Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 15 July (HL1814), which specific findings or recommendations in the final report of the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation they consider relevant to determining whether coroners should be permitted to investigate stillbirths, other than the recommendation that the Government publish its response to the consultation conducted in 2019; and when that response will be published.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the concerns raised about how perinatal mortality reviews are carried out. The Perinatal Mortality Review Tool provides a framework which needs to also be supported by effective implementation to deliver the objectives of these reviews.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is chairing the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to develop a national action plan to reform maternity and neonatal services. As Baroness Amos’ report makes clear, there is a pressing need to improve the quality, transparency, oversight, and accountability of investigations and we are working with the taskforce to review this.
With regard to coronial investigation of stillbirth, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 15 July in response to Question HL1814, which, for ease of reference, has been reproduced below:
“All bereaved parents have the option to be involved in a high-quality review of the death of their baby, from 22 weeks' gestation up to 28 days post birth, through a perinatal mortality review. While this is carried out by the hospital or hospitals where the mother and baby were looked after, a national tool is in place, namely the national Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, to ensure such reviews are objective, robust, and standardised.
“There are a range of views on how stillbirths should be investigated, and it is important that the Government’s conclusions on coronial investigations of stillbirths reflect the recommendations Baroness Amos has made through the final report of her independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, and supports the most effective model for maternity investigations.
“As recommended in Baroness Amos’ report, we will publish the Government’s response to the 2019 consultation, jointly with the Ministry of Justice, in due course.”
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 15 July (HL1814), what safeguards exist to prevent uncertainty or error in the assessment of gestational age, or in the retrospective classification of a stillbirth as antepartum or intrapartum, from determining whether bereaved parents have access to an independent investigation.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the concerns raised about how perinatal mortality reviews are carried out. The Perinatal Mortality Review Tool provides a framework which needs to also be supported by effective implementation to deliver the objectives of these reviews.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is chairing the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to develop a national action plan to reform maternity and neonatal services. As Baroness Amos’ report makes clear, there is a pressing need to improve the quality, transparency, oversight, and accountability of investigations and we are working with the taskforce to review this.
With regard to coronial investigation of stillbirth, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 15 July in response to Question HL1814, which, for ease of reference, has been reproduced below:
“All bereaved parents have the option to be involved in a high-quality review of the death of their baby, from 22 weeks' gestation up to 28 days post birth, through a perinatal mortality review. While this is carried out by the hospital or hospitals where the mother and baby were looked after, a national tool is in place, namely the national Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, to ensure such reviews are objective, robust, and standardised.
“There are a range of views on how stillbirths should be investigated, and it is important that the Government’s conclusions on coronial investigations of stillbirths reflect the recommendations Baroness Amos has made through the final report of her independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, and supports the most effective model for maternity investigations.
“As recommended in Baroness Amos’ report, we will publish the Government’s response to the 2019 consultation, jointly with the Ministry of Justice, in due course.”
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 15 July (HL1814), what evidence they relied on when describing reviews conducted using the Perinatal Mortality Review Tool as “high-quality”, “objective” and “robust”; and how that description is reconciled with the finding of the December 2023 Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK state of the nation report that, of 66 local PMRT reviews considered, only three were assessed as being of “good” quality.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the concerns raised about how perinatal mortality reviews are carried out. The Perinatal Mortality Review Tool provides a framework which needs to also be supported by effective implementation to deliver the objectives of these reviews.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is chairing the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to develop a national action plan to reform maternity and neonatal services. As Baroness Amos’ report makes clear, there is a pressing need to improve the quality, transparency, oversight, and accountability of investigations and we are working with the taskforce to review this.
With regard to coronial investigation of stillbirth, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 15 July in response to Question HL1814, which, for ease of reference, has been reproduced below:
“All bereaved parents have the option to be involved in a high-quality review of the death of their baby, from 22 weeks' gestation up to 28 days post birth, through a perinatal mortality review. While this is carried out by the hospital or hospitals where the mother and baby were looked after, a national tool is in place, namely the national Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, to ensure such reviews are objective, robust, and standardised.
“There are a range of views on how stillbirths should be investigated, and it is important that the Government’s conclusions on coronial investigations of stillbirths reflect the recommendations Baroness Amos has made through the final report of her independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, and supports the most effective model for maternity investigations.
“As recommended in Baroness Amos’ report, we will publish the Government’s response to the 2019 consultation, jointly with the Ministry of Justice, in due course.”
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 15 July (HL1814), whether they consider a review conducted by the hospital or hospitals responsible for the care under review to constitute an independent investigation; and, if not, what independent investigatory route is available following an antepartum stillbirth where the parents do not dispute that the baby was stillborn.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the concerns raised about how perinatal mortality reviews are carried out. The Perinatal Mortality Review Tool provides a framework which needs to also be supported by effective implementation to deliver the objectives of these reviews.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is chairing the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to develop a national action plan to reform maternity and neonatal services. As Baroness Amos’ report makes clear, there is a pressing need to improve the quality, transparency, oversight, and accountability of investigations and we are working with the taskforce to review this.
With regard to coronial investigation of stillbirth, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 15 July in response to Question HL1814, which, for ease of reference, has been reproduced below:
“All bereaved parents have the option to be involved in a high-quality review of the death of their baby, from 22 weeks' gestation up to 28 days post birth, through a perinatal mortality review. While this is carried out by the hospital or hospitals where the mother and baby were looked after, a national tool is in place, namely the national Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, to ensure such reviews are objective, robust, and standardised.
