Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS prescriptions for (1) isotretinoin, and (2) spironolactone, have been issued in each year since 2014.

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

The Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) provides the total number of prescription items of each medicine dispensed in the community in England. The table shows the total number of items in each calendar year from 2014 to 2024, as well as the data for January to November 2025 that has been dispensed in England regardless of where prescribed:

This is based on the information within the PCA for the British National Formulary chemical substance of isotretinoin and spironolactone.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the proportion of NHS GP appointments that have arisen due to mental health conditions in each of the past five years.

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

NHS England releases monthly statistics on general practice (GP) appointments. However, this data does not identify specific conditions addressed during individual GP appointments. Additionally, while GP clinical systems can collect and code information on conditions being treated, this information is for local management and is not shared centrally

Consequently, it is not possible to determine what proportion of National Health Service GP appointments relate to mental health conditions, or to any other specific conditions.

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 policies of the Association of British Neurologists’ Workforce Report 2025, which shows that the UK has approximately 1–2 consultant neurologists per 100,000 population compared with a European average of around 6 per 100,000.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, set out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. The Government will set out its next steps on this in due course.

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 National Health Service 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, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increased funding and planning for the neurology workforce; and what steps his Department is taking to increase neurology specialty training posts and consultant numbers.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, set out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. The Government will set out its next steps on this in due course.

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 National Health Service 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, what steps is his Department taking to increase neurology specialty training posts and consultant neurologist numbers.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, set out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. The Government will set out its next steps on this in due course.

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 National Health Service 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, whether he plans to develop a workforce strategy to provide support for diabetes patients.

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

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a National Health Service 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. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different service areas and professional groups, such as those that support diabetes patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to The Bread and Flour (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2024, what steps he has taken to avoid harm to people unable to take folic acid.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The Government laid legislation in England on 14 November 2024 to introduce the mandatory fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid. Similar legislation in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland has also been laid. The provisions will become mandatory in December 2026.

Non-wholemeal wheat flour is already the established vehicle for mandatory fortification, as it is currently fortified with calcium, iron, niacin, and thiamine. There was a United Kingdom-wide agreement to limit folic acid fortification to flour that is already fortified, so that individuals are able to avoid fortified flour if they choose to or need to. These individuals will continue to be able to consume wholemeal flour and other non-wheat products, including gluten-free products and soy and spelt flours.

To ensure people can easily identify products that are suitable for them, added vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, must be labelled in the flour’s ingredients list. This must also be declared when fortified flour is used as an ingredient. For individuals with specific dietary needs, personalised advice from a registered dietitian or healthcare professional is recommended to help manage intakes as part of a healthy, balanced diet. An impact assessment has been published alongside the legislation, and is available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/1162/resources

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 a robust audit of diabetes services.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The National Diabetes Audit (NDA), and the National Peadiatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA), which are delivered in partnership with NHS England, provide comprehensive data on care processes and outcomes.

NHS Digital’s NDA dashboards and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s NPDA dashboards are designed to help integrated care boards, providers, and paediatric diabetes units benchmark themselves and target improvements. Further information on NHS Digital’s NDA dashboards and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s NPDA dashboards is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/clinical-audits-and-registries/national-diabetes-audit/dashboards

https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/NPDA-dashboards

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to improve access to pulmonary rehabilitation for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease living in Blaydon and Consett constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

In the Blaydon and Consett area, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is primarily delivered by the Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust. Since April 2024, the trust's physiotherapy and occupational therapy services have undertaken a comprehensive redesign of the PR service. This restructure aims to ensure equity of access for all patients across the referral catchment area and to guarantee consistency in both the clinical content and delivery of the course.

The redesigned service is now fully operational, and the trust will be monitoring patient outcomes and attendance figures throughout the coming year to ensure the new structure delivers the intended improvements in patient health and service reach.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of burnout of NHS staff.

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

The health and wellbeing of all National Health Service staff is a top priority.  NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive, including access to high quality health and wellbeing support.

At a national level, NHS staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health and wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will have a focus on supporting our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals. This includes the development of a new set of staff standards for modern employment and the roll-out of Staff Treatment Hubs that will ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health, including support for mental health and back conditions.

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 absence of a regular, comprehensive national workforce census on neurology workforce planning; and if he will commit to establishing such a census.

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

No such assessment has been made. NHS England already publishes well-established official statistics on the medical neurology workforce, therefore there are no plans to introduce a census.

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 National Health Service 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, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on the potential impact of a modern service framework for respiratory conditions on the UK’s life sciences ecosystem, including the scaling up of 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 long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is the 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.

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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the timeline for determining the second wave of Modern Service Frameworks, and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including respiratory conditions.

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

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is the 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.

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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that overseas visitor charging regulations are applied uniformly across NHS trusts.

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

The overseas visitor charging regulations apply to all National Health Service trusts in England. The Department is working closely with NHS England to ensure the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015 are applied fairly and consistently across all NHS trusts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what specific mechanisms will enable HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force to verify compliance with the vaping product registration scheme at the point of import; and whether registration numbers will be required on customs documentation.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Officials in the Department of Health and Social Care regularly meet with officials from other departments, including HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force, to share intelligence and ensure a coordinated approach to the enforcement of our rules on vaping products. This coordinated approach to enforcement will continue once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill becomes law and in the development of subsequent regulations.

We launched a call for evidence in October 2025 which sought further detail on the existing product notification schemes and where registration could go further than current requirements. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses. Policy proposals will be subject to further consultation before regulations are made with sufficient lead time for businesses to adjust to the new requirements.

The Government intends to implement vaping duty stamps alongside the Vaping Products Duty commencing in October 2026, in line with HM Revenue and Customs’ strategic objective of making it easy to get tax right and hard to bend or break the rules. Vaping duty stamps will support both enforcement bodies and industry in identifying products that are non-duty paid, therefore illicit. We will work with HM Revenue and Customs to ensure a joined-up approach, where appropriate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of nurses and midwives.

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

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service 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, what formal intergovernmental mechanisms are in place to coordinate enforcement of the vaping product registration and testing regime across the four nations of the United Kingdom.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill allow us to develop a new registration and testing scheme for all vape, nicotine, and tobacco products. These powers will apply across the United Kingdom, and it is therefore vital that the future registration scheme works for all nations.

We are in the process of developing the new registration scheme and we launched a call for evidence in October 2025 which sought further detail on the existing product notification schemes and where registration could go further than current requirements. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses.

We are working closely with the devolved administrations on all future regulations and officials meet with them regularly to discuss a range of issues. This includes on the registration scheme and the coordination across the United Kingdom that will be a crucial part of any considerations. Policy proposals will be subject to further consultation before regulations are made with sufficient lead time for businesses to adjust to the new requirements.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he expects the vaping product registration scheme to be fully operational before the commencement of the Vaping Products Duty in October 2026; and what contingency arrangements will apply if implementation timetables differ.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill allow us to develop a new registration and testing scheme for all vape, nicotine, and tobacco products. This will replace the current notification system and competent authority function which will remain in place until the new regulations. Our current intention is for the new scheme to be operational by the end of this Parliament.

