Asked by: David Baines (Labour - St Helens North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is working with NHS England and other relevant bodies in the development and implementation of Modern Service Frameworks.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is supporting the development of the modern service frameworks. NICE is also represented on the National Quality Board, along with other arm’s length bodies, that oversees the development of the modern service frameworks.
Asked by: David Baines (Labour - St Helens North)
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 availability of diagnostic and treatment pathways for Tourette syndrome across Integrated Care Boards; and for what reason Tourette syndrome has not been included in the scope of the Independent Review into mental health conditions
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing local population need and commissioning appropriate diagnostic and treatment pathways for neurological conditions, including Tourette syndrome. While the Department has not undertaken a national assessment of provision across ICBs, we recognise the concerns raised about variation in diagnosis and support. To help address this, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is working with ICBs to develop clear, consistent diagnostic and treatment pathways. The programme has appointed a clinical lead for children and young people's neurodevelopmental services, focusing on improving the assessment and management of Tourette syndrome.
The Independent Review into mental health conditions focuses on mental health conditions, ADHD and autism. Tourette’s is a neurological disorder and, therefore, it will be at the chair's discretion as to how far the review considers Tourette syndrome.
Asked by: David Baines (Labour - St Helens North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with ICBs on minimum waiting times for NHS services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There have been no discussions on minimum waiting times between my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the integrated care boards (ICBs).
ICBs plan activity to meet targets set in the planning guidance. This is an important step toward returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. Planning guidance for 2025/26 sets a target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement on current performance over that period.
Asked by: David Baines (Labour - St Helens North)
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) increase capacity on children's heart units and (b) ensure that children requiring treatment receive it in a timely manner.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need, including children awaiting specialist cardiac input.
As set out in the Plan for Change, we will return to the National Health Service’s constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT) by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. This includes for children awaiting elective care at children’s heart units.
Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts that will get us back to this standard. Through empowering patients; reforming delivery; and aligning funding, performance oversight, and delivery standards; we will ensure that all patients, including children with heart conditions, are seen as quickly as possible, in line with the RTT standard.