Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
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 impact of the planned increase in meat inspection charges by the Food Standards Agency on smaller abattoirs.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has calculated annual charge rates for controls conducted in meat premises in 2025/26 for England and Wales and has indicated that charges will continue to be offset by a taxpayer-funded discount scheme in that financial year. As in previous years it is the FSA’s intention that the discount for 2025/26 will provide the greatest proportional support to smaller businesses. The FSA is engaging with industry representative bodies on the charge rates and full details of these will be communicated to stakeholders and published on the FSA website at the end of February 2025. A separate exercise is being conducted in relation to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
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 people with type 1 diabetes with disordered eating in (a) Staffordshire and (b) other areas that are not included in the pilot scheme.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
To support improved treatment and care for people with type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) across the National Health Service, NHS England will:
- provide another year of funding for the five T1DE pilot sites, up to March 2026, to ensure sufficient patient numbers to support evaluation;
- review the pilot evaluation findings to inform future national strategy;
- seek additional national investment for T1DE treatment and care through the multi-year Spending Review, from 2026 to 2030;
- share pilot evaluation findings with all integrated care boards (ICBs) and make the case for local investment in T1DE from ICB baseline budgets, including support with potential commissioning approaches, which will be important if further national funding is not secured, and reflective of the fact that treating the consequences of T1DE is already a cost being funded by all ICBs, with the opportunity to improve both treatment and care and reduce activity and costs if the right care model and commissioning arrangements can be agreed; and
- share evidence with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and collaborate with a range of partner organisations on providing wider support for the NHS on T1DE.
In addition, each of the five new pilot areas is submitting quarterly data to the evaluation. The analysis of this data is to be included in a final evaluation report which NHS England expects to be able to publish, once complete, in September 2025.
In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent there are structured education programmes for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. All patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are invited to join the programme, along with any carers they may have.
The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB was not part of the T1DE pilot project funded by NHS England. The ICB will work with NHS colleagues to build upon the outcomes from the T1DE pilot.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish the outcomes of NHS England trials of bespoke services for patients with type 1 diabetes with disordered eating.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
To support improved treatment and care for people with type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) across the National Health Service, NHS England will:
- provide another year of funding for the five T1DE pilot sites, up to March 2026, to ensure sufficient patient numbers to support evaluation;
- review the pilot evaluation findings to inform future national strategy;
- seek additional national investment for T1DE treatment and care through the multi-year Spending Review, from 2026 to 2030;
- share pilot evaluation findings with all integrated care boards (ICBs) and make the case for local investment in T1DE from ICB baseline budgets, including support with potential commissioning approaches, which will be important if further national funding is not secured, and reflective of the fact that treating the consequences of T1DE is already a cost being funded by all ICBs, with the opportunity to improve both treatment and care and reduce activity and costs if the right care model and commissioning arrangements can be agreed; and
- share evidence with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and collaborate with a range of partner organisations on providing wider support for the NHS on T1DE.
In addition, each of the five new pilot areas is submitting quarterly data to the evaluation. The analysis of this data is to be included in a final evaluation report which NHS England expects to be able to publish, once complete, in September 2025.
In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent there are structured education programmes for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. All patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are invited to join the programme, along with any carers they may have.
The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB was not part of the T1DE pilot project funded by NHS England. The ICB will work with NHS colleagues to build upon the outcomes from the T1DE pilot.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will take steps to work with the Lead Ministers for Disability to help ensure disabled children receive specialist equipment in a timely manner.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024, the Minister for Social Security and Disability announced new Lead Ministers for Disability in every Government department. I am the Lead Minister for Disability for the Department of Health and Social Care.
The Lead Ministers for Disability will break down barriers to opportunity across the Government’s long-term missions. They will meet regularly to make sure that the Government is delivering on the commitment to put the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of everything we do, right across every department.
The Government is committed to ensuring that all children, including children with special educational needs and disability, receive the support they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives. The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with NHS England and the Department for Education to achieve this.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to issue guidance on the (a) roles and (b) responsibilities of (i) health, (ii) education, (iii) social care, (iv) education services and (v) the charitable sector for the provision of specialist equipment for disabled children.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population. NHS England Specialised Commissioning commissions complex disability equipment services, including communication aids, environmental controls, and prosthetics.
