Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve integration between (a) NHS services and (b) social care provision in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

The Department is committed to improving integration between health and social care services nationally and locally. Our vision for neighbourhood health will see local government and the National Health Service working more closely together, with a revitalised role for health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) and reform of the Better Care Fund (BCF).

Through the BCF, around £9 billion is being invested in 2025/26 to enable NHS bodies and local authorities to pool budgets and deliver joined-up care. This includes setting shared goals to reduce delayed discharges, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, and support people to live independently at home.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the impact of closer NHS-social care integration on reducing hospital discharge delays in Surrey Heath constituency, local HWBs are required to agree plans under the BCF framework to provide timely and coordinated support for people with complex needs. These plans prioritise effective discharge from hospital and recovery in the community.

Starting in the financial year 2026/27, we will reform the BCF to provide a sharper focus on ensuring consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement. We will set out further details in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether access metrics will be reviewed to ensure they support relationship-based care.

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

This Government values continuity in general practice (GP) and there is an incentive to identify those who would benefit from continuity in the GP contract, but this isn't inconsistent with efforts to improve access, such as via the 24 hour access target where urgent treatment is required.

We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice 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 cash increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole.

Over ten million more GP appointments have been delivered in the 12 months to September 2025 compared to the same period last year, building capacity for continuity of care and improving access so that patients can be seen when they need to be in primary care.

In the 2025/26 GP contract, a new domain was introduced into the Capacity and Access Improvement Payment which incentivises primary care networks to risk stratify their patients in accordance with need including to identify those that would benefit most from continuity of care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the commissioning model for adult social care.

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

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.

The Care Quality Commission is assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including those related to commissioning. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has met with Kidney Research UK campaigners to discuss potential improvements for the treatment of kidney disease.

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

The Department and NHS England regularly engage with Kidney Research UK and other experts to consider potential improvements around prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney disease.

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 whether Trading Standards services currently have sufficient a) staffing, b) technical capability, and c) funding to enforce the new i) registration and ii) testing regime for vaping products proposed in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill from the point of commencement.

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

In 2025/26, we are investing £30 million of new funding for enforcement agencies, including Trading Standards, Border Force, and HM Revenue and Customs, to tackle the illicit and underage sale of tobacco and vapes and help enforce the law. As part of this, the Government is investing £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 in Trading Standards. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by hiring 94 new apprentices across England. This will build a workforce tailored to our requirements and increase Trading Standards’ capacity to enforce the new measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Once established, the new product registration system will support enforcement agencies, giving Trading Standards better information to help them remove non-compliant products from the shelves quickly and efficiently. This will also give retailers greater confidence that the products they stock and sell are lawful.

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, including testing requirements and fees. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses. We will consult on policy proposals based on the evidence provided in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the a) registration scheme and b) testing regime enabled by the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be applied effectively to i) online and ii) distance sales of vaping products, including those supplied by overseas sellers.

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

The future registration scheme will apply to all products sold in the United Kingdom, including distance sales and those sold online, regardless of their origin. The scheme will be designed to ensure the highest level of consumer safety and to reassure retailers that they are selling legitimate products. This will support enforcement and build an evidence base on the types of products entering the UK market.

The details of the registration scheme and testing requirements will be subject to consultation. 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, including testing requirements. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses. We will consult on policy proposals based on the evidence provided in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what conversations he has had with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that enforcement against non-compliant vaping products will be effectively coordinated once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is enacted.

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

Officials in the Department of Health and Social Care regularly meet with officials from other departments, including HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, the Office for Product Safety and Standards, Border Force, and the Home Office, as well as National Trading Standards, 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.

Furthermore, in 2025/26, we are investing £30 million of new funding in total for enforcement agencies including Trading Standards, Border Force, and HM Revenue and Customs, to tackle the illicit and underage sale of tobacco and vapes, and to help enforce the law. As part of this, the Government is investing £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 in Trading Standards. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by hiring 94 apprentices across England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department have taken to improve the health outcomes for patients being treated with kidney disease.

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

NHS England has established a renal Clinical Reference Group to deliver change across the NHS to accelerate improvements in diagnosis and treatment for people living with kidney disease.

NHS England’s regional renal clinical networks, of which there are eight commissioned across England, have established workstreams. These workstreams work with commissioned providers to develop transformation programmes, to reduce the number of patients progressing through the stages of chronic kidney disease, supporting improved patient outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department have taken to help encourage earlier diagnosis of kidney disease.

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

NHS England has established a renal Clinical Reference Group to deliver change across the NHS to accelerate improvements in diagnosis and treatment for people living with kidney disease.

NHS England’s regional renal clinical networks, of which there are eight commissioned across England, have established workstreams. These workstreams work with commissioned providers to develop transformation programmes, to reduce the number of patients progressing through the stages of chronic kidney disease, supporting improved patient outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of kidney disease.

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

NHS England has established a renal Clinical Reference Group to deliver change across the NHS to accelerate improvements in diagnosis and treatment for people living with kidney disease.

NHS England’s regional renal clinical networks, of which there are eight commissioned across England, have established workstreams. These workstreams work with commissioned providers to develop transformation programmes, to reduce the number of patients progressing through the stages of chronic kidney disease, supporting improved patient outcomes.

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) all women who are eligible take up breast screening in West Sussex and b) his Department tracks and follows up on non-attendance appointments.

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

All eligible individuals, including in East and West Sussex, are given a timed appointment to attend the screening location closest to their registered general practice address, with the option to change the appointment time or location given by contacting the service. Research has shown that timed appointments are more effective in encouraging attendance. The service sends text reminders two and seven days before appointments.

Should an individual not attend their appointment, they are automatically given a new timed appointment at the same location and the same text reminder process occurs. If the individual does not attend the second timed appointment, they are offered an open invitation. This means that the individual can contact the service to book their own appointment. Since implementation of text reminders, the service has seen an improvement in appointment attendance, in line with expectations based on research.

Regular “do not attend” audits are undertaken by the service. The processes involved with these audits help identify any common rationales for non-attendance that can inform service improvement strategies.

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) ensure all women who are eligible take up breast screening in East Sussex and (b) track and follow up on non-attendance appointments.

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

All eligible individuals, including in East and West Sussex, are given a timed appointment to attend the screening location closest to their registered general practice address, with the option to change the appointment time or location given by contacting the service. Research has shown that timed appointments are more effective in encouraging attendance. The service sends text reminders two and seven days before appointments.

Should an individual not attend their appointment, they are automatically given a new timed appointment at the same location and the same text reminder process occurs. If the individual does not attend the second timed appointment, they are offered an open invitation. This means that the individual can contact the service to book their own appointment. Since implementation of text reminders, the service has seen an improvement in appointment attendance, in line with expectations based on research.

Regular “do not attend” audits are undertaken by the service. The processes involved with these audits help identify any common rationales for non-attendance that can inform service improvement strategies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what targeted interventions are in place to increase physical activity among adults in constituencies such as South Basildon and East Thurrock with below-average participation rates.

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

The Department produces local authority estimates of physical activity among adults aged 19 years old and over. Data is not available for parliamentary constituencies. The following table shows the proportion of physically active adults, those aged 19 years old and over, for the Thurrock and Basildon local authority districts, as well as for England, for the last two years where data is available:

The comparisons between the local authority and England estimates take into account the confidence intervals around each estimate. The confidence interval gives a range of values in which the true value is likely to lie if data was available for all adult residents rather than just the sample who took part in the survey. If the confidence intervals do not overlap, then the values are considered to be different and can be described as “higher” or “lower”. If the confidence intervals do overlap, then the values are described as “similar”.

Information on the interventions to increase physical activity among adults in these areas can be found in the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy, from 2021 to 2031, as well as the implementation plan for 2025/26, which includes additional support to six key areas, including Basildon and Thurrock, focusing on reducing inequalities for residents facing the greatest barriers to physical activity and sport. Further information on the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy is avaiable, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.activeessex.org/

https://www.activeessex.org/about-us/our-strategy/

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 levels of physical activity among adults in South Basildon and East Thurrock compared with national averages.

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

The Department produces local authority estimates of physical activity among adults aged 19 years old and over. Data is not available for parliamentary constituencies. The following table shows the proportion of physically active adults, those aged 19 years old and over, for the Thurrock and Basildon local authority districts, as well as for England, for the last two years where data is available:

The comparisons between the local authority and England estimates take into account the confidence intervals around each estimate. The confidence interval gives a range of values in which the true value is likely to lie if data was available for all adult residents rather than just the sample who took part in the survey. If the confidence intervals do not overlap, then the values are considered to be different and can be described as “higher” or “lower”. If the confidence intervals do overlap, then the values are described as “similar”.

Information on the interventions to increase physical activity among adults in these areas can be found in the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy, from 2021 to 2031, as well as the implementation plan for 2025/26, which includes additional support to six key areas, including Basildon and Thurrock, focusing on reducing inequalities for residents facing the greatest barriers to physical activity and sport. Further information on the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy is avaiable, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.activeessex.org/

https://www.activeessex.org/about-us/our-strategy/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust in Chelmsford to meet cancer waiting times and ensure people with cancer receive timely care.

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

Improving cancer waiting times for patients is a high priority for the Government.

We are seeking to achieve this goal through the increased use of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) which will increase the available capacity and bring healthcare closer to the community. CDCs are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country, with 103 of these being open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, offering at least one test in expanded hours, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around their busy working lives.

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the local provider for cancer services in Chelmsford, has been awarded funding for a replacement radiotherapy machine.

The National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published soon, will set out how we will increase performance against our standards, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately provide better outcomes for cancer patients. It will ensure patients, including those in Chelmsford, have access to the latest treatments and technology and improve patient experience and outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England will take to ensure Integrated Care Boards comply with Regulation 6(4) of the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013, particularly where chemist premises are removed following a consolidation application, but no Supplementary Statement is publicly published to confirm that the relevant Health and Wellbeing Board is satisfied that no gap in service provision was created.

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

If two pharmacies are consolidated onto one site, the relevant Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) must publish a supplementary statement to their Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment if, in their view, the consolidation has not created a gap in service provision. This requirement is set out in Regulation 6(4) of the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013. Whilst it is not the responsibility of NHS England to ensure HWBs comply with this requirement, integrated care boards (ICBs) must seek assurance that a closure of a pharmacy would not create a gap when considering consolidation applications. This includes seeking the view of the HWB. Any representations received from the HWB are considered when reviewing an application from a contractor to open a pharmacy in the area. NHS England oversees the performance of ICBs through the NHS Oversight Framework 2025/26 and the Strategic Commissioning Framework.

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 co-designing adult social care to meet community needs.

