Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that several NHS organisations have informed hospitals they will only finance procedures after a patient has waited more than three months, what guidance they have issued to NHS organisations regarding the use of minimum waiting times for treatment performed by hospitals.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Standard Contract 2025/26 Technical Guidance states that commissioners may choose to include minimum waiting times in Activity Planning Assumptions to ensure the delivery of targets within agreed financial allocations. A copy of the NHS Standard Contract 2025/26 Technical Guidance is attached.
We will work closely with all systems to ensure they deliver the expected level of improvement in waiting times as set out in the 2025/26 Planning Guidance, which is the first step in delivering on our commitment that by March 2029, 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.
Asked by: Lord Strasburger (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government who recommended Inivos Ltd to the personal protective equipment priority lane, and why that company was not included in PPE procurement in the early pandemic, published on 17 November 2021.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Inivos Ltd were not recommended to the Government through the priority personal protective equipment lane, also known as the high priority lane. Inivos Ltd are included in the publication PPE procurement in the early pandemic on the GOV.UK website, under the New Buy section, although the company name has been misspelled as Invios. The Department will seek to correct this error at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 28 June (HL8464), which data areas King's College London was asked to review by NHS England or the Department of Health and Social Care in the unpublished LeDeR report, and the reasons for each request.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England works with Kings College London, the academic partner for LeDeR, to produce the LeDeR annual report. Since they submitted their draft report, NHS England has collaborated with them on further iterations with the aim to finalise as soon as possible.
The Department has provided feedback on later iterations of the report on practical data issues with the aim to ensure findings were accurately presented and could be clearly interpreted by the public. Feedback related to definition of technical language, additional context for demographic statistics, and apparent inconsistencies. A final version of the report addressing feedback was shared with the Department on 25 June 2025.
We are committed to publishing the latest report soon after Parliament returns alongside a Written Ministerial Statement.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people with bladder and bowel control conditions in Devon.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All providers in Devon are asked to follow the formulary within the services they provide. The formulary provides information on continence care, with further information available at the following two links:
https://southwest.devonformularyguidance.nhs.uk/formulary/chapters/18-continence
https://northeast.devonformularyguidance.nhs.uk/formulary/chapters/18-continence
As part of focused work in gynaecology, NHS Devon is in a project development phase to design and implement improved pathways for women with stress urinary incontinence and overactive bladder conditions.
Livewell Southwest provides a continence service, offering assessments to adults, those aged 17.5 years old and above, living in Plymouth, West Devon, and South Hams. Livewell provides a holistic continence assessment, including routine observations, bladder scans, and skin integrity checks, as well as reviewing past medical history, medication, mobility, carer support, and diet and fluid. They offer ongoing support and products for any bowel and/or bladder issues that are identified and may refer patients to specialist nurses for further support or district nurses for ongoing care.
Conservative advice is always given as first line management options during assessments, such as pelvic floor exercises for stress urinary incontinence, or bladder training and fluid intake advice for an overactive bladder. Livewell also liaises with general practices to request medication and to request ongoing referrals to secondary care specialists if needed. Livewell works closely with the other community teams. All patients are offered an annual reassessment.
For children and young people, there is a team of specialist children’s nurses and specialist nursery nurses who provide assessment, treatment, support, and advice for children and young people with bladder and/or bowel difficulties. They provide continence promotion, and healthy bladder and bowel advice for children with additional needs. They see and assess children who are eligible for continence products because of a learning or physical disability.
Devon has commissioned a paediatric integrated community nurse led bladder and bowel service for children and young people up to the age of 19 years old, to improve quality of life, to support effective self-management where appropriate, and to prevent chronic conditions developing and needing treatment or surgery in secondary care where possible.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the roll-out of Fracture Liaison Services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.
Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.
The Department is working closely with NHS England to consider a range of options to ensure better quality and access to these important preventative services.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what annual percentage increases in healthcare demand is the 10 Year Heath Plan based.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan is not based on a specific percentage growth rate in demand for health care. Instead, backed by an additional £29 billion, the plan sets out how the health system will seize the opportunities provided by new technology, medicines, and innovation to deliver better care for all patients, no matter where they live or how much they earn, as well as better value for taxpayers.
