Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps have been taken to help ensure that waiting times for ophthalmic services are not causing people to seek private emergency eye care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On the general issue of waiting times for ophthalmic National Health Services, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 11 September in the House of Lords in response to Question HL2582.
Information on NHS waiting times broken down by provider and region is published on a monthly basis at the following link:
https://data.england.nhs.uk/dashboard/rtt
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of waiting times for ophthalmic NHS services in North Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On the general issue of waiting times for ophthalmic National Health Services, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 11 September in the House of Lords in response to Question HL2582.
Information on NHS waiting times broken down by provider and region is published on a monthly basis at the following link:
https://data.england.nhs.uk/dashboard/rtt
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has estimated the cost to the public purse of improving the standard of the maternity and neonatal estate classed as condition category C in NHS England's Maternity and Neonatal Infrastructure Review, published on 11 September 2025, to condition category B.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No estimate has been made of the specific costs requested by the Hon. Member. However, we have announced the investment of an initial £271 million through the Estates Safety Fund to be used for resolving urgent safety issues in the maternity and neonatal estate, as part of a £6.75 billion investment over nine years to tackle the poorest-quality facilities within the National Health Service estate and ensure safe environments for healthcare delivery.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has estimated the cost to the public purse of improving the standard of the maternity and neonatal estate classed as condition category D in NHS England's Maternity and Neonatal Infrastructure Review, published on 11 September 2025, to condition category B.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No estimate has been made of the specific costs requested by the Hon. Member. However, we have announced the investment of an initial £271 million through the Estates Safety Fund to be used for resolving urgent safety issues in the maternity and neonatal estate, as part of a £6.75 billion investment over nine years to tackle the poorest-quality facilities within the National Health Service estate and ensure safe environments for healthcare delivery.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential merits of considering GP availability in the planning stages of housing developments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, including planning, securing, and monitoring, services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practice, in each local area. ICBs should evaluate the needs of the populations for which they are responsible and plan service provision as required.
The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to determine how the developer contributions system can be strengthened and improved to support the planning and delivery of the required social infrastructure in areas of population growth.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department has taken to ensure adequate access to GP surgeries in areas with new housing developments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, including planning, securing, and monitoring, services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practice, in each local area. ICBs should evaluate the needs of the populations for which they are responsible and plan service provision as required.
The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to determine how the developer contributions system can be strengthened and improved to support the planning and delivery of the required social infrastructure in areas of population growth.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to ensure that x-ray results are received by patients within the national average of two weeks.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ensuring patients receive prompt diagnostic test results, including X-rays, is an important priority for the Government. NHS England guidance, published in August 2023, sets a maximum reporting timeframe of four weeks, or 28 days, from image acquisition. All National Health Service providers and imaging networks are expected to comply with this guidance and improve practice to meet the standard. Data published in July 2026 shows that 98% of radiographs were reported within 28 days in quarter four of 2025/26.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will outline the Department's timeline for the implementation and delivery of the Modern Services Framework on cardiovascular disease.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) was published on 7 July, and work is already underway on implementing the measures set out. A delivery plan to further support the implementation of the CVD MSF will be published later this year.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) hospital admissions relating to adrenal crisis, and (b) subsequent fatalities in hospital settings have been recorded in each of the last five years.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold separately identifiable data on hospital admissions and subsequent fatalities relating specifically to adrenal crisis.
On the wider action being taken regarding the availability of emergency hydrocortisone injections, I refer the Hon. Member to the response given on 22 April to Question 126862, and to the response given on 25 June to Question 9822.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the suitability of currently available emergency hydrocortisone injection products for self-administration by patients experiencing an adrenal crisis.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold separately identifiable data on hospital admissions and subsequent fatalities relating specifically to adrenal crisis.
On the wider action being taken regarding the availability of emergency hydrocortisone injections, I refer the Hon. Member to the response given on 22 April to Question 126862, and to the response given on 25 June to Question 9822.