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

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning social care. As part of this, local authorities should pursue the principle that market shaping and commissioning should be shared endeavours, with commissioners working alongside people with care and support needs, carers, family members, care providers, representatives of care workers, relevant voluntary, user and other support organisations, and the public to find shared and agreed solutions.

To support this aim, the Department funds Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) as part of its national improvement and support offer to the sector. Co-design of services is facilitated by local adoption of TLAP’s ‘Making it Real’ framework and principles, which ensure that people who draw on care and support are involved in shaping services. TLAP also helps with practical models of self-directed support and advice on the personalisation of services to areas that request it.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists are on the NHS register that specialise in treating children with special needs.

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

Community dental services (CDS) are commissioned on a local basis by integrated care boards and provide care to adults and children who may have difficulty accessing high street dental services due to their social, medical, or dental needs. This may include children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

NHS England published findings from its December 2024 dental workforce data collection on 17 July 2025, including a community dental subset. Approximately 640 dentists working within CDS services in England submitted a return. However, not all CDS provision is covered by the General Dental Services contracts or Personal Dental Services agreements in scope of the data collection. Consequently, this does not constitute a full picture of staff providing CDS in the National Health Service in England.

Children and young people with SEND may not require care in CDS and some will instead be seen in high street dental practices.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will extend Business Rates reimbursements to Community Pharmacies.

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

In the 2025 Autumn Budget, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue prioritising reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.

This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the places intended to be filled by the Government's Golden Hello Scheme for NHS dentists have been, and what work the Government will be doing with local ICBs to ensure that they hit more of their targets.

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

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dentists per capita are there in England; and how many there were in January 2021.

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

In 2024/25, there were 41.9 dentists per 100,000 people in England who performed some National Health Service work. This equates to 0.00042 dentists per person, or per capita. For January 2021, there were 42.1 dentists per 100,000 people who performed some NHS work, which also rounds to 0.00042 dentists per person, or per capita.

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 disparities in physical activity levels within individual constituencies, and how these disparities are addressed in national health policy.

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

Data on the percentage of physically active adults is published in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. The data is not published at constituency level, but rather at a national level and for local authorities. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework/data

As committed to in the 10-Year Health Plan, we aim to address physically inactivity and help build movement into everyday lives through investing in grassroots sports, developing a new Physical Education and school sports partnership network to support children to reap the benefits of movement, and supporting cycling and walking infrastructure.

The NHS Better Health Campaign promotes ways for people of all ages to move more, and signposts to digital support like the NHS Couch to 5k and the NHS Active 10 walking app, providing free and accessible ways of building movement into everyday life.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the public is aware of the safe upper limit for daily vitamin D supplementation.

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

Food supplements, including vitamin D supplements, are regulated in the United Kingdom under the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, as well as other applicable food law, along with equivalent legislation for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Department is responsible for this legislation in England, working closely with the Food Standards Agency and local authorities, who lead on enforcement. Further information on the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1387/made/data.pdf

The regulations have specific labelling requirements to support consumers to make informed choices. Food supplements legislation requires manufacturers to include the recommended dose and a warning not to exceed the stated dose on the label. The Department has published guidance to businesses on complying with the regulations, which is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-supplements-guidance-and-faqs

Although food supplements legislation does not set statutory maximum levels for vitamins and minerals, industry is encouraged to follow voluntary guidelines for safe upper levels, which for vitamin D is 100 micrograms, or 4,000 International Units, daily. The Department does not currently have plans to review labelling requirements for vitamin D or other supplements.

The National Health Service website provides clear public advice on the daily recommended intake for vitamin D and warns of the potential harmful effects of taking too much vitamin D through food supplements. Further information is avaiable on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

The Department always advises consumers to follow NHS guidance and consult a health professional if in doubt. The Department does not systematically collect data for people with health issues owing to excess vitamin D consumption.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department have taken to ensure that renal treatment service providers (a) train, support and supervise all staff to identify patients’ psychosocial needs, (b) work in psychologically‑informed ways, and (c) provide low‑level support with rapid onward referral where more intensive intervention is required.

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

The Government has already taken significant steps to stabilise and improve mental health services within the National Health Service but there is much more to do. NHS Talking Therapies - Long Term Conditions services have been established across the country to support integrated pathways between Talking Therapies services and physical health pathways for people with long term conditions, including kidney disease.

As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029, with improved effectiveness and quality of services.

Mental health and psychosocial support for people living with kidney disease is a key priority within NHS England’s programme to improve renal care. The Renal Service Transformation Programme (RSTP), published in 2023, provides a national framework for raising standards across the renal pathway, including a strengthened focus on supporting the emotional and psychological needs of patients. Renal clinical networks are working with a stakeholders, i.e. professional societies and renal charities, to support implementation of the RSTP.

NHS England is revising the specialised renal service specification to ensure alignment with the RSTP and to support commissioning across the full renal pathway. Published renal service specifications already set expectations for providers to address the psychosocial needs of people with kidney disease. The revised specification reinforces this requirement and strengthens the overall direction for services to deliver holistic, person-centred care that recognises the importance of psychosocial support throughout the renal journey.

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 the time taken for patients with Parkinson’s disease to receive a diagnosis.

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

The Department recognises the importance of a timely diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and the impact that early identification has on people’s long‑term outcomes. We remain committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard for 92% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard.

National programmes like NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) supports faster diagnosis by using clinically‑led, data‑driven reviews to identify delays and unwarranted variation in neurology services. GIRFT provides evidence‑based recommendations to streamline referral and outpatient pathways, improve data quality, and share best practice between trusts. This helps increase specialist capacity, reduce waiting times for assessment, and ensure more timely access to diagnosis for people with suspected Parkinson’s disease.

Additionally, by delivering the shifts outlined in the 10‑Year Health Plan, we can free up specialist capacity by increasing community‑based provision, reducing administrative burden through digital tools, and supporting earlier identification and management of neurological conditions like Parkinson’s. This will allow neurologists and geriatricians to focus on more complex cases and improve diagnostic timeliness.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of mental health support available for people with kidney disease.

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

The Government has already taken significant steps to stabilise and improve mental health services within the National Health Service but there is much more to do. NHS Talking Therapies - Long Term Conditions services have been established across the country to support integrated pathways between Talking Therapies services and physical health pathways for people with long term conditions, including kidney disease.

As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029, with improved effectiveness and quality of services.

Mental health and psychosocial support for people living with kidney disease is a key priority within NHS England’s programme to improve renal care. The Renal Service Transformation Programme (RSTP), published in 2023, provides a national framework for raising standards across the renal pathway, including a strengthened focus on supporting the emotional and psychological needs of patients. Renal clinical networks are working with a stakeholders, i.e. professional societies and renal charities, to support implementation of the RSTP.

NHS England is revising the specialised renal service specification to ensure alignment with the RSTP and to support commissioning across the full renal pathway. Published renal service specifications already set expectations for providers to address the psychosocial needs of people with kidney disease. The revised specification reinforces this requirement and strengthens the overall direction for services to deliver holistic, person-centred care that recognises the importance of psychosocial support throughout the renal journey.

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 business rate increases on the community pharmacy network.

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

In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.

This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) review and (b) reform the current community pharmacy contract.

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

In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.

This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department have made of the number of people with health issues related to excessive consumption of vitamin D supplements in each of the last five years.

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

Food supplements, including vitamin D supplements, are regulated in the United Kingdom under the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, as well as other applicable food law, along with equivalent legislation for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Department is responsible for this legislation in England, working closely with the Food Standards Agency and local authorities, who lead on enforcement. Further information on the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1387/made/data.pdf

The regulations have specific labelling requirements to support consumers to make informed choices. Food supplements legislation requires manufacturers to include the recommended dose and a warning not to exceed the stated dose on the label. The Department has published guidance to businesses on complying with the regulations, which is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-supplements-guidance-and-faqs

Although food supplements legislation does not set statutory maximum levels for vitamins and minerals, industry is encouraged to follow voluntary guidelines for safe upper levels, which for vitamin D is 100 micrograms, or 4,000 International Units, daily. The Department does not currently have plans to review labelling requirements for vitamin D or other supplements.

The National Health Service website provides clear public advice on the daily recommended intake for vitamin D and warns of the potential harmful effects of taking too much vitamin D through food supplements. Further information is avaiable on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

The Department always advises consumers to follow NHS guidance and consult a health professional if in doubt. The Department does not systematically collect data for people with health issues owing to excess vitamin D consumption.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review labelling requirements for vitamin D supplements to ensure clearer communication of dosage strength.

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

Food supplements, including vitamin D supplements, are regulated in the United Kingdom under the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, as well as other applicable food law, along with equivalent legislation for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Department is responsible for this legislation in England, working closely with the Food Standards Agency and local authorities, who lead on enforcement. Further information on the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1387/made/data.pdf

The regulations have specific labelling requirements to support consumers to make informed choices. Food supplements legislation requires manufacturers to include the recommended dose and a warning not to exceed the stated dose on the label. The Department has published guidance to businesses on complying with the regulations, which is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-supplements-guidance-and-faqs

Although food supplements legislation does not set statutory maximum levels for vitamins and minerals, industry is encouraged to follow voluntary guidelines for safe upper levels, which for vitamin D is 100 micrograms, or 4,000 International Units, daily. The Department does not currently have plans to review labelling requirements for vitamin D or other supplements.

The National Health Service website provides clear public advice on the daily recommended intake for vitamin D and warns of the potential harmful effects of taking too much vitamin D through food supplements. Further information is avaiable on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

The Department always advises consumers to follow NHS guidance and consult a health professional if in doubt. The Department does not systematically collect data for people with health issues owing to excess vitamin D consumption.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust in Chelmsford to recruit and retain specialist cancer nurses and cancer workforce.

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

The Government and NHS England are acting to ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it including at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT).

In 2024/25, an estimated 8,000 people received training to either enter the cancer and diagnostics workforce or develop in their roles.

NHS England has also been expanding specialty training places in key professions, including histopathology, clinical radiology, and gastroenterology. Targeted national campaigns and outreach activities, for example in clinical oncology, also promote cancer career pathways, with a focus on increasing applications.

Additionally, NHS England Workforce, Training and Education and the East of England Cancer Alliance work closely with MSEFT to understand local training needs. Together, they coordinate and allocate funding to ensure the cancer nursing workforce has access to the development pathways it requires, supporting both recruitment and long-term retention.

MSEFT is preparing to launch an oncology nursing rotation across oncology wards, the chemotherapy unit and clinical nurse specialist (CNS) teams. Many of these CNS roles sit within the cancer division, supporting the development of competencies, and enable structured career progression for nurses alongside programmes of reform for workforce.

