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 she has made of the contribution of Maternity and Neonatal Independent Senior Advocates (MNISAs).
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 she has made of the potential impact of timely housing adaptations on unpaid carers.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
By supporting people to live more independently, home adaptations can reduce the extent of informal care that people require. This can have a positive impact on unpaid carers through improving their health and wellbeing, and reducing the amount of time they spend caring.
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 her Department will take steps to establish a national policy to protect 24/7 access to on-site hospital helipads.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Members to the answers provided on 16 July in response to Question 16317, and on 1 June in response to Question 2208.
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, in relation to the Government's review of the School Food Standards, what assessment the Department has made of the importance of eggs as a source of healthy protein in school meals.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Eggs are named in the protein food group of both the existing School Food Standards and the updated version proposed in the Department for Education’s recent consultation.
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 extent of the contribution of air ambulance charities to the delivery of specialist pre-hospital emergency care across the UK.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Whilst no specific assessment has made, we recognise that air ambulance charities are a lifeline to communities across the country, and I want to celebrate the extraordinary volunteers who keep these services flying. We are working closely with them across a range of areas to support their work, including taking steps to strengthen safety measures for helipads through the Onshore Landing Sites Group, and I was glad my Hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation, could lend his personal support when attending the Air Ambulance drop-in session in Parliament on 8 September.
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 her Department plans to pause the expansion of NHS England's advice and guidance policy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Advice and Guidance (A&G) is a longstanding policy which helps primary care clinicians and patients receive quicker access to specialist advice. Since the Government came to office, the A&G model has supported over three million patients to receive care in the right place without having to join elective waiting lists.
Alongside an extra 2,000 general practitioners (GPs) since the Government entered office, A&G is helping more patients to receive timely and appropriate care in primary and community settings. Together, this is one of the reasons that more than three quarters of patients are now reporting a ‘good’ overall experience with their GP.
Nevertheless, under A&G, the clinical threshold for a referral remains unchanged, and GPs should continue to make a clinical decision to refer for specialist care where that is in the patient’s best interest. We will continue to assess the safety of A&G and support providers to implement it effectively. We have commissioned an evaluation to understand the impact of A&G and producing templates for providers to use.
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 the next steps and expected timetable are for the development, testing and implementation of the fast-track care pathway for people living with motor neurone disease, announced on 5 August 2026.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the announcement by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 5 August, the Department is working at pace with local authorities, the National Health Service, voluntary organisations, the Motor Neurone Disease Association, and people with lived experience to develop a prototype fast-track pathway for people with motor neurone disease (MND). Over the coming months, we will engage with local authorities, integrated care boards, and other partners to test the deliverability of the proposed pathway, assess system readiness, and refine the model. The announcement is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/patients-with-motor-neurone-disease-set-for-fast-tracked-care
Unpaid carers will be closely involved in this work. By reducing delays in accessing support, improving coordination between health, social care, and housing services, and easing the burden of navigating those services, we expect the new pathway to benefit both people with MND and those who care for them.
To support carers more broadly, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to undertake carer’s assessments to support people caring for their family and friends who appear to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from them. To help local authorities fulfil their duties, including to unpaid carers, the Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. The Department also published The Unpaid Carers Action Plan in July, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unpaid-carers-action-plan-recognise-refer-reach
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 new MND fast-track care pathway's potential to improve outcomes for unpaid carers as well as patients.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the announcement by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 5 August, the Department is working at pace with local authorities, the National Health Service, voluntary organisations, the Motor Neurone Disease Association, and people with lived experience to develop a prototype fast-track pathway for people with motor neurone disease (MND). Over the coming months, we will engage with local authorities, integrated care boards, and other partners to test the deliverability of the proposed pathway, assess system readiness, and refine the model. The announcement is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/patients-with-motor-neurone-disease-set-for-fast-tracked-care
Unpaid carers will be closely involved in this work. By reducing delays in accessing support, improving coordination between health, social care, and housing services, and easing the burden of navigating those services, we expect the new pathway to benefit both people with MND and those who care for them.
To support carers more broadly, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to undertake carer’s assessments to support people caring for their family and friends who appear to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from them. To help local authorities fulfil their duties, including to unpaid carers, the Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. The Department also published The Unpaid Carers Action Plan in July, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unpaid-carers-action-plan-recognise-refer-reach
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 monitoring arrangements are in place to assess whether local authorities are accelerating Disabled Facilities Grant processes for people living with motor neurone disease.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In June 2026, the Government wrote to council leaders, asking them to take immediate steps to improve the timeliness and co-ordination of care and support for people with motor neurone disease and to consider how such approaches might also apply to people with similarly rapidly progressing needs. A number of local authorities have now introduced expedited pathways for people with rapidly progressing palliative conditions such as motor neurone disease. All local authorities have the flexibility to streamline Disabled Facilities Grant processes and provide faster support for people with urgent needs through their housing assistance policies.
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 is taking to ensure unpaid carers of people living with motor neurone disease receive timely carers' assessments and support alongside the new MND fast-track care pathway.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the announcement by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 5 August, the Department is working at pace with local authorities, the National Health Service, voluntary organisations, the Motor Neurone Disease Association, and people with lived experience to develop a prototype fast-track pathway for people with motor neurone disease (MND). Over the coming months, we will engage with local authorities, integrated care boards, and other partners to test the deliverability of the proposed pathway, assess system readiness, and refine the model. The announcement is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/patients-with-motor-neurone-disease-set-for-fast-tracked-care
Unpaid carers will be closely involved in this work. By reducing delays in accessing support, improving coordination between health, social care, and housing services, and easing the burden of navigating those services, we expect the new pathway to benefit both people with MND and those who care for them.
To support carers more broadly, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to undertake carer’s assessments to support people caring for their family and friends who appear to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from them. To help local authorities fulfil their duties, including to unpaid carers, the Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. The Department also published The Unpaid Carers Action Plan in July, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unpaid-carers-action-plan-recognise-refer-reach