Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 raise (a) public and (b) professional awareness of (i) inflammatory bowel disease and (ii) other unseen disabilities in the context of access to (A) healthcare and (B) social support for people with those conditions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme on gastroenterology aims to reduce variations in care, increase early diagnosis and proactive management of Crohn’s disease and colitis, and increase access to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) specialist nurses.
The National institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has also produced a range of guidance on IBD, Crohn’s disease and colitis, to support early diagnosis and effective management of these conditions. It ensures that the care provided to people with IBD is based on the best available evidence. In the last two years, the NICE has recommended four new drugs for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, including Upadacitinib, Risankizumab, Mirikizumab, and Etrasimod.
NHS England’s National Bladder and Bowel Health Project is delivering better care for people with IBD, with a focus on developing clinical pathways. NHS England commissions specialised colorectal services nationally to support the equity of access to high-quality treatment for patients with IBD requiring complex surgery. This work is supported within NHS England by the clinical leadership of the Specialised Colorectal Services Clinical Reference Group, which is made up of experts in surgery, medicine, radiology, pathology, and nursing, alongside patient and public voice representatives.
To raise awareness of IBD among general practitioners and other primary care staff, the Royal College of General Practitioners has produced an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Toolkit. The toolkit outlines when to suspect IBD, the appropriate investigative tests and diagnostic tools for IBD, how to manage a flare-up of symptoms, and how to support patients with IBD.
Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. NHS England has issued guidance for National Health Service commissioners with respect to the Reasonable Adjustments Digital Flag (the Flag). The Flag has been developed to enable health and care workers to record, share, and view, in digital records, details of the reasonable adjustments required by an individual across the NHS, wherever the person is treated. The Flag was built and launched by NHS England in September 2023, and is being implemented in phases. NHS organisations will be required to fully comply with the requirements of the Flag by 31 December 2025.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to create a cross-governmental strategy for the prevention of ill health that would include measures on tackling (a) health and (b) other lifestyle factors that affect a person's risk of developing dementia that are (i) within and (ii) not within people's control, such as air pollution.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the Government’s health mission, we will shift from sickness to prevention, to tackle ill health, prevent premature deaths, and build a fairer United Kingdom where everyone lives longer, healthier lives.
We have committed to developing a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with dementia care needs, with input from the public, patients, and health staff as we develop the plan.
Since 2018, dementia risk reduction has been incorporated in the NHS Health Check to increase dementia awareness and motivate people to make positive changes to reduce their risks.
We recognise that air pollution is one of the risk factors for dementia. The National Institute for Health and Care Research is supporting research to explore the link between dementia and air pollution, including a project to address how air pollution mitigation measures impact on neurological endpoints.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 (a) support and (b) care pathways in the NHS for people diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s National Bladder and Bowel Health Project is delivering better care for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with a focus on developing best practice clinical pathways. NHS England commissions specialised colorectal services nationally to support equity of access to high-quality treatment for patients with IBD requiring complex surgery. This work is supported within NHS England by the clinical leadership of the Specialised Colorectal Services Clinical Reference Group.
NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme on gastroenterology aims to reduce variations in care, increase early diagnosis and proactive management of Crohn’s disease and colitis, and increase access to IBD specialist nurses.
We have also committed more broadly to ensuring patients get the care they need as quickly as possible. Funding announced in the Autumn Budget for elective care will also support the delivery of an additional 2 million operations, scans, and appointments during our first year in Government, which is equivalent to 40,000 per week, across all specialties, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. As part of this package, £1.5 billion of capital funding in 2025/26 will enable new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners to build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests, as they come online.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of financial support available through the benefits system to people with (a) inflammatory bowel disease and (b) other unseen disabilities.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provide a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. These benefits are assessed on the basis of needs arising and not on the condition itself so are available to those with inflammatory bowel disease and other, hidden conditions.
The extra costs benefits are non-contributory, non-means-tested and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use their benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences. The benefit can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, help with travel costs to appointments or the Blue Badge scheme. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to require explicit consumer consent for each direct debit set up on a bank account.
Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government believes there should be strong protections in place to ensure that customers can make payments in a secure and informed way. There are already such protections in place for Direct Debit payments under the rules made by its operator, Pay.UK, which is regulated by the Bank of England and the Payment Systems Regulator. As such, the government does not currently have plans to legislate in this area.
Under these rules, when a Direct Debit is established the receiving organisation is required to verify that the Direct Debit instruction has been authorised by the payment account holder. Notice of the amounts and dates of collection for each Direct Debit payment must also be given to customers in advance, unless otherwise agreed, enabling customers to review their upcoming outgoing payments and plan ahead. In the case of any incorrect or fraudulent payments, the account holder is entitled to an immediate refund of any unauthorised amounts collected from their account provider under the Direct Debit Guarantee scheme. Further information about Direct Debits is available at: www.directdebit.co.uk
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring banks to notify account holders when a new direct debit is established against their account.
Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government believes there should be strong protections in place to ensure that customers can make payments in a secure and informed way. There are already such protections in place for Direct Debit payments under the rules made by its operator, Pay.UK, which is regulated by the Bank of England and the Payment Systems Regulator. As such, the government does not currently have plans to legislate in this area.
Under these rules, when a Direct Debit is established the receiving organisation is required to verify that the Direct Debit instruction has been authorised by the payment account holder. Notice of the amounts and dates of collection for each Direct Debit payment must also be given to customers in advance, unless otherwise agreed, enabling customers to review their upcoming outgoing payments and plan ahead. In the case of any incorrect or fraudulent payments, the account holder is entitled to an immediate refund of any unauthorised amounts collected from their account provider under the Direct Debit Guarantee scheme. Further information about Direct Debits is available at: www.directdebit.co.uk
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help tackle the potential misuse of customer bank details by merchants when setting up direct debits.
Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government believes there should be strong protections in place to ensure that customers can make payments in a secure and informed way. There are already such protections in place for Direct Debit payments under the rules made by its operator, Pay.UK, which is regulated by the Bank of England and the Payment Systems Regulator. As such, the government does not currently have plans to legislate in this area.
Under these rules, when a Direct Debit is established the receiving organisation is required to verify that the Direct Debit instruction has been authorised by the payment account holder. Notice of the amounts and dates of collection for each Direct Debit payment must also be given to customers in advance, unless otherwise agreed, enabling customers to review their upcoming outgoing payments and plan ahead. In the case of any incorrect or fraudulent payments, the account holder is entitled to an immediate refund of any unauthorised amounts collected from their account provider under the Direct Debit Guarantee scheme. Further information about Direct Debits is available at: www.directdebit.co.uk
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 (a) impact of the Greater Manchester Dental Quality Access Scheme on access to NHS dental services in Greater Manchester and (b) merits of replicating that scheme in other areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England are aware of several local access schemes across the country and are keen to learn from all initiatives, including the Greater Manchester Dental Quality Access Scheme.
Local schemes are considered in the development of national policy. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local populations, and to determine the priorities for investment.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of (i) endometriosis and (ii) adenomyosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines support healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat conditions. The NICE has published a Women’s and reproductive health guidelines, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/hub/indevelopment/gid-hub10001
In April 2024, the NICE published updated recommendations on the treatment of endometriosis when fertility is a priority, and in November 2024, published updated recommendations on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis. The NICE has also published a guideline on heavy menstrual bleeding assessment and management. This guideline contains recommendations for the diagnosis of women with suspected adenomyosis. Women's health is also embedded into the Royal College of General Practitioners’ curriculum for trainee general practitioners.
Tackling waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are urgently looking into waiting times for gynecological issues, including for endometriosis and adenomyosis. Funding has been confirmed to support the delivery of our commitment of an extra 40,000 National Health Service operations, scans, and appointments per week, as a first step to delivering on the 18-week standard.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee's report entitled Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2022–23, HC 198, published on 4 March 2024, if he will make it his policy to implement the recommendations of that report.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The previous Government formally responded to the report and its recommendations on 10 May 2024 (HC 774, published on 23 May 2024).
This Government continues to promote the PHSO complaint standards and support NHS England and NHS Resolution to further encourage the use of dispute resolution methods, including mediation, by the NHS.
The Government will consider the case for ombudsman reform alongside other policy and legislative priorities.