To improve retention, NHS England is investing in structured career development and education support. The Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme provides a nationally agreed framework for capability, career development, and education for nurses, allied health professionals, and the support workforce working in cancer care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the transition for NHS patients between paediatric and adult care in the NHS.

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

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. This includes ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Government aims to support children and young people as they navigate the National Health Service, ensuring they feel comfortable and confident in managing their own health and care from 16 years old where appropriate. This includes supporting young people as they move from child to adolescent and adult services, making sure that care is developmentally appropriate throughout.

NHS England has developed guidance for integrated care boards and healthcare providers to aid the design of transition pathways that improve health outcomes for all young people. This guidance will be published in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many awards had been made under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme for claims arising from Covid-19 vaccines as at 31 December 2025.

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

Data from the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), shows that as of 31 December 2025, 246 VDPS awards have been made for claims relating to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Information on COVID-19 claims to the VDPS is published on a quarterly basis by the NHS Business Service Authority. Further information is available at the following link:

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-covid-19

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 raising the age threshold for eligibility for the Covid-19 vaccine to 75 on clinically vulnerable groups.

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

The Government’s policy on the groups eligible for vaccination programmes is based on the advice of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The JCVI and the JCVI COVID-19 sub-committee carefully considered the evidence on the risk of illness, serious disease, and death as a consequence of COVID-19, as well as modelling and cost-effectiveness analysis, during their meetings of 2024, with the minutes available on the GOV.UK website. Evidence indicated that whilst the risk from COVID-19 is now much lower for most people, adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and those who are immunosuppressed are at highest risk of serious COVID-19 disease.

Therefore, a more targeted vaccination programme, aimed at the individuals with a higher risk of developing serious disease, and where vaccination was considered potentially cost-effective, was advised for autumn 2025.

The JCVI continues to keep the COVID-19 vaccination programme under review and, through their published list of research recommendations, has actively encouraged further research on the impact of COVID-19 in individuals with underlying medical conditions in the current epidemiological context.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the National Cancer Plan tackles identity-based disparities in cancer care, including for people from (a) ethnic minority backgrounds, (b) disabled people and (c) LGBTQ+ communities.

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

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, research, and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for all people with cancer.

Reducing inequalities is also a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at the targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival and will develop interventions to tackle these. This includes looking at protected characteristics such as disability, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, and geographic location.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he is drawing on lived experience in shaping the strategy for adult social care.

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

We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care:

• improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding;
• strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund; and
• enabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.

In December 2025, the department launched a new publication 'Adult social care priorities for local authorities: 2026 to 2027', which sets out priority outcomes and expectations for local authority delivery of adult social care from 2026/27.

The Government recognises the vital importance of coproduction and is committed to working with people who draw on care and support, and those with professional experience of care to design and develop a National Care Service that is shaped by what matters most to people. But we know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care cannot be delivered overnight. Phase 1 of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We will consider and respond to the recommendations when Baroness Casey reports and work will then begin on implementing phase 1 recommendations, alongside ongoing reforms in the Department.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of closer NHS–social care integration on reducing hospital discharge delays in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

The Department is committed to improving integration between health and social care services nationally and locally. Our vision for neighbourhood health will see local government and the National Health Service working more closely together, with a revitalised role for health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) and reform of the Better Care Fund (BCF).

Through the BCF, around £9 billion is being invested in 2025/26 to enable NHS bodies and local authorities to pool budgets and deliver joined-up care. This includes setting shared goals to reduce delayed discharges, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, and support people to live independently at home.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the impact of closer NHS-social care integration on reducing hospital discharge delays in Surrey Heath constituency, local HWBs are required to agree plans under the BCF framework to provide timely and coordinated support for people with complex needs. These plans prioritise effective discharge from hospital and recovery in the community.

Starting in the financial year 2026/27, we will reform the BCF to provide a sharper focus on ensuring consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement. We will set out further details in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

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

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

The following table shows the requested information in each calendar year between 2014 and 2024, as well as between January and November 2025, and that has been dispensed in England regardless of where prescribed:

Source: NHS Business Services Authority, Prescription Costs Analysis (PCA)

Notes:

1. This is based on the information within the PCA for the British National Formulary (BNF) chemical substance of Finasteride and Dutasteride.
2. The PCA provides total number of prescription items of each medicine dispensed in the community in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that patients with rare cancers are not without access to potentially life extending treatments while national appraisal and commissioning processes are ongoing.

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

The Government wants to ensure that all National Health Service patients, including patients with rare cancers, are able to benefit from rapid access to effective new medicines in a way that represents value to the taxpayer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) aims wherever possible to issue recommendations for the NHS on new medicines close to the time of licensing so that patients have rapid access to clinically and cost-effective medicines. The NHS is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE within three months of the publication of final guidance. NHS England funds NICE-recommended cancer medicines through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of positive draft NICE guidance, bringing forward patient access by approximately five months than would otherwise be the case.

The measures that we announced in the Life Sciences Sector Plan will further streamline the licensing and NICE appraisal processes reducing the time between marketing authorisation and national funding decisions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost-effectiveness thresholds for assessing medicines will apply to other medical technologies.

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

The Government’s intention is that the increased cost-effectiveness threshold will apply to any technology, including medicines and medical technologies, evaluated through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of medical schools to ensure more doctors are trained in the UK.

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

In England, the Office for Students (OfS) sets the maximum fundable limit for medical school places on an annual basis.

For the 2025/26 academic year, the OfS has published the maximum fundable limit at 8,126 for medical school places, with further information available on the OfS website, in an online only format. OfS will publish the limit for the 2026/27 academic year in due course.

The Government is committed to training the staff we need, including doctors, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. International staff, including doctors, remain an important part of our workforce but we are committed to building and increasing our domestic home-grown talent from across all of our communities.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what elements of the Adult Social Care strategy does he intend to publish this year as the first phase of the strategy.

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

We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care:

• improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding;
• strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund; and
• enabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.

In December 2025, the department launched a new publication 'Adult social care priorities for local authorities: 2026 to 2027', which sets out priority outcomes and expectations for local authority delivery of adult social care from 2026/27.

The Government recognises the vital importance of coproduction and is committed to working with people who draw on care and support, and those with professional experience of care to design and develop a National Care Service that is shaped by what matters most to people. But we know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care cannot be delivered overnight. Phase 1 of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We will consider and respond to the recommendations when Baroness Casey reports and work will then begin on implementing phase 1 recommendations, alongside ongoing reforms in the Department.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he is drawing on professional experience of those working in adult social care for developing the strategy.

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

We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care:

• improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding;
• strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund; and
• enabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.

In December 2025, the department launched a new publication 'Adult social care priorities for local authorities: 2026 to 2027', which sets out priority outcomes and expectations for local authority delivery of adult social care from 2026/27.

The Government recognises the vital importance of coproduction and is committed to working with people who draw on care and support, and those with professional experience of care to design and develop a National Care Service that is shaped by what matters most to people. But we know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care cannot be delivered overnight. Phase 1 of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We will consider and respond to the recommendations when Baroness Casey reports and work will then begin on implementing phase 1 recommendations, alongside ongoing reforms in the Department.

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 proposals in the Autumn Budget 2025 on community pharmacies in Yeovil constituency.

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

The 2026/27 national community pharmacy funding arrangements will be subject to consultation with Community Pharmacy England, which will commence shortly.

Funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework increased to £3.073 billion for 2025/2026. This represented the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 5 January (HL13176), what safeguards they plan to put in place to ensure that integrated care boards are subject to proper scrutiny, particularly in relation to the incorporation of patient engagement work into the commissioning of services.

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

Integrated care boards currently have a statutory duty in relation to public involvement and consultation and are subject to an annual assessment by NHS England of their functions.

The abolition of Healthwatch England and Local HealthWatch arrangements will require primary legislation and is 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 assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of other Sickle Cell Day units in the context of the closure of the Whitechapel unit.

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many sickle cell day centres have closed in the last 5 years; and how many sickle cell day centres remain operational.

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Sickle Cell day unit in Whitechapel was closed.

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

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

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of adjusting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost-effectiveness thresholds for highly specialised technology in line with the new single technology appraisal cost-effectiveness thresholds due to come into effect from April.

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

We have reached a landmark agreement with the United States of America that secures a preferential tariff rate of 0% for all pharmaceuticals exports to the US for at least three years, and preferential terms for the United Kingdom’s medical technology exports, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technology. This means that, unlike anywhere else in the world, life sciences companies exporting medicines from the UK to the US will face no tariffs to do so, protecting jobs and investment in the UK.

The agreement will see the National Health Service invest approximately 25% more in innovative treatments which will be achieved through an increase to the standard cost-effectiveness threshold that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) uses and a change to the way in which NICE values health benefits to better reflect societal preferences.

There are currently no plans to increase the cost‑effectiveness threshold for the highly specialised technologies (HST) programme. The HST programme already operates at a much higher threshold than standard NICE technology appraisals, reflecting the challenges of bringing treatments for very rare conditions to market, and NICE has been able to recommend nearly all the treatments that have been evaluated through the HST programme for NHS use.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increasing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence highly specialised technology cost-effectiveness threshold on patient access to rare disease medicines.

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

We have reached a landmark agreement with the United States of America that secures a preferential tariff rate of 0% for all pharmaceuticals exports to the US for at least three years, and preferential terms for the United Kingdom’s medical technology exports, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technology. This means that, unlike anywhere else in the world, life sciences companies exporting medicines from the UK to the US will face no tariffs to do so, protecting jobs and investment in the UK.

The agreement will see the National Health Service invest approximately 25% more in innovative treatments which will be achieved through an increase to the standard cost-effectiveness threshold that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) uses and a change to the way in which NICE values health benefits to better reflect societal preferences.

There are currently no plans to increase the cost‑effectiveness threshold for the highly specialised technologies (HST) programme. The HST programme already operates at a much higher threshold than standard NICE technology appraisals, reflecting the challenges of bringing treatments for very rare conditions to market, and NICE has been able to recommend nearly all the treatments that have been evaluated through the HST programme for NHS use.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what their rationale is for increasing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) cost-effectiveness thresholds for assessing new medicines to £25–30,000 per quality-adjusted life year; and whether they plan to apply the same proportionate increases to the NICE cost-effectiveness thresholds for highly specialised technologies.

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

We have reached a landmark agreement with the United States of America that secures a preferential tariff rate of 0% for all pharmaceuticals exports to the US for at least three years, and preferential terms for the United Kingdom’s medical technology exports, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technology. This means that, unlike anywhere else in the world, life sciences companies exporting medicines from the UK to the US will face no tariffs to do so, protecting jobs and investment in the UK.

