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 of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 adequacy of the accessibility of other Sickle Cell Day units in the context of the closure of the Whitechapel unit.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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.
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 proposed changes to funding for non-clinical NHS departments on a) patient wait times, b) hospital running costs and c) hospital administration.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service providers are funded under the NHS payment scheme. When providing funding for services, the clinical and non-clinical elements of service provision are not distinguished, as a single overall price is provided.
We have, however, been clear about the need for providers to reverse the growth in corporate costs, which since 2018/19 have risen by 40%, or £1.85 billion, excluding pay and pensions. Providers have been asked to reduce that growth in corporate costs by half.
Those savings can then be reinvested in patient care, including to improve patient wait times.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 12 November 2025 to Question 87401 on Prosthetics and Wigs: Ethnic Groups, whether he will ensure that there is guidance or a requirement for NHS Trusts to procure breast prosthesis and wigs which meet the diverse needs of their patients, beyond the availability of such products through the NHS Supply Chain frameworks.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Supply Chain manages a framework agreement for the provision of external breast prosthesis and chest support garments, only which was renewed in November 2024. The framework provides the breadth of products available to meet National Health Service trusts and/or foundation trusts assessment and patient choice requirements.
The product ranges on the framework include a variety of materials, types, shapes, sizes, and colours to meet diverse needs, and all suppliers have some product ranges available in more than one colour. Some products are better suited to exercise and swimming, but the provision of a prosthesis is limited to a softie, which is textile based, immediately after surgery and a silicone based prosthesis once wounds have healed.
NHS trusts and foundation trusts are responsible for their own procurement activity to meet the requirements of their patients and clinicians. NHS England has a list of approved regional and national frameworks that NHS provider organisations can use, and they are encouraged to buy from a framework if it catalogues the particular product or service.
The accreditation standards required to be on the list cover a range of areas, from minimum contractual terms and conditions, robust supplier appointment and value for money assessment processes, through to the sharing of commercial and commission data with NHS England. Details and the list of accredited host organisations can be found at the following link:
NHS Supply Chain is on this list and is the main supplier of goods and services into the NHS.
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, pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2025 to Question 87400 on Prosthetics and Wigs: Ethnic Groups, whether he will make an assessment of the impact of limited access to suitable breast prosthesis on those patients.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Supply Chain manages a framework agreement for the provision of external breast prosthesis and chest support garments, only which was renewed in November 2024. The framework provides the breadth of products available to meet National Health Service trusts and/or foundation trusts assessment and patient choice requirements.
The product ranges on the framework include a variety of materials, types, shapes, sizes, and colours to meet diverse needs, and all suppliers have some product ranges available in more than one colour. Some products are better suited to exercise and swimming, but the provision of a prosthesis is limited to a softie, which is textile based, immediately after surgery and a silicone based prosthesis once wounds have healed.
NHS trusts and foundation trusts are responsible for their own procurement activity to meet the requirements of their patients and clinicians. NHS England has a list of approved regional and national frameworks that NHS provider organisations can use, and they are encouraged to buy from a framework if it catalogues the particular product or service.
The accreditation standards required to be on the list cover a range of areas, from minimum contractual terms and conditions, robust supplier appointment and value for money assessment processes, through to the sharing of commercial and commission data with NHS England. Details and the list of accredited host organisations can be found at the following link:
NHS Supply Chain is on this list and is the main supplier of goods and services into the NHS.