Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of lowering the income threshold for the NHS salary sacrifice car scheme.

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Mid Sussex constituency; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally, including through the introduction of a Modern Service Framework for respiratory care.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of role of a respiratory Modern Service Framework on winter pressures in the NHS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) ongoing care for patients with endometriosis.

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

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, including endometriosis diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care.  It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis, and we have already taken action to address this.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase standards in and ensure effective regulation of the cosmetic surgery sector.

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the analysis by Age UK on A&E wait times, published on 21 January 2026.

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce diagnostic waiting times for endometriosis in (a) England and (b) Chichester constituency.

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to written question 89790, how much the annual cap is.

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to safe staffing levels in mental health services on patient safety; whether the Department has revised its definition of safe staffing levels in response to workforce shortages; and what steps he is taking to ensure that staffing standards are maintained at levels that protect both patient safety and staff wellbeing.

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to revise his Department’s autism strategy when the current one expires in July 2026, in the context of the provisions of section 1 of the Autism Act 2009.

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

On 23 January 2026, we published our response to the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee’s report Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy. We welcomed the committee’s report, and are carefully considering its recommendations, as well as our approach to developing a new national autism strategy, and we will set out a position, including our plans to engage with stakeholders, in due course.

We recognise that a large amount of evidence was gathered by the committee and we will consider this evidence, along with evidence from various other reviews, papers, and reports. We recognise that meaningful engagement will take time, so a balance will need to be struck as to what level of further engagement is required. The current strategy will remain in effect until a revised strategy is published.

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 length of time medical malpractice legal proceedings take to complete on (a) families and (b) staff.

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

NHS Resolution handles claims for compensation against National Health Service providers of healthcare and has a strategic priority to keep patients and healthcare staff out of litigation to minimise distress. To achieve this, NHS Resolution deploys a range of dispute resolution techniques including mediation, resolution meetings, and early neutral evaluation, and aims to resolve claims promptly and fairly. As a result, the percentage of cases resolving without litigation has continued to increase, reaching 83% of clinical claims in 2024/25. Each case must be, however, considered on its own merits in line with the prevailing law with appropriate investigation into legal liability and the amount of compensation due. Court involvement remains necessary for those who lack capacity and may also be required to determine points of law or where there is conflicting evidence.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of whether individual ICBs are deviating from NICE guidance.

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

Integrated care boards are legally required to make funding available for medicines recommended in a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal or highly specialised technology evaluation, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. The effect of this legal obligation is that all NICE-approved treatments must be included in local formularies for use in line with NICE’s recommendations and with no additional funding or formulary restrictions.

As part of commitments made in the 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access, NHS England is developing a local formulary national minimum dataset to increase visibility of local variation in the implementation of NICE guidance, identify where variation in local formularies may be creating barriers to access, and to provide assurance to NHS England when a NICE recommended treatment has been listed on a local formulary.

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 February 2026 to Question 109089 on Coronavirus: Research, when the UK Health Security Agency requested the report.

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

Routine audit outcomes by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority are not generally published or otherwise required to be shared externally beyond the parties involved. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) requested this report from Moderna in January. Whilst this has yet to be received, the UKHSA is due to meet with Moderna in the coming weeks to further understand how they are considering the findings, beyond the responses they have already provided as part of the interim case report.

Once the follow-up audit has concluded, expected in late 2026 or early 2027, the final case report and any associated outcomes will be published in accordance with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Code of Practice.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for financial support for patients required to travel very long distances to access (a) stem cell transplants, (b) CAR-T immunotherapy and (c) other specialist treatments; what recent assessment he has made of the financial impact on such patients of claiming reimbursement of substantial travel costs retrospectively under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme; and if he will make it his policy to amend that scheme to allow payment in advance to patients having to undertake expensive journeys to and from treatment centres.

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

No such assessment has been made, and there are no current plans to amend the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS).

It is already the case that where required and appropriate, advance payments may be made to patients on low incomes to allow them to attend their appointments. Further information can be found on the HTCS webpage, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to conduct a post-implementation review of the potential impact of the early waves of deployment of Mental Health Support Teams on schools.

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

The Department has no plans to conduct a post-implementation review of the potential impact of the early waves of deployment of Mental Health Support Teams on schools.

In July 2025, the National Children’s Bureau published an independent Mental Health Support Teams evaluation report, Evaluating the implementation of the Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision Green Paper programme. The impacts and other details are set out in the report, which is available at the following link:

https://www.ncb.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/attachments/CYP%20MH%20GP%20survey%202024%20report%20-%20Mundy%20et%20al%20%282025%29.pdf

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is planning to take to ensure the exchange of best practice among Healthcare Trusts from their deployment of Mental Health Support Teams.

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

The Department of Health and Social Care, along with NHS England and the Department for Education, jointly provide guidance and support to providers and commissioners of Mental Health Support Teams (MHST). This includes both the implementation of new teams and improving the quality and effectiveness of existing teams.

A national MHST Community of Practice has also been established, hosted by NHS England, with examples of best practice routinely made available to providers and commissioners.

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 local authorities with the cost of non-residential adult social care.

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

The Government is making approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements.

This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and a £331 million increase to the National Health Service contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with the Department’s Spending Review settlement.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people.

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 11 November 2025 to Question 84973 on Car-Hill formula, when he plans to publish the conclusions of that review.

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

The review of the Carr-Hill formula has been commissioned through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and commenced in October 2025. The first phase of the review is expected to conclude in March 2026. Subject to ministerial decision, further work would subsequently be undertaken to technically develop and model any proposed changes to the formula.

The review will be published in due course by the NIHR. Members of Parliament will also be updated once the review findings are available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a public interest assessment for large-scale acquisitions in the adult social care sector.

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

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) oversees the Market Oversight Scheme (MOS), which was established under Section 53 of the Care Act 2014 as an independent scheme with the aim of ensuring continuity of care services. The MOS was launched in 2015 and monitors the financial sustainability of the largest and most difficult to replace providers of adult social care.

The scheme enables the CQC to give impacted local authorities advance notification in discharging their Care Act obligations to temporarily ensure continuity of care for all people receiving services. The CQC also notifies the Department, which will then activate its Operational Contingency Plan and convene national partners in order to monitor local efforts to ensure continuity of care.

There are no current plans to expand the public interest considerations under the Enterprise Act 2002 beyond matters relating to financial stability, media plurality, and public health emergencies. The Government is committed to ensuring our policy making is informed by the best available evidence.