The agreement will see the National Health Service invest approximately 25% more in innovative treatments which will be achieved through an increase to the standard cost-effectiveness threshold that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) uses and a change to the way in which NICE values health benefits to better reflect societal preferences.

There are currently no plans to increase the cost‑effectiveness threshold for the highly specialised technologies (HST) programme. The HST programme already operates at a much higher threshold than standard NICE technology appraisals, reflecting the challenges of bringing treatments for very rare conditions to market, and NICE has been able to recommend nearly all the treatments that have been evaluated through the HST programme for NHS use.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff work for the independent commission on adult social care, and where that commission is based.

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

No commissioners have been appointed. Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock chairs the Independent Commission into adult social care, alongside a dedicated secretariat team.

Baroness Casey and the Commission’s secretariat are based in the Cabinet Office. The secretariat has a total of ten officials, eight are employed by the Department of Health and Social Care, and two by the Cabinet Office. One external individual has been hired as contingent labour to support the work of the Commission’s secretariat. There are a further four officials working in the Commission’s sponsorship function based in the Department of Health and Social Care.

As the Commission is independent, the secretariat may expand as it carries out its work and as Baroness Casey considers what further skills and expertise she needs.

For 2025/26, the Department of Health and Social Care indicatively made available £2.9 million to support the Commission’s work and continue to keep the budget under review. As the Commission is independent, they will be responsible for reporting on their financial expenditure.

The independence of the Commission means the Department of Health and Social Care does not track the number of meetings the Commission has held. Engagement decisions are for Baroness Casey and her team to decide. The Commission has set out that it has met with over 350 people including those drawing on care and supporting, national organisations and delivery or provider organisations.

Details about how to engage with the Commission, including via the portal, are available on its website in an online-only format.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the budget for the first phase of the independent commission into adult social care.

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

No commissioners have been appointed. Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock chairs the Independent Commission into adult social care, alongside a dedicated secretariat team.

Baroness Casey and the Commission’s secretariat are based in the Cabinet Office. The secretariat has a total of ten officials, eight are employed by the Department of Health and Social Care, and two by the Cabinet Office. One external individual has been hired as contingent labour to support the work of the Commission’s secretariat. There are a further four officials working in the Commission’s sponsorship function based in the Department of Health and Social Care.

As the Commission is independent, the secretariat may expand as it carries out its work and as Baroness Casey considers what further skills and expertise she needs.

For 2025/26, the Department of Health and Social Care indicatively made available £2.9 million to support the Commission’s work and continue to keep the budget under review. As the Commission is independent, they will be responsible for reporting on their financial expenditure.

The independence of the Commission means the Department of Health and Social Care does not track the number of meetings the Commission has held. Engagement decisions are for Baroness Casey and her team to decide. The Commission has set out that it has met with over 350 people including those drawing on care and supporting, national organisations and delivery or provider organisations.

Details about how to engage with the Commission, including via the portal, are available on its website in an online-only format.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Merron on 24 November (HLWS1086), whether the Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England will (1) quantify the incremental funding needed to ensure the availability of comprehensive specialist palliative care across England, (2) include allocated funding to fully meet that need, and (3) guarantee that every person who is assessed to benefit from and chooses to receive comprehensive specialist palliative care will be legally entitled to it.

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

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the Noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement HLWS1086 I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to support the use of AI-enabled appointment and scheduling tools in the NHS.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan was published on 3 July 2025, which sets out how the Government will ensure the National Health Service is fit for the future, where artificial intelligence (AI) will play a fundamental role in this transformation. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is supporting the use of AI-enabled appointment and scheduling tools to reduce the administrative burden on clinicians, with early trials showing an increase in productivity and clinician time saved.

An accident and emergency demand forecasting tool is now available to all NHS trusts and is already in use by 50 NHS organisations, helping them plan how many people are likely to need emergency care and treatment on any given day. While this tool does not schedule appointments specifically, it uses AI to predict emergency care demand, enabling trusts to plan staffing and resources more effectively and reduce pressure on services.

The NHS continues to fund both pilots and scaling of different software products that enable the use of AI in scheduling and managing secondary care appointments. Typically, these include the ability to predict Did Not Attends, to reschedule appointments at short notice, and improve utilisation of clinician time.

Work has begun to deliver the NHS’s Medium Term Planning Framework commitment that, from April 2026, the NHS will begin to move to a unified access model, using AI-assisted triage. This model should effectively guide patients to self-care or to the appropriate care setting, through a single user interface delivered via the NHS App but with an integrated telephony and in-person offering.

Further to this, features set to be developed through the NHS App will include the ability to book and manage remote or face-to-face appointments, receive personalised health advice, see when vaccines are up-to-date, and book appointments to get them organised, and find travel vaccine info.

Additionally, DrDoctor, an AI tool, had a three-year contract from 2021 to 2024 with the NHS AI Lab Award. It supports hospitals by providing AI guidance on overbooking as a more efficient and economical solution to increase NHS appointment capacity. This has been shown to free up clinician and administrative time, improve patient care and experience, and predict which patients are at the highest risk of missing an appointment with “Did Not Attend” DNA Prediction.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they conducted a resource and cost analysis when setting guide prices for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessments for 2026–27; and if so, whether they will publish that data.

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

NHS England has engaged with providers and commissioners as part of the development of the currency models and guide prices for autism assessment services and certain attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services prior to their inclusion within the NHS Payment Scheme.

The statutory consultation for the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27, which closed on 16 December 2025, provided an opportunity for all service providers to review the consultation guidance and provide comments and feedback, with further information avaiable on the NHS.UK website. NHS England is currently reviewing this feedback to inform the final 2026/27 Payment Scheme. The NHS England Payment Team invited all known ADHD and autism service providers to a pre-consultation webinar which set out the overall changes to the payment scheme. NHS England will continue to engage service providers as part of the next phase of development following the publication of the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27.

As set out in the NHS Payment Scheme consultation, we have used a range of existing local prices agreed between commissioners and providers as the basis for the guide prices in the consultation. The payment scheme consultation provides the opportunity for providers to comment on the proposed guide prices, and we will consider all the responses received before finalising the payment scheme for 2026/27. These proposals for 2026/27 represent the first stage of planning pricing development for autism assessment services and certain ADHD services.

NHS England has set out what is included within assessments for ADHD and autism within a supporting document to the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27 statutory consultation. This guidance also links to clinical guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and other guidance which may support the commissioning and provision of these services. Guidance setting out the all age autism assessment pathway intended to help integrated care boards deliver improved outcomes in all age autism assessment pathways was written by NHS England in April 2024 and is available on the NHS.UK website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the criteria for (1) autism, and (2) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, assessments in 2026–27; and what the differences are between those two assessments.

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

NHS England has engaged with providers and commissioners as part of the development of the currency models and guide prices for autism assessment services and certain attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services prior to their inclusion within the NHS Payment Scheme.

The statutory consultation for the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27, which closed on 16 December 2025, provided an opportunity for all service providers to review the consultation guidance and provide comments and feedback, with further information avaiable on the NHS.UK website. NHS England is currently reviewing this feedback to inform the final 2026/27 Payment Scheme. The NHS England Payment Team invited all known ADHD and autism service providers to a pre-consultation webinar which set out the overall changes to the payment scheme. NHS England will continue to engage service providers as part of the next phase of development following the publication of the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27.

As set out in the NHS Payment Scheme consultation, we have used a range of existing local prices agreed between commissioners and providers as the basis for the guide prices in the consultation. The payment scheme consultation provides the opportunity for providers to comment on the proposed guide prices, and we will consider all the responses received before finalising the payment scheme for 2026/27. These proposals for 2026/27 represent the first stage of planning pricing development for autism assessment services and certain ADHD services.

NHS England has set out what is included within assessments for ADHD and autism within a supporting document to the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27 statutory consultation. This guidance also links to clinical guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and other guidance which may support the commissioning and provision of these services. Guidance setting out the all age autism assessment pathway intended to help integrated care boards deliver improved outcomes in all age autism assessment pathways was written by NHS England in April 2024 and is available on the NHS.UK website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many external stakeholder meetings the independent commission on adult social care has had since April.

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

No commissioners have been appointed. Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock chairs the Independent Commission into adult social care, alongside a dedicated secretariat team.

Baroness Casey and the Commission’s secretariat are based in the Cabinet Office. The secretariat has a total of ten officials, eight are employed by the Department of Health and Social Care, and two by the Cabinet Office. One external individual has been hired as contingent labour to support the work of the Commission’s secretariat. There are a further four officials working in the Commission’s sponsorship function based in the Department of Health and Social Care.

As the Commission is independent, the secretariat may expand as it carries out its work and as Baroness Casey considers what further skills and expertise she needs.

For 2025/26, the Department of Health and Social Care indicatively made available £2.9 million to support the Commission’s work and continue to keep the budget under review. As the Commission is independent, they will be responsible for reporting on their financial expenditure.

The independence of the Commission means the Department of Health and Social Care does not track the number of meetings the Commission has held. Engagement decisions are for Baroness Casey and her team to decide. The Commission has set out that it has met with over 350 people including those drawing on care and supporting, national organisations and delivery or provider organisations.

Details about how to engage with the Commission, including via the portal, are available on its website in an online-only format.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many commissioners have been appointed to the independent commission on adult social care.

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

No commissioners have been appointed. Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock chairs the Independent Commission into adult social care, alongside a dedicated secretariat team.

Baroness Casey and the Commission’s secretariat are based in the Cabinet Office. The secretariat has a total of ten officials, eight are employed by the Department of Health and Social Care, and two by the Cabinet Office. One external individual has been hired as contingent labour to support the work of the Commission’s secretariat. There are a further four officials working in the Commission’s sponsorship function based in the Department of Health and Social Care.

As the Commission is independent, the secretariat may expand as it carries out its work and as Baroness Casey considers what further skills and expertise she needs.

For 2025/26, the Department of Health and Social Care indicatively made available £2.9 million to support the Commission’s work and continue to keep the budget under review. As the Commission is independent, they will be responsible for reporting on their financial expenditure.

The independence of the Commission means the Department of Health and Social Care does not track the number of meetings the Commission has held. Engagement decisions are for Baroness Casey and her team to decide. The Commission has set out that it has met with over 350 people including those drawing on care and supporting, national organisations and delivery or provider organisations.

Details about how to engage with the Commission, including via the portal, are available on its website in an online-only format.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consultations they had with service providers in establishing the NHS Payment Scheme guide prices for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessment in 2026–27.

