Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward the removal of requirements for same-sex female couples to self-fund intrauterine insemination cycles before becoming eligible for NHS-funded IVF treatment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand the offer around NHS-funded fertility services including the issue for female same sex couples.
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their populations. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, which are currently under review and will take into consideration whether the current recommendations for access to fertility guidelines are still appropriate.
In the light of broader pressures on the NHS and on ongoing changes within NHS England we have been looking at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build an NHS fit for the future. Through our 10 Year Health Plan, we are delivering our manifesto commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected.
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
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 that all Integrated Care Boards provide equal access to fertility treatments across England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand the offer around NHS-funded fertility services including the issue for female same sex couples.
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their populations. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, which are currently under review and will take into consideration whether the current recommendations for access to fertility guidelines are still appropriate.
In the light of broader pressures on the NHS and on ongoing changes within NHS England we have been looking at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build an NHS fit for the future. Through our 10 Year Health Plan, we are delivering our manifesto commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected.
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for (a) removing financial barriers for same-sex couples accessing fertility treatments on the NHS and (b) full implementation of the Women’s Health Strategy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand the offer around NHS-funded fertility services including the issue for female same sex couples.
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their populations. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, which are currently under review and will take into consideration whether the current recommendations for access to fertility guidelines are still appropriate.
In the light of broader pressures on the NHS and on ongoing changes within NHS England we have been looking at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build an NHS fit for the future. Through our 10 Year Health Plan, we are delivering our manifesto commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected.
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider extending NHS provision of the (a) Meningitis ACWY and (b) Bexsero vaccines to those who are currently ineligible under the national immunisation programme.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government relies on expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) when making decisions about which vaccines are offered through the NHS.
The JCVI has advised that extending the Meningitis ACWY vaccine to infants or toddlers is unlikely to be cost-effective, as very few cases would be prevented thanks to the success of the current adolescent programme.
For the Bexsero (MenB) vaccine, the JCVI has found that while it has reduced disease in infants, it does not stop the spread of the bacteria among teenagers. As a result, offering it to adolescents is also unlikely to be cost-effective at this time.
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the eligibility criteria for NHS provision of the Bexsero vaccine for Meningitis B; and whether the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has considered expanding access to additional age groups since its 2016 review.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) most recently considered meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination in June 2024 and February 2025. Over the past decade, the number of cases of invasive meningococcal disease in infants has fallen significantly, largely due to the success of the MenB vaccination programme.
The JCVI advised that MenB vaccination should continue to be offered to infants, and that the second dose should be given at 12 weeks of age to provide earlier protection from the full course.
The JCVI has also reviewed the potential for an adolescent MenB vaccination programme. Evidence shows that MenB vaccines do not prevent adolescents from carrying the bacteria that cause the disease, meaning such a programme is highly unlikely to be cost-effective.
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the UK Health Security Agency has undertaken any recent analysis of the incidence of invasive meningococcal disease in age groups currently not eligible for NHS vaccination; and if he will publish that analysis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom’s world‑leading vaccination programmes against invasive meningococcal disease have resulted in substantial declines in incidence across all age groups since the introduction of the first meningococcal group C (MenC) vaccine in 1999.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes continuous, real‑time surveillance of invasive meningococcal disease in England, covering all age groups, which includes those not currently eligible for NHS vaccination. Summary data are routinely published in the UKHSA Health Protection Report, with further analyses appearing in peer‑reviewed journals.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps all immunisation programmes under regular review. The most recent data for the 2023 to 2024 epidemiological year (July 2023 to June 2024) are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/meningococcal-disease-laboratory-confirmed-cases-in-england-2023-to-2024. Quarterly data for the first three quarters of the 2024 to 2025 epidemiological year are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/meningococcal-disease-laboratory-confirmed-cases-in-england-2024-to-2025.
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
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 improve (a) diagnosis times and (b) access to care for people with inflammatory arthritis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Services for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). The Department expects MSK services to be fully incorporated into integrated care system planning and decision-making.
As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. Launched in December 2024, with 17 ICBs selected in the first cohort, GIRFT teams have deployed their proven Further Faster model to work with ICB leaders to reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with arthritis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services. The GIRFT programme is continuing to develop the approach to better enable integrated care systems to commission the delivery of high-quality MSK services in the community, which will benefit patients now and into the future.
To support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published expert guidance for rheumatoid arthritis, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
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 people living with rheumatoid arthritis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Services for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). The Department expects MSK services to be fully incorporated into integrated care system planning and decision-making.
As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. Launched in December 2024, with 17 ICBs selected in the first cohort, GIRFT teams have deployed their proven Further Faster model to work with ICB leaders to reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with arthritis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services. The GIRFT programme is continuing to develop the approach to better enable integrated care systems to commission the delivery of high-quality MSK services in the community, which will benefit patients now and into the future.
To support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published expert guidance for rheumatoid arthritis, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
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 increase the number of specialist rheumatology nurses in the workforce.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The training of nurses is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). It has the general function of promoting high standards of education and coordinating all stages of education to ensure that nursing students and newly qualified nurses are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for professional practice.
The training curricula for postgraduate training for nurses to specialise as a specialist rheumatology nurse is set by the Royal College of Nursing, and has to meet the standards set by the NMC.
We will publish a new workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and to ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will complete its consideration of the recommendations of the Commission on Human Medicines on the findings of the Danielsson et al on primodos.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), together with wider Government, has committed to reviewing any new scientific evidence which comes to light.
The new publication by Danielsson et al has been reviewed by the MHRA, and advice has been sought from the Government’s independent advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), who have provided their independent expert advice on our assessment of whether the findings of the latest publication justify a further review. The MHRA will consider the recommendations given by the CHM before deciding whether any further action is warranted.
The minutes of the November CHM meeting will be made publicly available through the GOV.UK website at the earliest opportunity.