Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his department has to assess the effectiveness of NHS health checks to ensure a) they are targeted at the right patients and b) checking for the correct conditions.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The NHS Health Check is designed to assess the top risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and refer people to further support through behavioural interventions, for example weight management, clinical assessment, and treatment where appropriate.

Programme guidance encourages commissioners and their providers to adopt a proportionate universalist approach, to ensure that checks are delivered in a way that prioritises resources and effort towards engaging people at higher risk of CVD.

A 2021 review found that the NHS Health Check programme had largely achieved its aims, reaching two in five eligible people, including those at higher risk of CVD, and delivering better outcomes for attendees.

In response to the review recommendations, the Department has prioritised improving access to and uptake of the programme through the ongoing development of the NHS Health Check Online and the piloting of CVD checks in workplace settings during 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to raise awareness of the link between obesity, kidney disease and heart disease amongst health care professionals and the public.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Government recognises the importance of raising awareness about the interconnectedness of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and kidney disease amongst healthcare professionals and the public.

To tackle unwarranted variation, support consistent, high-quality care across the cardiovascular disease pathway, and to support the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) shortly. In developing the CVD MSF, we are reviewing evidence and engaging stakeholders on a range of pathway areas and risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

The NHS Health Check programme, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease prevention programme, aims to detect people at risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and kidney disease in those aged between 40 and 74 years old. The programme plays a key role in raising awareness and assessing the top risk factors associated with these conditions and refers people for further support through behavioural interventions, for example weight management, clinical assessment, and treatment where appropriate.

The NHS Health Check Best Practice Guidance assists healthcare professionals to understand, identify, and manage cardiovascular disease risk factors alongside National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and how to communicate meaningful advice to patients following their health check.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the upcoming Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework will consider the impact of obesity and kidney disease on cardiovascular disease.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Government recognises the importance of raising awareness about the interconnectedness of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and kidney disease amongst healthcare professionals and the public.

To tackle unwarranted variation, support consistent, high-quality care across the cardiovascular disease pathway, and to support the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) shortly. In developing the CVD MSF, we are reviewing evidence and engaging stakeholders on a range of pathway areas and risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

The NHS Health Check programme, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease prevention programme, aims to detect people at risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and kidney disease in those aged between 40 and 74 years old. The programme plays a key role in raising awareness and assessing the top risk factors associated with these conditions and refers people for further support through behavioural interventions, for example weight management, clinical assessment, and treatment where appropriate.

The NHS Health Check Best Practice Guidance assists healthcare professionals to understand, identify, and manage cardiovascular disease risk factors alongside National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and how to communicate meaningful advice to patients following their health check.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish figures on the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children arriving in Kent each month since January 2024.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Home Office publishes data on the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. This data is published on a quarterly basis and is not broken down by location. As such, figures on the number of UASC arriving specifically in Kent each month are not routinely published.

Published data does show:

• The total number of UASC by claim quarter in table Asy_D01 of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions datasets’.
• The number of UASC arriving via small boats by arrival quarter in table IER_D02 of the ‘Illegal entry routes datasets’.

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

Found: present (Standing Order No. 137A): Dame Meg Hillier; Dame Harriet Baldwin; Chris Coghlan; Bobby Dean; Jim Dickson

Found: (Liberal Democrat; Dorking and Horley) Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat; Carshalton and Wallington) Jim Dickson

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Meg Hillier (Chair); Chris Coghlan; Bobby Dean; Jim Dickson;

Found: (Liberal Democrat; Dorking and Horley) Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat; Carshalton and Wallington) Jim Dickson

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Meg Hillier (Chair); Dame Harriett Baldwin; Bobby Dean; Jim Dickson

Found: (Liberal Democrat; Dorking and Horley) Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat; Carshalton and Wallington) Jim Dickson

Found: Declarations of interests Catherine West and Jim Dickson declared their interests, in accordance with

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Meg Hillier (Chair); Dame Harriett Baldwin; Bobby Dean; Jim Dickson

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Meg Hillier (Chair); Dame Harriett Baldwin; Bobby Dean; Jim Dickson

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Meg Hillier (Chair); Dame Harriett Baldwin; Bobby Dean; Jim Dickson