on rogue retailers.

The licensing scheme will be introduced in regulations, following consultation on the details of the scheme.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has worked closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, and will continue to do so as the regulations are developed, to ensure the successful implementation of the scheme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spring Statement 2025, whether the abolition of NHS England will be entirely funded by the £150 million included in the transformation fund.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

As announced at Spring Statement the government has allocated £150 million for government employee exit schemes. Information can be found in the Spring Statement supporting documentation here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e3ec2df356a2dc0e39b488/E03274109_HMT_Spring_Statement_Mar_25_Web_Accessible_.pdf. This will be match-funded by a further £150 million from Departments.

On 13 March, the Prime Minister announced that NHS England will be brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care to form a new joint centre.

Exit schemes will enable delivery of leaner, smarter, more efficient government, whilst delivering savings over the medium term.

Departments will bid for funding from this central pot in order to run exit schemes, and therefore the exact details of which Departments will benefit from this and how this will be spent is not yet known.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spring Statement 2025, how many redundancies from NHS England will be paid for from the £150 million included in the transformation fund.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

As announced at Spring Statement the government has allocated £150 million for government employee exit schemes. Information can be found in the Spring Statement supporting documentation here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e3ec2df356a2dc0e39b488/E03274109_HMT_Spring_Statement_Mar_25_Web_Accessible_.pdf. This will be match-funded by a further £150 million from Departments.

On 13 March, the Prime Minister announced that NHS England will be brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care to form a new joint centre.

Exit schemes will enable delivery of leaner, smarter, more efficient government, whilst delivering savings over the medium term.

Departments will bid for funding from this central pot in order to run exit schemes, and therefore the exact details of which Departments will benefit from this and how this will be spent is not yet known.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Oral Statement of 26 March 2025 on the Spring Statement, Official Report, column 945, what proportion of the £150 million included in the transformation fund will be spent on the abolition of NHS England.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

As announced at Spring Statement the government has allocated £150 million for government employee exit schemes. Information can be found in the Spring Statement supporting documentation here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e3ec2df356a2dc0e39b488/E03274109_HMT_Spring_Statement_Mar_25_Web_Accessible_.pdf. This will be match-funded by a further £150 million from Departments.

On 13 March, the Prime Minister announced that NHS England will be brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care to form a new joint centre.

Exit schemes will enable delivery of leaner, smarter, more efficient government, whilst delivering savings over the medium term.

Departments will bid for funding from this central pot in order to run exit schemes, and therefore the exact details of which Departments will benefit from this and how this will be spent is not yet known.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Partnership and Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme on attainment for pupils in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich; and what the cost is per child of the programme.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) is a cross-government programme, backed by £13 million of investment, delivered through collaboration between the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. PINS brings together integrated care boards (ICBs) local authorities and schools, working in partnership with parents and carers to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodivergent children and their families.

The programme which began under the previous government deploys specialists from both health and education workforces to strengthen training for teachers and upskill around 1,600 mainstream primary schools, which equates to approximately 10% of the total number of mainstream primary schools in England. Building teacher and staff capacity to identify and meet the needs of neurodivergent children provides the opportunity to enhance support and improve outcomes for all children in this whole-school approach. As the programme takes this whole-school approach and the benefits support all children, the department would therefore not be able to indicate a specific cost per child.

The department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the PINS programme. This has been designed to look at the implementation of the programme in primary schools and explore the impact on primary schools’ ability to better support neurodiverse pupils. The evaluation includes exploring attainment, and it covers all ICB areas currently participating in the programme.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department plans to provide to (a) fairs, (b) parades and (c) other local community events on the (i) supply and (ii) administration of first aid under Martyn’s Law.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act requires those responsible for certain premises and events to consider how they would respond to a terrorist attack. In addition, appropriate steps to reduce vulnerability to terrorist attacks must also be considered at certain larger premises and events. The Act does not have specific requirements relating to the provision of medical treatment and associated equipment.

Wider work is ongoing to strengthen Healthcare Standards. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is working with partners to put in place updated guidance for health care at events. Once published the Event Healthcare Standard will be assessed in partnership with NHS England to determine whether this standard should become a statutory obligation.

DHSC has also undertaken work with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office and health sector partners to standardise the contents of Public Access Trauma kits.

