Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of capacity pressures in secondary care, particularly at hospital front doors, including staffing levels and bed availability.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months. The NHS has been preparing for winter this year with the development and thorough testing of winter plans. This includes the surge capacity and escalation plans in place across all NHS and urgent care services.
While pressure has remained high on acute hospitals, performance has been better than in previous years. Accident and emergency four-hour performance was 73.8% in December 2025, an improvement of 2.7% from 71.1%. Provisional data for December 2025 indicates that there were 101,200 General and Acute beds open for all acute trusts, 93,177 of which were occupied, a 92.1% occupancy rate.
There were 431,000 more accident and emergency attendances in year-to-date to December in 2025/26 compared to the same period in 2024/25, a growth rate of 2.1%. This is lower than the average annual growth rate of 3.9% seen between 2021/22 and 2024/25 but still represents an increase in pressure on accident and emergency departments. Growth in attendances at consultant-led type 1 accident and emergency departments was 1.8% in the year to date to December in 2025/26, greater than the average annual growth rate of 1.3% between 2021/22 and 2024/25.
The 10-Year Health Plan aims to expand urgent care capacity through Neighbourhood Health Services and virtual wards, enabling patients to receive care closer to home where clinically appropriate and easing pressure on hospitals.
The responsibility for staffing levels should remain with clinical and other leaders at a local level, responding to local needs, supported by guidelines by national and professional bodies, and overseen and regulated in England by the Care Quality Commission.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will outline the criteria used to decide which conditions should receive a modern service framework; and whether respiratory health meets these criteria.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes on 27 October 2025 to Question 82544.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's register of board members' interests, 2025 to 2026, published on 5 September 2025, what business A.M.Strategy undertakes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Rt. Hon. Alan Milburn has declared A.M. Strategy Ltd in the Department’s register of interests. This is the business through which he has provided advisory services for several years.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of people who were treated following female genital mutilation in the (a) 2022–23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are a range of services available to support women affected by female genital mutilation (FGM) including treatment, counselling, and further referrals to urology and gynaecology, depending on clinical need.
Data published in the FGM Enhanced Dataset records the number of FGM-related attendances in National Health Service settings. This data is published by NHS England and shows health attendances by patients where FGM was identified or a procedure for FGM was undertaken. The FGM data is collected by NHS healthcare providers in England, including acute hospitals, mental health services, and general practices. The following table shows the number of individual women and girls who had an attendance where FGM was identified, and the number of FGM related attendances for 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25:
Period | Number of individual women and girls who had an attendance where FGM was identified | Number of FGM related attendances |
April 2022 to March 2023 | 6,000 | 12,660 |
April 2023 to March 2024 | 6,695 | 14,395 |
April 2024 to March 2025 | 6,980 | 16,300 |
Source: Female Genital Mutilation, Annual Report - April 2024 to March 2025, published by NHS England, and available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/female-genital-mutilation/april-2024-to-march-2025
Notes:
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
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 an increasing number of hospitals and healthcare settings are equipped to diagnose endometriosis swiftly.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis.
Patients waiting for an endometriosis diagnosis may receive diagnostic tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, though the only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis is by a laparoscopic procedure. The laparoscopy is also used to treat endometriosis.
We are taking steps to support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including for MRI and ultrasound. This includes expanding existing community diagnostic centres (CDCs) which, as of January 2026, are now operating at 170 sites across the country. 103 CDCs now offer out of hours service, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, delivering more same-day tests and consultations. We are taking action to ensure that individuals with endometriosis not only receive a timely diagnosis but also receive timely and effective treatment.
NHS surgical hubs, funded by the Targeted Investment Fund, are specifically designed to deliver high-volume, low-complexity elective surgeries, including gynaecological procedures. These explicitly include operative laparoscopies, endometrial ablation, hysteroscopies, and laparoscopic hysterectomies. As of November 2025, over half of the 123 operational elective surgical hubs in England provide gynaecology services, and laparoscopies are a key part of this offering.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with abortion practitioners to discuss what steps they are taking to prevent abortions taking place on the basis of sex.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department’s guidance, which was issued on 23 May 2014, states clearly that abortion on the grounds of sex alone is illegal. Sex is not itself a lawful ground for termination of pregnancy in England and Wales under the Abortion Act.
Whilst we have not had any recent discussions with abortion practitioners, we continue to work with abortion providers, NHS England, and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure abortions are only performed in accordance with the legal grounds set out by the Abortion Act.
All independent sector clinics must be registered with and inspected by the CQC. The CQC assists my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in his functions by inspecting against all of the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) when it inspects an independent sector provider. The CQC has a wide set of powers that allow them to protect the public and hold registered providers and managers to account.
We are aware that such cases can be complex. Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and all abortion providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, in compliance with RSOPs.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the commitment to end the discharge of newborn babies into bed and breakfast accommodation or other unsuitable shared housing applies to all families, including those seeking asylum and those subject to No Recourse to Public Funds.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has committed to ending the practice of discharging newborn babies into bed and breakfast or other unsuitable shared accommodation through the Child Poverty Strategy. We are working closely across Government, including with Home Office, to consider its implementation and any other associated impacts.
Asylum seeking families can access some of the support set out in the Child Poverty Strategy, including Best Start Family Hubs in England.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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:
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:
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
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.