Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people with Primary Progressive Aphasia can access speech and language therapy through Specialised Cognitive Neurology Services in all specialised neurology centres.

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

Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

The Government is committed to improving care for everyone with dementia, including those with Primary Progressive Aphasia, which is why we have funded the work of the Dementia 100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.

A number of experts, including those with expertise in speech and language therapy and dementia care, provided independent, desktop analysis of the tool and this invaluable feedback was integrated into the tool. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool is available on the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ 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 12 March (HL13897), what are the health disparities of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma ethnic groups in the areas in that Answer, in particular (1) maternal mortality outcomes, (2) mental health provision, (3) cancer outcomes, and (4) cardiovascular disease; and what action they are taking to reduce those disparities.

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

It is a priority for the Government to increase the amount of time people spend in good health and prevent premature deaths. Our 10-Year Health Plan for England sets out a reimagined service designed to tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, including our ambitious commitment to halve the healthy life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest regions.

NHS England has launched a Maternity and Neonatal Equalities dashboard that brings together key information to address health inequalities in maternity and neonatal care services from a range of data sources, with breakdowns by ethnicity and deprivation to make health inequalities visible, measurable, and actionable in maternity and neonatal services.

NHS England is implementing a new anti-discrimination programme, which aims to ensure all service users and their families will receive care free from discrimination and racism, and all staff will experience a work environment free from discrimination and racism. All trusts are expected to have completed the programme by 2027.

We have legislated to modernise the Mental Health Act to strengthen choice, autonomy and rights, and ensure people are treated with dignity and respect. The Government is also committed to delivering the cross-sector Suicide Prevention Strategy for England (2023 to 2028), including its ambition to improve evidence and better understand national trends and suicide rates in particular groups, including people who are Gypsy, Roma or Travellers.

The Government and NHS England have announced a three-year Neighbourhood Early Diagnosis Fund as part of £200 million investment for Cancer Alliances to tackle inequalities in screening and early diagnosis in deprived and underserved areas. Core20PLUS5 also includes early cancer diagnosis as a priority area for accelerated improvement.

The Department recognises inequalities exist across the cardiovascular disease (CVD) pathway. The Department and NHS England are working together to develop a CVD Modern Service Framework which will support, evidence-led consistent, high quality and equitable care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people with primary progressive aphasia can access speech and language therapy through specialised cognitive neurology services in all specialised neurology centres.

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

The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

The Government is committed to improving care for everyone with dementia, including those with Primary Progressive Aphasia, which is why we have funded the work of the Dementia 100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.

A number of experts, including those with expertise in speech and language therapy and dementia care, provided independent, desktop analysis of the tool and this invaluable feedback was integrated into the tool. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool can be found on the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ website.

This short inquiry will consider pet parasite medication (PPM), with a focus on treatments containing pesticides of concern such as fipronil and imidacloprid. The inquiry will seek to understand distribution pathways, and the impact of PPM use and non-use on biodiversity and human health. It will also cover current regulation, monitoring, and the potential implications for pets and pet owners of alternative medications or application practices.