While they are linked, there are differences between the future registration scheme and the Vaping Products Duty, commencing in October 2026, which will provide civil and criminal powers for HM Revenue and Customs to assess for duty and seize products and equipment used to produce or transport illicit products.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Office for Product Safety and Standards will oversee the vaping product registration scheme.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Office for Product Safety and Standards are considering whether the Office for Product Safety and Standards would be best placed to oversee the future register.

Officials in Department of Health and Social Care and the Office for Product Safety and Standards have agreed, at a working level, an interim Memorandum of Understanding to review whether the Office for Product Safety and Standards is a suitable home for the future scheme. We expect to consult on proposals for the product registration scheme later this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support exists for children under 16 diagnosed with Long Covid.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

NHS England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist long COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, and investing in ensuring general practice (GP) teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition. Since April 2024, in line with the National Health Service operating framework and the establishment of integrated care systems, the commissioning of services to support patients with long COVID, including children, has been the responsibility of integrated care boards. Where local long COVID services are not available, children and young people with long COVID symptoms should see their GP, who will be able to refer them to alternative existing services depending on their clinical needs.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment for long COVID.  This includes a new funding opportunity for a development award which is focussed on the feasibility of a phase 2 platform clinical trial that tests multiple repurposed pharmaceutical and/or non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, and long COVID.

We have also funded research specifically focused on long COVID in children and young people, including the approximate £1.9 million CLoCk study jointly funded by the NIHR and the MRC. The study developed an agreed definition of long COVID in children and young people and associated symptoms, to improve understanding of the condition and help harmonise research.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce at-home test kits for cervical smears.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The Government has announced the introduction of human papilloma virus (HPV) self-testing in the National Health Service cervical screening programme for the under-screened population in England. The NHS has begun planning an in-service evaluation (ISE) of HPV self-testing in the wider population.

The purpose of the ISE is to ensure that the self-test is acceptable, accurate, and feasible compared with a clinician collected specimen, and to evaluate its impact on cervical screening uptake and ensure that the programme continues to prevent the same number of cancers. The findings of the ISE will inform any future UK National Screening Committee recommendation to ministers to offer self-testing across the whole population, alongside clinician-led screening.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the impact that mandating extended online consultation use at GP surgeries will have on the availability of face-to-face appointments.

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

No formal assessment has been undertaken of the impact that mandating extended use of online consultations will have on the availability of face‑to‑face appointments.

Between November and December 2025, the number of online consultations fell by approximately 175,000, despite contract changes introduced in October 2025 to align online consultation hours with telephone and reception access. Over the same period, the proportion of appointments delivered face‑to‑face has remained stable. In December 2025, 61.5% of all appointments were conducted in person with a healthcare professional, a decrease of 2.5% compared with December 2024.

Practices already using online systems have seen significant improvements. One London general practice surgery reduced waits from 14 days to just three, with 95% of patients seen within a week.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Millions more appointments as more than 2,000 extra GPs recruited, published on 24 July 2025, how many additional GP appointments have been delivered in Gloucester constituency in the current financial year to date compared to the previous financial year at that point.

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

From December 2024 to December 2025, we have delivered 6.8 million more general practice appointments for patients in England than during the same period in the previous year.

In the Gloucestershire constituency, between April 24 and December 24, a total of 578,193 appointments were delivered. However, during the same period the following year, from April 25 to December 25, the number of appointments dropped to 564,172, indicating a decrease of 14,021.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the digital NHS health check programme will include the use of point-of-care diagnostic testing technologies.

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

The NHS Health Check Online is currently in a private Beta testing phase and is being piloted in multiple local authorities. The service utilises point-of-care testing through the NHS Find a Pharmacy service, which directs patients to their nearest participating pharmacy for a free blood pressure check, which can be completed quickly without the need to see a general practitioner.

The private Beta testing phase is being independently evaluated, and the findings will inform decisions on whether further development is needed, including whether the NHS Health Check online may need to consider the use of further point-of-care diagnostic testing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current assessment of the percentage of "avoidable deaths" among those with a learning disability following the revision to the data published in the 2026 LeDeR report; and how this corrected figure will influence the targeted interventions within the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

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

The headline findings of the updated 2023 Learning from lives and deaths – people with a learning disability and autistic people report remain consistent with those previously published. The updated analysis reaffirms that people with a learning disability continue to experience significant health inequalities, and on average, they die 19.5 years younger than the general population and are almost twice as likely to die from an avoidable cause of death. The proportion of deaths classed as avoidable is now higher than originally reported, at 40.2% compared to 38.8% previously reported. The downward trend over time remains, however the level of deaths classed as avoidable remains unacceptable.

The Government is committed to improving care for people with a learning disability and autistic people and has recognised the unacceptable inequalities and poor life expectancy this group of people faces within the 10-Year Health Plan. There is a range of work underway to drive service improvements and implement the plan’s goal to ensure more holistic, ongoing support in the community. This includes mandatory training on learning disability and autism for health and care staff, continued uptake of annual health checks, and roll out of a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve community health services in Gloucester constituency.

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

Community health services are a fundamental part of the health and care system and an essential building block in developing a neighbourhood health service. That is why we have set a clear ambition for community health services through our Medium Term Planning Framework.

For the first time, we have set a target for systems to work to reduce long waits for community health services. By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets for elective care.

To support the shift to neighbourhood health, we have published for the first time an overview of the core community health services, via Standardising Community Health Services, that integrated care boards should consider when planning for their local populations to support improved commissioning and delivery of community health services.

In Gloucestershire, we remain committed to the principle of joined up services and support being delivered in neighbourhoods and communities where possible. In line with the 10-Year Health Plan, we will continue to support integration from the bottom up through our dedicated and innovative work in primary care networks and further development of integrated neighbourhood teams.

Community health services in Gloucester continue to be strengthened through the development of primary care networks and integrated neighbourhood teams. These bring together general practices, community clinicians, social care, and voluntary sector partners to provide more joined up and proactive support.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the expected timetable is for the rollout of the digital NHS health check programme.

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

To improve access and engagement with the NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme, we are developing the NHS Health Check Online service that people can use at home, at a time convenient to them, to understand and act on their CVD risk.

The NHS Health Check Online is currently in a private Beta testing phase and is being piloted in multiple local authorities. The testing phase is being independently evaluated and once completed, the findings will inform decisions on next steps such as whether further development is needed. We expect to have the evaluation results later this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish abortion statistics in England and Wales for 2024.

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

The publication date of the abortion statistics for England and Wales for the calendar year 2024 has not yet been announced. We will announce the date of the 2024 data publication in due course.

The statistics have been delayed due to several operational issues. These include issues associated with moving to a new data processing system and an increase in the number of paper abortion notification forms to process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of (a) how much new NHS primary estate is being built each year and (b) what the year-on-year change in that amount has been.

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

The primary care estate is a complex mix of general practice (GP) private ownership, third party ownership, and lease arrangements with approximately half of GP premises owned by GPs. As of December 2025, there are 6,210 GP surgeries across England.

The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.

In May, we announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to deliver upgrades to more than a thousand GP surgeries across England this financial year. These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care.

At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 neighbourhood health centres, with 120 operational by 2030. These centres will co-locate local health services such as GPs and physiotherapists to improve access to care and to support a more preventative and sustainable National Health Service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is providing additional resources for respite care for parents.

