Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce guidance for public health research funders to ensure a geographical distribution of funding.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Department funds health and care research via its research operational arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), across England. The Department is committed to ensuring that research is inclusive and representative of the population geographically and demographically. Inclusion is one of the top four priorities for the NIHR, reported against publicly in the NIHR Annual Report.
From November 2024, the Department made inclusion a condition of NIHR funding for all domestic research awards. All applicants must demonstrate how their research will address existing inequalities including place-based inequalities in health and social care, and researchers will be held to account for delivering on their plans. Application guidance for our expectations for inclusive research can be found at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/who-we-are/research-inclusion/funding-application-guidance
The NIHR also published Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter in 2021 which identified seven areas of strategic focus, one of which was bringing more research to under-served regions. Subsequently, the NIHR published a Research Inclusion Strategy (2022 – 2027) which includes reaching underserved geographic communities. Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter is available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/best-research-best-health-next-chapter
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
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 adequacy of regional allocation of health research funding; and what steps he is taking to address differences in funding per head.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Department funds health and care research via its research operational arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), across England. The Department is committed to ensuring that research is inclusive and representative of the population geographically and demographically. Inclusion is one of the top four priorities for the NIHR, reported against publicly in the NIHR Annual Report.
From November 2024 the Department made inclusion a condition of NIHR funding for all domestic research awards. All applicants must demonstrate how their research will address existing inequalities, including place-based inequalities in health and social care, and researchers will be held to account for delivering on their plans.
The Department does not allocate research funding on a per-head population basis. Funding decisions are made through open competition and peer review to ensure support for the highest-quality research. The NIHR’s funding committees prioritise research that addresses the most important health and care evidence gaps, with strong potential for impact, and also consider scientific excellence and value for money.
The Department, through the NIHR, is taking action to ensure health research funding across England by targeting research in areas with significant health inequalities, encouraging applications from a wider geographical spread of institutions, and investing in research capacity in underserved regions. This includes establishing Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDC), Primary Care CRDCs, Health Determinants Research Collaborations, and support for new medical schools, alongside a Research Delivery Network (RDN) that operates across all regions in England. From April 2026, a new national RDN funding model for research delivery support aims to reduce regional variation in investment and expand opportunities to participate in research across all parts of the country.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment (a) his Department and (b) UKHSA has made of the potential risks of exposure to high ambient temperatures during pregnancy including (i) stillbirth, (ii) preterm birth and (iii) maternal health complications.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recognise that there are risks to pregnant women caused by exposure to extreme high temperatures, which are set out in the Adverse weather and health plan equity review and impact assessment 2024. This includes an assessment on stillbirth, pre-term birth, and maternal health complications.
The UKHSA provides a weather-health alerting system for England, which alerts the public, including specific vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, and public sector organisations to prepare for impacts of adverse weather, including high temperatures. Risks to health are communicated via heat-health alerts.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will instruct NHS England to notify each children’s hospice of the amount of NHS funding they will receive over the next three years.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
Children and young people’s hospices and integrated care boards will be informed of their children and young people’s hospice grant allocations for 2026/27 imminently. Communication regarding future allocations, for 2027/28 and 2028/29, will be sent once the 2026/27 process is complete.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
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 end of life care is included in community-based models under the 10-Year Health Plan.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
The Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework will put in place clear mechanisms to enable change and support the shift of care from hospital to community, as set out in our 10 Year Health Plan.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
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 reduce the number of people diagnosed with cancer in an emergency care setting in (a) Yorkshire and (b) England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. This will help cancer patients across England, including in Yorkshire.
The Government has now exceeded its pledge to deliver two million extra operations, scans and appointments, having delivered four-and-a-half million additional appointments as a first step to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the NHS constitutional standard, by March 2029.
To support earlier diagnosis, the NHS is improving referral and diagnostic pathways, including the use of non-specific symptom pathways for patients whose symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or abdominal discomfort, do not clearly align with a single cancer type. NHS England has also expanded general practice direct access to diagnostic tests, enabling faster investigation of concerning symptoms.
The forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. The goal of the Department of Health and Social Care is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
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 guarantee sustainable funding for hospices in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27 financial years.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan. I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.
The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to support a reduction of variation in access and quality. Some difference in provision may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
The Department is considering how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
We, alongside key partners NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will provide additional guidance on how hospices will be incorporated into new models of care under the NHS 10-Year Plan.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan. I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.
The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to support a reduction of variation in access and quality. Some difference in provision may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
The Department is considering how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
We, alongside key partners NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with hospices on the (a) NHS 10-Year Plan and (b) integrated neighbourhood teams.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan. I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.
The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to support a reduction of variation in access and quality. Some difference in provision may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
The Department is considering how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
We, alongside key partners NHS England, will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, in order to understand the issues they face.
Asked by: Harpreet Uppal (Labour - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to provide multi-year funding for (a) children's and (b) adult hospices through the forthcoming NHS 10 Year Plan.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Government will fix our broken National Health Service. Too many people towards the end of their lives are not receiving the support and care they deserve. We are determined to change that, by changing the way services operate, rather than by simply funding more of the same.
The plan draws directly from the extensive engagement we have undertaken with the public, patients, staff, and representatives from the palliative care and end-of-life care sector, including those working in the hospice sector. The 10-Year Health Plan reflects the Department’s Spending Review settlement.