Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, If he will make a comparative assessment of the adequacy of NHS care at (a) weekends and (b) weekdays.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service is committed to ensuring safe, high-quality care is available to patients seven days a week, whether they require emergency treatment or ongoing care. While there are natural variations in activity levels between weekends and weekdays, such as lower elective activity at weekends, hospital teams prioritise urgent care needs to ensure timely and effective treatment regardless of the day. Hospital staffing on weekends is designed to address the severity of patients' conditions and the demands on services.
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
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 that people facing homelessness are discharged safely from hospital in winter 2024-25.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have published guidance and supporting materials for health and care staff on discharging people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness. This ensures that every health and care interaction with a homeless person acts as an opportunity to provide support and signposting, with the aim of ending rough sleeping. The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the development of the Government’s plans for social and affordable housing. Further information on the published guidance and supporting materials for health and care staff on discharging people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness, is available at the following link:
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was between referral for and receipt of a colonoscopy in each trust in each year between 2020 and 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data is not held centrally on the average waiting time between referral for and receipt of a colonoscopy in each National Health Service trust, each year between 2020 and 2024.
Data is published on the median waiting times nationally for colonoscopies. The median waiting times value represents the point at which 50% of people have been in the waiting list for more than this value, and 50% of people have been in the waiting list, waiting less than this value. It does not directly capture the time from the referral to the test.
The following table shows the median waiting time measured in weeks, in August, which is the latest published month of data, each year from 2020 to 2024.
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Median waiting time | 8.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.1 |
Source: monthly activity and waiting list data for diagnostics is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average overall cost for bowel cancer patients was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on the average overall cost for bowel cancer patients is not specifically recorded.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has set out how the Department will receive an additional £22.6 billion in resource spending in 2025/26, compared to 2023/24, which will support the National Health Service to deliver 40,000 additional elective appointments a week, to help bring down waiting lists, which includes appointments for cancer patients.
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
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 the number of colonoscopy procedures in each of the next five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not publish data on future projections for colonoscopy procedures, including projections over the next five years. However, demand modelling is a routine part of our work.
The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services, including for colonoscopies, and will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services.
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
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 support the implementation of Artificial Intelligence in the diagnosis of bowel cancer; and whether he has made an assessment of the barriers to effective adoption of that implementation.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the importance of innovation and artificial intelligence (AI) in improving cancer diagnosis. We are supportive of the use of AI to support the diagnosis of many types of cancer, including bowel cancer. New AI technologies are being developed with the potential to accelerate the diagnosis and treatment for diseases such as cancer. The NHS AI Lab has provided £113 million, through the NHS AI Health and Care Awards, to 86 AI technologies, which are live in 40% of National Health Service acute trusts in England, and hundreds of Primary Care Networks across the United Kingdom. Many of these AI technologies are being tested to support with cancer diagnosis.
The Department is carrying out work to assess the barriers to effective adoption and improve the way AI tools are deployed across the NHS through a number of initiatives. The NHS AI Lab’s Ethics Initiative invests in research and practical interventions that could strengthen the ethical adoption of AI within health and care, and addresses risks and concerns over their use. Additionally, the NHS AI and Digital regulations service, in partnership with healthcare regulators, gives innovators and health and care providers a one-stop-shop for support, information, and guidance on the regulation and evaluation of AI technologies.
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
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 adult social care workforce retention.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Skills for Care data shows improvement in workforce retention in adult social care, the staff turnover rate decreased from 29.1% in 2022/23 to 24.8% in 2023/24 in the independent and local authority sectors. This may be partly due to the increase in international recruitment.
Whilst much of the responsibility for recruitment and retention rests with adult social care employers, we are committed to ensuring the adult social care workforce feels supported, recognised, and there are opportunities to develop and progress, all of which contribute to retention. On 10 October 2024, recognising the central role of our care workforce, we took a critical step, introducing the legislation that will establish the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for care professionals. More information is available at the following link:
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3737
Fair Pay Agreements will work to empower workers, employers, and others in partnership to negotiate pay and terms and conditions in a regulated and responsible manner and will help to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the sector, in turn supporting the delivery of high-quality care.
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
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 access to dental care for rough sleepers who are not eligible for full public funding due to their immigration status.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the importance of reducing barriers to services for those experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping. This is why we supported the development and implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance, which provides recommendations on ways to improve access to, and engagement with, health and social care services for people experiencing homelessness. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng214
Certain groups of patients, such as rough sleepers, may be vulnerable to oral health problems and may find it difficult to access dental care. Integrated care boards are responsible for assessing the needs of their population and ensuring that the relevant dental services are available. Individuals with no recourse to public funds including failed asylum seekers remain eligible to receive help with dentistry costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Dentists are not required to ask for proof of identity, proof of address or proof of immigration status from individuals applying to become an NHS patient.
We are tackling the immediate dental crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and to recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
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 access to optometry services for rough sleepers who are not eligible for full public funding due to their immigration status.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Individuals can apply for help with the cost of sight tests and glasses through the NHS low-income scheme. This includes people seeking asylum, refused asylum seekers in receipt of Home Office support and some refugees who will be eligible for cost exemption certificates. Furthermore, NHS England have recently taken steps to ensure that having no fixed abode should not prevent access to sight tests.
The Department of Health and Social Care recognises the importance of reducing barriers to services for those experiencing rough sleeping. This is why we supported the development of NICE guidance which provides recommendations on ways to improve access to, and engagement with, health and social care services for people experiencing homelessness.
More broadly, there are some services that are free at the point of use for all patients regardless of immigration status. These include, for example, accident and emergency services.
Asked by: Deirdre Costigan (Labour - Ealing Southall)
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 improve maternity services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the significant issues within maternity services. We are determined to ensure all women and babies receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care.
We are committed to providing support to trusts failing on maternity care, which includes tailored support for those trusts to make rapid improvements using hands-on intensive support through the Maternity Safety Support Programme.
We are working to address workforce issues, including committing to recruit thousands of new midwives. NHS England is boosting the midwifery workforce through undergraduate training, apprenticeships, postgraduate conversion, return to midwifery programmes, and international recruitment.
We are continuing to work with the National Health Service as it delivers its three-year maternity and neonatal plan to grow our maternity workforce, develop a culture of safety, and ensure all women, babies and families receive more equitable care.