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

In England, the Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.

The Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in England 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 an increase to the National Health Service contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund compared to 2025/26.

The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for carer support, including short breaks and respite services. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.

We have raised the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit from £151 to £196 per week, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage and representing the largest cash increase ever.

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 (a) the prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Surrey Heath constituency compared with the national average.

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

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including 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.

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

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.

Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Surrey can be found at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E10000030/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including 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.

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

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.

Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Surrey can be found at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E10000030/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Science and Technology about the potential for a respiratory Modern Service Framework to strengthen 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 long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including 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.

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 a respiratory Modern Service Framework in reducing winter pressures on the NHS by simultaneously improving outcomes for long-term respiratory conditions and short-term respiratory illnesses such as flu.

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

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including 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.

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 long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including 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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase the number of specialist Parkinson's nurses serving residents of Esher and Walton constituency.

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

The Government will publish 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, including specialists across the full scope of National Health Service care. It will ensure that the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, including those with Parkinson’s disease, when they need it. This 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will deliver that change by making sure that staff are better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future.

We have set up a United Kingdom-wide Neuro Forum, facilitating formal, twice-yearly meetings across the Department, NHS England, devolved administrations, and health services and Neurological Alliances of all four nations. The new forum brings key stakeholders together to share learnings across the system and discuss challenges, best practice examples, and potential solutions for improving the care of people with neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s. The forum has identified areas for initial focus, including the workforce, which featured as a key item on the agenda at the second meeting of the forum in September 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he make an assessment of the potential merits of a Modern Service Framework for respiratory health to help improve referral and take up rates of pulmonary rehabilitation.

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

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including 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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of (a) the new online consultation system for GP surgeries and (b) as part of that, urgent clinical queries being included on forms meant for non-urgent business on levels of patient safety.

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

General practices (GPs) are independent businesses contracted by the National Health Service to deliver essential services, and as part of these contracts they are required to provide modern telephony systems and online consultation tools. In the 2025 contract negotiations with the General Practitioners Committee England, agreement was reached to ensure online, telephone, and reception access is available throughout core hours. To support safe implementation, this was deferred to 1 October 2025, with support available from NHS England and the integrated care boards for practices that need help meeting the requirement. These changes build on several years of work to modernise GPs and improve access.

Online consultation systems already require practices to triage clinical need, so extending access to core hours does not change how urgent and non‑urgent queries are managed, it simply gives patients more choice in how they contact their practice and helps ensure urgent issues are identified quickly while non‑urgent requests are handled appropriately.

Practices already using online systems have seen significant improvements. One London GP surgery reduced waits from 14 days to just three, with 95% of patients seen within a week.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they will secure independent evidence on the needs and experiences of health and social care users following the abolition of Healthwatch.

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

As set out in the Dash Report and the 10-Year Health Plan for England, the strategic functions of Healthwatch England will transfer to a new directorate for patient experience within the Department.

We are committed to ensuring that patient voice is not only heard but embedded at the highest levels of our leadership and decision-making structures. By creating clear routes for patient insight, feedback, and lived experience to directly influence senior leaders at the national level, we will ensure that policies, strategic priorities, and service design will be shaped by what matters most to the people who use health services.

To achieve this, we are proposing to abolish Healthwatch and bring patient voice ‘in-house’ by creating a new Patient Experience Directorate in the Department, which will take on the strategic functions of Healthwatch England. The health function of Local Healthwatch (LHW) will become the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs will ensure the functions are incorporated in provider organisations alongside existing patient engagement work such as Patient Participation Groups. Local authorities will be responsible for the social care functions of LHW.

The abolition of both Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch will require primary legislation and will be subject to the will of Parliament.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provision has been made to help increase the number of appointments available within NHS primary care services in response to increases in online consultation use at GP surgeries.

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

We have invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of over 2,000 individual general practitioners (GPs) into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. The new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will also create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England. This investment will deliver more appointments and improve patient care.

Last year, we invested an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.

As a result, we have successfully delivered an additional 6.8 million GP appointments for patients compared to the same period last year, meaning more patients are getting the support they need, when they need it. Between November and December 2025, the number of online consultations fell by approximately 175,000, despite contract changes introduced in October 2025 to align online consultation hours with telephone and reception access.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent decisions by countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Norway to incorporate wider societal impacts within their health technology assessment methodologies; and whether Ministers have considered adopting similar approaches in England.

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

In 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) undertook a detailed appraisal of whether it should broaden the perspective it uses in its economic evaluations, including consideration of wider societal impacts. NICE found that robust methods for quantifying wider societal effects are not yet sufficiently developed, and that evidence on the wider societal benefits of interventions, and of the services that might be displaced, is limited. NICE has also noted that expanding assessments to capture socio‑economic impacts could introduce ethical challenges, such as advantaging interventions for populations with higher workforce participation over those for children, older adults, or people unable to work.

Following this review, and after examining both international comparisons, and the significant methodological and ethical challenges involved, NICE’s Board concluded that it should retain its current approach of using a health-sector perspective routinely but with the flexibility to include wider societal benefits when they are especially relevant.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times, and in which NHS regions of England, the outcome of commissioned health and justice service contracts have been referred to the Independent Patient and Procurement Panel in each of the past two years.

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

The panel has received two representations regarding Health and Justice services. The panel accepted one case for review and did not review the other case. The case that the panel accepted was in the North West of England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to to the answers of 5 and 17 October 2025 to Questions 77387 and 86538, what progress he has made on ensuring a reliable supply of testosterone and oestrogen HRT implants.

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

We are continuing to work closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to ensure safe access to these products. We have reached out to Specialist Importers who can source unlicensed medicines in order to find alternative sources of both oestrogen and testosterone hormone replacement therapy (HRT) implants, which are not licenced in the United Kingdom. We are engaging with companies globally to source supplies of HRT implants for UK patients. We are aware of a Specialist Importer who is able to source unlicensed testosterone implants. The decision to prescribe an unlicensed imported medicine sits with the prescriber.

We are also engaging with companies globally to source supplies of HRT implants for UK patients. The MHRA has been working closely with current importers of the product and are also looking to encourage other applications for a licenced medicinal product. As oestrogen and testosterone HRT implants are not licenced in the UK, the MHRA is encouraging applications to supply products through the licenced medicines route.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether standard operating practices and procedures for the treatment of patients in ambulances for those waiting to be admitted to hospital (1) go beyond paramedics' scope of clinical practice, and (2) are limited to pre-hospital emergency interventions, in particular in Birmingham.

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

No specific assessment has been made. Paramedics are highly trained and competent professionals who routinely and autonomously carry out procedures where required.

While patients wait for hospital intervention, paramedics work alongside acute trusts to provide robust protection measures, alongside Rapid Release protocols implemented in most ambulance services and acute trusts, allowing ambulances to clear and be available for the next call. Where protocols have not been implemented, there is a plan in place for rapid implementation.

Whether paramedics are able to undertake or supervise treatment procedures whilst patients wait for admission to hospital depends on a number of factors, including local policies and clinical governance frameworks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to issue neighbourhood health guidelines for maternal services.

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

While there are currently no plans to issues guidelines specifically for maternal services, we are developing guidance to provide greater clarity and consistency for systems in developing and scaling neighbourhood health.