The Home Office will be issuing statutory guidance, which will assist those responsible for qualifying premises and events in understanding the requirements set out in the legislation. The Home Office will also continue to engage with sectors affected by the legislation, to support them in understanding their obligations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what specific first aid equipment will be required under Martyn’s Law for (a) venues and (b) events; and whether there will be different requirements based on (i) venue size and (ii) risk level.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act requires those responsible for certain premises and events to consider how they would respond to a terrorist attack. In addition, appropriate steps to reduce vulnerability to terrorist attacks must also be considered at certain larger premises and events. The Act does not have specific requirements relating to the provision of medical treatment and associated equipment.

Wider work is ongoing to strengthen Healthcare Standards. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is working with partners to put in place updated guidance for health care at events. Once published the Event Healthcare Standard will be assessed in partnership with NHS England to determine whether this standard should become a statutory obligation.

DHSC has also undertaken work with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office and health sector partners to standardise the contents of Public Access Trauma kits.

The Home Office will be issuing statutory guidance, which will assist those responsible for qualifying premises and events in understanding the requirements set out in the legislation. The Home Office will also continue to engage with sectors affected by the legislation, to support them in understanding their obligations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help improve access to therapy services for children in care.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Children in care and care leavers are significantly more likely to have poor mental health. The department’s latest data shows that two thirds of children become looked after due to abuse or neglect and we know that care experienced adults are at 4 to 5 times greater risk of suicide attempt than their peers. Providing effective support is crucial given the significant trauma that many of these children and young people have experienced and its lasting impact.

To support looked after children, looked after children attract pupil premium plus funding of £2,570 per year. This is managed by the local authority’s virtual school head and can be used to facilitate a wide range of educational support including additional mentoring, tuition, and therapeutic services.

Given our significant concerns for the health and wellbeing of children in care and care leavers, the department is working alongside the Department of Health and Social Care to review and update current statutory guidance on promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children. This guidance sets expectations on local authorities, Directors of Public Health, commissioners of health services for children, NHS England and others, for the promotion of physical, emotional and mental health.

Regulations require an assessment of physical, emotional and mental health needs for every child when they enter care and a plan to be developed to address their needs.

As part of the department’s statutory guidance review, we will consider what changes are needed to further ensure that children in care and care leavers receive the support they need for their physical and mental health and wellbeing, including access to any needed treatment or therapy.

In addition to the statutory guidance review, the department is also undertaking a programme of work specific to children with complex needs. Children with complex needs and multiple needs are some of our most vulnerable children in the care system. The outcomes for these children can often be very poor, with neither children’s social care nor health services alone capable of meeting their needs, and services not working effectively together for these children.

Since July 2023, the department and NHS England have jointly led a Task and Finish Group to consider how to improve the way system partners work together to support and improve outcomes for children and young people who are deprived of their liberty and who are in the most complex situations.

Drawing on the best evidence, including the voice of children, input from professionals and commissioned research, the department will, in collaboration with NHS England, test a new, community-based approach to pathways and provision which provides treatment and care, bringing in professionals from children’s social care, health, justice and education. This will enable the system to deliver specialist care and accommodation for children who have complex needs.

We have also recently commissioned independent research on how the system works, its current impacts and how we could do things differently to achieve better outcomes for children and young people. We plan to publish this research in summer 2025. We will draw on these reports to support the development and testing of evidence-based models of safe, therapeutic care that delivers integrated, consistent, and collaborative practices for these children and young people.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the budget for (a) UK REACH and (b) GB CLP for 2025-26; and identify (i) income from fees, charges and other sources and (ii) expenditure including staff costs in the (A) Health and Safety Executive, (B) Environment Agency, (C) Office for Product Safety and Standards and (D) UK Health Security Agency.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not publish separate budgets for the UK REACH and GB CLP regulatory regimes. For the financial year 2025-26, the full cost of the planned activity is around (a) £6.1m on UK REACH, of which approximately £2.5m are staff costs and (b) £1m on GB CLP, of which approximately £0.44m are staff costs.

These costs will be met by income from several sources, including fees and charges paid by industry and allocations from government which vary each year depending on the activity being carried out. For UK REACH, fees from industry for 2025-26 are forecast to be £1.53m.

The information requested on budgets and expenditures in relation to different agencies are not held by this department. You may wish to contact the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for the Environment Agency, the Department for Business and Trade for Office for Product Safety and Standards, and the Department of Health and Social Care for UK Health Security Agency.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support partially sighted people into employment in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched last November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. We announced in the recent Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding. This support is needed to break down barriers, unlock work and open up opportunity. It will get people off welfare and into work – which we know many believe they could do.

Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Disabled people and people with health conditions including the partially sighted are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell.

It is also recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, the Joint DWP and DHSC Work & Health Directorate (JWHD) is facilitating “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025. Additionally, the JWHD has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which recommendations of the Etherton Report have yet to be implemented; and what his planned timeline is for the implementation of those outstanding recommendations.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

As of 1 April 2025, 42 of the 49 recommendations have been implemented, with work to implement the outstanding seven recommendations underway, demonstrating our commitment to supporting the LGBT veteran community.

Of the seven remaining recommendations, two are for Defence and five are for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Defence officials are also supporting DHSC colleagues with progressing their five remaining recommendations (recommendations 31, 35, 36, 38 and 42).

The two for Defence include recommendation 44 focusing on female veterans affected by the ban; this will be implemented as part of the new inclusive veterans’ strategy. Recommendation 17 to implement a dedicated memorial to LGBT personnel at the National Memorial Arboretum is expected to be unveiled before the end of 2025.

Defence encourages those affected to apply for non-financial restorative measures and the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme by completing the application forms available at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lgbt-veterans-support-and-next-steps.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of levels of research and development funding for sickle cell disorder.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) delivers a substantial portfolio of researcher-led projects and strategic investments, including research into sickle cell disease, for which UKRI had expenditure of approximately £0.2 million in 2023-24. UKRI also plays a key role in funding underpinning research which may not be attributable to a specific condition but will benefit medical research more generally.

The Department of Health and Social Care funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Over the past five years, the NIHR have awarded over £6 million for research related to sickle cell disease.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, how many (a) oral statements, (b) urgent questions, (c) end of day adjournment debates and (d) Westminster Hall debates each Department has responded to since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Lucy Powell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

Urgent questions, adjournment debates and Westminster Hall debates are a matter for the House. Information relating to each of these is available on the Parliament website.

The Government is responsible for the arrangement of oral statements. As of 3rd April 2025, there have been 129 oral statements from the following departments:

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider transferring responsibility for the misuse of drugs to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Responsibility for drug policy is shared across a number of departments and both the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care have important roles to play in setting policy to tackle drug use and to reduce drug-related crime and drug health harms. The Home Office is the lead department for the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and associated drug legislation, working with other departments as appropriate where changes in the law are required.

Illicit drug use affects the whole of society, and this Government is taking a collective response which will help our key missions to deliver safer streets, improve health outcomes and contribute to opportunities and growth through reducing crime and saving lives.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that people with care needs can continue to pay for carers following changes to eligibility for Personal Independence Payments.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We have committed to introduce a new requirement that, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria, claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment. Our intention is that – subject to parliamentary approval – the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026.

The changes will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, ensuring those who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them, still get support.

Through the Green Paper we are consulting on the support needed for those who may lose any entitlements as a result of receiving PIP daily living and what this support could look like.

We will also work closely with the DHSC and others on how the health and eligible care needs of those who would lose entitlement to PIP could be met outside the benefits system. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has regular discussions with Cabinet members, including in relation to benefit reform.

Found: and Technology 9 2.2 Ministry of Defence 9 2.3 Department for Education 10 2.4 Department of Health and Social Care

Found: In July 2022, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published Building the right support for

Found: (DHSC) and the Department for Education (DfE) published the National strategy for autistic

Found: Scheduled: Autumn 2025 Topics: Health and social care, NHS Departments: Department of Health and Social Care

Found: urgent medical treatment in the UK following agreement about such treatment with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: urgent medical treatment in the UK following agreement about such treatment with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: is absent because their travel or attendance at school would be contrary to any guidance from the DHSC

Found: Government’s health mission, in the following ways: • The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: This follows news last month that NHS England will be brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) oversees health services which support the SEN system

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) oversees health services which support the SEN system

Found: 2024 Figure 2 legend: FCDO = Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office; HO = Home Office; DHSC

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

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

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

Found: The MHRA, in discussion with the Department of Health and Social Care, considers these products critical

Found: government through joint programmes with Defra, the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: accessible healthcare delivery during extreme weather Key UK government department Department of Health and Social Care

Found: behalf of the Joint Work and Health Directorate (Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care

Found: From: Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care and Government Social Research

