Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of people diagnosed with breast cancer began treatment within the 62-day cancer target in the most recent reporting period.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Published data for the 62-day treatment standard of 85% shows that in February 2026, 66.9% of patients diagnosed with breast cancer began treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral. This data is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/
The Government is committed to improving performance against cancer waiting time standards, including the 62-day standard, and has set an ambition to meet these standards by the end of this Parliament. We are supporting this through expanding diagnostic capacity, streamlining cancer pathways, and providing targeted support to areas with the greatest challenges.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in the past year have waited longer than 28 days for diagnostic tests related to suspected Lung Cancer.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 ensure that people with epilepsy are represented through the work of the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, in the context of levels of risk of death during pregnancy for people with that condition.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to reduce ambulance handover delays at major hospitals in England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 regional disparities in treatment outcomes for patients diagnosed with Stroke.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 issue guidance to specialised neurology centres on the diagnosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current specific plans to issue guidance to specialised neurology centres on the diagnosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia.
The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
A timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support they need. We remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%. This ambition includes ensuring provision of a validated diagnosis of dementia subtype.
We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected this year.
As we develop this, we will consider what interventions should be supported to improve dementia care and diagnosis.
We are committed to publishing an interim product in September this year to feed into National Health Service and local government planning cycles, and will aim to publish the full modern service framework by the end of this calendar year as recommended by Baroness Casey.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding he has provided for services supporting people with post traumatic stress disorder in the last three years.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is not possible to identify the amount of funding specifically for services supporting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many people treated for PTSD will receive treatment in NHS Talking Therapies, which support other common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, as well as PTSD.
Depending on the circumstances of their case, individuals with diagnosed and undiagnosed PTSD may also be referred or could present themselves to most other forms of mental health provision, including community, crisis, and inpatient services, as well as to specific pathways for other conditions which may be co-occurring for some patients.
For 2026/27, overall National Health Service mental health spending is forecast to increase to a record £16.1 billion. The following table shows the amount of mental health spend for the past three years:
Year | NHS Mental Health Spend |
2025/26 | £15.7 billion |
2024/25 | £15.1 billion |
2023/24 | £13.9 billion |
Note: the figure for 2025/26 is forecast.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 reduce waiting times for psychological therapy.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that waiting times for psychological therapies are too long and is committed to improving timely access to care. We are expanding NHS Talking Therapies, which continue to meet their waiting time standards, and increasing capacity in mental health services generally by recruiting 8,500 additional mental health workers, with over 8,000 already in post. Alongside this, we are rolling out new community‑based and digital models of care, improving data on waits, and supporting self‑referral routes to help people access support earlier and reduce waiting times overall.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is children and young people diagnosed with depression to access child and adolescent mental health services in the last 12 months for which data is available.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The data for this question is unavailable. NHS England does not report waiting times data for specific conditions unless there is an existing waiting times standard, for example Children and Young People eating disorders or Early Intervention in Psychosis.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients are currently on waiting lists for specialist assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes quarterly Autism Waiting Time Statistics, which is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/autism-statistics
In December 2025, there were an estimated 254,108 people with an open referral for suspected autism in England. These are statistics in development and do not yet represent a complete picture of waiting times for autism assessments in England. Work to determine which provider organisations should be submitting data for autistic people is ongoing.
The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future, and reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities focus will improve early intervention and support.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to autism assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
The Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October, was explicit that ICBs and providers are expected to optimise existing resources to reduce long waits for autism assessments and improve the quality of assessments by implementing existing and new guidance, as published. In April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/autism-diagnosis-and-operational-guidance/
This guidance intends to help the NHS improve their autism assessment services and improve the experience for those referred to a service. More broadly, in December 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, launched the independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism.
The review’s interim report, published at the end of March, sets out the evidence reviewed so far on prevalence, describes the impact of rising demand for diagnosis and support, identifies where the evidence is uncertain, and outlines the key questions for the next phase. It does not offer final conclusions or recommendations.
The final report, due in the summer, will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.