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

NHS England has engaged with providers and commissioners as part of the development of the currency models and guide prices for autism assessment services and certain attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services prior to their inclusion within the NHS Payment Scheme.

The statutory consultation for the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27, which closed on 16 December 2025, provided an opportunity for all service providers to review the consultation guidance and provide comments and feedback, with further information avaiable on the NHS.UK website. NHS England is currently reviewing this feedback to inform the final 2026/27 Payment Scheme. The NHS England Payment Team invited all known ADHD and autism service providers to a pre-consultation webinar which set out the overall changes to the payment scheme. NHS England will continue to engage service providers as part of the next phase of development following the publication of the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27.

As set out in the NHS Payment Scheme consultation, we have used a range of existing local prices agreed between commissioners and providers as the basis for the guide prices in the consultation. The payment scheme consultation provides the opportunity for providers to comment on the proposed guide prices, and we will consider all the responses received before finalising the payment scheme for 2026/27. These proposals for 2026/27 represent the first stage of planning pricing development for autism assessment services and certain ADHD services.

NHS England has set out what is included within assessments for ADHD and autism within a supporting document to the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27 statutory consultation. This guidance also links to clinical guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and other guidance which may support the commissioning and provision of these services. Guidance setting out the all age autism assessment pathway intended to help integrated care boards deliver improved outcomes in all age autism assessment pathways was written by NHS England in April 2024 and is available on the NHS.UK website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 1 December 2025 (HL12313), where the results of the NHS Learning Disability Improvement Standard exercise are published; how people with learning disabilities and their families are involved in the exercise; and how the results are made accessible to people with learning disabilities and their families so they are able to compare performance amongst NHS Trusts.

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

The NHS Learning Disability Improvement Standards support National Health Service trusts to assess the quality of care provided for people with a learning disability and were designed with lived experience at the centre of the process. The standards and easy read information are available on the NHS England website.

To understand how well organisations are meeting the standards, the NHS Benchmarking Network undertakes an annual data collection exercise, with further information avaiable at the NHS Benchmarking Network website. All annual summary reports are published on the Learning Disability Improvement Standards Hub website. Each trust that participates in the exercise also receives their own bespoke report and are encouraged to share learning at the local level in suitable formats for the populations they serve.

Ahead of each annual benchmarking exercise, people with a learning disability and user-led organisations are engaged to design and revise the metrics which are asked of NHS organisations. This process recognises that people with lived experience are best placed to ask questions concerning the quality of services they expect and has recently been facilitated by Learning Disability England. Input is also sought from clinicians, managers, and senior leadership, ensuring greater transparency and accountability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 23 December (HL11565), of the executive senior managers at NHS England who have left since 1 March 2025 and received payments in lieu of notice or annual leave, (1) how many have since been re-employed in any capacity—including as consultants or interim staff—by the NHS or an NHS body, arm’s-length body, or government department, (2) how many of these individuals have been required to repay all or part of their exit payments under current clawback provisions, and (3) what is the total value of the funds successfully recovered to date.

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

Of the 17 executive senior managers at NHS England who have left since 1 March 2025 and received a payment either in lieu of notice or in lieu of annual leave, six have since been re-employed in the National Health Service, an NHS body, an arm’s length body (ALB), or a Government department. We do not hold information related to consultancy.

One of these six individuals received a redundancy payment which is in the scope of the clawback provisions. Recovery has commenced for a partial recovery proportionate to their gap in NHS employment.

For the other five people securing re-employment in the NHS, an NHS body, an ALB, or a Government department, their payments in lieu related to annual leave or notice, and therefore were not within the scope of clawback arrangements.

Whilst recovery action has actively commenced for the individual in the scope of the claw back provisions, no funds have been recovered to date.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce incentives to encourage the adoption of recommendations in the Modern Service Framework for Cardiovascular Disease.

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

To accelerate progress towards the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) in 2026. The CVD MSF will support consistent, high quality, and equitable care whilst fostering innovation across the cardiovascular disease pathway.

The Department and NHS England are engaging widely throughout the development of the CVD MSF to ensure that we prioritise ambitious, evidence-led, and clinically informed approaches to prevention, treatment, and care, and as part of this we are considering the role of levers and incentives.

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 burdens on NHS dentistry services, especially by ensuring dentists who are qualified to practice in other countries can be fast-tracked for qualification to practice in the UK.

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

The General Dental Council (GDC) regulates United Kingdom dentistry and sets the standards for all applicants to its registers. Routes to registration for overseas qualified dentists are set out in legislation.

The Government is working with the GDC to increase the number of overseas-qualified dentists gaining registration to help address National Health Service workforce shortages.

The GDC already offers priority booking to refugee dentists on its Overseas Registration Exam (ORE). Last year I asked the GDC to develop a plan to urgently cut the high ORE waiting list and in November received an update on their work. I have been assured that significant improvements to international registration are expected this year.

I have also asked the GDC for an improved ORE booking system for the new ORE delivery contract, coming into effect from April 2026, and to explore prioritisation of UK resident candidates. I will meet the GDC again for an update on this work once the new contract is finalised.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS procedures have been conducted in private hospitals in the 2025-26 financial year.

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

Improving elective performance and cutting waiting lists is a priority for the Government. We have made significant progress with patients being seen faster, and November saw the second biggest drop in the waiting list for 15 years outside of the early days of the pandemic.

Fit for the Future: The 10-Year Health Plan for England and the Partnership Agreement between NHS England and the Independent Healthcare Providers Network reaffirmed our continued commitment to using independent sector capacity to improve access, reduce backlogs, and build a sustainable healthcare system.

Between April 2025 and November 2025, the latest month for which data is available, independent sector providers delivered 9.9% of all elective ordinary and day case procedures for the National Health Service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the 10 Year Health Plan for England, published on 3 July 2025, what the terms of reference will be for prevention accelerators; and which high-impact interventions those accelerators will focus on.

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

The sickness to prevention shift is one of three major shifts described in the 10-Year Health Plan to transform the health service. As part of this shift, prevention accelerators will demonstrate that investment in high-impact interventions on cardiovascular disease and diabetes can improve population health and reduce demand for National Health Services, such as elective appointments and general practice appointments.

Work to agree the formal arrangements with prevention accelerators is ongoing, alongside finalising the specific high-impact interventions that they will prioritise. We will share further information on the action underway in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the terms of reference are for the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, and when they will be published.

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

The membership of the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce is currently being finalised, and the first meeting of the taskforce will be held early this year. Following engagement with some families and stakeholders, the Terms of Reference are also being developed and will be published in due course.

This will allow the taskforce to begin to address some of the entrenched issues we know exist and be fully prepared to act once the national maternity and neonatal investigation reports in Spring 2026.The taskforce will work rapidly to transform the investigation’s recommendations into a deliverable new national action plan to drive real change.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current health of Palestine Action hunger strikers Heba Muraisi, Lewie Chiaramello and Kamran Ahmed.

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

The Government is unable to comment or provide details on the personal health information of named individuals.

NHS England commissions health services in prisons, and healthcare providers monitor the health of all individuals in custody to ensure they receive appropriate care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the first meeting of the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce is set to take place.

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

The membership of the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce is currently being finalised, and the first meeting of the taskforce will be held early this year. Following engagement with some families and stakeholders, the Terms of Reference are also being developed and will be published in due course.

This will allow the taskforce to begin to address some of the entrenched issues we know exist and be fully prepared to act once the national maternity and neonatal investigation reports in Spring 2026.The taskforce will work rapidly to transform the investigation’s recommendations into a deliverable new national action plan to drive real change.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department is taking to improve research into (a) Ocular Melanoma and (b) other rare cancers.

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

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and in 2024/25 spent £141.6 million on cancer research, signalling its high priority.

One example of a recent investment into rare cancers is the NIHR’s investment of £13.7 million in December 2025 to support ground-breaking research to develop novel brain tumour treatments in the United Kingdom, with significant further funding announcements expected shortly. Research specifically on Ocular Melanoma includes a study completed in 2022 to develop AI Techniques to Predict Eye Cancer Using Big Longitudinal Data. The NIHR is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with rare cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments, by working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of medicines and therapies of the future, including for rare cancers

The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. The bill will make it easier for clinical trials on rare cancers to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into less common cancers, including ocular cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to request that NICE conduct an exceptional (expedited) partial review of the NICE Depression guideline (NG222) to consider the inclusion of intravenous racemic ketamine as an option for patients for whom electroconvulsive therapy is being considered.

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

The Department has no plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to conduct a review of the NICE guideline on the treatment and management of depression, reference code NG222.

NICE is an independent body and is responsible for taking decisions on whether its guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence and changes in clinical practice. NICE operates an active surveillance programme and when new evidence emerges, it proactively considers whether existing guidance should be reviewed and, if appropriate, updated. Decisions as to whether NICE will create new, or update existing, guidance are overseen by an integrated, cross-organisational prioritisation board. NICE has no current plans to review intravenous racemic ketamine in the context of the depression guideline.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce instances of type 2 diabetes.

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

The Government is committed to tackling preventable ill health, such as type 2 diabetes, head-on and at the earliest opportunity. Excess weight and obesity are key risk factors for type 2 diabetes and we are taking decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on the National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.

We have delivered on our commitment to restrict junk food advertising on television and online and are delivering a ban on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16 year olds. We are limiting volume price promotions such as “buy one get one free” on less healthy food and drink and have put in place a nationally standardised Behavioural Support for Obesity Prescribing service to ensure weight loss medicines are delivered safely and effectively. We will also double the number of patients able to access the NHS Digital Weight Management programme.

In addition, we continue to support the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP), which has offered support to over 2.4 million people who are at risk of type 2 diabetes since its establishment in 2016. The NHS DPP is highly effective and has been found to reduce attendee’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% compared to those who did not attend.

We continue to deliver the NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease prevention programme, which aims to detect those at risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and kidney disease aged between 40 and 74 years old.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his Department’s policy to introduce mandatory NHS testing for paediatric type 1 diabetes.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing guidance and quality standards on the treatment and care of diabetes in England. The NICE guideline NG18, for type 1 and 2 diabetes, provides clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children and young people. Children with suspected type 1 diabetes should receive a blood test that checks blood glucose, or sugar, levels.

NG18 recommends that children and young people with suspected type 1 diabetes are referred immediately, on the same day, to a multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes team with the competencies needed to confirm diagnosis and provide immediate care.

NHS England has published the RightCare toolkit which supports good quality diabetes care for children and young adults and includes guidance on timely and accurate diagnosis.

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 the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing guidance and quality standards on the treatment and care of diabetes in England. The NICE guideline NG18, for type 1 and 2 diabetes, provides clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children and young people. Children with suspected type 1 diabetes should receive a blood test that checks blood glucose, or sugar, levels.