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations, and involve National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary sector services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to ensure that the (a) psychological, (b) social and (b) financial impacts of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease are accounted for as part of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence methods for evaluating novel treatments.

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

In developing its recommendations, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) takes into account all health-related costs and benefits for patients and caregivers, in line with its established methods and processes.

In 2022, NICE undertook a detailed review of whether it should broaden the perspective it uses in its economic evaluations, including consideration of wider societal impacts. NICE found that robust methods for quantifying wider societal effects are not yet sufficiently developed, and that evidence on the wider societal benefits of interventions, and of the services that might be displaced, is limited. NICE has also noted that expanding assessments to capture socioeconomic impacts could introduce ethical challenges, such as advantaging interventions for populations with higher workforce participation over those for children, older adults, or people unable to work.

Following this review, and after examining both international comparisons, and the significant methodological and ethical challenges involved, NICE’s Board concluded that it should retain its current approach of using a health-sector perspective routinely but with the flexibility to include wider societal benefits when they are especially relevant.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the outcome of the NHSE patient safety investigation into Community Health and Eye Care Services as reported in The Sunday Times in May 2025.

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

The safety of all patients, whether they are treated in the National Health Service or the independent sector, is a top priority for the Government. All providers of healthcare are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality, below which care should never fall.

Those providers in receipt of NHS contracts must meet additional requirements, including meeting the provisions of the NHS Provider License and the NHS Standard Contract. These additional measures put in place specific standards which must be met. Contracts to private providers can be and are terminated where these are not met.

We take all claims relating to patient safety seriously. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has carried out inspection activity at a majority of community health and eye care services locations. All locations have been either rated as Good or Requires Improvement, and there have not been any significant concerns identified. The CQC has also not taken any enforcement action. Currently the CQC does not have on-going concerns, but will continue to monitor the providers as part of relevant ongoing engagement.

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 19th January to question 105612, to ask what role the Department for Health and Social Care will have in drug price negotiations following the abolishment of NHS England.

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

The target operating model for the integration of NHS England operations into the Department has yet to be finalised. However, drug-price negotiations will continue uninterrupted up to and beyond April 2027, when NHS England will cease to exist as a separate entity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure women's health services are included in the Neighbourhood Health Service.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan set out our ambition for high autonomy to be the norm across every part of the country. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the healthcare needs of their local population and which have the freedom to do so, and this includes women's health hubs and delivering the direction of the Women's Health Strategy. The Government is backing ICBs to do this through significant funding, with the Spending Review 2025 prioritising health and increasing investment across the health and social care system. The Government is encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and supporting them to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.

We have announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme, with 120 delivered by 2030, and with rollout starting in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest.

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations, which may include women’s health services. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in different places across the country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the new dementia framework will be published.

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

The first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care. The commission is underway and phase one will report this year.

We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future. We are working to develop the content as soon as possible and we will keep partners updated on progress and timings as this work unfolds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to update the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for generalised anxiety and panic disorder; and what representations they have made, if any, to NICE regarding review of those guidelines.

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

The Department has made no assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on generalised anxiety and panic disorders, and has not made any representations to NICE regarding a review of the guideline.

NICE is an independent body and is responsible for keeping its guidelines up to date in light of new evidence. NICE keeps its guidance under active surveillance and decisions on whether published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by the NICE Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. There are currently no plans to update the guideline on generalised anxiety and panic disorder.

NICE is currently updating or reviewing several guidelines related to mental health conditions, including its guidelines on bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure regular review of National Institute for Health and Care Excellent mental health guidelines.

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

The Department has made no assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on generalised anxiety and panic disorders, and has not made any representations to NICE regarding a review of the guideline.

NICE is an independent body and is responsible for keeping its guidelines up to date in light of new evidence. NICE keeps its guidance under active surveillance and decisions on whether published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by the NICE Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. There are currently no plans to update the guideline on generalised anxiety and panic disorder.

NICE is currently updating or reviewing several guidelines related to mental health conditions, including its guidelines on bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether ambulance paramedics are regulated to undertake or supervise procedures, including routine catheterisation and infusion, while waiting with patients for hospital admission.

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

Ambulance paramedics are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), but the HCPC does not set a national list of procedures such as catheterisation or infusion. Paramedics are highly trained and competent professionals who may routinely and autonomously carry out procedures such as cannulation in the field.

However, while waiting for hospital admission, whether paramedics are able to undertake or supervise these procedures depends on a number of factors, such as local policies and clinical governance frameworks.

The Government expects all system partners to work together to provide robust protection measures, including handover protocols, to ensure patients are cared for in the right place, at the right time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Institute for Health and Care Research's news story entitled NIHR launches £13.7 million investment into brain tumour research, published on 19 December 2025, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of funding the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium and Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence on the level of patient access to tumour tissue freezing within routine NHS neuro-oncology pathways, including access for patients treated outside specialist centres to sequencing, research, and clinical trials.

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

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year in research through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).

In January 2026, the NIHR announced increased investment of over £25 million in the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer. Its activities will include:

• enrolling patients to a ‘Real World’ study tracking their progress in everyday medical settings, before matching them to new clinical trials based on their cancer subtype;
• developing pioneering new clinical trials, including platform trials, to test medicines and radiotherapy technologies, immunotherapies, and novel gene therapies. This includes targeted precision medicine; and
• developing new training programmes for those working in brain cancer research to build capacity and increase skills among the next generation of researchers.

It is anticipated that this funding will include costs associated with freezer capacity to house frozen tissue and liquid biopsy samples specifically to support the consortium’s activities. The consortium will also engage with partners on the standardised pathways for tissue storage and whole genome sequencing for all patients for stratification into clinical trials.

In addition, the NIHR’s investments for capital equipment, technology, and modular buildings support National Health Service trusts across England to deliver high-quality research to improve the health of the population. This investment includes cutting edge research equipment and fixed assets such as ultra-low and cryogenic freezers, to strengthen research capacity and improve access to samples for research.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Institute for Health and Care Research's news story entitled NIHR launches £13.7 million investment into brain tumour research, published on 19 December 2025, whether the funding allocated to brain tumour research through the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium includes specific funding to increase tissue freezing capacity and standardise access to tumour storage across NHS trusts and health boards to allow all eligible brain cancer patients to have genomic sequencing, clinical trials, and advanced diagnostics.

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

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year in research through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).

In January 2026, the NIHR announced increased investment of over £25 million in the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer. Its activities will include:

• enrolling patients to a ‘Real World’ study tracking their progress in everyday medical settings, before matching them to new clinical trials based on their cancer subtype;
• developing pioneering new clinical trials, including platform trials, to test medicines and radiotherapy technologies, immunotherapies, and novel gene therapies. This includes targeted precision medicine; and
• developing new training programmes for those working in brain cancer research to build capacity and increase skills among the next generation of researchers.

It is anticipated that this funding will include costs associated with freezer capacity to house frozen tissue and liquid biopsy samples specifically to support the consortium’s activities. The consortium will also engage with partners on the standardised pathways for tissue storage and whole genome sequencing for all patients for stratification into clinical trials.