Merger investigations on competition grounds are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which operates independently of the Government. The CMA determines which transactions to review based on statutory thresholds and whether there is a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition. The Government keeps the merger control regime under regular review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and works effectively within the current regulatory environment.

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 compatibility of offshore ownership of care assets in the United Kingdom on his Department's plans to introduce (a) a National Care Service and (b) neighbourhood-based care systems.

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

Private adult social care providers are individual businesses, and the Government does not seek to intervene in their business decisions on company structure. We have been clear that the expectation is for adult social care providers to behave responsibly, including with their financial arrangements, which should promote sustainability.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all people, and to develop and build local market capacity. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services from the voluntary, private, or public sector that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.

More broadly, we are making progress towards a National Care Service based on higher quality of care, greater choice and control, and joined-up neighbourhood services, with approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.

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 expand ophthalmology services to help early detection of Glaucoma.

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

NHS sight tests play a vital role in the early detection of glaucoma. Integrated care boards (ICBs) can also commission community-based glaucoma services, which support earlier identification, ongoing monitoring and management, helping to prevent avoidable sight loss.

Some ICBs are already using a Single Point of Access to speed up the referral and triage of patients between primary and secondary care.

In addition, the Getting It Right First Time programme is developing best practice guidance for glaucoma services, to support the consistent adoption of high standards of care from detection onwards.

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 General Practice nursing and administrative staff are offered a pay increase as a result of the funding increase for GP contracts for 2025/26.

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

The Government looks to the independent pay review bodies for a pay recommendation for National Health Service staff, including both contractor and salaried general practitioners (GPs). They consider a range of evidence from organisations including the Government, the NHS, and trade unions to reach their recommendations.

The independent review body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) have recommended an uplift of 4% to the pay ranges for salaried GPs, and to GP contractor pay. As with last year, we accepted the DDRB’s pay recommendation. We have provided an increase to core funding for practices to allow this 4% pay uplift, on top of the provisional 2.8% uplift already provided, to be passed on to salaried and contractor GPs. The additional funding will also allow for pay uplifts for other salaried GP staff, including nursing and administrative staff. Information on the funding increase was communicated to practices on 31 July 2025. Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/implementing-the-2025-26-gp-contract/

The Government has written to the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee England to set out its expectations regarding the extra funding being used to fund uplifts for all staff and a letter to ICBs was published on 31 July, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/financial-implications-and-actions-for-integrated-care-boards-icbs-following-the-mid-year-updates-to-the-2025-26-gp-contract/

We expect GP contractors to implement pay rises to other practice staff in line with the uplift in funding they have received. As self-employed contractors to the NHS, it is up to GPs how they distribute pay and benefits to their staff.

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 Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government following the internal review of the upper limit for Disabled Facilities Grants.

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

In England, we continue to fund the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which is delivered by local authorities. This grant helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes to make them safe and suitable for their needs.

The upper limit for DFG grant awards is currently set at £30,000, however local authorities have a high degree of flexibility to fund adaptations above this amount where they judge it is appropriate. Following an internal review of the upper limit, we have been working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on next steps and hope to provide an update in the spring.

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UK and Eire Glaucoma Society 2025 consensus on Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact on secondary care services when patients are not offered a glaucoma intervention at the time of cataract surgery.

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

Data on the number of glaucoma patients who weren't offered a combined procedure to treat glaucoma at the time of cataract surgery is not held.

The best treatment options will be decided by the treating clinician, in discussion with the patient, considering an individuals’ clinical circumstances and relevant professional clinical guidance and best available evidence.

The Getting It Right First Time programme is also developing best practice guidance for glaucoma services, to support the consistent adoption of high standards of care from detection onwards.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UK and Eire Glaucoma Society 2025 consensus on Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery, what estimate he has made of the number of glaucoma patients who weren't offered a combined procedure to treat the condition at the time of cataract surgery in the last year.

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

Data on the number of glaucoma patients who weren't offered a combined procedure to treat glaucoma at the time of cataract surgery is not held.

The best treatment options will be decided by the treating clinician, in discussion with the patient, considering an individuals’ clinical circumstances and relevant professional clinical guidance and best available evidence.

The Getting It Right First Time programme is also developing best practice guidance for glaucoma services, to support the consistent adoption of high standards of care from detection onwards.

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 access to dentistry services for (a) veterans and (b) people suffering with long-term illnesses.

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

We are aware of the challenges faced by many in accessing a National Health Service dentist, including people suffering with long-term illnesses, and valued members of the Armed Forces community, such as our respected veterans who have spent their careers defending our country.

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

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

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

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

Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:

• under 18 years old, or under 19 years old and in full-time education;

• pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months;

• being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist, although patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges;

• receiving low-income benefits, or under 20 years old and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits; and

• receiving War Pension Scheme payments, or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments and the treatment is for your accepted disability.

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 women can access toothpaste that is appropriate for their saliva's ph level.

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

Toothpaste and other consumer healthcare products are widely available to support a range of oral hygiene needs, including those of women. The main modifiable risk factors for dental caries are diet, consuming too much sugar too often, and lack of optimal fluoride. Managing the intake and frequency of sugar is particularly relevant for the pH of saliva. For caries prevention, it is the application of fluoride in toothpaste that is the most important aspect of brushing, as fluoride helps prevent, control, and arrest caries. Family or standard fluoride toothpaste at 1,350 to 1,500 parts per million fluoride is recommended. Higher strength fluoride toothpaste can be prescribed by a dentist if a patient requires it due to dental caries risk. The evidence for this and related advice for dental teams is set out at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take following the internal review of the upper limit for Disabled Facilities Grants; and what his planned timetable is for further action.

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

In England, we continue to fund the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which is delivered by local authorities. This grant helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes to make them safe and suitable for their needs.

The upper limit for DFG grant awards is currently set at £30,000, however local authorities have a high degree of flexibility to fund adaptations above this amount where they judge it is appropriate. Following an internal review of the upper limit, we have been working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on next steps and hope to provide an update in the spring.

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of dental care given to (a) veterans and (b) those suffering with long-term illnesses.

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

We are aware of the challenges faced by many in accessing a National Health Service dentist, including people suffering with long-term illnesses, and valued members of the Armed Forces community, such as our respected veterans who have spent their careers defending our country.

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

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

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

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

Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:

• under 18 years old, or under 19 years old and in full-time education;

• pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months;

• being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist, although patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges;

• receiving low-income benefits, or under 20 years old and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits; and

• receiving War Pension Scheme payments, or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments and the treatment is for your accepted disability.

