Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 18-week waiting time target can be met.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to returning, by March 2029, to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.
In November 2025, performance against the standard was at 61.8%, 2.6% higher than a year earlier. Since the Government came into office, the waiting list for routine appointments, operations, and procedures in England has now been cut by 312,369 despite 30.1 million referrals being added onto the waiting list.
As set out in the Elective Reform Plan, we’ve set ambitious targets, and are investing in modernisation, and reforming and simplifying pathways, increasing surgical and diagnostic capacity, and empowering patients with faster and more convenient access to care. We’ve made good progress, through there remains lots more to do.
We will empower patients by giving them more choice and control, reform delivery by working more consistently, and in many cases differently, to deliver more elective care, ensure care takes place in the right place, and implement robust and regular oversight of performance with clear expectations.
In September last year, we announced a new “online hospital”, through NHS Online, which will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years, four times more than an average trust, while enhancing patient choice and control over their care. The first patients will be able to use the service from 2027.
We are investing £6 billion of additional capital over five years for diagnostic, elective, urgent, and emergency capacity in the NHS. This includes £1.65 billion of capital funding in 2025/26 to support both immediate winter capacity and infrastructure transformation, for instance new surgical hubs, community diagnostic centres, and beds to increase capacity for elective and emergency care.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 waiting times at York Hospital on patients in January (a) 2025 and (b) 2026.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that patients have been let down for too long, with their health deteriorating, while they wait for the care they need.
Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are putting patients first by ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care across the country, including at York Hospital.
As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, with an interim target of 65% by March 2026.
The Department does not hold waiting list data for January 2026 and at a hospital level. The latest waiting list data for the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, as of November 2025, shows that 55.7% of waits are below 18 weeks, a 0.2 percentage point improvement from the previous year.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 ICB centralisation on health and care service transformation.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the focus of integrated care boards will be the strategic commissioning of health and care services working across larger footprints to drive improvements in services and improve population health. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/strategic-commissioning-framework/
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2025 to question 91186, what steps he will take to engage with BSL signers to assess the suitability of products which use Artificial Intelligence approaches to British Sign Language.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is aware of a number of emerging products that use artificial intelligence (AI) to support translation into British Sign Language (BSL). While the Department and its arm’s‑length bodies are not currently developing or deploying such tools, any AI‑enabled BSL product proposed for use in the National Health Service would be subject to the medical device regulatory framework and will be assessed to determine whether it falls with the scope of regulations. These regulations are underpinned by rigorous standards established by bodies including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, and the Care Quality Commission. These agencies ensure that AI technologies are safe, effective, and cost-effective within healthcare settings.
For any BSL products that use AI, meaningful engagement with BSL signers and Deaf communities is critical. This includes ensuring that proposed products provide a high quality service, meet communication needs identified through the Accessible Information Standard, and reflect the lived experience of BSL users. NHS England continues to work with stakeholders, including BSL users, providers, and representative groups, to improve accessibility and to understand where emerging technologies may safely and effectively support communication.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
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 peer reviewed medical journals publishing articles that propose alternative terminology for practices that are criminal offences in the United Kingdom on patient safeguarding and public confidence.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the United Kingdom, regulated healthcare professionals are required by law to maintain standards in competence, ethics, patient safety, and accountability. Independent professional regulators, such as the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, safeguard public health by establishing and enforcing standards. They maintain registers and ensure accountability. Although they operate independently from the Government, they function within statutory frameworks and are accountable to Parliament.
Funders of research, including UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), builds assessment of skills into the research funding process. During the grant application process, proposals undergo expert peer review where all relevant skills, including statistical skills are assessed. In addition, UKRI and NIHR are signatories to the Concordat to Support Research Integrity.
The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of peer reviewed medical journals publishing articles that propose alternative terminology for practices that are criminal offences in the United Kingdom on patient safeguarding and public confidence.
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, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of NHS spending on pharmaceutical products on NHS service provision in the context of the UK-US trade deal.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
By increasing the standard National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) cost-effectiveness threshold, we are increasing the value that we place on innovations that deliver improvements to patient health. Alongside the changes that we announced in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, this will increase both the speed and breadth of patient access to innovative medicines and encourage growth in United Kingdom-based clinical trials.
