Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
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 merits of integrating OpenActive data standards into NHS clinical care pathways.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Health and Social Care Act 2022, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and the Health and Social Care Information Standards (Procedure) Regulations 2025 establish a new legislative framework for setting mandatory information standards for public and private health and adult social care providers and IT suppliers in the health and care system. This will provide the basis for ensuring interoperability between IT systems.
Standards will be introduced in a staged process following the procedure set out in the Health and Social Care Information Standards (Procedure) Regulations 2025. No assessment has yet been made of the potential of the OpenActive data standards.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to incorporate OpenActive data into the NHS app to help patients find local physical activity opportunities relevant to health conditions.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has no current plans to incorporate OpenActive data into the NHS App in this way.
However, the Government recognises that data plays an important role in supporting the delivery of high-quality public services, helping to achieve the shift from sickness to prevention and building an NHS fit for the future.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out to build movement back into everyday life and get millions more people moving. Physical activity is part of this Government’s mission to improve health. Work is already underway through the NHS Better Health campaign and the ‘We are Undefeatable’ campaign to promote movement, remove barriers and make it easier for people with long term conditions to access physical activity. Raising awareness of the value of everyday movement, such as walking, cycling and wheeling is key in our mission to help people keep fit and healthy for longer.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
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 help ensure that the UK National Screening Committee’s in-service evaluation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy covers a wide geography.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Planning and development work to shape the in-service evaluation (ISE) of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is ongoing. This is being steered by the SMA partnership board that includes Department officials, the UK National Screening Committee, NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and patient and public representatives. The SMA partnership board has three sub-groups, one of which is the laboratory subgroup. This subgroup has experts with a broad range of experience of laboratory testing of newborn blood spots both in the United Kingdom and internationally. Their expertise ensures that laboratory requirements for successfully rolling out SMA ISE are fully considered and represented in the ongoing planning work.
The number of laboratories in England that will form part of the ISE is under consideration by the SMA partnership board led by NHS England.
The geographical coverage of the ISE is also under consideration by the SMA partnership board, and will be determined by the number of laboratories with the technology and processes needed to roll out the ISE.
Earlier this summer, the NIHR advertised the research call for the SMA ISE, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/spinal-muscular-atrophy-screening/2025338
A decision on the shape and roll out of the ISE will be made after the research call process has concluded.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
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 involve laboratories in the in-service evaluation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Planning and development work to shape the in-service evaluation (ISE) of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is ongoing. This is being steered by the SMA partnership board that includes Department officials, the UK National Screening Committee, NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and patient and public representatives. The SMA partnership board has three sub-groups, one of which is the laboratory subgroup. This subgroup has experts with a broad range of experience of laboratory testing of newborn blood spots both in the United Kingdom and internationally. Their expertise ensures that laboratory requirements for successfully rolling out SMA ISE are fully considered and represented in the ongoing planning work.
The number of laboratories in England that will form part of the ISE is under consideration by the SMA partnership board led by NHS England.
The geographical coverage of the ISE is also under consideration by the SMA partnership board, and will be determined by the number of laboratories with the technology and processes needed to roll out the ISE.
Earlier this summer, the NIHR advertised the research call for the SMA ISE, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/spinal-muscular-atrophy-screening/2025338
A decision on the shape and roll out of the ISE will be made after the research call process has concluded.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
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 merits of implementing recommendation 6 of the National Child Mortality Data's report entitled Sudden and unexpected deaths in infancy and childhood, published in December 2022.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the devastating impact of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities, and the importance of raising awareness of SUDC among relevant professionals, communities, and parents. Information on SUDC is available on the National Health Service website, which also signposts to the charity SUDC.UK. This can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids
Additional information for parents on SUDC is available in the form of the booklet, When a Child Dies. The Healthy Child Programme plays an important role in supporting child health, wellbeing, and parenting confidence. This work is undertaken alongside partners to ensure that health messages are promoted across services.
The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) who work in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes proposals for research into a range of conditions, including SUDC, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
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 prevent sudden and unexplained deaths in children.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the devastating impact of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities, and the importance of raising awareness of SUDC among relevant professionals, communities, and parents. Information on SUDC is available on the National Health Service website, which also signposts to the charity SUDC.UK. This can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids
Additional information for parents on SUDC is available in the form of the booklet, When a Child Dies. The Healthy Child Programme plays an important role in supporting child health, wellbeing, and parenting confidence. This work is undertaken alongside partners to ensure that health messages are promoted across services.
The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) who work in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes proposals for research into a range of conditions, including SUDC, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the outcome of his Department's closed consultation entitled The licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which closed on 28 October 2023.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector, and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in our response to the consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which we will publish as soon as possible.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
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 active travel on levels of physical inactivity; and if he will take steps to publish a physical activity strategy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department’s recent cycling and walking evidence review confirms the positive impacts on reducing levels of physical inactivity. Our evidence shows that integrating physical activity into daily routines through active travel can lead to substantial health benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and mental health conditions. The Department of Health and Social Care is currently working with the Department for Transport and Active Travel England on an evidence review, which will further examine active travel’s effects on mental health, physical health, and health inequalities, as well as effective behaviour change techniques. Findings are expected by late-2025 to inform future policy.
Whilst there are no plans to publish a specific physical activity strategy, addressing levels of physical inactivity will be a key part of the shift from treatment to prevention, as part of the Health Mission. Department officials work closely with colleagues across Government and the National Health Service to enable and deliver interventions that support this aim.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on implementing the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Seven of the nine recommendations of the review have been previously accepted in full, in part, or in principle. Four of these have been successfully implemented, including:
Work is ongoing in respect of the remaining recommendations, including working across the Government to consider the recommendations in the Hughes Report, which looked into, and provided advice on, redress for those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
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 the (a) safety and (b) regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All doctors performing cosmetic surgery in the United Kingdom are required to be registered and licensed to practise by the General Medical Council. The Care Quality Commission regulates cosmetic treatments carried out by healthcare professionals in England that involve surgical procedures.
The Government is currently considering what further steps may need to be taken in relation to the safety of the cosmetics sector and will set out its position at the earliest opportunity.