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 support community pharmacies from the potential impact of changes to the living wage, national insurance and business rates.

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

The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.

In 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. Additional funding is also available, for example for pharmacies delivering Pharmacy First consultations and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Department will shortly consult with Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27. As part of this we will consider financial pressures on the sector.

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 funding the full cost of specialist palliative care delivered by hospices.

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

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning core and specialist palliative care services to meet the reasonable needs of their population, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and a service specification.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and will enable ICBs to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care.

Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end-of-life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality. We will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements as part of our MSF. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting ICBs to commission core and specialist care more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.

The recently published Strategic Commissioning Framework and Medium-Term Planning Guidance also make clear the expectations that ICBs should understand current and projected total service utilisation and costs for those at the end of life, creating an overall plan to more effectively meet these needs through neighbourhood health.

Hospices provide both core and specialist palliative care. Whilst acknowledging that not everyone will need specialist palliative care, we must ensure is that there is equitable and timely access to these services, whether they are provided by hospices or the National Health Service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on decisions affecting individuals with dementia who are already living in suitable care homes, once their capital falls below the adult social care funding threshold; and how such guidance takes into account medical advice, including a doctor’s note, on the potential distress or risks associated with requiring a move to an alternative placement.

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

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities must not charge more than is reasonably practicable and charging policies must be clear and transparent, in line with the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014 and the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) guidance.

Annex A of the CASS guidance makes clear that the choice of accommodation and additional payment rules apply equally to people entering care for the first time and to self‑funders whose resources have fallen below the upper capital limit. Where this happens, the local authority must conduct a financial assessment to determine what the individual can afford to contribute and must set a personal budget as part of the care and support plan. Annex A of the CASS guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-statutory-guidance/care-and-support-statutory-guidance#AnnexA

Where an individual’s needs require a particular type of accommodation, the local authority must offer them a genuine choice between suitable providers, including at least one affordable option within their personal budget. The placement must be suitable, available, and offered at the rate identified in the personal budget. Local authorities must also have regard to the wellbeing duty in section 1 of the Care Act when considering accommodation choice.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has an estimate of the earliest possible date Jascayd (nerandomilast) could be available to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients.

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

Nerandomilast does not currently have a United Kingdom marketing authorisation for use in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It is currently being evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS.

Subject to licensing, NICE currently expects to publish final guidance on nerandomilast in September 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions to (a) GP practices, (b) the number of FTE GPs in work and (c) locum GPs.

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

We are investing an extra £1.1 billion in general practices (GPs) in 2025/26, the biggest cash increase in a decade. We now have the highest number of fully qualified GPs serving in more than a decade. By boosting the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme with £160 million pounds, we have prevented over 3,000 GPs graduating into unemployment.

GPs are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the sector both about what services they provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking into account the cost of delivering services, including staffing costs.

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Action 15 of the National Cancer Plan, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that patients in remote and rural areas with poor access to public transport are not disadvantaged in their ability to access specialist treatment.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The National Cancer Plan sets out how we will tackle unwarranted geographical variation head on and ensure that everyone has access to the best diagnostic and treatment services, no matter their postcode.

We recognise that rural and coastal areas have been struggling for too long, which is why this plan is increasing the number of training places for cancer consultants in rural and coastal areas, particularly in areas where there are a high number of vacancies. This will ensure quality improvement in the trusts with the greatest needs and provide all patients with access to specialised cancer doctors.

We will utilise data driven service planning tools, to support local systems to plan specialist care in a way that is accessible to everyone. It will take account of travel time and the impact on different groups who can experience disparities, such as older people, some ethnic groups, and those that live in rural and coastal areas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered the implications of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal for the potential approval of Jascayd (nerandomilast).

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

No specific consideration of the implications of the United Kingdom and United States’ Economic Prosperity Deal for the approval of Jascayd (nernadomilast) has been made. The changes that we are making to the way in which the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates medicines are expected to increase the number of medicines that NICE is able to recommend for National Health Service use. NICE will continue to develop its recommendations on whether individual medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS independently on the basis of the available evidence and through extensive engagement with interested parties.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the estimated £560 million savings arising from the introduction of generic forms of SGLT2 inhibitor treatment in 2025–26 and 2026–27 on cardiovascular health.

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

NHS England has provided guidance and data to systems on how to maximise the savings opportunity associated with the introduction of generic forms of SGLT2 inhibitor treatment, as well as encouraging the assessment and monitoring of SGLT2 inhibitor uptake as a whole. Integrated care boards (ICBs) in their role as strategic commissioners are accountable for determining the extent to which these savings will be reinvested into further improving cardiovascular health.

The adoption of biosimilar and generic medicines is vital for expanding and speeding up access to effective treatments as well as for generating significant savings for the National Health Service, which can be reinvested into innovative treatments. Through NHS England’s Best Value Biologicals Framework, we are ensuring that patients start on the most cost-effective biologics where clinically appropriate, and that existing patients are switched swiftly and safely. The NHS has already achieved £1.2 billion savings over the past three years.

The Life Sciences Sector Plan includes targeted action to improve National Health Service uptake of cost-effective medicines, including off-patent products, with NHS England developing national programmes that promote rapid adoption of biosimilars and best value treatments. Furthermore, through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE’s) Whole Lifecycle Approach to guidance development, NICE will continually review what works best, establish where care can be improved, and highlight where treatments should evolve over time. NICE recently updated its guidance on heart failure to recommend that patients receive medicines earlier in the clinical pathway, which could prevent approximately 3,000 deaths and 5,500 hospital admissions in England caused by chronic heart failure each year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 27 November 2025 (HL12262), why annual totals of reports they have received via the HSA4 abortion notification form of women who have died within 14 days of taking at-home abortion medication prescribed by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service would risk the identification of individual patients; and how many of those reports they have received in total in the past four years.

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

The Department continues to review the release of abortion statistics, to ensure the trustworthiness, quality, and value of these statistics, and also to mitigate the disclosure of sensitive information. Following the 2023 abortion statistics publication, all data is rounded to the nearest five. This aligns with the Code of Practice for Statistics and enables the Department to release more detailed information to the public.

We apply Statistical Disclosure Control with the aim to prevent the release of data that could identify individuals. This is particularly important when counts are low or zero, as small numbers increase the risk of disclosure. As a result of this change, counts of zero can mean no or a small number of procedures in the given field.

