Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on commissioning a cost-effectiveness evaluation to explore the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of different pathways using breast density in the screening pathway in the UK, as promised by the UK National Screening Committee.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The independent UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises the Government on all screening matters, is considering the best approach for women with dense breast tissue. It reviewed the evidence relating to the provision of additional breast screening for women who have dense breast tissue and invited stakeholders’ feedback on the findings to inform future work. The consultation closed in August 2025, and the UK NSC recommended that further work is needed to understand the clinical impact and costs of adding breast density to the screening pathways in the United Kingdom.
In 2025, the UK NSC set up a working group of breast cancer screening experts to help it consider new and emerging evidence and developments that could further improve the UK breast screening programme. This is including breast density as a key issue. This work is ongoing.
Furthermore, the Breast Screening - Risk Adaptive Imaging for Density study is looking into whether supplementary imaging techniques, like magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound, could be used for women with dense breast tissue. The UK NSC is in contact with the researchers and is reviewing the evidence as it becomes available.
If, following this work, the UK NSC makes a recommendation regarding breast density, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, would be asked to make a decision on whether to accept the recommendation, alongside wider policy and operational advice.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the UK National Screening Committee's commissioned work on the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of additional screening for individuals with dense breasts is due to report publicly, and when they expect to make a recommendation on additional screening for women with dense breasts.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The independent UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises the Government on all screening matters, is considering the best approach for women with dense breast tissue. It reviewed the evidence relating to the provision of additional breast screening for women who have dense breast tissue and invited stakeholders’ feedback on the findings to inform future work. The consultation closed in August 2025, and the UK NSC recommended that further work is needed to understand the clinical impact and costs of adding breast density to the screening pathways in the United Kingdom.
In 2025, the UK NSC set up a working group of breast cancer screening experts to help it consider new and emerging evidence and developments that could further improve the UK breast screening programme. This is including breast density as a key issue. This work is ongoing.
Furthermore, the Breast Screening - Risk Adaptive Imaging for Density study is looking into whether supplementary imaging techniques, like magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound, could be used for women with dense breast tissue. The UK NSC is in contact with the researchers and is reviewing the evidence as it becomes available.
If, following this work, the UK NSC makes a recommendation regarding breast density, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, would be asked to make a decision on whether to accept the recommendation, alongside wider policy and operational advice.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 whether funding for epilepsy research is proportionate to the prevalence of epilepsy.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Department delivers research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Departmental investment in the NIHR facilitates the direct funding of research projects through NIHR programmes, support for researchers to develop and conduct research through NIHR translational infrastructure, and a workforce to deliver research on behalf of other funders through NIHR research delivery infrastructure.
Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, through the NIHR, the Department invested £12.8 million in direct research funding on epilepsy. This investment in epilepsy research allows us to continue to develop our understanding of the condition, including on its prevalence, and make a real difference to people living with epilepsy.
Whilst no assessment has been made of whether the funding for epilepsy research is proportionate to the prevalence of epilepsy, the NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including epilepsy. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase funding opportunities for epilepsy research.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Didcot and Wantage on 1 June 2026 to Question 4032.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Department has assessed the potential impact on the NHS in winter 2026-27 of providing the shingles vaccination programme to adults aged 80 in April 2027; and whether it has considered launching the programme in autumn 2026 alongside the seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
In November 2024, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provided advice on eligibility for the shingles vaccination programme for adults aged 80 years old and over. The Government continues to carefully consider the JCVI’s advice.
We are taking key steps to ensure the National Health Service is prepared for the colder months. This winter, approximately half a million more people were vaccinated against flu compared to the previous season, though we know there is further to go next winter. We are undertaking a comprehensive ‘lessons learned’ review to help us identify what worked well, where persistent pressures remain, and what actions we need to prioritise going into next winter.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 tackle health inequalities impacting women.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain, to ensure people can live well for longer. Our reimagined National Health Service will tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as give everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with the National Health Service on their own terms. This financial year the Department has invested approximately £53 million in direct research awards on research to support the health of women. This includes conditions that are unique to women, such as endometriosis, and health topics that are relevant to women such as violence and abuse.
Significant progress has been made towards delivering the ambitions in the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy, for example improving women and girls’ awareness and access to services and driving research to benefit women’s health, but we know there is more to do.
That is why we are renewing the Women’s Health Strategy, to assess the progress that has been made so far and to continue progressing delivery.
The renewed strategy will update on the delivery of the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy and set out how the Government is taking further steps to improve women’s health as we deliver the 10-Year Health Plan. It will also address gaps from the 2022 strategy and drive further change on enduring challenges such as creating a system that listens to women and tackling health inequalities.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 increase access to women's health hubs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is encouraging integrated care boards (ICBs) to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and supporting them to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.
The 10-Year Health Plan set out our ambition for high autonomy to be the norm across every part of the country. ICBs are responsible for commissioning services that meet the healthcare needs of their local population and have the freedom to do so, and this includes women's health hubs and delivering the direction of the Women's Health Strategy. The Government is backing ICBs to do this through record funding. The 2025 Spending Review prioritised health, with record investment in the health and social care system.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 improve the recruitment and retention of staff in women’s health services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.
The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.
To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace. They will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture that embeds retention.
Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
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 the junk food advertising ban on trends in the level of obesity.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
Our manifesto commitment to restrict junk food TV advertising before 9pm, and online at all times, was a moral imperative. This measure is expected to remove around 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year and prevent 20,000 cases of childhood obesity. With this milestone achieved, we’re well on the way to raising the healthiest generation of children ever.Asked by: Bambos Charalambous (Labour - Southgate and Wood Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on a) diagnosis and b) survival rates for glioblastoma.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
Published Cancer Registration Statistics for England, including glioblastoma, are available at the following link:
Cancer mortality statistics for England for 2023 are also available at the following link:
Alternately, these are combined in the National Disease Registration Service Cancer Incidence and Mortality interactive dashboard, which is available at the following link:
https://nhsd-ndrs.shinyapps.io/incidence_and_mortality/