Asked by: Sadik Al-Hassan (Labour - North Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Action 28 (i) of the Life Sciences Sector Plan, published on 16 July 2025, what criteria his Department plans to use to identify (a) low affordability risk and (b) strong long-term outcome data, in the context of identifying eligibility for the proportionate approach to indication-specific pricing agreements.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The criteria will be developed alongside the new proportionate approach to indication-specific pricing arrangements.
Asked by: Sadik Al-Hassan (Labour - North Somerset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Action 28 (i) of the Life Sciences Sector Plan, published on 16 July 2025, what criteria his Department plans to use to identify which medicines have a large number of indications, in the context of identifying eligibility for the proportionate approach to indication-specific pricing agreements.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The criteria will be developed alongside the new proportionate approach to indication-specific pricing arrangements.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to page 12 of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations Patients Waiting to Access Innovative Therapies Indicator 2023 Survey, published in June 2024, which shows that 28 per cent of new medicines approved by the European Medicines Agency had full public availability for patients in England in 2019–2022, what assessment they have made of the impact of the uniform pricing policy on the full availability of new multi-indication medicines.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In January 2025, following public consultation, NHS England published an updated NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines. This framework includes the approach for assessing the eligibility for medicines that may treat multiple indications to qualify for indication-specific pricing, and the terms for doing so. Following consultation, NHS England adopted the following criteria for the use of indication-specific pricing:
- the medicine for the indication under consideration meets an unmet clinical need;
- the company can demonstrate with a high degree of confidence that uniform pricing would reduce the total revenue for a medicine across all indications;
- sufficient data is available within existing National Health Service systems to make such arrangements operationally feasible; and
- the cost-effective price is highly differentiated for all indications under consideration.
NHS England’s approach to indication-specific pricing has supported patient access to medicines for many new indications which would otherwise have been unavailable if the only alternative was a uniform price for all indications. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is able to recommend the vast majority of medicines for use in the NHS, including medicines licensed for multiple indications. The latest European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Association’s Patients Waiting to Access Innovative Therapies Indicator report 2024, published in May 2025, reports that the 37% of medicines licensed between 2020 and 2023 were fully available to NHS patients in England, compared with an European Union average of 29%.
As agreed under the terms of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, and subsequently set out in the NHS England consultation response, indication-specific pricing agreements will continue to be reserved for medicines that are normally expected to have value propositions at or below the lower end of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s cost-effectiveness range.
The Life Sciences Sector Plan committed to faster patient access to medicines and reduced industry costs, while ensuring good value for the NHS. A new, proportionate approach to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisals and indication-specific pricing will streamline access for multi-indication medicines with strong outcomes and low affordability risk. This will create a more agile, predictable commercial environment that supports investment into the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the NHS commercial framework for new medicines, published on 29 January, whether they will consult on the principle to provide additional value for medicines at or below the lower end of the standard National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost-effectiveness threshold range in the second phase of the review of that framework.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In January 2025, following public consultation, NHS England published an updated NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines. This framework includes the approach for assessing the eligibility for medicines that may treat multiple indications to qualify for indication-specific pricing, and the terms for doing so. Following consultation, NHS England adopted the following criteria for the use of indication-specific pricing:
- the medicine for the indication under consideration meets an unmet clinical need;
- the company can demonstrate with a high degree of confidence that uniform pricing would reduce the total revenue for a medicine across all indications;
- sufficient data is available within existing National Health Service systems to make such arrangements operationally feasible; and
- the cost-effective price is highly differentiated for all indications under consideration.
NHS England’s approach to indication-specific pricing has supported patient access to medicines for many new indications which would otherwise have been unavailable if the only alternative was a uniform price for all indications. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is able to recommend the vast majority of medicines for use in the NHS, including medicines licensed for multiple indications. The latest European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Association’s Patients Waiting to Access Innovative Therapies Indicator report 2024, published in May 2025, reports that the 37% of medicines licensed between 2020 and 2023 were fully available to NHS patients in England, compared with an European Union average of 29%.
As agreed under the terms of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, and subsequently set out in the NHS England consultation response, indication-specific pricing agreements will continue to be reserved for medicines that are normally expected to have value propositions at or below the lower end of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s cost-effectiveness range.
The Life Sciences Sector Plan committed to faster patient access to medicines and reduced industry costs, while ensuring good value for the NHS. A new, proportionate approach to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisals and indication-specific pricing will streamline access for multi-indication medicines with strong outcomes and low affordability risk. This will create a more agile, predictable commercial environment that supports investment into the United Kingdom.