We expect ICBs to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In 2022, NICE published the guidance, Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education, which is available at the following link:
The Children and Families Act 2014 requires that education, health, and social care services must work together to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Local authorities are responsible for providing social care services for disabled children, which can include specialist equipment. The guidance on supporting disabled children and their carers is available at the following link:
Further guidance on the roles and responsibilities of different organisations in meeting the needs of children with SEND can be found in the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25
Since July 2015, NHS England has collected data quarterly from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision. This data looks at waiting times across the pathway to enable targeted action if improvement is required. NHS England is taking several steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment.
Data on the length of time taken to provide other equipment for disabled children is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
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 ensure that children with disabilities receive equipment in a timely manner.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population. NHS England Specialised Commissioning commissions complex disability equipment services, including communication aids, environmental controls, and prosthetics.
We expect ICBs to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In 2022, NICE published the guidance, Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education, which is available at the following link:
The Children and Families Act 2014 requires that education, health, and social care services must work together to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Local authorities are responsible for providing social care services for disabled children, which can include specialist equipment. The guidance on supporting disabled children and their carers is available at the following link:
Further guidance on the roles and responsibilities of different organisations in meeting the needs of children with SEND can be found in the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25
Since July 2015, NHS England has collected data quarterly from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision. This data looks at waiting times across the pathway to enable targeted action if improvement is required. NHS England is taking several steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment.
Data on the length of time taken to provide other equipment for disabled children is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
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 length of time taken to provide equipment for children with disabilities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population. NHS England Specialised Commissioning commissions complex disability equipment services, including communication aids, environmental controls, and prosthetics.
We expect ICBs to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In 2022, NICE published the guidance, Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education, which is available at the following link:
The Children and Families Act 2014 requires that education, health, and social care services must work together to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Local authorities are responsible for providing social care services for disabled children, which can include specialist equipment. The guidance on supporting disabled children and their carers is available at the following link:
Further guidance on the roles and responsibilities of different organisations in meeting the needs of children with SEND can be found in the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25
Since July 2015, NHS England has collected data quarterly from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision. This data looks at waiting times across the pathway to enable targeted action if improvement is required. NHS England is taking several steps to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to support ICBs to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment.
Data on the length of time taken to provide other equipment for disabled children is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
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 adequacy of NHS mental health support available to trans patients under the age of 18.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent Darzi investigation of the NHS in England found that NHS waiting lists for mental health services have surged, and that by April 2024, about 1 million people were waiting for mental health services. The Cass review also noted the unacceptable waiting times across Children and Young People’s Gender Services. The government and NHS England are working to improve Children and Young People’s Gender Services in a variety of ways, including expanding the number of services offered. The Government and NHS England are committed to implementing the recommendations from the Cass Review to ensure children and young people with gender incongruence get the holistic care they need. In line with NHS England’s ambitious two-year implementation plan, three new services in the North-West, London, and South West have now opened. A fourth service in the East of England will open in spring of next year. NHS England is advancing towards meeting its commitment for there to be a specialist children’s gender service in every region by 2026.
NHS England has rolled out an improved referral pathway into Children and Young People’s gender services, which ensures that children are assessed more holistically through referral via paediatrics or children’s mental health services. These services have been given detailed guidance, aligned to findings and recommendations from the Cass Review, on how to support this group of young people and their families. NHS England has also written to all children and young people on the waiting list to offer them a mental health assessment.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
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 adequacy of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has funded, via the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) a project to look at the impact of non-GP staff in practices on patient care.
Through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and practices have recruited over 37,000 additional staff including Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, and social prescribing link workers. These roles are in place to assist doctors in general practice in reducing their workload, assisting patients directly with their needs, allowing doctors to focus on more complex patients and other priorities, including continuity of care.
From October, PCNs have also been able to recruit newly qualified GPs through the scheme with an additional £82m of funding. Roles employed through the scheme increase capacity and improve access to appointments.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
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 improve mental health services in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health.
As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on busy mental health services.
NHS Talking Therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, provide treatment to adults, including in the Cannock Chase constituency and Staffordshire, with common mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. People can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies services or be referred by their general practitioner.