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, when he expects to publish the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework; and if he will set out the planned timetable for its implementation.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) will be published later this year.
The Department and NHS England are working together to deliver the CVD MSF, and as part of this, are considering how the modern service framework can be implemented in the community, as well as parts of primary and secondary care.
Wide engagement with stakeholders is underway to co-produce the CVD MSF, ensuring that experts, people, and communities are at the heart of its development.
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 is the criteria for disabled people to access transport from the Ambulance Service for hospital appointments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Non-Emergency Patient Transport Schemes (NEPTS) often provide funded transport where a medical condition means that a patient would struggle to safely attend their treatment independently. NEPTS can be provided by ambulance trusts or other providers depending on local arrangements.
In 2019, NHS England set out updated eligibility criteria, which includes disability criteria, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/B1244-nepts-eligibility-criteria.pdf
We want disabled people’s access to, and experience of, healthcare services to be equitable, effective and responsive to their needs.
NEPTS in England is an operational matter for the National Health Service and how the NEPTS guidance is implemented at a local level is determined by integrated care boards and their partners, including local ambulance trusts.
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, whether he will review the mileage allowance for health and social care staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Mileage rates for Agenda for Change staff and resident doctors in England are set out in the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service (TCS) Handbook, also known as the Agenda for Change handbook. The TCS is maintained by the NHS Staff Council. Mileage reimbursement rates in England are reviewed twice a year in April and November.
The outcome of the last review in November 2025 resulted in reimbursement rates reducing due to sustained decreases in fuel prices for the 12-month period ending in October 2025. Reimbursement rates dropped to 56 pence per mile for the first 3,500 miles claimed before dropping to 21 pence per mile thereafter. The revised rates apply to mileage incurred from 1 January 2026 onwards.
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, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of overcrowding in emergency departments on infection control.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All health and social care providers have statutory obligations, set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008: code of practice on the prevention and control of infections, to undertake steps to keep patients, residents, and staff safe. Ensuring patient and public safety in all areas where healthcare is provided is a priority, and infection prevention and control (IPC) is a core component of safe, high-quality care, regardless of care setting. More information about these obligations is available at the following link:
The National infection prevention and control manual for England contains guidance on Standard Infection Control Precautions, which are to be used by all staff, in all care settings, at all times, for all patients whether infection is known to be present or not. This manual is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/national-infection-prevention-and-control-manual-nipcm-for-england/
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 his Department has allocated to counselling services for victims of rape and sexual assault in 2024-2025.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We cannot provide the information on this as the Department does not hold a single, centrally allocated budget line specifically for counselling services for victims of rape and sexual assault. Funding for these services is provided through a combination of routes, including National Health Service-commissioned mental health services, and through funding administered by other departments.
NHS England also funds sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) which provide crisis care, medical and forensic examinations, and onward referral to other support services. NHS England spent £57.6 million on SARCs in 2024/25.
More widely, the 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country, including victims of rape and sexual assault. This includes transforming mental health services into 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres, improving assertive outreach, expanding talking therapies, and giving patients better access to 24/7 support directly through the NHS App.
The plan will build on the work that has already begun to bring down waiting lists. This includes providing an extra £688 million in Government funding this year to transform mental health services, to hire more staff, deliver more early interventions, and get waiting lists down.
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 prevent double payments in clinical negligence cases.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports.
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, whether he plans to develop a workforce strategy to provide support for diabetes patients.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a National Health Service workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different service areas and professional groups, such as those that support diabetes patients.
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 a robust audit of diabetes services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The National Diabetes Audit (NDA), and the National Peadiatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA), which are delivered in partnership with NHS England, provide comprehensive data on care processes and outcomes.
NHS Digital’s NDA dashboards and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s NPDA dashboards are designed to help integrated care boards, providers, and paediatric diabetes units benchmark themselves and target improvements. Further information on NHS Digital’s NDA dashboards and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s NPDA dashboards is available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/NPDA-dashboards
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 his Department is taking to increase the number of nurses and midwives.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
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 support exists for children under 16 diagnosed with Long Covid.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
NHS England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist long COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, and investing in ensuring general practice (GP) teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition. Since April 2024, in line with the National Health Service operating framework and the establishment of integrated care systems, the commissioning of services to support patients with long COVID, including children, has been the responsibility of integrated care boards. Where local long COVID services are not available, children and young people with long COVID symptoms should see their GP, who will be able to refer them to alternative existing services depending on their clinical needs.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment for long COVID. This includes a new funding opportunity for a development award which is focussed on the feasibility of a phase 2 platform clinical trial that tests multiple repurposed pharmaceutical and/or non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, and long COVID.
We have also funded research specifically focused on long COVID in children and young people, including the approximate £1.9 million CLoCk study jointly funded by the NIHR and the MRC. The study developed an agreed definition of long COVID in children and young people and associated symptoms, to improve understanding of the condition and help harmonise research.