In addition, the NIHR’s investments for capital equipment, technology, and modular buildings support National Health Service trusts across England to deliver high-quality research to improve the health of the population. This investment includes cutting edge research equipment and fixed assets such as ultra-low and cryogenic freezers, to strengthen research capacity and improve access to samples for research.

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) provide support for children with Paediatric Feeding Disorder and (b) to reduce distances travelled to reach appropriate clinics in (i) Broxtowe constituency, (ii) the East Midlands and (iii) England.

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

There is currently no formal National Health Service pathway for paediatric feeding disorder (PFD), and support is delivered according to a child’s individual needs.

In Broxtowe, children may receive support through community paediatric services or speech and language therapy. Where a child’s needs cannot be met locally, the integrated care board can consider individual requests and commission additional specialist input to ensure appropriate care is provided.

Across the East Midlands, arrangements vary. In Lincolnshire, children are first assessed locally before referral to general paediatrics and, if required, to tertiary centres such as Sheffield Children’s Hospital or Queen’s Medical Centre. In Derby and Derbyshire, PFD is recognised in practice, although there is no dedicated pathway, and feeding difficulties are often considered alongside conditions such as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. Northamptonshire provides a multidisciplinary community service across three sites, helping families access support closer to home. Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland offer specialist eating, drinking, and swallowing services locally and do not expect families to travel out of area.

Nationally, children with feeding difficulties may be supported through community services, general paediatrics, and referral to specialist multidisciplinary clinics where available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government response to the Women and Equalities Committee report on Tackling HIV transmission, HC 1663, what the basis is for the estimate that Cabotegravir injectable PrEP will impact 2,000 people; whether that figure is a cap on availability; and what steps his Department will take to ensure equitable access to injectable PrEP.

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

Cabotegravir pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a clinically and cost-effective use for people who cannot have oral PrEP on 5 November 2025.

NICE estimated that up to 1,000 people would be eligible to receive cabotegravir injectable as PrEP but there is no cap on the number of people who may be eligible and therefore require and receive cabotegravir PrEP.

The new HIV Action Plan, published on 1 December 2025, sets out how the Government will enable every level of the healthcare system to work together to engage everyone in prevention, testing and treatment, tackling stigma, and reaching our ambition to end new HIV transmissions by 2030.

The Government will work with local authorities to expand alternative and digital delivery routes for injectable PrEP and audit current HIV technologies to identify gaps in provision. The UK Health Security Agency will publish local PrEP indicators to support action to reduce inequalities.

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 introduce a redress scheme for women affected by (a) vaginal mesh and (b) sodium valporate.

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

The Department continues to take forward work to explore redress for those affected by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate, which includes recommendations made by the Patient Safety Commissioner in the Hughes Report. We recognise the importance of these issues for all those affected. This remains a cross-Government policy area involving multiple organisations, and given the complexity of the issues involved, it is important we get this right.

I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and have made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full time equivalent civil servants are working on his Department's response to the Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024.

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

Civil servants often contribute to a range of policy areas within the Department, therefore it is not possible to provide specific staff numbers for those that are exclusively working on the Department’s response to the Hughes Report.

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 progress towards ensuring that all areas have a commissioned 24/7 community mental health crisis service; and what steps he is taking to support areas that have not yet been able to implement such provision.

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

While no such specific assessment has been made, integrated care boards, supported by regions, should maintain full 24/7 community mental health crisis coverage.

To strengthen access to urgent mental health support, anyone in England experiencing a mental health crisis can now to speak to a trained National Health Service professional at any time of the day through a mental health option on NHS 111. This integrated service can give patients of all ages, including children, the chance to be listened to by a trained member of staff who can help direct them to the right place.

There are currently six funded sites piloting the 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centre model, as well as 16 'associate sites' that are already proactively testing the model. These centres bring together a range of community mental health services under one roof, including crisis services and short-stay beds. The Government will make available capital funding of £473 million over four years to invest in new models, including 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres, building on findings from the six pilots, and other capital projects such as Mental Health Emergency Departments and eliminating out-of-area placements.

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 assess compensation for those living with Fetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder.

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

The Department continues to take forward work to explore redress for those affected by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate, which includes recommendations made by the Patient Safety Commissioner in the Hughes Report. We recognise the importance of these issues for all those affected. This remains a cross-Government policy area involving multiple organisations, and given the complexity of the issues involved, it is important we get this right.

I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and have made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.

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 prevent clinical negligence costs reaching the currently forecast £4 billion per year by 2029-30.

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

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

Although forecasts remain uncertain, it is likely that the costs of clinical negligence will continue to grow substantially. As the question describes, the Government Actuary’s Department forecasts that annual payments for compensation and legal costs will increase from £3.1 billion in 2024/25 to £4.1 billion by 2029/30.

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Written Parliamentary Question 107115, how many people with a learning disability are recorded as beneficiaries of the NHS Low Income Scheme.

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

The NHS Low Income Scheme is administered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) on behalf of the Department. The NHS BSA does not collect or record information on applicants’ medical or health conditions, including whether they have a learning disability. As such, no data is held on the number of people with a learning disability who are beneficiaries of the scheme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent in each of the last 3 years on (a) maternity services and (b) compensation for errors in maternity services.

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

The following table shows the annual spend for providing maternity care for each of the last three years:

Source Patient-Level Costing dataset, NHS National Cost Collection, NHS England

Note: data is not yet available for the financial year 2025/26.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. The following table shows the total payments for maternity, including obstetrics and neonatology, clinical negligence claims across all clinical schemes between 2022/23 and 2024/25, broken down by primary specialty and payment year:

Source: NHSR.

Notes:

1. the data includes the damages and NHS legal costs and claimant legal costs paid in each relevant financial year;
2. payments include those raised against both claims that were closed or open at the end of each financial year; and
3. data on “notified claims value” only includes an early estimate of eventual settlement value if all the claims were to settle with damages.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role he intends for optometry practices to play in delivering the 10 Year Plan.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future by delivering three important shifts: from hospital to community; from sickness to prevention; and from analogue to digital. This includes expanding eye care in community settings and strengthening joint working between primary and secondary eye care services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training and guidance is provided to GPs and other frontline clinicians on recognising and managing lipoedema; and whether he plans to review undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional development provision relating to that condition.

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

Doctors are responsible for maintaining their clinical knowledge, including on lipoedema, throughout their careers, and are responsible for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development.

All doctors registered in the United Kingdom are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) Good Medical Practice. In 2012, the GMC introduced revalidation, which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, giving patients confidence that doctors are up to date with their practice, and promoting improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.

The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors are set by the relevant medical royal college and have to meet the standards set by the GMC. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they do emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.

Resources for frontline health professionals are available from a number of professional and patient organisations to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients presenting with lipoedema.

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 109011 on Kidney Diseases: Health Services, when he plans to bring forward a Modern Service Framework for kidney disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs). The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the 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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the 10 Year NHS Workforce Plan will include measures to (a) increase the clinical academic workforce and (b) ensure that all regions have access to a strong clinical academic base.

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

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is the United Kingdom’s largest funder of clinical academic training. The NIHR delivers a comprehensive research career pathway, from internships and predoctoral fellowships through to research professorships, for the full range of clinicians working across England, providing the skilled research workforce in universities and NHS trusts to lead research and help train future generations of clinicians. The NIHR invests over £220 million each year in research training programmes.