Found: Consumer Products and the Environment CVDs cardiovascular diseases 55 DBP diastolic blood pressure DHSC

Found: Association • UK Cutaneous Lymphoma Group • UK Oncology Nursing Society Others • Department of Health and Social Care

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

Found: untreated ALK-positive advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (review of TA909) The Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Trials scheme: Medical Research Council, Foreign Commonwealth and Department Office, Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE, which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE, which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE, which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Developing NICE guidelines: the manual. 5 Funding 6 NICE was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE, which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE, which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE, which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE, which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE, which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: This systematic review is being completed by NICE which receives funding from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: genomic medicine to other invited organisations and representatives – for example, the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: £1.4 million, and it is contracted between the University of Liverpool and the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Oversight Adoption of this guidance will be monitored by bodies such as: NHS England and Department of Health and Social Care

Found: For more details, please see the DHSC guidance on NHS cost recovery – overseas visitors.

Found: Fezolinetant for treating moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms caused by menopause The Department of Health and Social Care

Found: staff vaccination applies where and as indicated in periodic national guidance from NHS England / DHSC

Found: Association  UK Cutaneous Lymphoma Group  UK Oncology Nursing Society Others  Department of Health and Social Care

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

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

Found: Efanesoctocog alfa for treating and preventing bleeding episodes in haemophilia A The Department of Health and Social Care

Found: acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (Niemann-Pick disease) type AB and type B The Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Pharmacy Association • UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors’ Organisation Others • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Haemoglobin Disorders • UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors’ Organisation Others • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Implementation Plan for England Department of Health and Social Care, NHS Outcomes Framework 2016-2017

Found: Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Lysosomal Storage Disorders Unit • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Department of Health and Social Care Diabetes and

Found: strategy for rare diseases: 2019 update to the Implementation Plan for England Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Lysosomal Storage Disorders Unit • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Department of Health and Social Care Department of

Found: Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Department of Health and Social Care Department of

Found: Department of Health and Social Care g. Department for Education h.

Found: It is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 2.

Found: The Bill is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 6.

Found: It is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 2.

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care has also indicated that it has no specific plans to regulate

Found: The Bill is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 6.

Found: Response My officials have already advised their counterparts in the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The Bill is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 6.

Found: My officials have been working closely with Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) officials exploring

Found: parallel with the progress of the Bill, an independent review, commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The Bill is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 5.

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care has also indicated that it has no specific plans to regulate

Found: November, following constructive negotiations between my officials and officials in the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: It is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 2.

Found: procurement regime to in so far align with proposals being brought forward by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: the proposed new regime, and alignment with any future changes instigated by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: of procurement rules to replace it.13 The UK Government’s Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: on having seen the final Regulations and statutory guidance on the Provider Selection Regime from DHSC

Found: the proposed new regime, and alignment with any future changes instigated by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The exact details of how the PSR will operate in England is currently under development by DHSC and

Found: procurement regime to in so far align with proposals being brought forward by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: However, the UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care has consulted on proposals to use

Found: In February 2022, the UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) issued a supplementary

Found: This aligns with the approach being taken by the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) for their

Found: should seek to mirror the approach and powers being taken by the UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care

Found: .... 57 4 Glossary of acronyms CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services DHSC

Found: As such, I have provided additional information on liaison with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: produced each month by NHS Prescription Services on behalf of the UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care

Found: pay agreed for the last financial year and provided to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: pay agreed for the last financial year and provided to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: ships with Public Health Scotland, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities/Department of Health and Social Care

Found: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013790.pub2/full 20 Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Department of Health and Social Care.

Found: 2015, vapes have been recognised as effective harm reduction tools and are now incorporated into DHSC

Found: The Bill is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). 6.

Found: vaping”.10 In the LCM, the Minister states: “Whilst the Bill’s development has been led by the DHSC

Found: It is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 2.

Found: The Bill is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 5.

Found: The Bill is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 5.

Found: Health and Welsh Government officials have raised it with their counterparts in the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Health and Welsh Government officials have raised it with their counterparts in the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: There is a standard governance process for the development of policy within the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Welsh NHS Trusts; income from the Scottish Government, Northern Ireland Executive, Department of Health and Social Care

Found: those boundaries are more porous and less of a factor: 23 King’s Fund responds to Department of Health and Social Care

Found: was introduced into the House of Lords on 6 November 2024, and is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The Bill is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). 7.

Found: The Bill is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 5.

Found: It is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. 2.