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 adequacy of the diagnostic capacity of memory clinics in Oxfordshire.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Cutting waiting lists, including for diagnostic tests, is a key priority for the Government. We are committed to transforming diagnostic services, and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.
Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing. This will include more straight-to-test pathways, increasing and expanding Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), and better use of technology.
With 170 CDCs due to be up and running by the end of March 2025, CDCs can take on more of the growing diagnostic demand within elective care. We will also deliver additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new ones.
In Oxfordshire, we are currently working with the local population, including patients, carers, Age UK, and clinicians in primary care, mental health services, and acute hospital services, to develop a new strategy, Living Well with Dementia, to be implemented from April 2025. Within this work we are seeking to increase the rate of diagnosis by streamlining the referral processes into diagnostic and memory clinics, as well as the alignment with the other services that might be needed.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 24596 on Caesarean Sections, what steps he is taking with NHS England to ensure that women are not unnecessarily discouraged from having elective caesarean sections.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services recognises the importance of listening to women and families. It aims to ensure that women have clear choices, supported by unbiased information and evidence-based guidelines, and that all women are offered personalised care and support plans.
Personalised care and support plans take account of physical health, mental health, social complexities, and choices. Personalised care includes open, honest, and ongoing dialogue between a woman, her midwife, and other clinicians, to understand the care she wants.
If a woman would prefer a caesarean for non-medical reasons, they can ask their midwife or doctor, who will explain the overall benefits and risks of a caesarean to the woman and their baby compared with a vaginal birth. If, after discussing all the risks and hearing about all the support on offer, a woman feels that a vaginal birth is not an acceptable option, they should be offered a planned caesarean.
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, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expediting a NICE appraisal for Givinostat.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) works with companies on timelines for its evaluations of new medicines, and aims, wherever possible, to issue guidance close to the point of licensing to support rapid access for National Health Service patients to clinically and cost-effective medicines. The NICE’s timeline for its evaluation of givinostat was rescheduled at the request of the company, to facilitate a suitably comprehensive and robust submission. The NICE’s Appraisal Committee is due to meet to consider its recommendations on givinostat in May 2025.
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, if he will take steps to (a) increase diagnostic capacity at memory clinics, (b) prepare primary care, (c) increase numbers of specialists capable of prescribing new medicines, (d) adopt new diagnostic technology including blood biomarkers, (e) ensure adequate CT scanning capacity and (f) raise awareness among patients of new medications for Alzheimer's Disease.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.
Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing. This will include more straight-to-test pathways, increasing and expanding Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), and better use of technology. With 170 CDCs due to be up and running by the end of March 2025, CDCs can take on more of the growing diagnostic demand within elective care. We will also deliver additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new ones.
Alongside Alzheimer’s Research UK, the Alzheimer’s Society, Gates Ventures, and the People’s Postcode Lottery, the National Institute for Health Research is funding the Blood Biomarker Challenge, which seeks to produce the clinical and economic data that could make the case for the use of a blood test in the NHS to support the diagnosis of dementia.
New disease modifying drugs for Alzheimer’s disease are in development. NHS England is working closely with system partners to ensure that arrangements are in place to support the adoption of any new licensed and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-recommended treatments as soon as possible.
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, if he will have discussions with (a) Eisai Co., Ltd and Biogen Inc. and (b) Eli Lilly and Company on the production of disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease in the UK.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government deeply values its relationships with life science companies and is committed to getting treatments to National Health Service patients through our 10 Year Plan for the NHS. This will include a plan for procurement, giving a clearer route to getting products into the NHS, coupled with reformed incentive structures to drive innovation and faster regulatory approval for new technology and medicines. The Government engages regularly with companies on the production of disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease in the United Kingdom, such as those developed by Eisai, Biogen, and Eli Lilly, and where appropriate, ministers may be involved in this engagement.
