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 he has made of the potential merits of collecting data on the number of attempted suicides attended by ambulance staff.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Brigg and Immingham on 1 December 2025, to Question 84585.
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 he has made of the adequacy of the support available to ambulance staff who attend traumatic callouts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The mental health of all National Health Service staff is a high priority, including ambulance staff as responders to emergency incidents.
Significant work is underway to strengthen the quality and consistency of suicide training across the health system. NHS England published Staying Safe from Suicide: Best Practice Guidance for Safety Assessment, Formulation and Management to support the Government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/staying-safe-from-suicide/
At a national level ambulance staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction. Additionally, ambulance trusts and the Association of Ambulance Trust Chief Executives have worked closely with NHS England to develop an ambulance sector specific suicide prevention pathway to provide immediate support 24/7 for staff experiencing suicidal ideation.
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 he has made of the adequacy of suicide prevention training provided to ambulance staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The mental health of all National Health Service staff is a high priority, including ambulance staff as responders to emergency incidents.
Significant work is underway to strengthen the quality and consistency of suicide training across the health system. NHS England published Staying Safe from Suicide: Best Practice Guidance for Safety Assessment, Formulation and Management to support the Government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/staying-safe-from-suicide/
At a national level ambulance staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction. Additionally, ambulance trusts and the Association of Ambulance Trust Chief Executives have worked closely with NHS England to develop an ambulance sector specific suicide prevention pathway to provide immediate support 24/7 for staff experiencing suicidal ideation.
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 he has made of the effectiveness of the Adult Social Care Digital Transformation Fund; and what plans he has for the future of the fund.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Digitising Social Care programme, which ended in April 2025, aimed to improve the digitisation of the adult social care sector. As part of this programme, the Digital Transformation fund enabled integrated care boards to support care providers to adopt digital social care records (DSCRs) and other care technologies.
80% of Care Quality Commission registered adult social care providers now use a DSCR, up from 41% in December 2021, benefitting 89% of people who draw on care. DSCRs have been shown to deliver significant productivity benefits, releasing at least 20 minutes of admin time per care worker, per shift. The widespread rollout of DSCRs also provides the foundation for more joined up and better-informed care. An independent report evaluating the impact of the Digitising Social Care programme is planned for publication in Spring 2026.
Building on the work of the Digitising Social Care programme, we are investing in the development of national data infrastructure for social care to lay the foundations for improved integration with National Health Service systems. We are also working to set new national standards for care technologies so that people can confidently buy and use technology which supports them or the people they care for.
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.