Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
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 fund a review to explore the extent to which surgical intervention can alleviate the symptoms experienced by individuals with pineal cysts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans to fund such a review. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice. NICE's interventional procedures programme assesses the efficacy and safety of interventional procedures used for treatment or diagnosis to determine whether they work well enough and are safe enough for use in the National Health Service.
NICE’s interventional procedures programme has not been notified of any procedure for the treatment of pineal cysts. If NICE receives a notification, any such procedure would be considered as part of established appraisal processes.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to support research to develop an early-diagnosis test for Lyme disease infection.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is not currently funding any research on early diagnostic tests for Lyme disease. The NIHR welcomes research proposals on Lyme disease and diagnostics.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of when the NHS will be meet its target of 92% of people waiting for elective mental health treatment waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to their first treatment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The overall elective waiting list stands at 7.48 million patient pathways, with over six million people waiting. We are committed to putting patients first, making sure that patients are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.
As set out in the Government’s Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. This includes those patients waiting for mental health services where a referral is made to a medical consultant-led mental health service. The majority of National Health Service mental health care is outside the scope of the elective waiting list and the referral to treatment 18-week constitutional standard.
We know that too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that mental health is given the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it. We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on hospitals.
The NHS Planning Guidance 2025/26 includes objectives to increase the number of children and young people accessing services to achieve the national ambition for 345,000 additional children and young people aged zero to 25 years old compared to 2019, and to reduce 12 hour accident and emergency waits. We will also ensure every young person has access to a mental health professional at school, and will set up Young Futures hubs in communities, offering open access mental health services for young people.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not have a policy which explicitly covers paid time off work and other support to employees who become kinship carers. Employees can take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or are able to request other special leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request flexible working to support both short term and longer-term arrangements.
As with all requests for time off under our policies, each case is taken on a case-by-case basis, and consideration to grant requests, either paid or unpaid, taken in line with our provisions.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to extend independent prescribing responsibilities to Occupational Therapists under the Medicines and Medical Devices Act (2021) where it is safe to do so.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Appropriately trained occupational therapists can already supply/administer medicines under a Patient Specific Direction (PSD) or a Patient Group Direction (PGD). A PSD is a written instruction from a prescriber for medicines to be supplied or administered to a specific patient or person. PGDs are a set of instructions which allow healthcare professionals to supply and administer specific medicines to pre-defined groups of patients without the need for them to be referred to a prescriber.
There is a process in place for making changes to prescribing responsibilities to ensure those changes are safe and beneficial for patients.
In late 2020, NHS England launched a series of public consultations seeking views on proposals to amend responsibilities for the prescribing, supply and/or administration of medicines for specific healthcare professionals.
The Department is working with NHS England to consider these consultations and other requests to progress the extension of responsibilities to supply, administer or prescribe medicines under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to regulated healthcare professionals, where a clear need and benefits have been identified.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to promote the use of Prescription Prepayment Certificates.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) promotes prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) as part of a wider communications plan for all of the Help with Health Costs services that it delivers. The NHS BSA and the National Health Service use social media, online resources, media releases, and healthcare bulletins to promote the PPC to professionals and patients, to ensure both groups are aware of their availability.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
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 the affordability of prescriptions on people with long-term conditions.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England. There are a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place, for which those with long-term conditions may be eligible, to support the affordability of prescriptions. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.
People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with three month and 12-month certificates available, and PPCs can be paid for in 10 direct debit instalments.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve health outcomes for survivors of acquired brain injuries.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government wants a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition such as an acquired brain injury (ABI), receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care, with their families and carers supported.
We will change the National Health Service so that it becomes not just a sickness service, but able to prevent ill health in the first place. This will help us be better prepared for the change in nature of disease and allow our services to focus more on the management of chronic, long-term conditions, like ABI, including rehabilitation where appropriate.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently developing guidance ‘Rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders including acquired brain injury’, which is expected to be published on 16 July 2025. More information is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10181
I met the original proponent of the ABI strategy, my Hon. Friend, Sir Chris Bryant MP, on 27 November 2024 to discuss ABI and we had a very fruitful discussion about what might be achievable in the both the short term and the longer term. Sir Chris remains a huge advocate for those that have suffered an ABI and I fully agree with him that the Government should, and importantly will, do more, including showcasing those areas that have effectively integrated post-hospital care and support, including rehabilitation, to other areas where patients are not getting the care and support they deserve.
A decision on next steps on ABI at the national level will be taken in due course.
Meanwhile, we have committed to develop a 10-year plan to deliver an NHS fit for the future. We will be carefully considering input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders as we develop the plan over the coming months. The engagement process has been launched and I would encourage stakeholders to engage with that process to allow us to fully understand what is not working as well as it should and what the potential solutions are, including on ABI. More information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's timetable is for the commencement of dentist contract renegotiations.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to National Health Service dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
There are no perfect payment systems and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver a system better for patients and the profession. We continue to meet the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to discuss how we can best deliver our shared ambition to improve access for NHS dental patients.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
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 increasing access to long-acting reversible contraception for heavy menstrual bleeding in primary care on (a) waiting times and (b) demand for secondary care gynaecology services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on heavy menstrual bleeding recommends an intrauterine system or hormonal coil, which is a form of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), as a first line treatment. In the women’s health strategy call for evidence, held in 2021, we heard about the challenges women faced accessing LARCs for the management of menstrual problems.
A cost benefit analysis on women’s health hubs conducted by the Department estimated that if 50% of LARC procedures for gynaecology were provided in women’s health hubs, it would produce a net saving of £1.8 million, and reduce pressures on secondary care gynaecology services. The cost benefit analysis is available at the following link:
The Department is continuing to work with NHS England to support the establishment of at least one pilot women’s health hub in every integrated care system, following a £25 million investment. Pilot women’s health hubs provide intermediate and streamlined care in the community, which reduces pressures on services such as secondary care referrals and general practice appointments. A core service offered by hubs is treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding, and the fitting or removal of a LARC. Cutting waiting lists, including for gynaecology, is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government.