From 2020 to 2023, the number of deaths recorded via the HSA4 form for abortions where either one or both abortion medications were administered at home and had been prescribed by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service was zero, rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Please note that this is the number of cases recorded in the statistical datasets used for publication, which are a snapshot of the data at the time it was compiled, and therefore will not include late submissions or changes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the uptake of guidelines-directed medical therapies in primary care for (1) cardiovascular disease, (2) diabetes, and (3) chronic kidney disease.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a strategy in March 2025 setting out a collective ambition for improving uptake and adoption of NICE guidance by the health and care system over the next three years. The strategy aims to improve the uptake and adoption of NICE guidance in priority areas which align with the National Health Service 10-Year Health Plan by 10% by March 2029. This includes guidance on cardiovascular disease and diabetes, further details on which can be found on the NICE website.

In 2023, NHS England published a renal services transformation toolkit to support earlier identification of chronic kidney disease and more joined up services. Eight commissioned regional renal clinical networks are implementing this toolkit, in collaboration with providers. The regional networks are designed to improve care for kidney patients by standardizing treatment, reducing health inequalities, and promoting best practices, including for medical therapy use, across hospitals, commissioners, and specialists.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the press release about the UK–US pharmaceuticals deal issued on 1 December 2025, what was the specific basis on which the 25 per cent increase in medicine pricing was calculated; and what proportion of that increase corresponds to (1) a change to the cost effectiveness thresholds, and (2) the introduction of a new value set for judging health states.

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

The United Kingdom and United States’ pharmaceutical deal included a commitment to raise spending on innovative medicines, as a proportion of gross domestic product, from approximately 0.3% to 0.35% by the end of 2028 and to 0.6% over a 10-year period. This represents approximate rises of 0.05% by 2028 and 0.3% over a 10-year period respectively, versus the starting position estimated. Further detail, including data sources, will be confirmed in due course.

As part of the US and UK trade agreement, NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced joint analysis to estimate the cost impact of implementing two potential measures into the pricing environment, specifically an increase of NICE’s standard threshold range to £25,000 to £35,000 per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALYs), and the introduction of the EQ5D-5L value set for estimating QALYs.

NICE’s analysis estimated the expected price impacts for new medicine launches based on a retrospective analysis of previous recommendations, including assumptions around the potential for an increase in the number of positive recommendations. NHS England applied these assumptions to a generalised projection of spend on new medicines and new indications over the next three years. The analysis assumes that the profile of spend associated with medicines expected to launch in future will follow the same average growth profile as has been observed historically.

The analysis suggests that the majority of the price increase will result from the change to the cost effectiveness thresholds, but the exact contribution of each will depend on which medicines NICE recommends for National Health Service use. This is not something that we can predict at this time as it depends on which drugs come to market and which are assessed as approved for use on the NHS accordingly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the UK–US pharmaceuticals deal, by what percentage of GDP the UK will increase spending on medicines; when that increase will be in place; and whether that increase applies to both private and public sources of spending.

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

The United Kingdom and United States’ pharmaceutical deal included a commitment to raise spending on innovative medicines, as a proportion of gross domestic product, from approximately 0.3% to 0.35% by the end of 2028 and to 0.6% over a 10-year period. This represents approximate rises of 0.05% by 2028 and 0.3% over a 10-year period respectively, versus the starting position estimated. Further detail, including data sources, will be confirmed in due course.

As part of the US and UK trade agreement, NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced joint analysis to estimate the cost impact of implementing two potential measures into the pricing environment, specifically an increase of NICE’s standard threshold range to £25,000 to £35,000 per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALYs), and the introduction of the EQ5D-5L value set for estimating QALYs.

NICE’s analysis estimated the expected price impacts for new medicine launches based on a retrospective analysis of previous recommendations, including assumptions around the potential for an increase in the number of positive recommendations. NHS England applied these assumptions to a generalised projection of spend on new medicines and new indications over the next three years. The analysis assumes that the profile of spend associated with medicines expected to launch in future will follow the same average growth profile as has been observed historically.

The analysis suggests that the majority of the price increase will result from the change to the cost effectiveness thresholds, but the exact contribution of each will depend on which medicines NICE recommends for National Health Service use. This is not something that we can predict at this time as it depends on which drugs come to market and which are assessed as approved for use on the NHS accordingly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 26 January (HL13748), what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Every Mind Matters campaign to date; and what plans they have to make an assessment on completion of that campaign.

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

Historic Every Mind Matters (EMM) campaigns have been evaluated according to the process specified by the Government Communications Service’s Evaluation Cycle for all Government paid-for campaigns, following end of each campaign period, the last of which was in 2023.

Data in relation to the EMM campaign was referred to in evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee on 21 February 2023. Text from page 11 of the transcript is as follows:

“The Every Mind Matters campaign includes a health and wellbeing plan – the Mind Plan - that can be personalised, downloaded and followed to enable people to take active steps to look after their wellbeing, and 4.6 million people have done that since October 2019. Every Mind Matters also offers a follow up email programme and two out of three of its users report that it has led to improvements in their health and wellbeing.”

To the current date, 5.4 million Mind Plans have been completed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the investment in vaccines for gingivitis or periodontitis by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

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

We are not aware of any investment from the National Institute for Health and Care Research into vaccines for gingivitis or periodontitis.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care including vaccines for gingivitis or periodontitis. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 29 January (HL14010), how much has been spent on the Every Mind Matters campaign to date; and what is the (1) projected, and (2) budgeted spend, over the period of that campaign's operations.

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

As a point of clarification, the Every Mind Matters (EMM) website remains live on the National Health Service digital domain for anyone to access free of charge. Between 2019 and 2023, the EMM website and its digital tools were promoted via intermittent paid for marketing campaigns to encourage the use of the site to enable the public to take simple self-care actions to improve their mental health.

A total of £21.93 million was spent on these campaigns. Since 2024 no funding has been available to promote the site to the public. However, as noted in the response to HL14010, a campaign launched over the new year and is running until the end of March 2026 to encourage people to do the new NHS Healthy Choices Quiz which asks questions about six health topics, including mental health and sleep. People whose answers to the Quiz indicate mental health difficulties will be signposted to appropriate help, including Every Mind Matters, NHS Talking Therapies, or other NHS mental health services.

Any future budget for the Every Mind Matters campaigns is yet to be agreed by the Cabinet Office, which determines the health issues which will be supported by paid marketing campaigns and how much should be spent on them.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase funding for cardiovascular disease research.

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

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The Department, through the NIHR, funds research into cardiovascular disease (CVD) that is aligned with the Government’s Health Mission, embracing digital transformation, prioritising prevention over treatment, and bringing care closer to communities to tackle health inequalities and reduce the number of lives lost to the biggest killers.

