Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 help support men to access PSA blood tests on the NHS to check for early warning signs of prostate cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department continues to work with NHS England in the ongoing Help Us Help You Campaigns to raise awareness of prostate cancer and ensure men have access to the information and services they need to make informed decisions about their health.
Men who are concerned about their risk of prostate cancer, or who are experiencing symptoms, are encouraged to discuss prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing with their general practitioner (GP). The National Institute for of Health and Care Excellence has developed guidance for referring patients if prostate cancer is suspected after a physical examination using the suspected cancer referral pathway. The guidance advises clinicians to consider PSA testing only for those with certain symptoms outlined in the guidance.
The Government also published guidance for GP’s on advising men without symptoms of prostate cancer who ask about the PSA test. The guidance advises GPs should use their clinical judgement to manage asymptomatic men and those who they consider to be at increased risk of prostate cancer.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on how many occasions (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department have met with abortion providers since July 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and special advisers have held no meetings with abortion providers since July 2024.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS doctors banned from practising overseas have been found to be working in UK hospitals in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Neither the Department nor NHS England hold this information centrally.
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of all medical doctors, physician assistants, and physician assistants in anaesthesia, still legally known as anaesthesia associates and physician associates, practising in the United Kingdom. This includes those who have trained or worked overseas, and involves ensuring that they meet the necessary standards, skills, and knowledge to join its UK registers. The GMC is independent of the Government, being directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The GMC seeks and routinely receives information from overseas regulators when doctors who have been working in other countries apply to register with it. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has been clear that patient safety is paramount, and that any failings of the regulatory system must be addressed.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists offering NHS treatment to adults there are per 1,000 people in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2024/25, there were 0.36 dentists per 1,000 population in the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB). This is compared to an average across ICBs of 0.42 dentists per 1,000 in England. Data is not held for the East Midlands.
ICBs have also started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of National Health Service dentists. The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to promote awareness of screening for prostate cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead on 7 July 2025 to Question 63475.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 the NHS provides adequate support to digitally-excluded people in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Digital health tools should be part of a wider offering that includes face-to-face support with appropriate help for people who struggle to access digital services. Digital inclusion is a key priority for the National Health Service as it will support the shift from ‘analogue to digital’. It is one of the five national NHS England Health Inequalities Strategic Priorities, and they published a Digital Healthcare Framework which has guided the approach of integrated care boards.
In line with this, the Lincolnshire Integrated Care System (ICS) has collaboratively developed the Lincolnshire Health and Care Digital Inclusion Strategy 2025-2028 in partnership with ICS organisations and individuals with lived experience. A Patient Participation Group representative from Bourne actively contributed to the oversight group, and extensive engagement with the population groups most at risk of digital exclusion was carried out to support the development of the strategy.
Following on from previously successful initiatives in Mablethorpe utilising community-based digital learning and support from the voluntary sector, a project is underway in Boston, the highest area at risk of digital exclusion, which will provide digital community drop sessions for the local population until March 2026.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve migraine care in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraine, including those in Lincolnshire, such as the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit. The GIRFT programme published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving recognition and diagnosis of migraine by general practitioners. Additionally, the RightCare Toolkit sets out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraine, including those in Lincolnshire, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders.
The Royal College of General Practitioners has developed two e-learning modules about migraine and cluster headaches, which aim to raise awareness amongst primary care clinicians about the different types of migraine and their associated symptoms, and how to differentiate.
NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care for neurology services, to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including for those with migraine.
There are a number of policies outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan which have the potential to have a very positive impact on care for patients with migraine. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of technology will all support people to manage their long-term conditions, including migraine, closer to home.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS App will be enhanced to allow patients to manage appointments, medications, and view or create their own care plans. Patients will be able to manage their care in one place, giving them direct access and preference over the services they need. The My Medicines section will enable patients to manage their prescriptions, and the My Health section will enable patients to monitor their symptoms and bring all their data into one place. Patients will be able to self-refer to services where clinically appropriate through the My Specialist section on the NHS App. This will accelerate their access to treatment and support.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the quality of the treatment available to people with Leukemia in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to improving cancer care and access to innovative treatment in all regions of England, including for people suffering from Leukaemia in Lincolnshire. The National Health Service has exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, having now delivered over five million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to diagnosis and treatment.
The National Cancer Plan, due for publication later this year, will include further details on how the NHS will improve care for cancer patients and ensure patients receive high-quality treatment in a timely fashion. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, including the design of services and the experience and outcomes for people with cancer.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Question 74038 on Department of Health and Social Care: Social Media, how much his Department has spent on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024 by influencer.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The specific information breakdown requested is commercially confidential. However, significant payments to companies, £25,000 and over, are published by month as part of the Department’s transparency data. This includes companies used to deliver ‘influencer’ activity. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/spending-over-25-000--2
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main buildings in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Union Flag was flown 360 days on the Department’s main building in 2024 and, as of 10 September 2025, has been flown 242 days in 2025.