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 targeted oncology training places announced in the National Cancer Plan for areas with higher vacancy rates on the expansion of the clinical academic workforce.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The recently published National Cancer Plan sets out that the National Health Service will use training places more directly as a lever to support improvements in operational performance. This includes prioritising training places in trusts, including in rural and coastal areas, where vacancy rates are higher and performance is lower.

The Department and NHS England will work with the royal colleges to encourage resident doctors and internal medicine trainees to specialise in clinical and medical oncology, where possible, to address vacancy and performance pressures.

In 2025, there were 157% more medical oncology training places than in 2015. Medical oncologists are a core component of the clinical academic workforce, contributing both to frontline patient care and to the development and delivery of cancer research.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether in person support will also be provided where necessary in addition to the digital first prehabilitation offer for people with cancer set out in the National Cancer Plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The National Cancer Plan sets out that we will deliver new quality standards for prehabilitation across the country in 2028 to help patients get healthier before treatment. The new standards will ensure access to prehabilitation services and that they fit around patients’ lives. This will include in person support where that is more appropriate for the patient and bringing services into the community and closer to patients’ homes.

Part of that will include the roll out a national digital first prehabilitation offer through the NHS App and other digital channels. This will help support patients closer to home, where that is their preference.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the 10-Year NHS Workforce Plan will be published.

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

We will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to mitigate the impact of upcoming living wage, national insurance and business rates changes on community pharmacies.

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, if he will take steps to help ensure that all patients in England have access to Minor Eye Conditions Services (MECS) and Community Urgent Eyecare Services (CUES).

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

Integrated care boards are responsible for assessing the health needs of their local population and for commissioning the primary and secondary eye care services required to meet them. Local systems may take different approaches to meeting the needs of their local population, including commissioning minor and urgent eye care services in the community.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will publish any correspondence sent to EU officials proposing a data sharing agreement to access doctor malpractice data from the IMI system.

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

Government officials recently met with the United Kingdom professional regulator of doctors, the General Medical Council (GMC), to discuss what more could be done to strengthen and improve the exchange of information between the GMC and other UK healthcare professional regulators, and their European Union counterparts. We are committed to a constructive relationship with Europe and will continue to identify areas where closer collaboration is mutually beneficial, including improving information sharing and strengthening health security. The UK has not had recent discussions on the Internal Market Information system with the EU, although the Department is exploring options to further support UK healthcare professional regulators to unblock data sharing barriers.

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 negotiate a data sharing agreement with the EU to access doctor malpractice data held on the Internal Market Information system.

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

Government officials recently met with the United Kingdom professional regulator of doctors, the General Medical Council (GMC), to discuss what more could be done to strengthen and improve the exchange of information between the GMC and other UK healthcare professional regulators, and their European Union counterparts. We are committed to a constructive relationship with Europe and will continue to identify areas where closer collaboration is mutually beneficial, including improving information sharing and strengthening health security. The UK has not had recent discussions on the Internal Market Information system with the EU, although the Department is exploring options to further support UK healthcare professional regulators to unblock data sharing barriers.

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 EU regarding access to doctor malpractice data through the Internal Market Information system.

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

Government officials recently met with the United Kingdom professional regulator of doctors, the General Medical Council (GMC), to discuss what more could be done to strengthen and improve the exchange of information between the GMC and other UK healthcare professional regulators, and their European Union counterparts. We are committed to a constructive relationship with Europe and will continue to identify areas where closer collaboration is mutually beneficial, including improving information sharing and strengthening health security. The UK has not had recent discussions on the Internal Market Information system with the EU, although the Department is exploring options to further support UK healthcare professional regulators to unblock data sharing barriers.

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 widening the eligibility of the NHS Low Income Scheme to include those who are on a state pension.

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

No such assessment has been made. People aged 60 years old and over are automatically entitled to free National Health Service prescriptions and free NHS eye tests.

People on the state pension can apply for the NHS Low Income Scheme and depending on their income and requirements, may receive either full or partial help with health costs. Alternatively, they may be eligible for Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, which provides full help with health costs. Full help covers:

- NHS prescription charges;

- NHS dental treatment charges;

- the cost of sight tests, glasses, and contact lenses;

- the cost of travelling to receive NHS treatment; and

- NHS wigs and fabric supports.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding the (a) Government, (b) Premier League and (c) Samaritans are providing for the Together Against Suicide Partnership.

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

Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we have established a partnership with the Premier League to tackle male suicide and improve health literacy. This supports the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative with the Samaritans. The funding contributed towards the Together Against Suicide initiative is not within the Department’s remit.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to provide a 24/7 thrombectomy service.

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

NHS England is working to increase the size of the workforce trained to deliver thrombectomy so that 24/7 access is available across England by April 2026.

To achieve this NHS England is working with the General Medical Council in approving a credential to support neuroradiologists to conduct thrombectomy and increase the number of thrombectomies that can be delivered.

In addition, NHS England’s National Medical Director and National Clinical Director for Stroke has supported comprehensive stroke centers in England to improve quality and reduce variation in thrombectomy delivery.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of publicly funded fellowship programmes for training overseas doctors.

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

There are currently no plans to review publicly funded fellowship programmes for training overseas doctors. A range of international postgraduate medical training schemes operate across the National Health Service. These are governed by individual NHS trusts, medical royal colleges, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and indirectly, NHS England, and the General Medical Council. These programmes are expected to be properly governed, provide value for money, and ensure fair treatment for all participants. We expect all NHS organisations to operate in line with these principles.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to announce the next phase of modern service frameworks.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Strangford on 26 January 2026 to Question 102753.

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) Twickenham 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. A 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 the £600 million of capital funding for diagnostics in 2025/26 and opening more CDCs 12 hours per day, seven days a week.

The NHS South West London Integrated Care Board (ICB), in which the Twickenham constituency sits, is commissioning additional diagnostic activity over the next three years, with an estimated 17% growth by 2028/29. This will be supported through the well-established CDC programme developed by the ICB. Four CDCs operate across south west London, including the Kingston CDC. These CDCs are delivering key diagnostic tests, including MRI and ultrasound.

The ICB has also prioritised the development of women’s health hubs across south west London, based on a pilot in Kingston and Richmond Borough to improve use of community gynaecology services. This will reduce demand on acute hospital services and improve waiting times for those patients requiring access to specialists, including for endometriosis diagnostics and management.

The Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust plans to carry out additional treatments in February and March for endometriosis, delivering 600 additional ultrasounds to reduce the waiting time for patients waiting for gynaecology services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to help support the training and operation of Parkinson's specialist health workforce.

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

The standard of training for doctors is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC). The curricula for postgraduate specialty training are set by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges for foundation training, and by individual royal colleges and faculties for specialty training. The GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme.

The Government will publish 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, including specialists across the full scope of National Health Service care. It will ensure that the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, including those with Parkinson’s disease, when they need it. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will deliver that change by making sure that staff are better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future.

