Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 extending eligibility for the meningococcal B vaccination to children and young people who were not eligible for the routine infant immunisation programme introduced in 2015.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Meningococcal disease is an uncommon but serious disease caused by meningococcal bacteria. The MenACWY vaccine offers good protection against several strains of meningococcal disease and is routinely offered to teenagers in school years 9 and 10. However, it does not protect against all strains. Other strains, such as Meningitis B (MenB), can circulate among young adults.
Decisions on vaccination programmes follow independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI does not currently recommend a routine MenB booster vaccination for adolescents and young adults, however the JCVI routinely reviews new evidence as it emerges and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has asked them to reexamine eligibility for meningitis vaccines.
The importance of raising awareness in parents, teenagers, and other adults about the signs and symptoms of meningitis remains key. There are a range of resources developed by the UK Health Security Agency, co-branded with the National Health Service, that set out these key messages and their importance, such as the teenage guide to immunisation.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to set out a timeline for the process and completion of the independent review of the prevalence of and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism announced on 4 December 2025.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The terms of reference for the independent review into mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism state that the review will take three to six months and will provide a short report to Department ministers, setting out conclusions and recommendations.
The review will examine the prevalence of these conditions, the factors driving recent increases in diagnoses, and the quality and consistency of support available. It will consider how people access assessment and treatment, the experiences of families and carers, and the support provided across education, health, and wider public services. It will also look at the role of diagnosis, early intervention, and prevention, and the wider social and cultural factors influencing demand for services.
The 10-Year Health Plan set out an ambitious reform agenda to transform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. We will go further by developing a new approach to mental health so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place. This will be informed by the independent review into prevalence and support for mental health, autism, and ADHD.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what will the independent review of the prevalence of and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism be used for.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The terms of reference for the independent review into mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism state that the review will take three to six months and will provide a short report to Department ministers, setting out conclusions and recommendations.
The review will examine the prevalence of these conditions, the factors driving recent increases in diagnoses, and the quality and consistency of support available. It will consider how people access assessment and treatment, the experiences of families and carers, and the support provided across education, health, and wider public services. It will also look at the role of diagnosis, early intervention, and prevention, and the wider social and cultural factors influencing demand for services.
The 10-Year Health Plan set out an ambitious reform agenda to transform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. We will go further by developing a new approach to mental health so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place. This will be informed by the independent review into prevalence and support for mental health, autism, and ADHD.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 the completeness and consistency of data recorded on people diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in NHS trusts.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Through the National Disease Registration Service’s Get Data Out programme, we will expand the data available to the public and researchers by publishing increased information on incidence, routes to diagnosis, treatments, and survival. We will use the Get Data Out programme to make data on rare cancers more granular, extending the publication of regular data to more individual rare and less common cancers by 2027. We will define and count recurrent cancers, starting with metastatic breast cancer. We will increase specificity of data to help us understand where interventions are needed, and how to make those interventions as effective as possible.
Through these National Cancer Plan actions, we will ensure that every person with secondary breast cancer has faster diagnosis and treatment, access to the latest treatments and technology, and high-quality support throughout their journey, while we work to drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Cancer Plan, what progress his Department has made on defining and counting recurrent breast cancers.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Through the National Disease Registration Service’s Get Data Out programme, we will expand the data available to the public and researchers by publishing increased information on incidence, routes to diagnosis, treatments, and survival. We will use the Get Data Out programme to make data on rare cancers more granular, extending the publication of regular data to more individual rare and less common cancers by 2027. We will define and count recurrent cancers, starting with metastatic breast cancer. We will increase specificity of data to help us understand where interventions are needed, and how to make those interventions as effective as possible.
Through these National Cancer Plan actions, we will ensure that every person with secondary breast cancer has faster diagnosis and treatment, access to the latest treatments and technology, and high-quality support throughout their journey, while we work to drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, from what date the National Institute of Clinical Excellence will be authorised to apply an increased cost-effectiveness threshold of £25,000 - £35,000 per quality-adjusted life year.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government intends to direct the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to apply the new cost-effectiveness threshold increase from April.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what analysis his department has undertaken of the staffing and capacity pressures identified in the Amos Review's interim report, and what options are being examined to support maternity and neonatal units facing these challenges.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to tackling the retention and recruitment challenges that face the National Health Service. This includes work in maternity and neonatal services to introduce a midwifery and nursing retention self-assessment tool, mentoring schemes, a Graduate Guarantee that has already delivered 700 additional roles for newly qualified midwives, and funded speciality training for neonatal nurses to have the additional skills they need to care for critically ill babies. In addition, the Department’s upcoming workforce plan will make sure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
Baroness Amos’ interim report details insights gathered so far in the national independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal care. Evidence is still being collected and analysed, and a coherent single set of national recommendations will be published in June. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will chair a new National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce that will address the interim insights and final recommendations of the investigation, forming them into a national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of expected outcomes for babies with spinal muscular atrophy living in areas (a) included in the in-service evaluation of newborn screening for SMA and (b) not included in the in-service evaluation.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the challenges faced by those living with rare diseases and their families and is committed to improving outcomes. This is why the National Health Service is planning a large-scale in-service evaluation (ISE) of screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in newborn screening services. This ISE is due to start in January 2027 and will offer screening to over 400,000 babies.
As the ISE is still in the planning stages, the Department has not yet made a comparative assessment of expected outcomes for babies identified through the evaluation compared with babies born in areas not included in the evaluation.
Babies born outside the evaluation would continue to receive the current standard of care, including access to specialist clinical assessment and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved treatments where clinically appropriate. Clinical decisions for babies with suspected or confirmed SMA are made by specialist clinicians, regardless of where a child is born.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has asked NHS England to investigate whether it would be appropriate and feasible for the ISE to be rolled out across the whole of England.
Any screening programme that would impact approximately 650,000 babies per year in the UK must be underpinned by high quality robust evidence that demonstrates that screening will do more good than harm. The ISE will help inform a future UK National Screening Committee recommendation on whether screening for SMA should be added to the NHS Newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken was for Integrated Care Boards to respond to correspondence from hon. Members in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his department has given to the Amos Review's interim report's findings that some women and families felt their concerns were not listened to during pregnancy and labour, and how this will inform future policy development.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In her interim report, Baroness Amos has identified a key issue of women and families being disregarded and not listened to during pregnancy and labour, repeatedly hearing from women and families about a lack of transparency, clear communication, and learning when things went wrong.
Unfortunately, too many women are not listened to by the National Health Service, and the Government has been clear that it is unacceptable. Health professionals need to listen to women and respond appropriately, and that is why we introduced Jess’s Rule and are rolling out Martha’s Rule to every acute hospital, which ensure patients get their voices heard and their concerns aren’t dismissed. We're putting women's voices at the heart of our renewed Women's Health Strategy, which will be published soon.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s maternity and neonatal taskforce will address the recommendations from the investigation when they are published in June, through the development of a national action plan. The taskforce will also hold the system to account for improving outcomes and experiences for women and babies. Families’ voices will be central to the taskforce.