Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance has been issued on the use of inclusive language by NHS staff with respect to the LGBTQ+ community.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No guidance has been issued to National Health Service staff about the use of inclusive language. The Government expects the NHS to deliver services in line with the Equality Act 2010, having appropriate regard to protected characteristics as defined in the act.
NHS England has the document, A national framework for NHS – action on inclusion health, which defines inclusion health as an umbrella term used to describe people who are socially excluded, who typically experience multiple interacting risk factors for poor health, such as stigma, discrimination, poverty, violence, and complex trauma, which includes ensuring the needs of LGBT+ people are considered. The framework is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/a-national-framework-for-nhs-action-on-inclusion-health/
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (b) other lung health issues feature in the 10-year NHS plan.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will consider the change needed to meet the three health mission goals, which are: a fairer system where everyone lives well for longer; a National Health Service that is there when people need it; and fewer lives lost to the biggest killers.
We will carefully be considering policies with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders as we develop the plan.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 children from Eastbourne constituency to access support from Sussex CAMHS.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long, including in areas such as the Eastbourne constituency. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across both adult, and children and young people’s mental health services.
The Department for Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Education to consider how to deliver our commitment of providing access to a specialist mental health professional in every school. Alongside this, we are working towards rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment NHS England has made of the potential impact of the Royal Marsden Man Van project on prostate cancer testing in areas with high rates of late diagnosis.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has not made a specific assessment.
We will find the safest and most effective way to screen for prostate cancer. The Department is investing £16 million into the Prostate Cancer UK led Transform screening trial, which seeks to diagnose prostate cancer as early as possible. This trial will compare the most promising tests that look for prostate cancer in men that do not have symptoms, and aims to address disparities in early detection rates across different groups.
NHS England has funded 10 clinical audits, which includes audit work on prostate cancer. Using routine data, collected on patients diagnosed with cancer in a National Health Service setting, the audit will look at what is being done well, where it’s being done well, and what needs to be done better. This will seek to reduce unwarranted variation in treatment and reduce inequalities across different groups.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 reduce levels of stigma experienced by people with HIV within the health and social care system.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The latest Positive Voices Report published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in January 2024 made it clear that stigma continues to be experienced by people living with HIV.
HIV Prevention England, funded by the Department, hosted a HIV Stigma Symposium in March 2024 which brought together approximately 100 community experts, activists, healthcare professionals, and affected individuals to discuss the impact of HIV stigma. This showcased the innovation and effectiveness of stigma reduction strategies being implemented across the country.
The Department, the UKHSA, NHS England, and a broad range of system partners are developing a new HIV Action Plan which will include a focus on stigma. We aim to publish this by summer 2025.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to implement an advanced brain injury strategy.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government wants a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition such as an acquired brain injury (ABI), receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care, with their families and carers supported.
We will change the National Health Service so that it becomes not just a sickness service, but a service that is able to prevent ill health in the first place. This will help us be better prepared for the change in the nature of disease, and allow our services to focus more on the management of chronic, long-term conditions, like ABIs, including rehabilitation where appropriate. A decision on the next steps on ABI at the national level will be taken in the coming months.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 improve NHS workforce training on HIV (a) awareness and (b) treatment.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The standard of training for doctors is the responsibility of the independent, statutory health care regulatory bodies and higher education institutions who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and determine the content of their curriculum, in line with General Medical Council guidelines.
Individual National Health Service trusts are responsible for investing in post-registration training to ensure that staff can effectively deliver sexual and reproductive health services, including HIV treatment. In addition, NHS England’s e-Learning for Healthcare includes a range of programmes and material which focus on HIV.
The Department, the UK Health Security Agency, NHS England, and a broad range of system partners are developing a new HIV Action Plan and considering the next steps needed for the workforce within it. We aim to publish this by summer 2025.