For example, in 2025 the NIHR launched a new funding opportunity to invest £50 million into innovative new research in CVD, aiming to tackle preventable causes of heart disease and its complications, save lives, and reduce inequalities in this area across the United Kingdom.

In addition, our wider investments in NIHR infrastructure, strengthening specialist facilities, the workforce, and support services to enable research in the health and care system, have enabled significant CVD funded by other funders to take place.

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) reports of registration delays in multiple national cancer audit "State of the Nation" reports produced within the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre, (2) the impact of such delays on cancer audits and cancer research, and (3) how such delays compare with pre-pandemic levels; and what steps they are taking to return cancer registration to a timely and accurate state.

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

Cancer incidence is continuing to rise, and cancer cases are becoming more complex to register as genomics plays a rapidly growing role. NHS England continues to manage the balance between timeliness, completeness and quality in cancer registration data.

The National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN) audits use data from the National Cancer Registration Dataset (NCRD) for England, which is considered the ‘gold standard’ because it draws data from various sources.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) is not aware of delays in relation to NDRS data releases to NATCAN. Recommendations from the audit have informed the development of the recently published National Cancer Plan. The plan includes the ambition to increase data transparency on the quality of care and improve performance to drive up standards across the country and reduce regional variation on outcomes.

We are committed to improve the quality and granularity of cancer data to support better outcomes for cancer patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the quality of surgical outcome data collected by NHS trusts; and what steps they are taking to support NHS trusts to use that data to improve patient safety.

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

The National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP), is commissioned, managed, and developed by the Health Quality Improvement Partnership on behalf of NHS England, the Welsh Government, and other devolved administrations.

The programme currently consists of over 30 national clinical audits, registries, and databases as well as five clinical outcome review programmes.

The audit and registry topics include, for example, the national vascular registry, the national emergency laparotomy audit, and multiple cancer topics, all of which monitor a variety of clinical metrics including surgical outcomes.

The role of the NCAPOP is to detect unwarranted clinical variation and to feed this back to National Health Service trusts in an agile manner. Timely feedback to trusts enables them to make quick improvements to clinical practice. The NCAPOP work programme achieves this by making trust data available in near real time dynamic dashboards. The NCAPOP audits also operate a statistically rigorous outlier process with the aim of detecting negative trust outcomes. Outlier information is provided to the trust concerned, NHS England, and the Care Quality Commission.

The dashboard and outlier data can be used by trusts to influence quality governance, improve patient safety and reduce patient harm, and enable tailored clinical quality improvement programmes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 29 January (HL14010), what assessment they have made of the impact of the NHS Healthy Choices Quiz on improving the mental health of its users.

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

The NHS Healthy Choices Quiz was designed and built at every stage with user research and engagement with policy experts to ensure it is both accurate and effective in supporting people to make healthy changes in six areas: movement; eating; sleep; mental health; smoking; and alcohol consumption. As part of our campaign evaluation, the Quiz will be assessed to explore how many of those who completed the Quiz took action to improve their health, including their mental health.

At the end of the Quiz, people are sign-posted to appropriate help including Better Health - Every Mind Matters, NHS Talking Therapies, or directed to their general practice or 111. The Better Health - Every Mind Matters digital resources offer a range of simple, National Health Service-approved, self-care tips and tools that everyone can use and incorporate into daily routines to help manage common early-stage mental health concerns.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 26 January (HL13746), what plans they have to ensure that the review of the demand for mental health services has a comprehensive evidence base.

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

The review will be chaired by Professor Peter Fonagy, and supported by Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird as vice‑chairs. A multidisciplinary Advisory Working Group will directly shape the recommendations and scrutinise the evidence comprehensively.

The review will seek to understand the factors behind trends in prevalence, the impact of clinical practice, including social and cultural factors and the risks and benefits of medicalisation, and ways to promote the prevention of mental ill health, create resilience, and improve early intervention. The review will examine evidence on prevalence, trends, and inequalities associated with mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the circumstances surrounding the death of six-month-old Mohamed Abdisamad following a non-therapeutic male circumcision; and whether this has implications for the regulation or oversight of such practices.

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

The Department was an interested party in the inquest into Mohamed Abdisamad and is aware of the circumstances surrounding his death. The Department is considering the related Prevention of Future Deaths Report issued by the coroner and will respond in due course.

The Government has no current plans to bring forward legislation or further guidance on non-therapeutic male circumcision.

The Department and NHS England do not routinely collate information on deaths arising from female genital mutilation (FGM) or non-therapeutic male circumcision.

Religious or cultural circumcisions by individuals who are not registered healthcare professionals remain outside the regulatory scope.

The Department has made no recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulation of non-therapeutic circumcision when performed by individuals other than healthcare professionals.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision not to introduce legislative change following the 2015 death of Oliver Asante-Yeboah after a non-therapeutic male circumcision.

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

The Department was an interested party in the inquest into Mohamed Abdisamad and is aware of the circumstances surrounding his death. The Department is considering the related Prevention of Future Deaths Report issued by the coroner and will respond in due course.

The Government has no current plans to bring forward legislation or further guidance on non-therapeutic male circumcision.

The Department and NHS England do not routinely collate information on deaths arising from female genital mutilation (FGM) or non-therapeutic male circumcision.

Religious or cultural circumcisions by individuals who are not registered healthcare professionals remain outside the regulatory scope.

The Department has made no recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulation of non-therapeutic circumcision when performed by individuals other than healthcare professionals.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many child deaths between 2001 to 2025 in England and Wales have resulted from (1) female genital mutilation, and (2) non-therapeutic male circumcision.

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

The Department was an interested party in the inquest into Mohamed Abdisamad and is aware of the circumstances surrounding his death. The Department is considering the related Prevention of Future Deaths Report issued by the coroner and will respond in due course.

The Government has no current plans to bring forward legislation or further guidance on non-therapeutic male circumcision.

The Department and NHS England do not routinely collate information on deaths arising from female genital mutilation (FGM) or non-therapeutic male circumcision.

Religious or cultural circumcisions by individuals who are not registered healthcare professionals remain outside the regulatory scope.

The Department has made no recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulation of non-therapeutic circumcision when performed by individuals other than healthcare professionals.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent future deaths related to non-therapeutic male circumcision.

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

The Department was an interested party in the inquest into Mohamed Abdisamad and is aware of the circumstances surrounding his death. The Department is considering the related Prevention of Future Deaths Report issued by the coroner and will respond in due course.

