Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of including broader value elements, such as societal and economic benefits, in the health technology assessment of vaccines.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department works closely with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to design, implement, and deliver programmes offering high levels of long-term protection against preventable diseases.
When doing so, the Department takes into consideration the expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent departmental expert committee. The JCVI bases its advice and recommendations on evidence of the burden of disease, of vaccine safety and efficacy, and of the impact and cost effectiveness of immunisation strategies.
Broader socio-economic factors such as productivity costs from illness, improved educational attainment from reduced school absences, and out-of-pocket expenses and opportunity costs from attending a vaccination may be highlighted by the JCVI or other colleagues across the tripartite to inform policy-making.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to embed genetic testing in cancer treatment pathways, and whether additional funding will be available to NHS trusts for that testing.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS), commissioned by NHS England, ensures equitable access to genomic testing for cancer patients across England through seven regional GMS geographies working with Cancer Alliances and National Health Service trusts. Genomic testing is delivered by a national network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs), guided by the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes over 200 cancer indications for a range of genomic tests, including whole genome sequencing. Seven NHS GMS Alliances are funded to embed genomic medicine into clinical pathways and raise awareness among clinicians and patients. Funding for GLHs is agreed annually in line with NHS England funding allocations, with NHS England working with GLHs to drive efficiency and maximise available resources. In 2025/26, NHS England is continuing its Cancer Genomics Improvement Programme for a second year to deliver quality improvement initiatives, education, local engagement, and to establish Cellular Pathology Genomic Centres to streamline cancer genomics pathways and accelerate genomic testing.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure users of artificial intelligence platforms can safely access mental health support and are protected from harmful content such as suicide and self-harm content.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms and the potential risks they pose, particularly when people are seeking mental health support.
The National Health Service operates within a comprehensive regulatory framework for AI, underpinned by rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness. Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the NHS are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information. Users are strongly advised to be careful when using these technologies.
Regardless of whether content is created by AI or humans, the Online Safety Act places robust duties on all in-scope services to prevent users encountering illegal content including content on suicide and self-harm.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with NHS trusts and pharmaceutical companies about the use of genomic testing to support cancer pathways.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England commissions the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS) to provide standardised, high quality, and equitable access to genomic medicine across the National Health Service in England. NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry have established an NHS Genomic Pharmaceutical Industry Strategic Advisory Group, to provide a framework for engagement with industry partners to support the strategic aims of the NHS GMS and system partners. This is a forum to align on priorities and identify mechanisms to support agreed improvements across the end-to-end genomics pathway, including in cancer, that will enable timely patient access to treatments and opportunities to participate in clinical trials.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the report by the Circulation Foundation and Legs Matter Act now to save limbs and lives, published in May, what assessment they have made of the current challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial disease.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England commissions the National Vascular Registry which provides information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who had major vascular procedures in National Health Service hospitals. The registry produces quarterly and annual reports. It aims to support vascular services to provide high quality care for these people, and shares examples of good practice as well as highlighting areas which merit further investigation in order to improve care.
NHS England commissions vascular arterial care from a number of specialist centres to ensure appropriate management of peripheral arterial disease. The service specifications recommend a "hub and spoke" model, where a central, high-volume arterial centre, or the "hub", provides round-the-clock, specialist arterial surgery and complex endovascular interventions. A multi-disciplinary team approach is used and is hosted by the hub.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are promoting a multidisciplinary approach to the management of peripheral arterial disease that involves vascular surgeons, cardiologists, radiologists and primary care providers; and how that approach will be supported across the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England commissions the National Vascular Registry which provides information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who had major vascular procedures in National Health Service hospitals. The registry produces quarterly and annual reports. It aims to support vascular services to provide high quality care for these people, and shares examples of good practice as well as highlighting areas which merit further investigation in order to improve care.
NHS England commissions vascular arterial care from a number of specialist centres to ensure appropriate management of peripheral arterial disease. The service specifications recommend a "hub and spoke" model, where a central, high-volume arterial centre, or the "hub", provides round-the-clock, specialist arterial surgery and complex endovascular interventions. A multi-disciplinary team approach is used and is hosted by the hub.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the upcoming cardiovascular disease modern service framework will ensure that patients with peripheral arterial disease have equitable access to appropriate assessment, treatment and follow-up services across the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To accelerate progress towards the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease modern service framework (CVD MSF) in 2026. The CVD MSF will support consistent, high quality, and equitable care whilst fostering innovation across the cardiovascular disease pathway.
The Department and NHS England are engaging widely throughout the development of the CVD MSF to ensure that we consider a range of conditions that impact on cardiovascular disease premature mortality, including peripheral arterial disease, and that we prioritise ambitious, evidence-led, and clinically informed approaches to prevention, treatment, and care.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) children and (2) adults who are accessing mental health support via artificial intelligence platforms after being unable to access statutory mental health services.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made. We recognise that people are facing unacceptably long waiting times to access mental health support. This is why we are transforming the current mental health system so that people can access the right support at the right time in the right place.
Building on the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework, published on 24 October 2025, sets targets for integrated care boards in 2026/27 to improve the quality of and access to mental health services. This includes expanding NHS Talking Therapies and expanding the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges. This builds on the significant progress we’ve made since July 2024 to hire almost 7,000 extra mental health workers. And by spring next year, over 900,000 children and young people will have access to a Mental Health Support team in schools and colleagues.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the introduction of genomic testing on the UK’s position as a global centre for clinic trials and investment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Life Sciences Sector Plan committed to ensuring that the NHS Genomic Medicine Service works closely with industry to align genomic testing with clinical trial requirements and improve access to precision medicine. NHS England, in collaboration with partners such as the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, is aligning the National Genomic Test Directory, which sets out the genomic tests available in the National Health Service, with clinical trial targets. A list of cancer genomic targets has been agreed with national experts and will be incorporated into routinely used next-generation sequencing panels and whole genome sequencing. This will allow these targets to be reported as part of standard care, enabling rapid patient enrolment into clinical trials. From 2025/26, NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs have begun reporting a small number of clinical trial targets, with plans to expand this coverage.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the obstacles which have prevented medicines being launched over the last five years, including terminated appraisals by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) plays a critical role in supporting patient access to clinically and cost effective new medicines and it consistently approves a very high proportion of medicines that come to England for appraisal. Over the last five years, NICE has approved 91% medicines that it appraised, with the latest figures for 2024/25 also standing at 91%.
NICE is also monitoring the proportion of appraisals that are terminated where the company does not participate in the appraisal process. The Medicines data: NICE approvals and availability in England paper, a copy of which is attached, was recently considered by the NICE board and summarised the findings of research with companies into the reasons stated by industry for terminating appraisals. The research showed that the proportion of terminations has been stable over the last five years, and that terminations reflect that not all products/indications will likely be clinically and cost effective.
The Life Sciences Sector Plan, published on 16 July, focuses on enabling world-class research and development, making the United Kingdom one of the best places in the world to start, scale, and invest in life sciences, thereby driving healthcare innovation and reform. This approach will support high-growth businesses, deliver better health outcomes, and cement the UK’s global leadership in life sciences.
It sets out our commitment to make the UK one of the top three fastest places in Europe for patient access to medicines by 2030. To achieve this, the Government will measure:
- the speed with which products are licensed and/or registered on the UK market in comparison to other European markets;
- the timeline and cost to achieving appropriate Health Technology Assessment in England; and
- the uptake and widespread adoption of products in the National Health Service in England.