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, when he plans to respond to the letter of 6 November 2024 from the Hon. Member for Henley and Thame on a constituent's concern over confectionary VAT added to his product designed to be a healthier option.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have received the Hon. Member’s correspondence of 6 November 2024, and responded on 23 January 2025, with the reference PO-1545237.
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 the Government if taking to reach an agreement to end collective action by GPs.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has accepted and implemented the independent pay review body recommendation of a 6% uplift in general practitioner (GP) pay, and has committed to hiring an extra 1,000 GPs.
We have announced a proposed £889 million uplift for GPs in 2025/26 and set out the proposed areas of reform. This is the largest uplift to GP funding since the beginning of the five-year framework and means that we are reversing the recent trend with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to GPs.
The Department and NHS England started consultation with the General Practitioners Committee in England, of the British Medical Association, on the 2025/26 GP Contract on 19 December 2024, and will consider all proposed policy changes. An announcement will be made before April 2025.
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 uptake rate was of the RSV vaccine by pregnant people in each of the last three years; and if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the uptake rate of the RSV vaccine by pregnant people in that time.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antenatal maternal vaccination programme for infant protection began in England on 1 September 2024. The first uptake data will be published on 30 January 2025.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes evaluations of national immunisation programmes, and will be evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the RSV maternal vaccination programme for infant protection once sufficient data is available. Immunisation programme effectiveness against hospital admissions is typically assessed using the test-negative case-control method.
To raise awareness of the potential vaccination benefits and increase awareness of the programmes amongst health professionals, parents, carers, and the wider public, the UKHSA provides a comprehensive suite of public facing resources and assets. This includes information leaflets in multiple languages and accessible formats, like easy read, British Sign Language, and braille. The UKHSA also provides comprehensive clinical guidance, including e-learning programmes and training for healthcare professionals.
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 criteria he plans to use to evaluate the respiratory syncytial virus immunisation method to protect infants in the June 2025 review.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antenatal maternal vaccination programme for infant protection began in England on 1 September 2024. The first uptake data will be published on 30 January 2025.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes evaluations of national immunisation programmes, and will be evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the RSV maternal vaccination programme for infant protection once sufficient data is available. Immunisation programme effectiveness against hospital admissions is typically assessed using the test-negative case-control method.
To raise awareness of the potential vaccination benefits and increase awareness of the programmes amongst health professionals, parents, carers, and the wider public, the UKHSA provides a comprehensive suite of public facing resources and assets. This includes information leaflets in multiple languages and accessible formats, like easy read, British Sign Language, and braille. The UKHSA also provides comprehensive clinical guidance, including e-learning programmes and training for healthcare professionals.
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 he is taking to help increase the uptake rate of the RSV vaccine during pregnancy.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme launched on 1 September 2024, and is being delivered by general practices and commissioned maternity services. NHS England has been working with systems, stakeholders, and partners to increase awareness and uptake of the RSV vaccine amongst pregnant women.
A system letter setting out the role of providers in advising pregnant women of their eligibility for vaccination was sent from the Chief Midwifery Officer for England, the National Clinical Director for Maternity, and the Chief Delivery Officer and National Director for Vaccination and Screening in August 2024.
NHS England has held webinars for health professionals on vaccination in pregnancy and with the midwifery and nursing teams delivering the RSV vaccine, to provide information on eligibility, outreach, and how to administer the vaccine before the programme started. Resources and information have been shared with maternity leads since the programme began, to increase awareness of the vaccine and ensure more women are booking their vaccination for when they become eligible at 28 weeks. Commissioned maternity services are also encouraged to have vaccination discussions with pregnant women early in pregnancy.
A range of communication materials have been produced by NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency, who are working with stakeholders, including parenting clubs, to disseminate information on vaccination in pregnancy through their channels.
RSV vaccination event data from all commissioned providers is made available to NHS England regional commissioning teams and their partner integrated care boards in a timely way. NHS operational vaccination data is being monitored closely at a local and national level, and is being used to drive further development of the programme.