NG18 recommends that children and young people with suspected type 1 diabetes are referred immediately, on the same day, to a multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes team with the competencies needed to confirm diagnosis and provide immediate care.

NHS England has published the RightCare toolkit which supports good quality diabetes care for children and young adults and includes guidance on timely and accurate diagnosis.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people under the age of 25 are currently seeking treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.

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

The Adult Substance Misuse Treatment Statistics 2024 to 2025 report and the Children’s Substance Misuse Treatment Statistics 2024 to 2025 report, both published in December 2025, show that in England between April 2024 and March 2025 there were 37,117 people under the age of 25 years old receiving drug and alcohol treatment in the community.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what pilots or trials are being planned to reduce drug-related deaths in areas with the highest rates of overdose.

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

Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need for drug prevention, treatment, and recovery in their areas and for commissioning services to best meet local need. This includes work to reduce drug-related deaths.

The Department has recently launched the Drug and alcohol-related deaths dashboard, which provides information on the levels of drug and alcohol related mortality and harms, and the evidence-based interventions that local authorities and treatment providers can provide to have a positive impact on reducing deaths. Local authorities have access to this dashboard and can use it to assess need and plan interventions including in areas with higher rates of deaths. We are also improving surveillance of emerging harms and drug use patterns, with quarterly surveillance data now published to support local police and health responses to synthetic opioids.

In response to increasing drug related deaths, in 2024 the Department amended the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to expand access to naloxone. The legislation enabled more services and professionals to supply this medication. The Department has recently launched a 10-week United Kingdom-wide public consultation on further legislative options to expand access to take-home and emergency use naloxone.

In response to the sharp rise in deaths involving cocaine, 800 deaths in 2022 to 1,195 deaths in 2024, the Department is investing an additional £200,000 in 2025/26 to develop and trial new brief interventions to target the rise in cocaine and alcohol-related cardiovascular deaths, particularly among men. The pilots will be run in acute hospital alcohol care teams with a view to making them available for use nationally across all healthcare settings in the next financial year.

Through the Government's Addiction Healthcare Goals Reducing Drug Deaths Innovation Challenge, twelve projects have received UK and Scottish government funding to develop and test innovative drug overdose detection, response, and rescue technologies and medicines with relevant populations. Future funding and support through the Addiction Healthcare Goals programme are being explored to further enable the advanced development and UK roll-out of novel drug and alcohol addiction technologies to improve healthcare and prevent harms and deaths.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of the outcomes for children in the critical 1,001 days in (a) areas with Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies and (b) areas without Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies.

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

Children’s early years are crucial to their development, health, and life chances. Prioritising quality support during the critical 1,001 days offers a real opportunity to improve outcomes, reduce health disparities, and deliver on our ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children.

From April 2026, Best Start Family Hubs will expand to every single local authority, backed by over £500 million to reach up to half a million more children. This funding will enable integration of health services in Best Start Family Hubs across all local authorities and is fundamental to improving outcomes for babies, children, and their families and for delivering on neighbourhood health.

The Department has commissioned an independent evaluation to help us understand the effectiveness and impact of Start for Life, now Healthy Babies, services. The final report, expected in 2026, will identify comparison groups where appropriate and will be integral to making evidence-based decisions for improving outcomes for babies and children.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with Dairy UK and other trade bodies on the potential impact of the revised Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) for the dairy supply chain.

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

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.

As part of this, we are committed to updating the standards which underpin the advertising restrictions on television and online and the promotion restrictions in stores and their equivalent places online on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products. The Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/05 is plainly out of date and updating the standards will strengthen the restrictions by reflecting the latest dietary advice and more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.

The Government has met with a range of stakeholders over the past year to listen to their concerns, and officials met with Dairy UK in August 2025.

The Government remains committed to engaging relevant stakeholders and we will consult this year on the application of an updated NPM’s to the advertising and promotion restrictions to ensure they can feed in their views.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a delivery plan that includes (a) who is responsible for each of the actions in the Cervical cancer elimination by 2040 – plan for England, (b) when they will be delivered and (c) what the metrics are for determining the effectiveness of the programme.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan for England: Fit for the Future restates the National Health Service’s aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through improved uptake of cervical screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Delivering the plan and making progress towards committed targets is a key priority for NHS England, working with the Department, providers, and wider health system partners.

NHS England will be monitoring and evaluating the success of all the individual activities included with its elimination plan and new initiatives as they are developed and implemented. In addition, the World Health Organisation’s cervical cancer elimination targets will be used as the basis for ongoing monitoring, along with regular assessment of cervical cancer rates.

Achieving cervical cancer elimination is a long-term goal that depends on joined up delivery of HPV vaccination and cervical screening programmes at national, regional, and integrated care board (ICB) level.

ICBs are well placed to understand the needs of their local populations and work with partners to offer services that meet those needs. They are best positioned to plan vaccination and screening services, using the recommendations set out in the cervical cancer elimination plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of specialist Long Covid clinics on the collection of data on the long-term health impacts of Covid-19; and what steps he is taking to ensure that these conditions are not under-recognised or under-resourced as a result.

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

While no central assessment has been made of the impact of local closures of post-COVID-19 services on patient outcomes and data collection, the Government understands the scale of the issue at hand, particularly the impact of long COVID-19 on health, employment, and the economy.

The Government is aware that post-acute infection conditions, such as long COVID-19, can have a devastating effect on those who suffer from them. We are committed to taking a comprehensive and compassionate approach to supporting individuals with post-acute infection conditions such as long COVID-19, recognising the unique challenges these conditions present.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning specialist services for long COVID-19 that meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding. NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID-19, or long COVID-19, services, which sets out a blueprint for best practice in supporting people with long COVID-19 and is designed to be adapted to local needs. This guidance is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-commissioning-guidance-for-post-covid-services/

Anyone who is concerned about long lasting symptoms after having COVID-19 should contact their general practitioner (GP). If appropriate, their GP will refer them to a National Health Service long COVID-19 service where available, or a suitable alternative, which will assess people and direct them into care pathways which provide appropriate support, treatment, and rehabilitation.

To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to establish the International Post- Covid and Post-Infection Conditions Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice to support people affected by long COVID-19.

Ongoing projects funded through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Medical Research Council (MRC) aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of long COVID-19 and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including long COVID-19. The NIHR and MRC remain committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of post-viral conditions, including long COVID-19, and are actively exploring next steps for research into post-viral conditions.

On 6 November 2025, the NIHR and MRC hosted a showcase event for post-acute infection conditions, including long COVID-19, research. This brought together people with lived experience, researchers, clinicians, and research funders to help stimulate further research in this field. We are now considering discussions from the showcase event to explore next steps to stimulate further vital research in this area.

We are determined to accelerate progress in the treatment and management of long COVID-19. 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 interventions and/or non-pharmacological interventions and devices. This targeted funding opportunity is one component of our approach to improve evidence around the diagnosis, management, and treatment of post-acute infection conditions, including long COVID-19.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on patient outcomes for those with Long-Covid following the closure of dedicated services; and how many former Long Covid patients are being supported through ME/CFS services.

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

While no central assessment has been made of the impact of local closures of post-COVID-19 services on patient outcomes and data collection, the Government understands the scale of the issue at hand, particularly the impact of long COVID-19 on health, employment, and the economy.

The Government is aware that post-acute infection conditions, such as long COVID-19, can have a devastating effect on those who suffer from them. We are committed to taking a comprehensive and compassionate approach to supporting individuals with post-acute infection conditions such as long COVID-19, recognising the unique challenges these conditions present.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning specialist services for long COVID-19 that meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding. NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID-19, or long COVID-19, services, which sets out a blueprint for best practice in supporting people with long COVID-19 and is designed to be adapted to local needs. This guidance is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-commissioning-guidance-for-post-covid-services/

Anyone who is concerned about long lasting symptoms after having COVID-19 should contact their general practitioner (GP). If appropriate, their GP will refer them to a National Health Service long COVID-19 service where available, or a suitable alternative, which will assess people and direct them into care pathways which provide appropriate support, treatment, and rehabilitation.

To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to establish the International Post- Covid and Post-Infection Conditions Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice to support people affected by long COVID-19.

Ongoing projects funded through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Medical Research Council (MRC) aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of long COVID-19 and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including long COVID-19. The NIHR and MRC remain committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of post-viral conditions, including long COVID-19, and are actively exploring next steps for research into post-viral conditions.

On 6 November 2025, the NIHR and MRC hosted a showcase event for post-acute infection conditions, including long COVID-19, research. This brought together people with lived experience, researchers, clinicians, and research funders to help stimulate further research in this field. We are now considering discussions from the showcase event to explore next steps to stimulate further vital research in this area.

We are determined to accelerate progress in the treatment and management of long COVID-19. 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 interventions and/or non-pharmacological interventions and devices. This targeted funding opportunity is one component of our approach to improve evidence around the diagnosis, management, and treatment of post-acute infection conditions, including long COVID-19.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming National Cancer Plan will contain measures to ensure patients with blood cancer can access lifesaving and cutting-edge new therapies via the NHS.

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

The National Cancer Plan, to be published in the coming weeks, will set out in more detail how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including improving access to lifesaving and cutting-edge new treatment.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Government invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is a major area of NIHR spending at £141.6 million in 2024/25, reflecting its high priority. For example, the NIHR supported the development of an immunotherapy for patients with an aggressive form of leukaemia, which was approved for routine use in the National Health Service by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in November 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of dedicated Long Covid services on patient outcomes; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the long-term effects of Covid-19 are (a) properly identified, (b) monitored and (c) treated.

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

While no central assessment has been made of the impact of local closures of post-COVID-19 services on patient outcomes and data collection, the Government understands the scale of the issue at hand, particularly the impact of long COVID-19 on health, employment, and the economy.

The Government is aware that post-acute infection conditions, such as long COVID-19, can have a devastating effect on those who suffer from them. We are committed to taking a comprehensive and compassionate approach to supporting individuals with post-acute infection conditions such as long COVID-19, recognising the unique challenges these conditions present.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning specialist services for long COVID-19 that meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding. NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID-19, or long COVID-19, services, which sets out a blueprint for best practice in supporting people with long COVID-19 and is designed to be adapted to local needs. This guidance is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-commissioning-guidance-for-post-covid-services/

Anyone who is concerned about long lasting symptoms after having COVID-19 should contact their general practitioner (GP). If appropriate, their GP will refer them to a National Health Service long COVID-19 service where available, or a suitable alternative, which will assess people and direct them into care pathways which provide appropriate support, treatment, and rehabilitation.

