Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of recognising Essential Tremor as a disability.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. The Act defines ‘long-term’ in this context as having lasted, or being likely to last for, at least 12 months, or likely to last for the rest of the life of the person.
This could cover individual people who have Essential Tremor, where the condition has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to commission research on (a) essential tremor and (b) other neurological movement disorders.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department delivers research into neurological movement disorders via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). For example, the NIHR is funding the first James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership on essential tremor, which will bring together clinicians and families to understand the current unmet needs in the management and care of this group of patients and the challenges of living with essential tremor.
The NIHR is also funding a phase III trial, investigating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of rivastigmine patches in preventing falls for people with Parkinson’s disease. This approach is complemented by the STEPS II trial, which will determine if daily use of functional electrical stimulation improves walking speed in people with Parkinson’s disease.
Whilst there is no current funding call specifically for neurological movement disorders, the NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care and topics proposals can be submitted via the NIHR website at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic
These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on neurological movement disorders to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of Eli Lilly’s decision to increase the list price of Mounjaro by up to 170 per cent from September 2025 on people using the drug; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people continue to have affordable access to this treatment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As we shift the focus from treatment to prevention through our 10 Year Health Plan, we are determined to bring revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them, not just those who can afford to pay.
NHS England has worked with Eli Lilly to ensure that the list price increase will not affect National Health Service commissioning of tirzepatide in England as a treatment for eligible patients, and we remain committed to the rollout of this medicine as a weight loss treatment based on clinical priority. This will enable 220,000 eligible people to access the medication over the first three years. Not everyone who wants tirzepatide will be able to access it at first, and the initial eligibility criteria will be for people with a body mass index of 40 or more in addition to four or more qualifying comorbidities.
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have also entered equivalent agreements to maintain their current commissioning approaches.
Pricing in the private market is a matter for Eli Lilly and for private providers. Private patients who are impacted by price increases should discuss any concerns with their private provider. This includes their options regarding payment plans, alternative treatments, and/or stopping or tapering off their current medication. Eli Lilly is working with private providers to support continued patient access.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
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 (a) help tackle supply chain issues relating to (i) Desmopressin and (ii) Hydrocortisone and (b) manage risks for patients who require access to these medications.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of supply issues affecting desmopressin nasal spray for which the Department issued comprehensive communications to healthcare professionals in March 2025. This included advice on alternative medications, such as desmopressin oral products, and on how to manage affected patients during this time. Where alternative medications are not appropriate, the Department has reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed desmopressin nasal spray for patients. Guidance on ordering these is included in the shortage guidance. The Department has highlighted to prescribers the risk of omission or delay in treatment in patients with arginine vasopressin deficiency (AVP-D).
We are also aware of supply issues affecting hydrocortisone sodium phosphate 100mg/1ml solution for injection. Hydrocortisone sodium succinate 100mg powder remains available for patients. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to healthcare professionals on how to manage patients while supply is disrupted. The guidance highlighted the differences between the two hydrocortisone injections. It also included resources for patients and healthcare professionals on how to administer the alternative hydrocortisone injection.
The Department will continue to work closely with the manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to medicines. Any patient who is worried about their condition should speak to their clinician in the first instance.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
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 Trusts uphold their legal obligations under the (a) Equality Act 2010 and (b) duty of care for staff returning from serious illness such as cancer.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We hugely value all National Health Service staff and are committed to improving organisational culture and working conditions, so we can keep staff healthy, motivated, and retain their valuable skills.
A cancer diagnosis is regarded as a disability under the Equality Act 2010, which means that employers have a duty of care to consider any reasonable adjustments to help the employee to return to work in a timely and safe way, and with their health needs in mind.
NHS trusts are expected to have local policies and procedures in place to support staff who have long-term health conditions, including cancer.
The NHS Terms and Conditions of Service handbook sets out interventions that should be considered under the Employment Rights Act 1996 when managing an employee’s return to work. There are tools and resources available to employers to assist their employees returning to work, and this includes NHS England’s NHS Health and Wellbeing framework, and the Sickness Absence toolkit published by NHS Employers. Further information on the NHS Health and Wellbeing framework and the Sickness Absence toolkit is available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.nhsemployers.org/toolkits/sickness-absence-toolkit
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of not including prostate cancer referral guidance for asymptomatic men in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines on prostate cancer relate to symptomatic patients. Guidance on prostate cancer referral for asymptomatic men can be found in the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prostate-cancer-risk-management-programme-overview
NICE guidelines do not provide guidance on screening of asymptomatic people which is the responsibility of the UK National Screening Committee.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his letter to the hon. Member for Dorking and Horley, dated 4 June 2025, if he will set out the legislative vehicles his Department are considering to address the identified shortcomings in mental capacity law.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 4 June 2025, I wrote to Fiona Laskaris and the Hon. Member for Dorking and Horley, Chris Coghlan MP to confirm my commitment to review the full range of policy and legislative levers in relation to the practical application of mental capacity law. This important work requires careful consideration. The most recent meeting with officials was on 17 June, and we will set out our plans in due course.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's planned timetable is for its public consultation on the application of mental capacity law.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 4 June 2025, I wrote to Fiona Laskaris and the Hon. Member for Dorking and Horley, Chris Coghlan MP to confirm my commitment to review the full range of policy and legislative levers in relation to the practical application of mental capacity law. This important work requires careful consideration. The most recent meeting with officials was on 17 June, and we will set out our plans in due course.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what oversight exists to (a) monitor and (b) audit legal expenditure by NHS Trusts in Employment Tribunal cases.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Neither the Department nor NHS England monitor or audit legal expenditure by National Health Service trusts in Employment tribunal cases. NHS trusts are responsible for overseeing their own Employment Tribunal cases, which would include monitoring and auditing the legal expenditure. Legal expenditure in Employment Tribunal cases may however be subject to financial audit scrutiny by the NHS trusts’ external auditors, subject to local audit materiality.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for completion of the TRANSFORM trial into prostate cancer screening.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The TRANSFORM study, funded in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, will look at new ways of screening for prostate cancer, and will include a national randomised control trial that will provide the definitive data for policymakers to decide on whether screening for prostate cancer should be recommended. The study is broken down into three phases: Phase 1, between 2025 and 2027; Phase 2, between 2028 and 2033; and Phase 3, between 2034 and 2043.
Phase 1 is focusing on making the trial run smoothly, testing a number of different possible screening approaches, and also determining the best way to engage men in the community to take part in the study. Critically, it is also determining the best form of randomisation to carry out. Recruitment for phase one is currently open.
Phase 2 will take forward the most robust randomisation strategy and the most promising screening approach or approaches with tens of thousands of consenting participants, in order to prove that these new screening strategies are beneficial.
Phase 3 will involve monitoring the trial participants over the following 10 years to determine the long-term impact of screening on rates of disease progression and survival.