Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the prescription of Fampridine as a treatment for MS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and departmental officials have regular discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on a range of issues, including in relation to its guidelines.
NICE’s guideline on the diagnosis and management of multiple sclerosis in adults, published in June 2022, recommends that fampridine should not be offered to treat mobility issues in people with multiple sclerosis as it is not found to be a cost-effective treatment.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 introducing standardised charges for (a) non-core GP services and (b) the D4 medical check for drivers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are some medical evidence letters, certificates, or reports that general practices (GPs) may charge for, and other certificates that they must not charge patients for. The legislation that sets this out is the General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services Regulations, which forms the basis of the GP Contract with the National Health Service. The D4 medical checks are considered private work.
The Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association suggests guideline fees for such services to help doctors set their own fees, and in some instances, have agreed standardised fees directly with organisations for some public services. For GPs setting their own fees, we would expect practices to charge a reasonable sum for any workload involved, and to forewarn patients at the earliest opportunity.
The Government is intent on reducing the burden of administrative tasks and unnecessary bureaucracy. This includes encouraging the use of alternative evidence where medical evidence is not part of the GP Contract, and this may include hospital discharge letters, previous reports, or prescriptions, as in many cases these will be accepted as evidence.
The Government and NHS England have launched a Red Tape Challenge to cut down on bureaucracy, to free up time to spend with patients. The 10-Year Health Plan set outs our commitment to deliver the recommendations of the Red Tape Challenge, which includes ensuring that GPs can spend less time filling in forms and more time caring for patients.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 help ensure that essential home adaptations required for hospital discharge are (a) supported and (b) delivered in a timely manner.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The statutory ‘Hospital discharge and community support guidance’ outlines that health and care systems and providers should collaborate to share information early to support a safe and timely discharge, minimise issues that may disrupt care provision, and ensure necessary home adaptations and equipment are considered, while also requiring local authorities to engage housing services to provide support and advice where needed.
In January, we published a new policy framework for the Better Care Fund, which requires local areas to agree joint plans, developed in collaboration with local housing authorities, that achieve more timely and effective hospital discharge.
Housing adaptations, including those delivered through the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) play a key role in supporting these objectives by funding changes that help people remain well, safe, and independent at home for longer. We have provided an additional £172 million across this and the last financial year to uplift the DFG, which could provide around 15,600 home adaptations to give older and disabled people more independence in their homes. This brings the total funding for the DFG to £711 million in 2024/25 and 2025/26.
Alongside this, local authorities have a statutory duty under various legislations, including the Care Act 2014 and the Children and Families Act 2014, to ensure provision of community equipment and disability aids in order to meet the assessed eligible needs of individuals who are resident in their area, which help support independent living at home. This facilitates safe discharge into the community from hospital and prevents avoidable admissions into acute services, such as hospitals or care homes.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 paediatric care in hospitals.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and improving paediatric care in hospitals will be critical to achieving this ambition. Through the Elective Reform Plan, we have set out how we will deliver the 18-week referral target for all those waiting for care by March 2029, including children and young people. The Plan is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/reforming-elective-care-for-patients.pdf.
The Urgent and Emergency Care Plan 2025/26, published jointly by the Department and NHS England on 6 June 2025, also outlines increasing the number of children seen within 4 hours of attending A&E as a priority area. To achieve this, NHS trusts have been asked to make use of urgent treatment centres and to revise services and standards to meet the needs of children and young people. The Plan is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 help improve (a) early diagnosis and (b) treatment of osteoporosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In July, we published the 10 Year Health Plan, which committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030. We have invested in 13 new bone density, or DEXA, scanners, which are expected to provide up to 29,000 extra scans per year to ensure people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.
We are also working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with integrated care board leaders to further reduce musculoskeletal community waiting times and improve data and metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.
In the last three years, two new drugs have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women, Abaloparatide and Romosozumab. These medications help to strengthen the bones and prevent bone loss, thereby reducing the risk of fractures.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 the support available for people diagnosed with osteoporosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In July, we published the 10 Year Health Plan, which committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030. We have invested in 13 new bone density, or DEXA, scanners, which are expected to provide up to 29,000 extra scans per year to ensure people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.
We are also working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with integrated care board leaders to further reduce musculoskeletal community waiting times and improve data and metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.
In the last three years, two new drugs have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women, Abaloparatide and Romosozumab. These medications help to strengthen the bones and prevent bone loss, thereby reducing the risk of fractures.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 help ensure that parents with children in hospital have access to care close to their home.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 3 July 2025, the Government published the 10-Year Health Plan, setting out its vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service to bring care into local communities, transform access to health services, and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions. This will mean millions of patients, including children with complex and chronic needs, are treated and cared for closer to their home.
The Government aims to establish a Neighbourhood Health Centre in every community by 2035, building care closer to where children live, learn and play. We have launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, which will support systems across the country to test new ways of working, share learning, and scale what works. This Programme will inform future strategy and policy development, and outcome metrics will be rigorously monitored.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The latest adult psychiatric morbidity survey, published on 26 June 2025, provides data on the prevalence of both treated and untreated mental health disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions in the adult population in England, those aged 16 years old and over. This is the first survey since 2014 and covers the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of part 1 of the survey are available at the following link:
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 suffering a mental health crisis are able to access suitable treatment quickly.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Substantial progress has been made in building more robust crisis care pathways across all ages and in all regions, ensuring that people in a mental health crisis can receive the right care. However, the 10-Year Health Plan sets out our ambitions to go further.
The plan commits to increasing capacity for urgent mental health care by developing dedicated mental health emergency departments (MHEDs), thereby ensuring patients get fast, same-day access to specialist support in an appropriate setting. We will invest up to £120 million to bring the number of MHEDs to approximately 85, meaning there will be one co-located, or very close to, 50% of existing type 1 accident and emergency units. This expansion builds on a number of early implementer sites that have been established in recent years by local health systems to provide a dedicated therapeutic alternative to emergency departments for individuals in a mental health crisis.
This is building on the £26 million in capital investment in 2025/26 to support people in a mental health crisis, including opening new mental health crisis centres across England, which aim to provide accessible and responsive care for individuals in a mental health crisis.
In addition, we are piloting six, 24 hour a day, seven day a week neighbourhood mental health centres which provide support to individuals with severe mental illness, without needing to book an appointment.
People of all ages in England experiencing a mental health crisis can speak to a trained National Health Service professional at any time, 24 hours a day, via the NHS 111 service. This service gives people the chance to be listened to by a trained member of staff who can help direct them to the right place.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
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 the availability of beds at psychiatric inpatient units.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we need to focus treatment away from hospital and inpatient care and improve community and crisis services. Through our 10-Year Health Plan we will make sure more mental health care is delivered in the community, close to people’s homes, through new models of care and support, so that fewer people need to go into hospital.
NHS England has already begun piloting this innovative model of mental health care for people with serious mental health needs through six neighbourhood adult mental health centres that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and which bring together community, crisis, and inpatient care.
Integrated care boards have published plans to localise inpatient care by 2026/27 under the national commissioning framework for mental health inpatient services, improving both care quality and value for money.