To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to establish the International Post- Covid and Post-Infection Conditions Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice to support people affected by long COVID-19.

Ongoing projects funded through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Medical Research Council (MRC) aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of long COVID-19 and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including long COVID-19. The NIHR and MRC remain committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment of post-viral conditions, including long COVID-19, and are actively exploring next steps for research into post-viral conditions.

On 6 November 2025, the NIHR and MRC hosted a showcase event for post-acute infection conditions, including long COVID-19, research. This brought together people with lived experience, researchers, clinicians, and research funders to help stimulate further research in this field. We are now considering discussions from the showcase event to explore next steps to stimulate further vital research in this area.

We are determined to accelerate progress in the treatment and management of long COVID-19. 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 interventions and/or non-pharmacological interventions and devices. This targeted funding opportunity is one component of our approach to improve evidence around the diagnosis, management, and treatment of post-acute infection conditions, including long COVID-19.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of self-sampling on reaching under-screened populations for cervical cancer; and what estimate he has made of the uptake of (a) in-clinic and (b) at-home self-sampling options.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan for England: Fit for the Future, restates the National Health Service’s aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through improved uptake of cervical screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Delivering the plan and making progress towards committed targets is a key priority for NHS England, working with the Department, providers, and wider health system partners.

As part of this, NHS England is transforming its approach to cervical screening for under-screened women. From early 2026, they will be offered a home testing kit, starting with those who are the most overdue for screening. This will help tackle deeply entrenched barriers that keep some away from life-saving screening.

National and international evidence suggests that offering the option of HPV self-testing in under-screened groups could help overcome some of the barriers to taking part in cervical screening, leading to improved participation, and ultimately preventing more cervical cancers and associated deaths.

The equality impact assessment on the introduction of human papilloma virus (HPV) self-sampling for the under-screened population in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-hpv-self-sampling-impact-assessments

The self-testing kits, which detect HPV, allow people to carry out this testing in the privacy and convenience of their own homes.

Self-testing specifically targets those groups consistently missing vital appointments, with younger people, ethnic minority communities facing cultural hurdles, people with a disability, and LGBT+ people all set to benefit. Those who are HPV positive on their self-test will need to be followed up with a clinician for a cervical screening test, so it is acknowledged that not all barriers to attendance will be removed with the implementation of self-testing.

Therefore, it is anticipated that there will be an increase in participation from groups that are under screened. NHS England will monitor and evaluate the impact of this programme.

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 expand access to drug checking services, naloxone, and other overdose prevention measures.

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

Every drug-related death is a tragedy, and the Government is taking a public health approach to prevent these deaths and reduce harms from drugs.

Expanding access to naloxone, a life-saving overdose medication, has never been more important. In addition to the changes made in 2024 to expand access, we recently launched a ten-week United Kingdom-wide public consultation on further legislative options to expand access to take-home and emergency use naloxone.

The Government facilitates Drug Checking Facilities provided that the possession and supply of controlled drugs are licensed by the Home Office, or exceptionally, relevant exemptions under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 may apply.  Drug Checking Facilities must not condone drug use and should only be delivered where licensed and operated responsibly in line with Government policy to ensure that they discourage drug use and signpost potential users to treatment and support.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will next consider the potential merits of offering the Meningitis B vaccine to teenagers on the NHS.

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

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) meningococcal sub-committee have met several times over 2024 and 2025 to discuss the meningococcal vaccination programme. In June 2025, the sub-committee noted that when available, they would like to review a model evaluating the impact of the Meningitis B (MenB) vaccination when given in a teenage programme in a two-dose schedule, including impact on meningococcal disease and gonorrhoea.

In 2013, the JCVI advised that the cost-effectiveness of an adolescent MenB vaccination programme would be dependent on the impact of the vaccine on protection against meningococcal carriage, which was uncertain at the time. Since this advice was published, the JCVI has continued to review the MenB vaccination programme. Recent evidence, discussed by the JCVI meningococcal sub-committee in March 2025, indicated that MenB vaccination in adolescents has little to no effect on meningococcal carriage.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made in meeting the 18-week referral-to-treatment standard in Washington and Gateshead South constituency.

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

The Washington and Gateshead South constituency is served by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB). Performance against the 18-week Referral to Treatment standard for this ICB has improved from 68.9% to 70.5% since the Government came to office, and the waiting list has dropped by 11,854.

The Elective Reform Plan, which was published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and modernisation efforts needed to reach the 92% standard by March 2029, which improve patient care in the Washington and Gateshead South constituency and across England. We have set a national ambition that by March 2026, 65% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement on current performance over that period. We are making progress in several areas including demand management, validation of waiting lists, diagnostics reform, including straight to test pathways, and clinically-led pathway reform in priority specialties.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England monitors local trust decisions on the withdrawal of designated parking arrangements for dialysis patients; and what mechanisms are in place to ensure such decisions take account of patient mobility and clinical vulnerability.

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

Decisions on the provision of car parking are made locally by National Health Service organisations and should be consistent with the national guidance. This includes the provision of parking adjustments for patient groups receiving frequent treatments, including those undergoing dialysis. Further information on the guidance is available at the following link:

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

This guidance requires the provision of free hospital parking to groups classified as most ‘in-need’. This includes disabled people, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, and NHS staff working overnight. These groups will include dialysis patients where applicable.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to issue guidance to hospital trusts on providing reasonable parking adjustments for patient groups receiving frequent or intensive treatments, including those undergoing dialysis.

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

Decisions on the provision of car parking are made locally by National Health Service organisations and should be consistent with the national guidance. This includes the provision of parking adjustments for patient groups receiving frequent treatments, including those undergoing dialysis. Further information on the guidance is available at the following link:

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

This guidance requires the provision of free hospital parking to groups classified as most ‘in-need’. This includes disabled people, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, and NHS staff working overnight. These groups will include dialysis patients where applicable.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set a definition of corridor care.

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

The provision of clinical care in corridors is unacceptable, and we are committed to ending its practice in the National Health Service. Furthermore, our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 commits to publishing data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.

A definition of corridor care is being agreed and will be published once finalised. NHS England has been working with trusts to put in place new reporting arrangements regarding the use of corridor care to drive improvement and data transparency. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and we expect to publish the information shortly.

We are also introducing new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care, setting clear expectations for timely reviews and specialist input, further supporting our efforts to eliminate corridor care and improve patient experience.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent teenagers and young adults from contracting Meningitis B.

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

Meningococcal disease is rare, and the incidence has declined over the last two decades following the introduction of vaccines targeting meningococcal disease including the MenACWY teenage vaccination programme.

There is no current Meningitis B (MenB) vaccination programme for teenagers and young adults.

The importance of raising awareness in parents, teenagers and other adults about the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia remains key. There are a range of resources developed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), co-branded with the National Health Service, that set out these key messages and their importance, such as the teenage guide to immunisation. The guide is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immunisations-for-young-people

The UKHSA collaboratively produces a university vaccine communications toolkit. This is shared with the distribution lists of Universities UK and the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education (AMOSSHE), and is available at the following link:

https://find-public-health-resources.service.gov.uk/University%20vaccine%20communications%20toolkit/UNI24

In addition, United Kingdom guidance on the public health management of meningococcal disease provides clear advice on the management of confirmed and probable cases of invasive meningococcal disease, including MenB, to minimise onward transmission and further associated cases. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/meningococcal-disease-guidance-on-public-health-management

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients with suspected endometriosis can access clinicians with specialist expertise through the NHS online hospital.

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

NHS Online will be a new, optional online service allowing patients to digitally connect with clinicians across England. In January 2026, we announced the initial specialities and conditions that NHS Online will focus on. Menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis will be one of the first conditions available for referral to NHS Online when it launches in 2027. This pathway being developed for NHS Online incorporates a process for investigation, management, and onward referral to specialist services within a timely manner if clinically indicated.

This means that when a patient goes to see their general practitioner, they will have the option of being referred, through their legal right to choice, to NHS Online for their care. Should a consultation be required, they will see the next available specialist, who may be anywhere in the country. Following an NHS Online assessment, if a patient requires or chooses a face-to-face consultation they will be referred to a local provider.

Patient safety will not be compromised. Clinical oversight will be robust, keeping patient safety at the heart of the process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment NHS England has made of the potential impact of withdrawing dedicated parking provision for dialysis patients on patient safety and treatment adherence.

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

Decisions on the provision of car parking are made locally by National Health Service organisations and should be consistent with the national guidance. This includes the provision of parking adjustments for patient groups receiving frequent treatments, including those undergoing dialysis. Further information on the guidance is available at the following link:

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

This guidance requires the provision of free hospital parking to groups classified as most ‘in-need’. This includes disabled people, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, and NHS staff working overnight. These groups will include dialysis patients where applicable.

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 racial inequalities in maternity care.

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

The Government recognises that there are stark inequalities for women and babies, and that they should receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background, location, or ethnicity.

In England, maternal mortality rates are higher among women from Black and Asian ethnic groups. The risk of maternal death from Black ethnic backgrounds increased between 2022 and 2024 to nearly three times higher compared to white women, while Asian women had a slightly increased risk compared to white women.

The Government is committed to setting an explicit target to close the maternal mortality gap. We are ensuring that we take an evidence-based approach to determining what targets are set, and that any targets set are women and baby-centred.

Actions that have been taken to reduce inequalities includes the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme, Equity and Equality action plans in the most deprived areas, and inequalities dashboard to identify areas where specific populations face the greatest disparities.

To further target disparities in maternal care, Baroness Amos is chairing the National Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation. The investigation aims to identify the drivers and impact of inequalities faced by women, babies, and families from Black and Asian backgrounds, those from deprived groups, and those from other marginalised groups when receiving maternity and neonatal care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of transport accessibility on attendance at antenatal appointments and the take-up of routine vaccinations for babies; and what steps he is taking to reduce access barriers for families in underserved areas.

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

The Government recognises that there are transport accessibility issues for families in underserved areas. That is why we are delivering on the vision for neighbourhood health set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to bring care closer to babies, children, and young people.

NHS England is already taking steps to improve access barriers for families in underserved areas. This includes:

- hyperlocal projects in areas of high deprivation and low uptake to improve access to routine childhood vaccinations for underserved communities, offering walk-in appointments and extended evening and weekend hours;

- Equity and Equality Guidance which asks local services to establish community hubs in the areas with the greatest maternal and perinatal health needs, including areas where transport infrastructure impacts uptake of services; and

- rolling out the enhanced Midwifery Continuity of Carer model to provide targeted support for women most likely to experience poor outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people over 75 self referred for bowel cancer screening in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

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

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme plays a vital role in the Government's ambition to change the National Health Service so that it diagnoses earlier and treats faster.

