Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop an AI policy for healthcare services to ensure the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence when accessing patient records.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have huge potential in improving efficiency across the National Health Service by supporting clinicians with faster and more accurate diagnosis, enhancing clinical decision-making about treatment plans and reducing the administrative burden faced by healthcare staff. The Department and NHS England are developing guidance for the responsible use of these tools and how they can be rolled out to make the day-to-day operations of the NHS more efficient.
There are strict safeguards in place throughout the NHS to protect data. All providers of services which handle patient data must protect that data in line with the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), and Data Protection Act 2018, and every health organisation is required to appoint a Caldicott Guardian to advise on the protection of people’s health and care data, and ensure it is used properly. This includes where AI is used in relation to patient records.
We are considering how regulators should approach issues of privacy such as accessibility only to authorised users and how to safeguard against bad actors.
The NHS AI Lab and Sciencewise (UK Research and Innovation) held a public dialogue on how the public feels decisions should be made about access to their personal health data for AI purposes. The AI Lab is now procuring further research to design approaches to data stewardship based on these insights.
To mitigate the likelihood and severity of any potential harm to individuals arising from use of data in AI, the Information Commissioners Office has developed detailed AI guidance which provides an overarching view of data protection, including Data Protection Impact Assessments and UK GDPR. They have also produced an AI toolkit to support organisations auditing compliance of their AI-based technologies.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the healthcare system.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has invested £9.3 million to bolster the safety of artificial intelligence (AI) in health and care, and to ensure the regulatory pathway is clear for both developers and adopters. Ensuring technologies are safe is a top priority and, through this funding, the Department has supported the launch of regulatory projects such as the AI and Digital Regulation Service (AIDRS) and the AI Airlock.
The AIDRS collaborates between the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency (MHRA), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, and the Care Quality Commission. The service, by providing a collaborative one stop shop of information, advice, and guidance, allows adopters and developers of AI to easily understand what regulatory and evaluation pathways need to be followed before an AI tool can be safety deployed across health and care.
The AI Airlock is an MHRA-led initiative, supported by the NHS AI Lab, designed to create a controlled testing environment where developers can rigorously validate AI tools in real-world clinical settings before full-scale deployment, ensuring they meet National Health Service standards for safety, efficacy, and integration into existing healthcare workflows. The AI Airlock fosters collaboration between developers, regulators, and healthcare providers, and reduces the risks associated with early-stage implementation while providing valuable feedback for developers to refine their products.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to invest in artificial technologies to aid health diagnosis, particularly in relation to detecting diabetic retinopathy.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed the use of artificial intelligence technologies, such as automated grading in the NHS Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) Programme, in 2021. At the time, it concluded that this should not be used due to the limited evidence that it provides better health and value for money when compared to manual grading.
We are aware that the UK NSC has received a submission via its annual call process to consider automated retinal image analysis systems in the NHS DES programme. The UK NSC is currently reviewing all annual call proposals. Further information on the annual call process can be found on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to keep healthcare workers in the public sector, and in particular what consideration they have given to increasing their pay.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Over 1.5 million hard-working people make up the National Health Service workforce, and supporting them is at the core of delivering on our mission to build an NHS fit for the future. That is why the Government accepted all the 2024/25 pay review bodies’ recommendations for NHS staff in England.
Furthermore, we have already remitted the pay review bodies and submitted written evidence for 2025/26. This is the earliest written evidence that has been published for many years, meaning the pay setting process is on track this year. This paves the way for pay settlements to be agreed earlier.
NHS England continues to lead on a range of initiatives to boost retention of existing staff and ensure that the NHS remains an attractive career choice for new recruits.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the roll-out speed of the new weight loss jab Mounjaro.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published final draft guidance that recommends tirzepatide to treat obesity, alongside a reduced calorie-diet and increased physical activity, in adults with a body mass index of 35 or over and at least one weight-related comorbidity. It is estimated that approximately 3.4 million people could meet the criteria in the NICE guidance, although not everyone will want this treatment.
Due to the size of the eligible population in England, the roll out of tirzepatide must be carefully managed to ensure that access to other National Health Services is protected. Based on the request from NHS England to extend the statutory three-month period for the funding of NICE-recommended medicines, the NICE agreed to a variation of the funding period at a maximum of 12 years. This will allow the NHS to build the knowledge, skills, and capacity so that the treatment can be offered to the full eligible population at the end of the funding period.