“There are a range of views on how stillbirths should be investigated, and it is important that the Government’s conclusions on coronial investigations of stillbirths reflect the recommendations Baroness Amos has made through the final report of her independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, and supports the most effective model for maternity investigations.
“As recommended in Baroness Amos’ report, we will publish the Government’s response to the 2019 consultation, jointly with the Ministry of Justice, in due course.”
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the forthcoming Cancer Manuals will address inequalities in care for patients with low-grade glioma.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England are reviewing the process for developing cancer manuals, including the criteria to use in relation to rare tumour types where survival improvements have been the slowest, as well as accountability mechanisms and consultation processes. We will provide further updates in the usual way in due course.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of speech and language therapy in the (1) diagnosis, and (2) treatment, of rare dementias.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England does not have specific guidance on the use of speech and language therapy for individual dementia subtypes. Similarly, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on dementia does not make any recommendations regarding the provision of speech and language therapy for people based on dementia subtype. Referral to appropriate specialist services including speech and language therapy should be undertaken according to individual clinical presentation and need, clinical judgement, and in line with local pathways.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made regarding talks taking place between AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, NHS England and NICE about the HER2-low metastatic breast cancer treatment Enhertu.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I am pleased to confirm that, on 17 September, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announced that it is recommending Enhertu for use on the National Health Service for the treatment of certain types of breast cancer.
This is the result of an improved pricing arrangement from the companies, together with the impact of (a) recent changes to NICE's cost-effectiveness thresholds, arising from the UK-US Pharmaceutical Partnership announced on 2 April, and (b) new methods adopted by NICE for assessing quality of life, published on 27 August. Taken together, these changes mean the treatment can now be recommended for routine NHS use.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, what action they are taking to ensure Enhertu, for HER2-low metastatic breast cancer, is being made available to those who need it.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I am pleased to confirm that, on 17 September, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announced that it is recommending Enhertu for use on the National Health Service for the treatment of certain types of breast cancer.
This is the result of an improved pricing arrangement from the companies, together with the impact of (a) recent changes to NICE's cost-effectiveness thresholds, arising from the UK-US Pharmaceutical Partnership announced on 2 April, and (b) new methods adopted by NICE for assessing quality of life, published on 27 August. Taken together, these changes mean the treatment can now be recommended for routine NHS use.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how NHS England's Ambient Voice Technology Supplier Registry is being used in practice by NHS organisations; and whether they plan to take any steps to ensure that AI-enabled scribing tools not included on the Registry, including those provided by incumbent electronic health record suppliers, are not deployed in place of Registry-assessed tools without meeting equivalent governance and clinical safety standards.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England's Ambient Voice Technology (AVT) Supplier Registry is designed to support National Health Service organisations in local procurement and assurance activities. It provides information on suppliers' capabilities and supporting evidence against NHS and regulatory requirements, including clinical safety, information governance, technology, and interoperability standards. The registry supports local assurance processes by providing reusable evidence and helping to reduce duplication in implementation and assurance activities.
Procurement and deployment decisions remain the responsibility of individual NHS organisations, in line with their local governance and assurance processes. Whether or not a product appears on the registry, organisations must ensure compliance with relevant legal, regulatory, and NHS requirements, including clinical safety standards, data protection legislation, cyber security requirements, and, where applicable, medical device regulations.
NHS England has established national interoperability and data standards to support the secure exchange of clinical information across settings, and is supporting both AVT and Electronic Health Record suppliers to develop these capabilities. As part of a test-and-learn approach to the adoption of AVT, NHS England is establishing a national AVT Centre of Excellence to support the sharing of learning, evidence, and implementation experience.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is continuing its programme of regulatory reform in relation to medical devices to protect patient safety while supporting innovation. The Post Market Surveillance regulations came into force on 16 June 2025, strengthening requirements for monitoring devices once they are placed on the market in Great Britain. Further pre-market reforms are expected in 2026.
Finally, in September 2025, the MHRA also launched the independent National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare, and the Government will consider its recommendations following publication of the report.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce duplication in local clinical safety and implementation assurance processes for AI-enabled clinical tools that have already been assessed through a national evaluation route, such as the NHS England Ambient Voice Technology Supplier Registry.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England's Ambient Voice Technology (AVT) Supplier Registry is designed to support National Health Service organisations in local procurement and assurance activities. It provides information on suppliers' capabilities and supporting evidence against NHS and regulatory requirements, including clinical safety, information governance, technology, and interoperability standards. The registry supports local assurance processes by providing reusable evidence and helping to reduce duplication in implementation and assurance activities.
Procurement and deployment decisions remain the responsibility of individual NHS organisations, in line with their local governance and assurance processes. Whether or not a product appears on the registry, organisations must ensure compliance with relevant legal, regulatory, and NHS requirements, including clinical safety standards, data protection legislation, cyber security requirements, and, where applicable, medical device regulations.
NHS England has established national interoperability and data standards to support the secure exchange of clinical information across settings, and is supporting both AVT and Electronic Health Record suppliers to develop these capabilities. As part of a test-and-learn approach to the adoption of AVT, NHS England is establishing a national AVT Centre of Excellence to support the sharing of learning, evidence, and implementation experience.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is continuing its programme of regulatory reform in relation to medical devices to protect patient safety while supporting innovation. The Post Market Surveillance regulations came into force on 16 June 2025, strengthening requirements for monitoring devices once they are placed on the market in Great Britain. Further pre-market reforms are expected in 2026.
Finally, in September 2025, the MHRA also launched the independent National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare, and the Government will consider its recommendations following publication of the report.