Caroline Johnson

As my rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out in the House, papers were shared with my rt. Hon. friend, Alan Milburn, on Privy Council terms. Nothing commercially sensitive was shared during these interactions. We have no plans to share such documentation with other Privy Councillors or hon. Members on Privy Council terms.

It is not unusual to share official documentation when appropriate based on the business need; for example with other Government Departments, NHS England, and other external experts.

As my rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out in the House, papers were shared with my rt. Hon. friend, Alan Milburn, on Privy Council terms. Nothing commercially sensitive was shared during these interactions. We have no plans to share such documentation with other Privy Councillors or hon. Members on Privy Council terms.

It is not unusual to share official documentation when appropriate based on the business need; for example with other Government Departments, NHS England, and other external experts.

As my rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out in the House, papers were shared with my rt. Hon. friend, Alan Milburn, on Privy Council terms. Nothing commercially sensitive was shared during these interactions. We have no plans to share such documentation with other Privy Councillors or hon. Members on Privy Council terms.

It is not unusual to share official documentation when appropriate based on the business need; for example with other Government Departments, NHS England, and other external experts.

Reducing elective waiting lists is a key part of getting the National Health Service back on its feet. Delivering 40,000 more NHS appointments per week is part of our commitment to get back to NHS standards, so that people can expect to wait no longer than 18 weeks for treatment. The next steps will be confirmed after the budget in October.

The Government is committed to a preventative approach to the public’s health. Keeping people warm and well at home, and improving the quality of new and existing homes, will play an essential part in enabling people to live longer, healthier lives, and reducing pressures on the National Health Service.

In deciding on Winter Fuel Payment eligibility, the Government had regard to the equality analysis, in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty requirements. The equality analysis was published on 13 September 2024, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/responses-to-freedom-of-information-requests-on-equality-impact-assessments-produced-for-targeting-winter-fuel-payment/dwp-freedom-of-information-response

The NHS is preparing for coming winter pressures as it does each year, and there will be an absolute focus on minimising long waiting times in accident and emergency and supporting patient safety.

We will continue to stand behind vulnerable households this winter. Support includes delivering the £150 Warm Home Discount for low-income households from October, extending the Household Support Fund with £421 million, to ensure local authorities can support vulnerable people and families, and ensuring around 1.3 million households in England and Wales will continue to receive up to £300 in Winter Fuel Payments. Through our commitment to protect the triple lock, over 12 million pensioners will benefit, with many expected to see their State Pension increase by more than £1,000 over the next five years.

The fuel poverty strategy for England, Sustainable warmth: protecting vulnerable households in England, was published in February 2021. The 2021 strategy is currently under review. The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Energy and Net Zero to ensure that fuel poor and health vulnerable households are supported.

National Health Service trusts are directed to follow clinical National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance when ensuring the delivery of safe and effective healthcare and would refer to this prior to an operation.

Questions asked of patients prior to a scan will depend upon the imaging modality, with ultrasound offered routinely as a part of antenatal care. Similarly, low field strength MRI is safe to use in pregnancy.

Imaging using ionising radiation, for instance x-rays or computed tomography scans, should be used with more caution and should prompt questions about whether a woman is pregnant. Clinicians will assess risks of ionising radiation against the benefits for maternal health. The RCE-9 report provides advice on protection of pregnant women during diagnostic medical exposures to ionising radiation. NHS England also provides guidance to support clinical teams in breast screening services, to deliver safe clinical practice in compliance with the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposures) Regulations.

NHS guidance also advises women to inform their healthcare provider that they are pregnant prior to an x-ray.

My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care meets regularly with the Chief Medical Officer to discuss key issues affecting the public’s health, including winter pressures.

The Government is committed to a preventative approach to public health, including support for households living in cold homes. The Government will invest an extra £6.6 billion over this Parliament in clean heat and energy efficiency, upgrading five million homes through solutions like low carbon heating and improved insulation. This will help keep people warm and well in their homes and help reduce pressures on the National Health Service.

The UK Health Security Agency publishes the Adverse Weather and Health Plan for England, which sets out a framework for action to protect the population, including the elderly and disabled people, from harm to their health from adverse weather, including excess cold.

While the information is not collected in the format requested, the following table shows the number of children in 2020, and the number of adults in 2022, living with diagnosed HIV infection in England, broken down by region:

Source: statistics are published by the UK Health Security Agency, and are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-annual-data-tables
Note: children are counted as those under 15 years old and adults are counted as those 15 years old or over.

In addition, the following table shows the number of adults living with diagnosed HIV infection in England, broken down by local authority, in 2022:

Source: statistics are published by the UK Health Security Agency, and are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-annual-data-tables

While the number of adults living with diagnosed HIV infection by local authority is available, the information on children is not held in the format requested. However, the number of children living with diagnosed HIV infection has reduced from 1,489 in 2013, to 225 in 2020. This is due to the success of antenatal screening, which has prevented vertical transmission of HIV, combined with the success of HIV treatment. HIV treatment has enabled those born with HIV to live into adulthood.

The Department is working with NHS England to cost a range of investments needed to return the National Health Service to meeting the elective and cancer waiting time standards, including doubling magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

The use of out of hours and weekend capacity remains at the discretion and autonomy of individual providers and systems, to choose the approach most suitable for their local context, where it is a cost-effective and sustainable means of delivery.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, along with the Department's arm’s length bodies, are fully committed to creating a fair health system that tackles health inequalities effectively. We will support appropriate spend on equality, diversity and inclusion where it helps us meet these aims and aligns with our health mission and priorities.

The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Hughes Report, and will respond as soon as possible.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future. We are considering how to take forward the Women’s Health Strategy for England.

The National Health Service website aims to provide health advice and guidance that is clear and easy to understand, and that helps everyone who uses the website find the information they need, so they can make informed decisions about their own health.

The Government understands the need for health information to be as clear as possible and to use language that is grounded in biological sex. However, we recognise that for some people, their gender identity is different from their biological sex.

The Department’s funding of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) ended in March 2023. NHS England’s Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, set out its commitment for the National Health Service to continue to support nurses, midwives, and allied health professions working in the NHS in England, with their CPD requirements.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not issued any specific guidance to the Department, NHS England, arms length bodies (ALBs) or NHS Trusts on using public funds to subscribe to Stonewall.

Guidance remains the same as set by the previous government.