Costs will start smaller but will increase over time as the NICE approves more life improving and lifesaving medicines. Total costs over the Spending Review period are expected to be approximately £1 billion. But the final costs will depend on which medicines NICE decides to approve and the actual uptake of these.
This deal is a vital investment that builds on the strength of our National Health Service and world leading life sciences sector to increase access to life-changing medicines without taking essential funding from our frontline NHS services. We will always prioritise the needs of NHS patients and at the Spending Review we delivered a record real terms increase for day-to-day spending for the NHS in England up to April 2029.
This deal will be funded by allocations made at the Spending Review, where front line services will remain protected through the record funding secured. Future year funding will be settled at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department is undertaking into the treatment of Polycystic Kidney Disease.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including polycystic kidney disease.
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. Welcoming applications on polycystic kidney disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
Details of NIHR funding allocated to individual research awards are openly published and updated quarterly on the ‘Open Data’ site of the NIHR website, at the following link:
https://nihr.opendatasoft.com/explore/
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 children awaiting (a) ADHD or (b) Autism assessment receive interim support during extended waiting periods in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays in accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and recognises the need for early intervention and support.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including provision of autism and ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
The NICE guidance for the assessment of autism recommends the length between referral and first appointment should be no more than 13 weeks. We know that this is not happening routinely across the country. In respect of ADHD, the NICE guideline on ADHD does not recommend a maximum waiting time for people to receive an assessment for ADHD or a diagnosis, however it sets out best practice on providing a diagnosis.
The Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has identified that children and young people who are on their waiting lists for ADHD or autism, or a dual diagnosis, and their families have access to a wide range of support and resources. These are provided by the foundation trust’s neurodevelopmental experts and partners, including the National Autistic Society and Barnardo’s.
The foundation trust’s neurodevelopmental needs page on the Mindworks website has helpful strategies and interventions to support neurodevelopmental needs, and the out-of-hours advice line provides advice to parents and carers who are struggling with behaviours or difficulties in young people, which could be related to neurodevelopmental need. It is open from 5:00pm to 11:00pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Further information on the trust’s neurodevelopmental needs page and the out-of-hours advice line is avaiable, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.mindworks-surrey.org/advice-information-and-resources/neurodevelopmental-needs
https://www.mindworks-surrey.org/our-services/neurodevelopmental-services/out-hours-advice-line
In 2026, the Government will bring forward a schools white paper, which will detail the Government’s approach to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform, ensuring joined-up support, including education and healthcare providers working together.
Through local commissioning, the Government will ensure that Neighbourhood Health Services work in partnership with family hubs, schools, nurseries, and colleges to offer timely and joined-up support to children, young people, and their families, including those with SEND.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government which use cases or purposes are currently active in the national instances of the NHS England Federated Data Platform; and what is the number of users currently able to access each purpose, as defined by Palantir on 4 December 2020, Purpose-based Access Controls at Palantir.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Federated Data Platform, including the national instance, provides trusts and integrated care boards with a set of core capabilities and nationally commissioned locally developed products to support five key National Health Service priorities:
- Population Health and Person Insight;
- Care Coordination;
- Supply Chain;
- Vaccination and Immunisation; and
- Elective Recovery.
There are currently 28,732 active accounts on the Federated Data Platform's National tenant, and access to data is managed by dataset and product-specific access controls. This figure does not include the number of accounts across local tenants.
The information on the number of users currently able to access each purpose is not routinely collected, as user stats are aligned to products.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the anticipated cost of weight loss drugs to the NHS in each of the next five years.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government does not hold an estimate for the anticipated cost of weight loss drugs to the National Health Service for this year or the next five years. Whilst there is data on total medicines budgets forecast up to 2028, in line with the Spending Review period, these budgets are not forecast down to the individual medicine level.
The Government does hold data on NHS spend on medicines used to treat obesity, including the newest medicines, GLP-1s. GLP-1s can be used to treat obesity or type 2 diabetes and it is not possible to separate data by usage. The data we hold is commercially confidential.