Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 implications for its policies of barriers preventing women from accessing the full range of contraceptive methods, including long-acting reversible contraception, and what steps he is taking to address those barriers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring equitable access to a range of contraceptive methods including long-acting reversible contraception.
The renewed women’s health strategy will set out how the Government will take the next steps to improve women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women, including consideration of barriers to access. Steps to improve access to contraception are being considered as part of the renewal.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 that commitments within the Women’s Health Strategy refresh are implemented equitably to improve access to contraception at a local level.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring equitable access to a range of contraceptive methods including long-acting reversible contraception.
The renewed women’s health strategy will set out how the Government will take the next steps to improve women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women, including consideration of barriers to access. Steps to improve access to contraception are being considered as part of the renewal.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 health impacts of repeated exposure to contaminated cabin air on aircrew.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2024, the UK independent advisory Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) published its latest statement on aircraft cabin air quality following a request from the Department for Transport. This followed a COT statement published in 2007, and a position paper published in 2013.
Overall, the latest COT statement concluded that the concentrations of the chemical contaminants (organophosphates, volatile organic compounds including as mixtures, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide) reported in aircraft cabin air are unlikely to cause adverse health effects in aircrew following acute or long-term exposures.
The 2024 statement on statement on aircraft cabin air quality is available at the following link:
https://cot.food.gov.uk/Statement%20on%20Aircraft%20Cabin%20Air%20Quality
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many sickle cell day centres have closed in the last 5 years; and how many sickle cell day centres remain operational.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The same day emergency care pilot for sickle cell patients at the Royal London Hospital was commissioned locally, via the NHS North East London Integrated Care Board. The pilot finished in January 2026 as planned. The pilot was testing an alternative route for treating emergency patients with sickle cell disease who were experiencing acute pain. This was alongside the normal route of being treated through accident and emergency, which patients can still access. During the pilot, the trust has gathered internal evaluation data to monitor the impact of the pilot for patients locally, allowing them to plan for the delivery of future sickle cell services. Although NHS England did not commission this pilot, they remain committed to the reducing health inequalities faced by people living with sickle cell and will continue to work in collaboration with system partners to address these inequalities through evidence-based approach.
Sickle cell disease patients still receive specialist care through the Haematology Day Unit at the Royal London Hospital, and this remains open. There has been no change for patients with regards to routine or emergency management of their condition. There are several innovations in the sickle cell service currently being implemented such as the expansion of the red cell exchange transfusion service and the delivery of novel curative gene therapies.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 adequacy of the accessibility of other Sickle Cell Day units in the context of the closure of the Whitechapel unit.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The same day emergency care pilot for sickle cell patients at the Royal London Hospital was commissioned locally, via the NHS North East London Integrated Care Board. The pilot finished in January 2026 as planned. The pilot was testing an alternative route for treating emergency patients with sickle cell disease who were experiencing acute pain. This was alongside the normal route of being treated through accident and emergency, which patients can still access. During the pilot, the trust has gathered internal evaluation data to monitor the impact of the pilot for patients locally, allowing them to plan for the delivery of future sickle cell services. Although NHS England did not commission this pilot, they remain committed to the reducing health inequalities faced by people living with sickle cell and will continue to work in collaboration with system partners to address these inequalities through evidence-based approach.
Sickle cell disease patients still receive specialist care through the Haematology Day Unit at the Royal London Hospital, and this remains open. There has been no change for patients with regards to routine or emergency management of their condition. There are several innovations in the sickle cell service currently being implemented such as the expansion of the red cell exchange transfusion service and the delivery of novel curative gene therapies.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Sickle Cell day unit in Whitechapel was closed.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The same day emergency care pilot for sickle cell patients at the Royal London Hospital was commissioned locally, via the NHS North East London Integrated Care Board. The pilot finished in January 2026 as planned. The pilot was testing an alternative route for treating emergency patients with sickle cell disease who were experiencing acute pain. This was alongside the normal route of being treated through accident and emergency, which patients can still access. During the pilot, the trust has gathered internal evaluation data to monitor the impact of the pilot for patients locally, allowing them to plan for the delivery of future sickle cell services. Although NHS England did not commission this pilot, they remain committed to the reducing health inequalities faced by people living with sickle cell and will continue to work in collaboration with system partners to address these inequalities through evidence-based approach.
Sickle cell disease patients still receive specialist care through the Haematology Day Unit at the Royal London Hospital, and this remains open. There has been no change for patients with regards to routine or emergency management of their condition. There are several innovations in the sickle cell service currently being implemented such as the expansion of the red cell exchange transfusion service and the delivery of novel curative gene therapies.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 trends in the level of access to NHS ear wax removal services on long-term costs to the NHS associated with avoidable hearing loss, including on a) mental health and b) falls of elderly persons.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made a specific assessment. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning local National Health Servies, including ear wax removal services, and must consider how best to improve population health and achieve best value for money.
ICBs commission these services in line with the recommendations for ear wax removal as set out in guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that GP practices are able to provide NHS-funded ear wax removal services, particularly for patients at risk of hearing loss.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local population. This includes commissioning ear wax removal services in line with the recommendations for ear wax removal as set out in guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations
This may involve commissioning general practices (GPs) or other providers, to whom GPs may refer patients, to provide ear wax removal services.
Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by NICE due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so GPs will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.
However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP may then refer the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 (a) reinstate and (b) standardise NHS provision of ear wax removal in primary care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local population. This includes commissioning ear wax removal services in line with the recommendations for ear wax removal as set out in guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations
This may involve commissioning general practices (GPs) or other providers, to whom GPs may refer patients, to provide ear wax removal services.
Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by NICE due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so GPs will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.
However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP may then refer the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 impact of trends in the level of the utilisation of hospice beds on NHS capacity and costs; and if he will make it his policy to allocate £100 million funding for hospices in 2025-26 and a further £100 million in April 2026.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As hospices are independent, charitable organisations, the Department and NHS England do not collect data on the level of utilisation of hospices. Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that hospices also play in providing support to people at the end of life and their loved ones, as well as alleviating pressure on NHS services.
In December 2024, we announced that we were providing £100 million of capital funding for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England. This was split across two financial years, with hospices receiving £25 million to spend in 2024/25 and £75 million to spend in 2025/26.
I am pleased to say that we can now confirm we are providing a further £25 million in capital funding for hospices to spend in 2025/26.
Furthermore, children and young people’s hospices have received £26 million of revenue funding for 2025/26 and we are also providing £80 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.
We are in a challenging fiscal position across the board. At this time, we are not in a position to offer any additional funding beyond that outlined above. However, we are trying to support the hospice sector in other ways.
The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. As part of the MSF, we will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting integrated care boards to commission more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.