We have set up a United Kingdom-wide Neuro Forum, facilitating formal, twice-yearly meetings across the Department, NHS England, the devolved administrations and health services, and the Neurological Alliances of all four nations. The new forum brings key stakeholders together to share learnings across the system and discuss challenges, best practice examples, and potential solutions for improving the care of people with neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s. The forum has identified areas for initial focus, including workforce, which featured as a key item on the agenda at the second meeting of the forum in September 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of NHS patients in a) Leicester b) Leicestershire and c) the East Midlands were referred to private health providers for treatment in the last twelve months.

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

Independent sector providers have a role to play in supporting the National Health Service as trusted partners to recover elective services by using additional capacity to tackle the backlog whilst delivering value for money.

Data for NHS referrals into the independent sector is broken down by NHS commissioning regions. We are therefore unable to reliably calculate the percentage of NHS referrals into the independent sector at the levels requested.

Between January 2025 and December 2025, latest available data, there were a total of 3,637,634 new patient pathways for elective care in the Midlands region. Of these, 5.70%, or 207,268, were at independent sector providers.

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 5 February 2026 to Question 108297, whether his Department holds any evidence on rates of neonatal and post-neonatal death, including accidental suffocation and overlaying, associated with parental cannabis use during pregnancy and the postnatal period.

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

The Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK) programme is responsible for reviewing stillbirths and neonatal deaths across the United Kingdom to identify causes, improve clinical care, and reduce future preventable deaths. Analysis of MBRRACE-UK data found that between 2014 and 2024, there were 17 neonatal deaths attributed to accidental suffocation, with only one case explicitly linked to cannabis use. There was also one neonatal sudden infant death syndrome case involving maternal cannabis and alcohol history, and one neonatal death where maternal cannabis use was a secondary contributor. There were thus a total of three neonatal deaths linked to cannabis use between 2014 and 2024.

The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) collects and analyses data on the deaths of all children under 18 years of age. The latest data published by the NCMD highlighted that of the deaths reviewed by Child Death Overview Panels between April 2024 and March 2025, substance misuse during pregnancy was identified as a contributing factor in 62 out of 4,035 infant deaths where data was available. The NCMD thematic report on Deaths of children and young people due to traumatic incidents also highlighted that between 1 April 2019 and March 2022, there were 42 deaths as a result of accidental strangulation or suffocation. 13, or 31%, children were aged under one years old, 17, or 40%, were aged one to four years old, and 12, or 29%, were aged five to 17 years old. In total, 18 children died where entrapment or overlay was found to be a significant contributing factor, but the analysis did not look at whether or not there was substance misuse by the parents.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding to a) Leicester and b) Leicestershire to reduce NHS waiting lists.

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

National Health Service funding for local services, including in Leicester and Leicestershire, is allocated to integrated care boards using NHS England’s Fair Share model and the NHS resource allocation formula.

This formula is designed to support equal opportunity of access for equal need, taking into account factors such as demography, morbidity, levels of deprivation, and the unavoidable costs of providing services in different areas. It is based on independent academic research and overseen by the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, which provides advice to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the Chief Executive of NHS England.

Through the 2025 Spending Review, announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in June 2025, the Government has prioritised health with a record investment in the health and social care system. The Government is providing £29 billion more day-to-day funding in real terms by 2028/29 than in 2023/24, alongside the largest ever health capital budget, with a £2.3 billion real-terms increase in capital spending over the Spending Review period.

This will support delivery of our commitment that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, including patients in Leicester and Leicestershire.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's timetable is for finalising the second set of Modern Service Frameworks; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including respiratory conditions.

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

Modern service frameworks (MSFs) will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.

The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of MSFs, including 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 the 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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with the Office for National Statistics on revising its back baseline to reflect pre-2020 trends.

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

Analysts from the Department of Health and Social Care are having regular discussions with colleagues at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) regarding planned improvements to the methodology used to estimate excess deaths, as outlined in an ONS blog post from April 2025, which is available at the following link:

https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2025/04/04/excess-deaths-our-continued-work-towards-a-better-understanding

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total monetary value was of NHS costs submitted under the European Health Insurance Card scheme that were not recovered in each of the last three financial years.

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

Under our agreements with the European Union, European Free Trade Association countries and Switzerland, we make claims to European countries for National Health Service costs incurred by temporary visitors from those countries. Claims are made in arrears and take up to four years before they are fully settled.

The following table shows the position of European Health Insurance Card and Provisional Replacement Certificate claims for the last three financial years as of 31 March 2025:

These figures come from extracts from the NHS Business Services Authority’s claims processing database used by the Department for accounting purposes. Claims listed as withdrawn or paid have been settled whereas those listed as outstanding are still being agreed. We expect most outstanding claims to be settled in the United Kingdom’s favour.

This data excludes countries where NHS costs for temporary visitors are reimbursed based on a formula agreement which calculates costs from the number of visitors from that country to the UK. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthcare-eea-and-switzerland-arrangements-act-2019-annual-report-april-2021-to-march-2022/annual-report-on-payments-made-under-the-healthcare-eea-and-switzerland-arrangements-act-2019-april-2021-to-march-2022#financial-reimbursement-arrangements-of-current-agreements-listed-under-heeasa

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the resilience of NHS services to disruptions within the commercial laundry sector.

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

The NHS England estates, commercial, and emergency preparedness, resilience, and response teams are undertaking an assessment of the provision of laundry services, in-house and out-sourced, in the National Health Service. This includes the NHS requirements for laundry services, available capacity, and the most efficient approach to their provision.

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 hospital parking charges on patients with long-term health conditions; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing free hospital parking for those patients.

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

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of hospital parking charges on patients with long-term health conditions, or the introduction of free hospital parking for those patients.

It is important that the National Health Service is as accessible as possible to those that need it most. That is why the NHS already provides free hospital car parking to those in greatest need. This includes disabled blue badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, and parents of children staying overnight. Some patients with long-term health conditions will therefore be provided free parking when included in these groups.

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to digitise patients’ medical records.

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

£1.9 billion has been invested to ensure all National Health Service trusts achieve baseline digital capability, and 95% of trusts will have implemented or upgraded their Electronic Patient Record system (EPR) by March 2026, with the remainder planning to implement after this.

Recent areas for focus have been EPR optimisation, working to improve functionality, efficiency and usability, and a new tiger team service in the Frontline Digitisation Support offer for 2025/26, which is available to provide trusts with rapid on-site support at critical points of their EPR journey. The team’s work will also inform practical guidance to help other trusts deploy successfully and realise the benefits of digitisation.

NHS England is continuing to conduct digital maturity assessments to support local systems and trusts to prioritise and plan local digital investment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to HCWS1271 on Improving Cancer Care and Early Diagnosis, which early cancer detection technologies NICE is currently assessing; what timelines apply to NICE's decisions to approve those technologies; whether funding has been allocated to adoption of approved early cancer detection technologies; what steps he is taking to help ensure that there is equitable access to early cancer detection technologies across the regions; and what steps he is taking to help ensure that innovation in early cancer detection technologies does not widen health inequalities.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently assessing a number of technologies relevant to earlier cancer detection. These include capsule sponge tests to support detection of oesophageal cancer in primary care settings, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist clinicians in identifying prostate and breast cancers from imaging. NICE is also considering potential evaluations, subject to evidence readiness and prioritisation, for technologies aimed at improving detection of endometrial cancer, and for AI-derived software to analyse chest x-rays for suspected lung cancer.