The Government has no current plans to bring forward legislation or further guidance on non-therapeutic male circumcision.

The Department and NHS England do not routinely collate information on deaths arising from female genital mutilation (FGM) or non-therapeutic male circumcision.

Religious or cultural circumcisions by individuals who are not registered healthcare professionals remain outside the regulatory scope.

The Department has made no recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulation of non-therapeutic circumcision when performed by individuals other than healthcare professionals.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration he has given to amending the NHS Charges to Overseas Visitors Regulations 2015 to remove the exclusion of assisted conception services for Ukrainian nationals who are lawfully resident in the UK under (a) the Homes for Ukraine and (b) Ukraine Permission to Extend visa schemes.

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

Assisted conception services often require long-term treatment, lasting months or years, which does not align with the short-term nature of all visas that are covered by the Immigration Health Surcharge, including the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Permission Extension Schemes. There are currently no plans to amend the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the eligibility criteria for the Graduate Guarantee scheme for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England was determined.

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

The Graduate Guarantee is a workforce measure aimed at improving the access and transition into employment for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England.

It is aimed at ensuring that the 2025 cohort has opportunities to apply for roles across the health and care sector, ensuring that students who qualified in September 2025 and January 2026 will directly benefit. There is no national eligibility criterion, reflecting that employment decisions sit locally with National Health Service trusts and that individuals may choose when to apply following qualification.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason assisted conception services are excluded from the exemption from NHS charges for people in the UK under (a) the Homes for Ukraine and (b) Ukraine Permission to Extend visa schemes.

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

Assisted conception services often require long-term treatment, lasting months or years, which does not align with the short-term nature of all visas that are covered by the Immigration Health Surcharge, including the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Permission Extension Schemes. There are currently no plans to amend the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the Graduate Guarantee scheme for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England to include graduates who qualified prior to 2024.

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

No assessment has been made. There are no plans to extend the Graduate Guarantee to include graduates who qualified prior to 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost to the NHS of treating (1) gingivitis, and (2) periodontitis, in the past three financial years.

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

In primary care, dentists do not claim for specific items of treatment, therefore no estimate has been made of the total cost to the National Health Service of treating gingivitis and/or periodontitis, in the past three financial years. However, the tables below show the total secondary care cost to the NHS for gingivitis in England and the total secondary care cost to the NHS for periodontitis in England. The data is derived from the linked Patient-Level Cost Information and Hospital Episode Statistics dataset, submitted annually as part of the National Cost Collection.

The following table shows the total secondary care cost to the NHS for gingivitis in England:

The following table shows the total secondary care cost to the NHS for periodontitis:

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 raise awareness amongst men in Yeovil constituency about the risks of breast cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The National Health Service in England encourages everyone, including men in the Yeovil constituency, to check their breast and chest regularly for firm lumps, changes or thickened areas of tissue, and to consult their general practitioner straight away if they have any concerns.

To increase knowledge of cancer symptoms, and address barriers to acting on them, the NHS runs Help Us Help You campaigns. These campaigns focus on recognising a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers, including breast cancer, at an earlier stage.

NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including breast cancer. Further information on breast cancer symptoms in men can be found on the NHS.UK website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breast-cancer-in-men/symptoms-of-breast-cancer-in-men/

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 Secretary of State for Education and the Home Secretary on the Child Protection Authority consultation.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Ministers meet regularly through the Keeping Children Safe Ministerial Board and the Inter-Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse, where the Child Protection Authority (CPA) is regularly discussed. Both of these groups will continue to monitor progress on the delivery of the CPA.

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 expansion of the UK National Screening Committee’s remit to include consideration of targeted screening programmes on the evaluation of a wider range of screening options for conditions associated with lifestyle related risk factors.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Each year, over 15 million people are invited for screening by National Health Service screening programmes, with over 10 million taking up the invitation. Through our NHS screening programmes, we can reduce mortality and morbidity from cancer and other conditions in the population who appear healthy and have no symptoms, by detecting conditions at an earlier, more treatable stage.

The Government is advised on all screening matters by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which is made up of leading medical and screening experts. It is only where there is robust evidence that an offer to screen provides more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended.

Following its expanded remit, in 2022, the UK NSC recommended lung cancer screening to people between the ages of 55 and 74 years old who smoke or have previously smoked, a lifestyle related risk factor. The NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme is being rolled out across England.

During its three-month open call for topics, the UK NSC welcomes proposals that cover population screening or targeted screening topics. Any individual or organisation can submit a topic to the UK NSC to consider. The UK NSC will consider whether the proposal is within the UK NSC remit and, if so, how the topic should be explored further.

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 (a) direct and (b) indirect impact of current levels of (i) ambient and (ii) indoor air pollution on the (A) current and (B) future health of children and young people.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Ambient and indoor air pollution have long- and short-term health impacts on children and young people, for example respiratory effects including reduced lung function and exacerbation of asthma. The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has published advice on the susceptibility to air pollution, including for children.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found that one third of schools in England in 2017 were in areas with fine particulate matter levels exceeding previous World Health Organization guidelines, particularly in income-deprived areas, exacerbating health inequalities.

A recent UKHSA review also found that 315,000 days of school absences in 2019 were attributed to illnesses related to fine particulate matter exposure.

The UKHSA is a key partner in a newly funded project focused on improving indoor air quality and its health implications, including among children in educational settings.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to develop a new national alcohol strategy for England.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for York Central on 23 January 2026 to Question 105860.

The Government is committed to shortening the amount of time spent in ill health and preventing premature deaths caused by alcohol. Action to prevent harms from alcohol feature in several current strategies and plans.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of cancer patients in Mid Buckinghamshire constituency receive first treatment within the 62 day target.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Data is not collected at a constituency level. Data on what proportion of cancer patients in the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board received a first treatment within the 62-day cancer waiting time standard can be found on the NHS England website at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

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 support people with short and long-term spinal cord injuries.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Our 10-Year Health Plan will have profound and positive impacts on care for patients with spinal cord injury. More tests and scans are delivered in the community, better joined-up working between services, and greater use of technology will all support people in the management of long-term conditions, including spinal cord injuries.

In March 2025, NHS England published the Spinal Services Clinical Network Specification, which establishes expectations for spinal clinical networks to standardise pathways and reduce variation, with the aim of improving access to care for patients.

The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services is also driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with National Health Service trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.

In October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to increase access to weight loss jabs for long-term conditions.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Rushcliffe on 19 November 2025 to Question 89687.

