Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of mental health staff that will be placed in schools; and what assessment he has made of the level of qualification that will be required by those staff members; and how those staff members will be funded.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working closely with local commissioners to deliver mental health support teams in schools in England so they cover 100% of pupils by 2029/30. NHSE have estimated that around 2,400 Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP) are placed throughout the 600 current operational Mental Health Support Teams. Actual numbers will vary slightly at a local level, according to need. The average coverage of schools per team can change from year to year and an extensive independent evaluation is due to publish in 2026 that will inform future roll-out.
EMHP undertake a year-long training course to qualify. They can train for a postgraduate or graduate diploma, depending on whether they already have a degree qualification.
Annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms, via a £53 billion cash uplift, by 2028/29, compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the Spending Review period.
In the Spending Review announcement, we have confirmed that we will fulfil the Government’s commitments to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health staff by the end of the Parliament.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) which stakeholders he has consulted and (b) what data sources he has used to develop the basis of the adult social care resource formula.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is important that the Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula accurately reflects the relative need for services to ensure funding is allocated to the places that need it most and to enable all local authorities to focus on improving adult social care outcomes.
The Department commissioned independent academics at the Adult Social Care Research Unit to develop an update to the current Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula. This update reflects a more up to date assessment of relative adult social care need in England and is being consulted on as part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Local Government Funding Reform consultation. The Adult Social Care Research Unit’s research report is available at the following link:
https://ascru.nihr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025_06_16_Revision-of-ASC-RNF-2024.pdf
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
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 the assessment framework used for commissioning the adult social care resource formula focuses on outcomes.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is important that the Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula accurately reflects the relative need for services to ensure funding is allocated to the places that need it most and to enable all local authorities to focus on improving adult social care outcomes.
The Department commissioned independent academics at the Adult Social Care Research Unit to develop an update to the current Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula. This update reflects a more up to date assessment of relative adult social care need in England and is being consulted on as part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Local Government Funding Reform consultation. The Adult Social Care Research Unit’s research report is available at the following link:
https://ascru.nihr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025_06_16_Revision-of-ASC-RNF-2024.pdf
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 3rd April 2025 on Question 44192 on Events Industry: First Aid, when his Department plans to publish the updated Event Healthcare Standard; and whether he is taking steps to consult with (a) stakeholders, (b) healthcare providers and (c) event organisers during its development.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the Manchester Arena Inquiry Volume Two report recommendations the government committed to develop an Event Healthcare Standard. This guidance will support the Care Quality Commission’s regulation of the provision of treatment of disease, disorder, or injury rather than first aid.
The Event Healthcare Standard will be written by an authorship group, made up of clinicians and experts from within the healthcare sector, sports and events industries. The authorship group is also overseen by a review panel of experts and stakeholders also made-up healthcare providers, sports and events industries. We aim to publish the standard in the middle of 2026.
The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders within the health, sports and events sector as work on the standard progresses.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of whether local authorities are able to meet their statutory duties to unpaid carers under the Care Act 2014.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to unpaid carers. This means that the CQC is looking at how local authorities are supporting unpaid carers in their area.
All 153 local authorities in England are being assessed, with ratings and reports available on the CQC’s website. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed.
The Government recognises the challenges facing the adult social care system. That is why the Government is launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.
The commission will start a national conversation about what working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care, including exploring the needs of unpaid carers, who provide vital care and support.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
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 14 October 2024 on Enzyme Replacement Therapy: Drugs, what progress his Department has made in tackling shortages of (a) ADHD medication, (b) Creon and (c) other medications used in the management of (i) enzyme deficiency disorders and (ii) cystic fibrosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has continued to work hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved. All strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, atomoxetine oral solution, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.
We are continuing to work to resolve medicine supply issues, where they remain, for some strengths of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term.
In parallel, the Department has worked with specialist clinicians, including those within the National Health Service, to develop management advice for NHS clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets or available alternative ADHD medicines. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance, which includes offering rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinions for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.
The Department is also continuing to engage with suppliers of Creon and other pancreatic enzyme replacement therapies (PERT) to boost production to mitigate the supply issue. The supplier of Creon expects to receive increased quantities for 2025. Suppliers of alternative PERT and specialist importers of unlicensed medicines continue to supply increased volumes to assist in covering the gap in the market. In December, the Department issued further management advice to healthcare professionals. This directs clinicians to unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable, and includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a public facing page to include the latest update on PERT availability and easily accessible prescribing advice, including advice on preserving the available stock of alternative PERT for certain patient cohorts.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
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 increase the supply of GLP-1 receptor agonist medications for diabetic patients in Shipley constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are ongoing global supply issues with some medications used to treat diabetes, and we continue to work closely with industry partners to improve the situation. Supplies of Rybelsus, which is an oral semaglutide available in tablet form, have been boosted to support demand from new patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as those unable to obtain their existing treatment. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s regulatory approval of Mounjaro, an injectable medicine for adults with type 2 diabetes, has brought an additional treatment option to the United Kingdom’s market. We have provided advice for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring these medicines whilst there are shortages, and are keeping this under review as the situation evolves. The Department has also added some of these products to the list of medicines that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the UK.
The guidance is clear that medications licensed to treat type 2 diabetes should not be prescribed for weight loss, except where specifically licenced for this use. Any patient who is worried about their condition, or access to these medications, should speak to their clinician in the first instance.
The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level, so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within individual pharmacies is not held centrally.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the McCloud remedy is implemented for affected NHS workers by April 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) is implementing the McCloud remedy for impacted members of the NHS Pension Scheme. Remedy implementation is a complex and large-scale undertaking. The core element of the remedy will provide members with a choice of benefits at retirement for the period the discrimination identified by the McCloud judgment was effective. Approximately 350,000 retired members will be offered this choice retrospectively.
The Department expects that the majority of impacted retired members will not receive their choice until after April 2025.Whilst the majority of impacted retired members are likely to already be in receipt of their most beneficial set of benefits, the Department is working with the NHSBSA to accelerate the provision of this choice, particularly for members for whom there would be an immediate financial impact. The NHSBSA will communicate revised timelines with members once these are confirmed.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
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 help support the financial sustainability of community pharmacies.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. Previous plans did not go far enough. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.
The consultation with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25 has not yet been concluded, and we are looking into this as a matter of urgency.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to prevent the sale of the CellAED personal defibrillator.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating the United Kingdom’s medical devices market and works to protect and promote public health and patient safety. We undertake safety and market surveillance of all medical devices in the UK to monitor both performance and safety. We also designate Approved Bodies to undertake conformity assessments of medical devices and award a UK conformity assessed marking to sell products.
The MHRA acts on evidence and takes prompt action where necessary to protect public health. We communicate any actions taken to healthcare professionals and patients as appropriate. We encourage all users of medical devices to report any problems to us via the Yellow Card Scheme.
We are aware of issues raised by stakeholders regarding the CellAED device and we are investigating these concerns with the manufacturer.
Typically, when concerns are identified we have a number of regulatory options available to protect the public including, but not limited to, working with manufacturers to address safety concerns, negotiating a voluntary suspension of sales pending the conclusion of a safety and performance investigation, producing safety communications, or taking compliance action to prevent sales when required.
Interactions between medical device manufacturers and the MHRA are confidential. This is to promote transparent, accurate and timely flow of information to allow appropriate regulatory decisions to be made from evidence provided.