Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to outline what interim arrangements will be put in place to ensure care and support for people with very severe ME, following the decision to pause development of a national specialist service for this group.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government published the ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan in July 2025, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mecfs-the-final-delivery-plan
The plan focuses on three main areas to improve care and support for those with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease. It also sets out a series of actions, which will help address the key challenges and drive forward improvements to outcomes and quality of life for people living with ME/CFS in England.
The Department worked closely with ME/CFS patients, carers, clinicians, charities, research funders and researchers throughout the development of the plan. This engagement has helped to shape new and more ambitious actions that deliver meaningful change for the ME/CFS community.
Due to transformation in NHS England, the decision has been made to delay the action to review a case for a specialised service commission until April 2027. Until this time, integrated care boards (ICBs) should continue to commission appropriate services for patients with very severe ME/CFS as needed. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of services for all severity levels of ME/CFS. NHS England and the Department are developing a new template service specification for mild and moderate ME/CFS which will include reference to severe and very severe ME/CFS. Officials, alongside stakeholders, are considering interim measures to support people with very severe ME/CFS.
The Department and NHS England will continue to work with stakeholders across and beyond government and the NHS to progress the agreed actions set out in the plan and to ensure the best possible care for people with ME/CFS.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that individual needs are assessed and met through Specialist Provision Packages.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of developing a joint workforce plan with the Department for Health and Social Care to support sustainability of Experts at Hand service.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, including delivery of the Experts at Hand offer, strengthening joint workforce planning and commissioning at a local level between education and health partners.
We are investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer, strengthening mainstream education through access to health and specialist education support.
To support delivery, we are investing over £40 million in the specialist workforce, including £26 million to increase educational psychologists and £15 million to grow the speech and language therapy workforce.
Local area partnerships will develop and deliver their own Experts at Hand, tailored to local population needs and supported by strong national oversight. The government will set the overall framework, provide guidance and tools, and work closely with local areas to ensure consistent quality.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Department can outline how many NHS outpatient services for ME/CFS are currently operational in England, and how many of these accept referrals for patients with severe or very severe ME/CFS.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan, published in July 2025, includes an action for the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for very severe myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
The third and final session in NHS England’s ME/CFS e-learning series, Managing Severe ME/CFS, is now live on the NHS Learning Hub. This session provides practical, evidence-based guidance to support people living with severe and very severe ME/CFS, and has universal access. There is also an additional version of this module, which is only available to healthcare professionals, and includes clinical guidance on severe and very severe ME/CFS.
NHS England has already started its work on co-designing resources, including a ‘template service specification’ for mild/moderate ME/CFS services, to support systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS. NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have met with a group of key stakeholders to move this work on. This template will now include reference to severe ME/CFS.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had since the publication of the Final Delivery Plan for ME/CFS regarding the commissioning of a specialised service for people with very severe ME/CFS.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan, published in July 2025, includes an action for the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for very severe myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
The third and final session in NHS England’s ME/CFS e-learning series, Managing Severe ME/CFS, is now live on the NHS Learning Hub. This session provides practical, evidence-based guidance to support people living with severe and very severe ME/CFS, and has universal access. There is also an additional version of this module, which is only available to healthcare professionals, and includes clinical guidance on severe and very severe ME/CFS.
NHS England has already started its work on co-designing resources, including a ‘template service specification’ for mild/moderate ME/CFS services, to support systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS. NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have met with a group of key stakeholders to move this work on. This template will now include reference to severe ME/CFS.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the reuse and retrofitting of existing buildings as a lower carbon alternative to demolition and new build construction.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department recognises that the reuse and retrofitting of existing buildings can offer significant carbon benefits compared to demolition and new build, by avoiding emissions associated with new materials and construction. Improving the efficiency of existing homes and buildings, currently responsible for around one-fifth of UK emissions, is key to reducing energy demand, cutting bills and supporting energy security.
Through the Warm Homes Plan the Government is prioritising upgrades to existing buildings including insulation, solar panels, batteries and low-carbon heating, alongside reforms to standards and advice to support high quality retrofit. New development will continue to play a role, and the Government has recently published the Future Homes Standard to ensure that new homes and non-domestic buildings are built with low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency.