Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UK and Eire Glaucoma Society 2025 consensus on Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact on secondary care services when patients are not offered a glaucoma intervention at the time of cataract surgery.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on the number of glaucoma patients who weren't offered a combined procedure to treat glaucoma at the time of cataract surgery is not held.
The best treatment options will be decided by the treating clinician, in discussion with the patient, considering an individuals’ clinical circumstances and relevant professional clinical guidance and best available evidence.
The Getting It Right First Time programme is also developing best practice guidance for glaucoma services, to support the consistent adoption of high standards of care from detection onwards.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UK and Eire Glaucoma Society 2025 consensus on Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery, what estimate he has made of the number of glaucoma patients who weren't offered a combined procedure to treat the condition at the time of cataract surgery in the last year.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on the number of glaucoma patients who weren't offered a combined procedure to treat glaucoma at the time of cataract surgery is not held.
The best treatment options will be decided by the treating clinician, in discussion with the patient, considering an individuals’ clinical circumstances and relevant professional clinical guidance and best available evidence.
The Getting It Right First Time programme is also developing best practice guidance for glaucoma services, to support the consistent adoption of high standards of care from detection onwards.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 expansion of the UK National Screening Committee’s remit to include consideration of targeted screening programmes on the evaluation of a wider range of screening options for conditions associated with lifestyle related risk factors.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Each year, over 15 million people are invited for screening by National Health Service screening programmes, with over 10 million taking up the invitation. Through our NHS screening programmes, we can reduce mortality and morbidity from cancer and other conditions in the population who appear healthy and have no symptoms, by detecting conditions at an earlier, more treatable stage.
The Government is advised on all screening matters by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which is made up of leading medical and screening experts. It is only where there is robust evidence that an offer to screen provides more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended.
Following its expanded remit, in 2022, the UK NSC recommended lung cancer screening to people between the ages of 55 and 74 years old who smoke or have previously smoked, a lifestyle related risk factor. The NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme is being rolled out across England.
During its three-month open call for topics, the UK NSC welcomes proposals that cover population screening or targeted screening topics. Any individual or organisation can submit a topic to the UK NSC to consider. The UK NSC will consider whether the proposal is within the UK NSC remit and, if so, how the topic should be explored further.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 increase access to weight loss jabs for long-term conditions.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Rushcliffe on 19 November 2025 to Question 89687.