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 introduce mandatory alcohol labelling requirements.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

In Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to strengthening and expanding on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages. The plan can be accessed online at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future

My officials have recently completed a round of stakeholder engagement regarding the policy. We are working at pace to review all available and emerging data and evidence. This work will inform the development assessment of policy options that will be set out in formal consultation in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ask the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition to review whether current vitamin D supplementation recommendations (a) adequately serve all population groups and (b) take adequate account of evidence relating to risks to people with higher melanin concentration.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

In 2016, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published a robust assessment of the evidence on vitamin D and a wide range of health outcomes resulting in the current advice for everyone to take a 10 microgram, or 400 international units, daily supplement of vitamin D during the autumn and winter. This advice is particularly important for those with limited exposure to sunlight during the spring and summer, those with dark skin, and those who usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors. These groups are more at risk of not having enough vitamin D and these groups are advised to take a vitamin D supplement all year round. The SACN is currently carrying out a rapid review of the vitamin D requirements for people with higher melanin concentration.

Vitamin D intakes and status, the concentrations in the blood, are monitored through the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Latest findings, from 2019 to 2023, showed that vitamin D intakes from diet and supplements were below recommendations and low vitamin D concentrations in the blood were found in 18% of adults aged 19 to 64 years old and 23% of children aged 11 to 18 years old. Analysis by ethnicity is not currently possible due to small sample sizes but will be considered in future years.

Government recommendations on vitamin D are promoted on the National Health Service webpage and through public-facing social marketing campaigns, namely Best Start in Life, Better Health, and Healthier Families. These channels help ensure that at-risk groups, as well as the general population, are aware of the importance of supplementation.

Targeted support is also available for families through Government’s Healthy Start scheme which encourages a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. In January 2026, Healthy Start supported over 353,000 pregnant women and children aged under four years old.

Healthy Start beneficiaries are eligible for free Healthy Start Vitamins which include folic acid and vitamins C and D for pregnant and breast-feeding women, and vitamins A, C, and D for children.  The formulations are in line with recommendations from the Government’s independent SACN for supplements.

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 extend access to free and subsidized vitamin D supplements to at-risk groups identified in NICE PH56.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

In 2016, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published a robust assessment of the evidence on vitamin D and a wide range of health outcomes resulting in the current advice for everyone to take a 10 microgram, or 400 international units, daily supplement of vitamin D during the autumn and winter. This advice is particularly important for those with limited exposure to sunlight during the spring and summer, those with dark skin, and those who usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors. These groups are more at risk of not having enough vitamin D and these groups are advised to take a vitamin D supplement all year round. The SACN is currently carrying out a rapid review of the vitamin D requirements for people with higher melanin concentration.

Vitamin D intakes and status, the concentrations in the blood, are monitored through the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Latest findings, from 2019 to 2023, showed that vitamin D intakes from diet and supplements were below recommendations and low vitamin D concentrations in the blood were found in 18% of adults aged 19 to 64 years old and 23% of children aged 11 to 18 years old. Analysis by ethnicity is not currently possible due to small sample sizes but will be considered in future years.

Government recommendations on vitamin D are promoted on the National Health Service webpage and through public-facing social marketing campaigns, namely Best Start in Life, Better Health, and Healthier Families. These channels help ensure that at-risk groups, as well as the general population, are aware of the importance of supplementation.

Targeted support is also available for families through Government’s Healthy Start scheme which encourages a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. In January 2026, Healthy Start supported over 353,000 pregnant women and children aged under four years old.

Healthy Start beneficiaries are eligible for free Healthy Start Vitamins which include folic acid and vitamins C and D for pregnant and breast-feeding women, and vitamins A, C, and D for children.  The formulations are in line with recommendations from the Government’s independent SACN for supplements.

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) collect and (b) publish vitamin D deficiency statistics broken down by ethnicity.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

In 2016, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published a robust assessment of the evidence on vitamin D and a wide range of health outcomes resulting in the current advice for everyone to take a 10 microgram, or 400 international units, daily supplement of vitamin D during the autumn and winter. This advice is particularly important for those with limited exposure to sunlight during the spring and summer, those with dark skin, and those who usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors. These groups are more at risk of not having enough vitamin D and these groups are advised to take a vitamin D supplement all year round. The SACN is currently carrying out a rapid review of the vitamin D requirements for people with higher melanin concentration.

Vitamin D intakes and status, the concentrations in the blood, are monitored through the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Latest findings, from 2019 to 2023, showed that vitamin D intakes from diet and supplements were below recommendations and low vitamin D concentrations in the blood were found in 18% of adults aged 19 to 64 years old and 23% of children aged 11 to 18 years old. Analysis by ethnicity is not currently possible due to small sample sizes but will be considered in future years.

Government recommendations on vitamin D are promoted on the National Health Service webpage and through public-facing social marketing campaigns, namely Best Start in Life, Better Health, and Healthier Families. These channels help ensure that at-risk groups, as well as the general population, are aware of the importance of supplementation.

Targeted support is also available for families through Government’s Healthy Start scheme which encourages a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. In January 2026, Healthy Start supported over 353,000 pregnant women and children aged under four years old.

Healthy Start beneficiaries are eligible for free Healthy Start Vitamins which include folic acid and vitamins C and D for pregnant and breast-feeding women, and vitamins A, C, and D for children.  The formulations are in line with recommendations from the Government’s independent SACN for supplements.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will develop a vitamin D food fortification policy.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

In 2016, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published a robust assessment of the evidence on vitamin D and a wide range of health outcomes resulting in the current advice for everyone to take a 10 microgram, or 400 international units, daily supplement of vitamin D during the autumn and winter. This advice is particularly important for those with limited exposure to sunlight during the spring and summer, those with dark skin, and those who usually wear clothes that cover up most of their skin when outdoors. These groups are more at risk of not having enough vitamin D and these groups are advised to take a vitamin D supplement all year round. The SACN is currently carrying out a rapid review of the vitamin D requirements for people with higher melanin concentration.

Vitamin D intakes and status, the concentrations in the blood, are monitored through the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Latest findings, from 2019 to 2023, showed that vitamin D intakes from diet and supplements were below recommendations and low vitamin D concentrations in the blood were found in 18% of adults aged 19 to 64 years old and 23% of children aged 11 to 18 years old. Analysis by ethnicity is not currently possible due to small sample sizes but will be considered in future years.

Government recommendations on vitamin D are promoted on the National Health Service webpage and through public-facing social marketing campaigns, namely Best Start in Life, Better Health, and Healthier Families. These channels help ensure that at-risk groups, as well as the general population, are aware of the importance of supplementation.

Targeted support is also available for families through Government’s Healthy Start scheme which encourages a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. In January 2026, Healthy Start supported over 353,000 pregnant women and children aged under four years old.

Healthy Start beneficiaries are eligible for free Healthy Start Vitamins which include folic acid and vitamins C and D for pregnant and breast-feeding women, and vitamins A, C, and D for children.  The formulations are in line with recommendations from the Government’s independent SACN for supplements.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on air pollution impacting people's health in relation to (a) ambient air and (b) indoor air in England.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The Department and the UK Health Security Agency have published a range of information and evidence on health impacts of air pollution, to support action to reduce exposure to harmful emissions.

The Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2022: Air Pollution sets out a detailed overview of this evidence of the impact on health of both indoor and ambient air quality. The report can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chief-medical-officers-annual-report-2022-air-pollution

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 merits of people walking on (a) cancer prevention and (b) cancer recovery.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Being physically active, including walking and brisk walking, can help with the prevention and management of long-term health conditions, such as some cancers. Movement is an important part of care for people going through cancer treatment, helping to support recovery and boosting mental health and wellbeing.

The recently published National Cancer Plan is putting quality of life at the heart of cancer care, including physical activity to help patients through treatment successfully. Every patient will get a personalised plan that looks at their physical, mental, and practical needs, with support increasingly delivered through neighbourhood services and accessible digitally through the NHS App.

Under the plan we will deliver a universal digital-first prehabilitation offer for all cancer patients through the NHS App and other digital channels. This will include signposting to other existing digital services such as exercise classes and walking apps like NHS Active 10, ensuring cancer patients can best prepare for their treatment at, or close 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 merits of reducing the starting age for routine mammograms to 40.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Each year, over 15 million people are invited for screening by National Health Service screening programmes, with over 10 million taking up the invitation. Through our NHS screening programmes, we can reduce mortality and morbidity from cancer and other conditions in the population who appear healthy and have no symptoms, by detecting conditions at an earlier, more treatable stage.

We are guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) on all screening matters. It is only where there is robust evidence that an offer to screen provides more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended.

As screening programmes can also cause harms, each of the adult screening programmes has both an upper and lower age range, within which there is good scientific evidence that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme does not currently offer screening to women younger than the age of 50 for breast cancer due to the lower risk of women under this age developing breast cancer, and the fact that women below 50 tend to have denser breasts tissue. The density of breast tissue reduces the ability of getting an accurate mammogram, the accepted screening test for breast cancer.

There is therefore a risk of unnecessary treatment and distress for women who do not have breast cancer, but who would be subjected to invasive and painful medical treatments and diagnostic tests.

We are in line with most European countries, most of whom screen women between the ages of 50 to 69 years old.

The UK NSC recognises that screening programmes are not static and that, over time, they may need to change to be more effective. Work is underway within the breast screening programme to investigate the possibility of routinely screening below the currently recommended age. The AgeX research trial has been looking at the effectiveness of offering some women one extra screen between the ages of 47 and 49 years old.

It is the biggest trial of its kind ever to be undertaken and will provide robust evidence about the effectiveness of screening in these age groups, including the benefit and harms. The UK NSC will review the publication of the age extension trial when it reports.

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 people over the age of 71 can request a breast cancer screening in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

People in Yeovil who are over the age of 71 years old can request breast cancer screening once every three years by contacting their local National Health Service breast screening programme directly.

They will be offered an appointment at either the nearest mobile screening van, which rotate around the county on a three-yearly cycle, or the static screening centre at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the reduction in NHS waiting lists since April 2025 is attributable to patient removals; and if he will publish a breakdown of waiting-list change by treatment status.

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, if his Department will publish full, raw NHS waiting-list data including removals and treatment activity on a weekly and monthly basis.

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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of integrating all at risk screening for breast cancer into the National NHS Breast Screening Programme.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The new and world-leading NHS National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Registry (NICPR), part of the National Disease Registration Service, will help the National Health Service to deliver proactive, targeted prevention, surveillance, and earlier diagnosis for people and their families. Women at Very High Risk (VHR) of breast cancer are now identified within the NICPR and referred into the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP), which has enabled reconciliation to ensure that all identified women are safely referred into the programme. This is a step towards a fully electronic referral VHR process into the NHSBSP.

The Government is advised on all screening matters by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which is made up of leading medical and screening experts. Where the UK NSC is confident that offering screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.

In 2022 the remit of the UK NSC was expanded to include targeted, and risk stratified screening, in addition to population screening. So far, the UK NSC has not made a recommendation for targeted screening of women at a moderate or high risk of breast cancer.

Currently, if women reach the criteria for moderate or high- risk screening with surveillance recommended, this is offered as part of screening provision managed locally with NHS trusts.

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Found: Between September and October 2023, the Department of Health and Social Care held a public consultation

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Found: (the Act) and sponsored by the Department for Education in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Care

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Found: Examples include engagement with the Department of Health and Social Care involving Overseas

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Found: fertility clinics being mandated to report long-term outcomes to the HFEA, which must report it to DHSC

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Found: Great British Energy solar funding; • £(150.0) million budget cover transfers to Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Department for Education for Engineering Skills-70Supplementary EstimateTransfer to Department of Health and Social Care

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Found: consistent approach, and the PSA continues to provide advice to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

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Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the Department of Health and Social Care on promoting regular sight tests for drivers as part of the Government’s road safety strategy.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Both Department for Transport and Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency officials have worked with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) while developing the proposed changes to eyesight testing for older drivers, and we will continue to engage with the DHSC as our policies develop further.

The Department for Transport fully supports the NHS’s recommendation that adults should have their eyes tested every two years.

All drivers, regardless of age, have a legal responsibility to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they develop a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive.

On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Alongside the strategy, we launched five consultations including a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers.

Once the consultation has concluded, we will publish our response in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

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

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

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

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

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

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

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

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

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

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

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

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

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Found: DHSC expects to spend £316 million ODA for 2025/26, a £15 million reduction compared to its initial

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Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said that it had developed financial and delivery plans

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Found: Comments Source of funding: UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

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Found: with pomalidomide and dexamethasone for previously treated multiple myeloma The Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Renal Pharmacy Group • Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland Others • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: With recent calls from the Department of Health and Social Care relating to the importance of reducing

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

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Found: Urology Foundation • Vascular Society of Great Britain and Ireland Others • Department of Health and Social Care

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

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

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Found: and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), which is part of the Department of Health and Social Care

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

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