Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding he plans to allocate for brain tumour research in the 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research is crucial in tackling cancer. The Department spends £1.5 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being the largest area of spend at over £121.8 million in 2022/23. The NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group, reflecting its high priority.
Brain cancer remains one of the hardest to treat cancers in both adults and children and we urgently need more research to inform our efforts, which is why in September, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure that the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation. Further information on the new research funding opportunities is available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-funding-opportunities-novel-brain-tumour-research-launched
The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including brain tumours. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 potential impact of the Major Conditions Strategy on outcomes for people with dementia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The plans to publish a final major conditions strategy were paused following the announcement of the general election. We are developing a 10-year plan to radically reform the National Health Service and build a health service that is fit for the future. As part of this work, we will consider how best to meet the needs of people with dementia.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to offer bowel cancer screening to people aged 50.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service in England has been gradually reducing the age for bowel screening from 60 years old down to 50 years old, since 2021/22. The extension to 50 years old is expected to be completed by 2025.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 promote Urology Awareness Month in September 2024.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has a number of existing partnerships to help promote awareness of urology conditions. NHS England is partnering with P-Wave on a campaign targeted at men, specifically focussing on blood in urine as a possible symptom of cancer. The partnership has seen more than 430,000 P-Wave urinal mats distributed around the United Kingdom since its launch, with the awareness message appearing in pubs, workplaces, and sporting and music venues. Further information is available at the following link:
NHS England is also partnering with major supermarkets to increase awareness of various health conditions, including urological conditions, via messaging on products like toilet paper. There is a specific focus on lower cost products reaching members of the public from lower socio-economic groups, supporting the National Health Service drive to reduce health inequalities.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS have received any complaints about politically motivated advantageous NHS treatment in the Birmingham area in (a) August and (b) September 2024.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not collected centrally. The annual release of National Health Service complaints data includes breakdowns of complaints by subject area, region, and integrated care systems area.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 8936 on Streptococcus: Screening, when he expects to receive the response of the UK National Screening Committee's findings on the outcome of the Group B Streptococcus trials.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded the GBS3 trial. It is looking at whether testing all pregnant women for Group B Streptococcus and giving them antibiotics reduces the risk of infection in newborn babies, compared to the current strategy in place in the United Kingdom. The current strategy in the UK is to offer antibiotics during labour to women who are considered at raised risk of their baby developing a Group B Streptococcus infection.
Recruitment to the trial ended in May 2024. The researchers are analysing the data, and a report is expected in Summer 2025. The UK National Screening Committee Secretariat is in close and regular contact with the researchers. The committee will review its recommendation considering the evidence from the trial, after the report is presented.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of diagnosis rates for genetic haemochromatosis.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
While data is not held centrally on diagnosis rates for genetic haemochromatosis, genomic testing for haemochromatosis is available through the NHS Genomic Medicines Service (GMS) for patients in England who show an unexplained iron overload, suggestive of genetic haemochromatosis. Any clinician who suspects haemochromatosis can order this testing via local genomic laboratory hubs.
Seven NHS GMS Alliances play an important role in supporting the strategic systematic embedding of genomic medicine in end-to-end clinical pathways and clinical specialities. They help to achieve equitable access to standardised end-to-end pathways of care, inclusive of genomic testing, clinical genetics, and genomic counselling services. The alliances also raise awareness among clinicians and the public of the genomic testing available through the National Health Service and drive this embedding across all providers within their geography, from primary and community care to secondary and tertiary care.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 17 November 2024 to Question 9340, when she plans to respond the correspondence of an East Londonderry constituent of 16 June 2023 on water fluoridation policy; and for what reason a response has not yet been provided.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Department received the hon. Members’ correspondence of 16 June 2023, and, with apologies, responded on 16 January 2024. We have resent the response to the hon. Member on 15 May 2024.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she expects to receive the outcome of the Group B Streptococcus trial before the House rises for the Summer adjournment.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The clinical and cost-effectiveness of testing for Group B Streptococcus: a cluster randomised trial with economic and acceptability evaluations trial current contract end date is 31 August 2025, therefore results will not be available before the House of Commons rises for the summer adjournment. The trial has finished recruiting participants and data extraction and analysis continues and the results will be available once both are completed. As with all research funded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, we expect findings to be submitted to the Department, and in the case of this trial, to the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) hosted by the Department. The UK NSC stands ready to review the findings of this research as soon as the results are shared.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of vaping on fertility.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Government has not yet assessed in detail the potential impact of vaping on fertility. A recent study reported in the media analysed blood samples from more than 8,000 women but this was not published in a medical journal and no other details of the research have been shared.
Our health advice will continue to advise all women planning to get pregnant, or who are pregnant, to stop smoking for their general health.
Overall, studies on the effects of vaping have so far shown that vapes are less harmful than smoking and can help people quit, although the long-term risks are unknown. We are exploring future opportunities with the United Kingdom research councils to examine the potential long-term harms from vaping.
To help pregnant smokers quit smoking, the Government is providing up to £10 million of investment over 2023/24 and 2024/25 via a financial incentives scheme. This evidence-based intervention, supported by behavioural support, will encourage pregnant women and their partners to quit smoking, and remain smokefree throughout pregnancy and beyond, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of both mother and baby.