The NICE expects that approximately 220,000 patients will be considered for tirzepatide treatment, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, over the first three years. NHS England is working out how best to prioritise access to the treatment over these three years, and will be publishing a clinical commissioning statement early in 2025 to support the integrated care boards with commissioning these services.
New community-based services and digital technologies will be developed, tested, and evaluated in this time, to help learn how the treatment can be best offered safely and effectively to the eligible population in primary care and other settings. This will inform a review by the NICE, which will use the insights identified in the first three years to inform the subsequent roll out period.
Some individuals may prefer alternative services to help them to manage their weight. This could include digital tools, like the NHS Weight Loss Plan App, behavioural programmes like local authority weight management services and the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, or other support available through specialist weight management services, such as surgery or other pharmaceutical treatments.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the resources available to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to reduce the time it takes for new drugs to enter the market.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to providing the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) the resources it needs. It is funded predominately by charging fees to industry for the services it delivers, with additional funding being provided by the Department.
Departmental funding to MHRA is set in advance through collaborative spending review processes which consider the agency’s needs in detail. The Agency also regularly consults on its fees to ensure all costs involved in delivery are recovered.
The Agency is taking significant steps to assess licensing applications within the shortest time possible. It is working to reduce timelines by bringing in additional resources and developing processes that will result in significantly improved response times, while protecting patient safety.
As an effective regulator, it is committed to the highest of standards of performance and delivering the right outcomes for patients and public health. These changes are already resulting in improvements.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the NHS report The Innovation Ecosystem Programme – how the UK can lead the way globally in health gains and life sciences powered growth, published on 28 November, that NHS staff "feel they do not have the capacity or the support to test, adopt and scale innovation"; and what steps they intend to take in response.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department welcomes the publication of the Innovation Ecosystem Programme (IEP) report, and is encouraged to see the National Health Service continue to engage in how it can better utilise life sciences innovation.
The Department agrees with the fundamental thesis of the IEP, that innovation will be foundational to delivering an NHS fit for the future, and the United Kingdom’s £108 billion life sciences sector can be an engine for driving both this reform and economic growth. The Department also recognises that there are currently hurdles and barriers to the swift adoption and spread of innovation, and we must work to reduce and remove these.
Research demonstrates that NHS staff who are research and innovation active are more satisfied in their roles, and provide higher quality patient care. There will be further consideration of how the Government and NHS England can support the workforce to engage actively in testing, adopting, and scaling innovation in the upcoming 10-Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan, both of which we plan to publish in the spring.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase productivity within the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is taking comprehensive steps to increase productivity within the National Health Service. The recent Autumn Budget committed to achieving a 2% productivity growth target in 2025/26. To support this, over £2 billion has been allocated to enhance NHS technology and digital infrastructure. This investment aims to improve electronic patient records, enhance cybersecurity, and expand access through the NHS App. These measures will free up staff time and reduce administrative burdens, increasing overall productivity gains.
The NHS is also working on a 10-Year Health Plan which will set out key reforms to address the recommendations from Lord Darzi's review. These reforms will also drive productivity improvements, and include the aims to optimise clinical workflows, enhance integration between primary, secondary, and community care, and increase focus on preventive measures for chronic diseases.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure pharmacies receive sufficient support as a result of the changes announced in the Autumn Budget.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget 2024, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to improve the treatment of, and (2) find a cure for, Alzheimer's disease.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To improve care for patients with dementia, including those with Alzheimer’s disease, NHS England's RightCare team has refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario, which works through the Dementia Well pathway journey, detailing optimal and sub-optimal approaches. The RightCare team has also developed a dementia model pathway based on data for each component of the Dementia Well pathway to provide a high-level view of what dementia care activity looks like for local areas, and aid targeted support where appropriate.
The quality of care for people with dementia in acute hospitals and memory assessment services is audited regularly by the National Audit of Dementia, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, and funded by NHS England and the Welsh Government.
NHS England has a dedicated team in place which has been planning for the roll out of new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, if and when they are approved for use.
The United Kingdom has established a rich ecosystem for dementia research, including through the UK Dementia Research Institute and related initiatives such as the Dementia Trials Accelerator, which is supported by the Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme.