Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support her Department is providing to NHS staff in Clinical Support Units (CSU) to allow them to transfer to other jobs within the NHS following the planned closure of CSUs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Activity is under way to ensure all services provided by commissioning support units (CSUs), along with all CSU staff, are mapped and destinations clarified, where a function will continue. Governance arrangements are in place across NHS England and the CSUs to oversee the transition of functions and the safe closure of CSUs.
Staff are being supported through this transition. The CSU Leadership Team hold regular all staff briefings where information on the transition and closure of the CSUs is cascaded. The CSUs are actively involving the trade unions. A job hub has been established to support existing CSU staff to find suitable alternative employment opportunities. A voluntary redundancy scheme has been completed within the CSUs that mirrors that within NHS England, and exits are being planned.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate availability of oestrogen and testosterone implants for women who are unable to use any other form of hormone replacement therapy.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are continuing to work closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to ensure safe access to these products. We have reached out to specialist importers who can source unlicensed medicines in order to find alternative sources of both oestrogen and testosterone hormone replacement therapy (HRT) implants, which are not licenced in the United Kingdom. We are aware of a specialist importer who is able to source unlicensed testosterone implants. The decision to prescribe an unlicensed imported medicine sits with the prescriber.
We are also engaging with companies globally to source supplies of HRT implants for UK patients. The MHRA is working closely with current importers of the product and encouraging applications to supply products through the licenced medicines route.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for her assessment of the adequacy of the availability of oestrogen and testosterone implants.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are continuing to work closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to ensure safe access to these products. We have reached out to specialist importers who can source unlicensed medicines in order to find alternative sources of both oestrogen and testosterone hormone replacement therapy (HRT) implants, which are not licenced in the United Kingdom. We are aware of a specialist importer who is able to source unlicensed testosterone implants. The decision to prescribe an unlicensed imported medicine sits with the prescriber.
We are also engaging with companies globally to source supplies of HRT implants for UK patients. The MHRA is working closely with current importers of the product and encouraging applications to supply products through the licenced medicines route.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his department has provided to (a) establish a medical school at the University of Derby, and (b) to do so in time for the 2027/28 academic year.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government welcomes the University of Derby’s commitment to establishing a medical school and to supporting the local community and boosting social mobility.
It is for the independent regulator, the General Medical Council (GMC), to approve new medical schools. The GMC has a clear set out processes that all prospective medical schools need to follow in order to receive approval to admit students and ultimately be added to the list of bodies that can award a Primary Medical Qualification.
The Government caps the number of places that it funds for each medical and dental school in England. We have not yet confirmed specific plans to make further places available, but were we to do so then we would run a bidding process led by the Office for Students, which all eligible medical schools would be invited to participate in.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
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 stabilise the supply of progesterone and other hormone replacement therapy medications.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy products, and the vast majority are in good supply.
We are aware of ongoing intermittent supply issues affecting Estradot (estradiol) patches due to global supply disruptions of this product. We continue to regularly engage with the supplier to expedite deliveries and stabilise supply where possible. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to healthcare professionals and Serious Shortage Protocols to enable community pharmacists to supply specified alternative estradiol patches, with the patient’s consent and without needing to seek authorisation from the prescriber.
We continue to work with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and Specialist Importers to source unlicensed estradiol and testosterone implants. We are not aware of supply issues with progesterone 100 milligram capsules which is licensed for hormone replacement therapy.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
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 support women who require hormone replacement therapy medication for management of long-term health conditions.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
We recognise the significant impact that menopause symptoms can have on women’s health, wellbeing, and daily lives. Improving support for women experiencing menopause is an important part of the Government’s wider work on women’s health.
The hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescription prepayment certificate covers eligible HRT medicines containing oestrogen and/or progesterone that are licensed for the treatment of menopause. It is valid for 12 months, costs £19.80, and can reduce costs for patients who need more than one prescription.
As announced in October, local authorities will be asked to include menopause in the NHS Health Check later this year. This will signpost eligible women in England to information on menopause, including symptom management, support, and diagnosis. Menopause and menstrual health conditions will also be priorities for the National Health Service’s new online hospital, due to launch next year, to improve access to specialist care.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) applications have been received under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme from people reporting disabilities resulting from the COVID-19 vaccination and (b) awards related to covid-19 vaccinations have been made through that scheme.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The latest data from the National Health Service Business Services Authority, the administrators of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), show that as of 3 October 2025 (a) 22,079 VDPS applications have been received through the scheme relating to COVID-19 vaccinations. Of these, following medical assessment, (b) 237 applications have resulted in a payment being awarded.
Information about COVID-19 claims to the VDPS is published on a quarterly basis by the NHS Business Service Authority. Data is available at the following link:
https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-covid-19
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
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 support NHS staff employed in Band 2 roles with pay and conditions.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 22 May, the Department accepted the headline pay recommendations made by the independent NHS Pay Review Body. This means Agenda for Change (AfC) staff in England, including Band 2 staff, have received a 3.6% uplift, giving them an above forecast inflation pay rise for the second year in a row. The process for the 2026/27 pay round is already underway, with the Department publishing its evidence to the Pay Review Bodies on 30 October.
We have also agreed to provide the NHS Staff Council with a funded mandate to negotiate changes to the AfC pay structure. We will work in partnership with the NHS Staff Council to implement these changes for 2026/27.
We continue to work in partnership with stakeholders, including trade unions and employers, to implement a suite of non-pay measures to improve working conditions for National Health Service staff, such as tackling violence against NHS staff and improving the application of the Job Evaluation Scheme.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to support the continued (a) development and (b) implementation of NHS England’s elective toolkit for aortic dissection in the context of the planned abolition of NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department will continue to support the implementation of NHS England’s acute aortic dissection toolkit which was published in 2022 by NHS England.
In collaboration with the ‘Earnest’ trial, NHS England will undertake a stocktake of implementation progress, the findings of which will be shared with regional commissioning teams and clinical networks to support further action as required.
NHS England’s national team is also working with the vascular and cardiac professional societies to develop a type B, elective aortic dissection toolkit, which is anticipated for publication in 2026.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) reviewing and (b) increasing the level of payment provided under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
I would like to reiterate my deepest sympathies to all those individuals who have experienced harm following vaccination, and to their families.
I recognise many of the concerns that campaigners have raised regarding the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). Their input will shape our ongoing consideration of reforms to the scheme.
In parallel, the Department continues to work with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the VDPS, to take further steps to improve the scheme, including through processing claims at a faster rate.
I will keep Parliament updated, as appropriate.