Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether integrated care boards have issued best practice guidance on the provision of health and social care services for those with a learning disability.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are clear expectations of integrated care boards (ICBs) in relation to the commissioning of health services for people with a learning disability. The Model ICB Blueprint sets out the direction of travel for their role and functions in relation to commissioning services for the needs of their local population. Further information on the Model ICB Blueprint is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/strategic-commissioning-framework/
Each ICB is expected to have an Executive Lead for learning disability and autism to support the Board in addressing health inequalities, supporting equal access to health services, and planning to meet the needs of its local population of people with a learning disability and autistic people. NHS England has published guidance on expectations for Executive Lead roles which sets out further information, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/executive-lead-roles-on-integrated-care-boards/
There is a range of best practice guidance available to support ICBs to commission services for people with a learning disability, including guidance on Dynamic Support Registers and Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews, a service model for adults, and guidance for developing support and services for children and young people. Further information on all three guidance documents is available, respectively, at the following three links:
ICBs can also utilise NHS Futures, a digital collaboration platform which supports people working in health and social care to connect, share, and learn across organisations. NHS Futures has dedicated workspaces to support good practice, including resources on learning disability and autism.
The recently published NHS Medium Term Planning Framework emphasises the importance of improving outcomes for people with a learning disability, and our 10-Year Health Plan makes clear that people with disabilities are a priority group for more holistic, ongoing support from neighbourhood health services.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
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 (a) the quality of commissioning of social care services by local authorities and (b) the development of high-quality markets of service providers in local areas; and what steps he is taking to ensure factors other than volume and price are used by local authorities when commissioning social care services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.
In delivering their duties, local authorities should work closely with local providers to promote best practice and achieve a sustainable balance of quality, effectiveness, and value for money.
To ensure high standards of care, local authorities are assessed by the Care Quality Commission in how well they are delivering these commissioning and market shaping duties. Local authority assessment reports are published by the Care Quality Commission at the following link:
https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consult people in South Yorkshire about the potential fluoridation of drinking water.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan for England confirmed that we will assess the feasibility of the further rollout of water fluoridation where oral health outcomes are worst.
The National Dental Epidemiology Programme (NDEP) for England: oral health survey of 5 year old schoolchildren 2024 showed Yorkshire and the Humber to have the second highest prevalence of tooth decay by region in England.
We are currently engaging with Yorkshire Water on whether water fluoridation arrangements would be operable and efficient. This requirement must be completed before any subsequent decision and public consultation to fluoridate drinking water in South Yorkshire.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what cross-government work his Department is undertaking to prevent alcohol-related cancers.
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 Edinburgh South West on 28 July 2025 to Question 63912.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming alcohol labelling regulations will include warnings on the link between alcohol and cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.
Departmental officials are progressing this work, and at the appropriate time we will consult with stakeholders on the best ways to communicate the necessary information on the health risks to consumers through alcohol labels. As we take forward this work, we will consider emerging evidence and practice from other countries, including Ireland.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to require that mandatory alcohol labels include a warning about the risk of cancer associated with alcohol consumption.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.
Departmental officials are progressing this work, and at the appropriate time we will consult with stakeholders on the best ways to communicate the necessary information on the health risks to consumers through alcohol labels. As we take forward this work, we will consider emerging evidence and practice from other countries, including Ireland.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timeline is for the implementation of mandatory health labelling on alcohol products in England; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of delays to similar labelling legislation in Ireland.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.
Departmental officials are progressing this work, and at the appropriate time we will consult with stakeholders on the best ways to communicate the necessary information on the health risks to consumers through alcohol labels. As we take forward this work, we will consider emerging evidence and practice from other countries, including Ireland.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients are in medical trials at (a) Sheffield Teaching Hospital Trust, (b) Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust and (c) Nottingham University Hospital Trust.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research and research infrastructure via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research. The NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) supports the delivery of health and social care research, including recruitment to clinical trials and other types of research study, in all National Health Service trusts in England.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust currently has 57,581 participants enrolled in open studies on the NIHR RDN portfolio, with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust currently having 27,033 participants enrolled in such studies, and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust with 51,654 participants. This data covers both interventional and observational studies eligible for NIHR support which are recruiting at the relevant trusts.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South 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 merits of support for cancer Multidisciplinary Team Coordinators in improving the (a) accuracy and (b) completeness of blood cancer data collection.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes for all patients across England.
NHS England understands that data collection helps to improve the experiences of people with cancer, including blood cancer, and has committed to ensuring that every person diagnosed with cancer has access to personalised care. This includes needs assessments, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support.
My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced that a National Cancer Plan for England will be published this year, supporting the Prime Minister’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future and to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer. As part of the National Cancer Plan, we are committed to working closely with partners and patient groups to shape the long-term vision for cancer, including for blood cancer. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, including the design of services and the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the forthcoming National Cancer Plan and NHS Workforce Plan will together improve blood cancer patients' (a) outcomes and (b) experiences.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan will ensure that all cancer patients across England have access to the best cancer care and treatments. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, including the design of services and the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including those with blood cancer.
Recruitment to National Health Service roles is managed locally by NHS trusts and partner employers. However, NHS England is taking a range of actions to support the recruitment and retention of staff in the NHS cancer workforce. As of February 2025, there are over 1,800 full time equivalent doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is almost 150, or 8.9%, more than last year.
The NHS Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places to deliver the care all patients need, including blood cancer patients, improving outcomes and experiences. This will include expanding specialty training places in key cancer professions, such as histopathology, clinical radiology, and gastroenterology. Targeted national campaigns and outreach activities, for example in clinical oncology, also promote cancer career pathways, with a focus on increasing applications.