Although people aged 75 years old and over are not routinely invited, they can self-refer and ask for a bowel cancer screening kit every two years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline.

In 2023, 132,425 people aged 75 years old and over requested a test kit. Of these, 99% completed the screening test.

In 2024, 99,516 people aged 75 years old and over requested a test kit, with 98% completing the screening test.

Found: reflected in the National Partnership Agreement on Health and Social Care in England between MoJ, DHSC

Found: and its predecessors have examined the issue of clinical negligence many times, the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: As an example, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) often receives questions on GP practice

Found: Department 2024 WPQs Ranking 2025 WPQs Ranking Increase (y-o-y) DHSC 7,155 1 14,088 1 97% MHCLG 3,587

Found: Parliamentary Questions (WPQs) and ministerial correspondence, particularly from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The issue about which the HFEA has made recommendations to DHSC is that direct-to-consumer genetic testing

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: research into the long-term effects of egg retrieval on women’s health, and neither the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: 2002, http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0%2C6903%2C636020%2C00.html 7 UK Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The DHSC, the fertility sector regulator the HFEA, and fertility clinics do not track egg donors in

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: Neither the DHSC (Department for Health and Social Care), HFEA (the UK’s fertility regulator) nor fertility

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: child will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: accelerate homelessness among Black households. 8.4 The Committee may wish to ask the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: Owner and timeline: HFEA and DHSC; establish by 2027.

Found: These include DEFRA, DBT, DHSC and DESNZ.

Found: Committee should invite the Financial Conduct Authority; the Association of British Insurers; and DHSC

Found: We wrote a letter last August to DSIT, the Department of Health and Social Care and the DVLA—I cannot

Found: The Home Office acknowledged that further work is required with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: have done some exemptions for temporary appointments for restructuring within the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: DHSC High Level Risk Register: The departmental risk register is regularly scrutinised in senior governance

Found: It does feel and look a bit different to, for example, the electives waiting list in DHSC, because by

Found: It does feel and look a bit different to, for example, the electives waiting list in DHSC, because

Found: evidence alongside Baroness Finlay and Professor Murtagh, and before such a distinguished panel of DHSC

Found: Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts Samantha Jones OBE Permanent Secretary Department of Health and Social Care

Found: the Home Office (HO), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Department of Health and Social Care

Found: with digital technology suppliers HC 640 26th Tackling Violence against Women and Girls HC 644 25th DHSC

Found: cqc.org.uk) Professor Meghana Pandit, Interim Medical Director, Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: They will need hospitals and health services, and so the Department of Health and Social Care has a

Found: We are very concerned that DHSC, with the HFEA, has twice sanctioned increasing ‘compensation’ payments

Found: the work goes on, and the reforms are happening; NHS England is combining with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: work goes on , and the reforms are happening ; NHS England is combining with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: action-on-sponsors-but-insufficient-protection-for-migrants-and-the-care-sector/> accessed 1 December 2025. 4 Department of Health and Social Care

Found: In social care the TUC and affiliates have long called for the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: is waived for those employing General Practitioners in the NHS or NHS England (shortly to become DHSC

Found: charge is waived for those employing General Practitioners in the NHS or NHS England (shortly to become DHSC

Found: is waived for those employing General Practitioners in the NHS or NHS England (shortly to become DHSC

Found: workplace-justice-visa-and-other-proposals-from-a-six-country-comparison/ 16 Home Office, Department of Health and Social Care

Found: It was pushed by the Department of Health and Social Care, forced on the Home Office and very badly

Found: process from FCDO, where we spoke to DSIT, DEFRA, DESNZ, the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: across a whole host of Departments—the MoD, the Home Office, MHCLG, the Department for Education, DHSC—all

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January, what steps they will take to secure the linkage of police-recorded collision data and healthcare data between the Department for Transport, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care; and what the timescale is for that work.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The DfT, together with NHS England, and DHSC are piloting the secure linkage of police collision and healthcare data to better understand the causes and impacts of road traffic incidents. Using the Pre-hospital Research and Audit Network (PRANA) framework, this initiative will enhance analysis of injury severity, collision outcomes, and NHS burden. This work started in 2025 and the department has published an initial feasibility study which can be found on the government website with further updates expected over the next year.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to designate the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station site as a nuclear research site for developing and producing radioisotopes for medical purposes.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) through Nuclear Restoration Services, are decommissioning the legacy facility and own the land at Trawsfynydd. The NDA engages parties to explore maximising national and local value with the land that it owns.

The responsibility for the supply of medical radioisotopes sites with the Department of Health and Social Care. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero provides support to other government department’s exploring nuclear medicine projects.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether Young Futures Hubs will be co-located with, or work with, Family Hubs.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is delivering a network of 50 Young Futures Hubs by March 2029. This is a cross-government priority, coordinated with the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care.

While local authorities will decide on precise locations based on community needs, we expect co-location to be a key consideration where it improves accessibility and strengthens local support for young people.

Eight early adopters have been announced. The early adopter phase will look at how Young Futures Hubs interact with existing services, including Family Hubs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a list of organisations represented at his Department's conference on food poverty on 14 and 15 January 2026.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The DWP Food Poverty Conference took place at the Abbey Centre on 15 January 2026.

Our aim was to bring together a range of local authorities, other government departments, charities and academics to share and discuss a range of good practice happening on the ground to respond to increasing need in relation to food poverty.

We received a high level of interest in the conference. Due to venue capacity, places were offered on a first come first served basis.

We saw over 30 local authorities represented from different regions across England. Examples include the Greater London Authority, Medway Council, Bristol City Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, North Yorkshire Council, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk and East Lindsey District Council. Local government sat alongside over a dozen national third sector organisations – such as Trussell, Feeding Britain, Sustain and Community Shop – as well as officials from across five government departments, including DWP, DfE, Defra, DHSC and MHCLG.

We’ve been encouraged by the positive feedback on the conference and the strong engagement shown across sectors. As a result, we are exploring the possibility of hosting a second conference online later in the year to enable more organisations to participate. We will provide further details as plans materialise.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on special measures for local authorities not meeting statutory requirements for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department publishes annual SEN2 data on education, health and care (EHC) plans and assessments, including timeliness. This informs performance monitoring and targeted support. Where a council does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement, including through issuing improvement notices or statutory directions to drive urgent improvements.

The department works with NHS England, to support and intervene in areas of poor performance following inspection.

Recent changes to the Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) framework conducted by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, in consultation with the department and the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, include specifying which member of the partnership should take forward areas for improvement or areas for priority action. This would include areas for improvement and priority action being directed specifically to health where appropriate.

We will work together with all stakeholders to understand the impact of any SEND reforms on Area SEND inspections and changes needed as a result of these reforms.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that young disabled people can enter and stay in work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way.

Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain.

DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.

Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust.

Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined.

In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support disabled people who face the greatest barriers to work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way.

Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain.

DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.

Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust.

Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined.

In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.

Found: Innovation and Technology Department for Transport Department for Work and Pensions Department of Health and Social Care

Found: with colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: At the time of writing, it had received over 3,770 signatures. 77 DHSC, Medical Training (Prioritisation

Found: million) and write-offs of COVID-19 related equipment in the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC

Found: Department of Health and Social Care 2024-25

Found: Department of Health and Social Care 2024-25

Found: - Digital Economy And Data Policy

Found: Dsit - Government Office For Science

Found: Services Dsit - Digital And Technology Group - Dsit - Digital Economy And Data Policy Department Of Health And Social Care

Found: Staff Dsit - Science, Innovation And Growth - Dsit - Government Office For Science Department Of Health And Social Care

Found: Combined update: - Devolved Administrations - Local Government - DHSC - NAO FRAB 157 (14) 18

Found: Those outstanding are three Ministerial Departments (Defra, DHSC and NIO), three non-Ministerial Departments

Found: Combined Updates: Devolved Administrations Local Government DHSC NAO FRAB 156 (14)

Found: on the board: Charlotte Goodrich (HM Treasury), Kim Jenkins (Welsh Government), Vanessa Singleton (DHSC

Found: Talk Boost9) as well as programmes such as Family Hubs (jointly overseen by DfE and Department of Health and Social Care

Found: low, with many reporting inconsistent provision 3 Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care

Found: proposals for supporting people with disabilities and health conditions back into employment (DWP & DHSC

Found: they did not receive as much autonomy as expected: o Public Health Grant still in Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens' (ACDP) (an expert committee of the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Projects include: Partnering with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to deliver the new

Found: Department of Health and Social Care: 12.1. NHS Business Services Authority; 12.2.

Found: In line with HMG’s mission approach, The Ten Year Health Plan outlines that DESNZ will work with DHSC

Found: In line with HMG’s mission approach, The Ten Year Health Plan outlines that DESNZ will work with DHSC

Found: In line with HMG’s mission approach, The Ten Year Health Plan outlines that DESNZ will work with 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 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: Agency TF Transport Focus EWR East West Railway VCA Vehicle Certification Agency HS2 High Speed 2 DHSC

Found: Education) and Treatment Reviews (IC(E)TRs) programme: CQC was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: clips from influencers and fact sheets, and targets those aged 16 to 24 and social media users (DHSC

Found: a campaign to alert young people to the dangers associated with some drugs, including ketamine (DHSC

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

Found: in the royal colleges and specialist associations life science and research teams Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Concordat The Crisis Care Concordat website has now been decommissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Reviews Others Arthritis Action Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Reviews Others Arthritis Action Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) Department of Health and Social Care

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

Found: active relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis after disease-modifying therapy The Department of Health and Social Care

Found: adults (2012; updated 2019) NICE quality standard 17 Related National Policy Department of Health and Social Care

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

Found: Related National Policy The NHS Long Term Plan (2019) NHS Long Term Plan Department of Health and Social Care

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

Found: adults (2012; updated 2019) NICE quality standard 17 Related National Policy Department of Health and Social Care

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

Found: Pharmacy Association UK Multiple Sclerosis Specialist Nurse Association Others Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Pharmacy Association • UK Multiple Sclerosis Specialist Nurse Association Others • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: confirmed Related National Policy The NHS Long Term Plan (2019) NHS Long Term Plan Department of Health and Social Care

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

Found: Report developed by the Organ Utilisation Group (OUG), which was established by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: developed by the Organ Utilisation Group (OUG), 3 which was established by the Department of Health and Social Care

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

Found: intended timeline for progressing legislative work in this space following the consultation response that DHSC

Found: The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens' (ACDP) (an expert committee of the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: and October 2021 with care home staff and domiciliary care providers in England (Department of Health and Social Care