Timelines vary depending on the NICE programme through which a technology is assessed. For technologies evaluated through the Technology Appraisal programme, a positive recommendation creates a statutory funding requirement for National Health Service commissioners to make the treatment available within 90 days of final guidance publication.

NHS England is working closely with NICE and the Department to support the prioritisation for the Technology Appraisal programme. Should NICE recommend use after a Technology Appraisal, NHS England will support adoption and implementation through funding allocated across the multi-year Spending Review.

The Government is clear that innovation must narrow, not widen, health inequalities. Access to NICE-recommended technologies is a national entitlement, and where the statutory funding requirement applies it operates consistently across England, regardless of geography or care setting. NICE’s methods require consideration of equality impacts, and implementation support is designed to ensure that new detection technologies reach underserved groups and do not exacerbate existing disparities.

More broadly, the Government is taking a range of steps to ensure equitable access to earlier diagnosis. Our National Cancer Plan will drive up standards across England and tackle health inequalities head on. New cancer manuals will set out what good care looks like, with regional partnerships of health leaders and clinicians using data to drive improvements where services are falling short. The plan will also see new national standards, designed by clinicians, and better data, to inform and drive changes where they are most needed.

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Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department provides guidance to parents on the use of smartphones and internet-enabled devices by children of pre-school age.

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

The Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care are jointly working to produce and publish new practical, evidence informed guidance for parents on screentime for early years (0-5) by April 2026.

An expert group of child health and development specialists has been convened to shape the guidance, which will also be informed by the perspectives of parents and carers. Details on the work of the group, including its membership can be found here.

The group recently launched a call for evidence asking for evidence that will inform the development of new parental guidance on screen time and usage for early years (0 to 5-year-old) children. More information on the call for evidence can be found here.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to raise public awareness of the risks associated with football-related chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Mitigating the causes and effects of head injuries in sport is of huge importance to the Government and we are taking steps to raise public awareness of the risks and to improve awareness of the causes and effects of concussion.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is developing an Action Plan on Acquired Brain Injury which will be published shortly.

We do not hold information about, and are not in a position to estimate, the number of people at risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy from participation in contact sports.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if will make an estimate of the number of people at risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy as a result of participation in contact sports.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Mitigating the causes and effects of head injuries in sport is of huge importance to the Government and we are taking steps to raise public awareness of the risks and to improve awareness of the causes and effects of concussion.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is developing an Action Plan on Acquired Brain Injury which will be published shortly.

We do not hold information about, and are not in a position to estimate, the number of people at risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy from participation in contact sports.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is she taking to assess the potential impact of screen time on the development of children under 5.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department is commissioning a systematic review of evidence that enables causal inference, rather than just correlation, to better understand how screentime impacts children and young people, including under fives. We are planning a further programme of research on the impact of digital technologies on children, including under fives, to commence in April 2026.

There is an existing suite of longitudinal studies, ‘education and outcomes pathways studies’, which are tracking home learning, screen use, and educational and wellbeing outcomes in the early years phase of education, as well as primary and secondary more widely.

A report including screen time and digital media use for children aged 2 was published on 11 January 2026 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-of-the-2020s-second-survey-of-families-at-age-2. Further reports will be published in due course as the studies continue.

The department and The Department of Health and Social Care are jointly working to produce and publish new practical, evidence informed guidance on screentime for early years (0-5) by April 2026. An Early Years Screen Time Advisory Group of child health and development specialists has been convened to shape the guidance, which will also be informed by the perspectives of parents and carers.

The Advisory Group has launched a two-week call for evidence to inform the guidance. By drawing on robust evidence and expertise, the review aims to ensure that the resulting guidance for parents is credible, reliable and grounded in the best available science.

In addition, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is launching a consultation on children's social media use and bans phones in schools.

Found: (DHSC) guidance and the Surrogacy in the UK, POSTnote 761 19 25 February 2026

Found: British Association of Social Workers.51 The steering group says it is supported by the Department of Health and Social care

Castlegate and Derwent Surgery in Cockermouth (No. 5)

Found: ('Yes') 8 1 Up DHSC E01_yes. Have you been discriminated against at work in the last 12 months?

Found: 13.483 39.916 33.613 26.471 60.251 22.594 17.155 33.708 49.438 16.854 67.217 71.531 71.792 52.328 2025 DHSC

Found: Continued collaboration between HMCTS, the MoJ, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Judicial

Found: the Cabinet Office, the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: previously mentioned employee/self employed workers survey (2024-2025)8 commissioned by DWP and DHSC

Found: The previously mentioned employee/self-employed workers survey (2024- 2025)8 commissioned by DWP and DHSC

Found: children under 5 who have been identified as having complex needs, we will work with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: children under 5 who have been identified as having complex needs, we will work with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: programme over the next three years, in partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: programme over the next three years, in partnership with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: and Language Therapists and Speech and Language UK, as well as NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: partnerships for supporting neurodivergent needs between education, health, and social care DfE and DHSC

Found: (VSMs) working in the NHS and Executive and Senior Managers (ESMs) working in the Department of Health and Social Care

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

Found: 13.483 39.916 33.613 26.471 60.251 22.594 17.155 33.708 49.438 16.854 67.217 71.531 71.792 52.328 2025 DHSC

Found: Trade; Department for Education; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Continued collaboration between HMCTS, the MoJ, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Judicial

Found: the Cabinet Office, the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Found: (VSMs) working in the NHS and Executive and Senior Managers (ESMs) working in the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Next steps The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and NHS Supply Chain will continue

Found: consultation Dupilumab for treating severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps The Department of Health and Social Care

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

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

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

Found: follows: Table 2 UK Spend Area Total as per UK Autumn Budget £’m Health (Returning NHS England and DHSC

Found: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the research delivery arm of the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: • The VPAG is a voluntary agreement between the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC),

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the UK Government's press release of 3 February 2026, Government to cover travel costs of children with cancer, which accepted the proposal by Young Lives vs Cancer for a £10 million travel fund to support the cost of the young people travelling for treatment, what (a) steps it will take to ensure parity for children and under-25s in Scotland who have cancer with those in England, (b) discussions it has held with the UK Government regarding the implementation of the fund, and whether these will inform any decisions about expanding the Young Patients Family Fund eligibility criteria to include all such young people, including those receiving treatment as day-patients, and (c) assessment it has carried out of any impact on reducing health inequalities of expanding the Young Patients Family Fund's eligibility criteria to include these young people.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) is designed to support the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care in Scotland regardless of diagnosis.

Financial support for travel to hospital appointments is available through the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes. Under these schemes, patients and authorised escorts may reclaim reasonable travel costs associated with attending hospital appointments, subject to eligibility criteria and clinical requirements. These arrangements apply across Scotland and provide support to eligible young people and their families irrespective of condition.

Scottish Government officials met with counterparts in the UK Department of Health and Social Care in March 2025 as part of wider engagement on the development of their National Cancer Plan for England. During this meeting, officials shared learning on the implementation and administration of the Young Patients Family Fund.

Found: Source: Department of Health and Social Care.

Found: • A transfer in of £1,095k from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) comprising: ➢ £564k

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