Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the provision of pacemakers and implanted defibrillators.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The volume of implantable devices purchased by cardiac providers has increased by 22% in 2024/25, when compared with the same period in 2023/24. Commissioned providers determine the need for cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation using a multi-disciplinary team approach, which considers the needs of the individual patient and clinical guidelines.
In 2023/24, approximately 60,000 CIEDs, which includes implantable cardioverter defibrillators and pacemakers, were implanted by National Health Service providers, as per the National Audit of Cardiac Rhythm Management report 2025.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to (a) compression treatment and (b) other follow-up care for women with arm lymphoedema after breast cancer treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made on the adequacy of access to compression treatment or follow-up care for women with arm lymphoedema after breast cancer treatment.
Local health service commissioners – through Integrated Care Boards - determine what lymphoedema services are needed locally, based on the needs of their local population.
The NHS’ roll-out of personalised care ensures people with cancer have a holistic needs assessment, covering both their physical and psychosocial needs, and are referred to services where appropriate. Lymphoedema support is in the NHS’ Personalised Stratified Follow-Up (PSFU) handbook as a required part of PSFU pathways, however it does not cover the specifics of treatment.
We know that more should be done to support people living with and beyond cancer. The National Cancer Plan, coming later this year, will set out how we will seek to improve the experience and outcomes for people at every stage of the cancer pathway. It will look at how we can improve communication and coordination for patients, so that they feel informed and in control of their care.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 integrated care boards to offer ear wax removal services for patients when the ear wax is contributing to (a) hearing loss and (b) other symptoms.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local population. This includes the arrangement of services for ear wax removal.
Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so general practitioners (GPs) will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.
However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP could then consider referring the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.
ICBs should therefore arrange for the provision of ear wax removal services when a patient has a clinical need for ear wax removal beyond home treatments.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dental patients in Eastleigh constituency will benefit from the 700,000 extra urgent appointments.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will deliver 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments per year, with integrated care boards (ICBs) asked to start making extra appointments available from April 2025. The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to ICBs across England. Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB, which includes Eastleigh constituency, is expected to deliver 30,032 additional urgent dental appointments.
The urgent appointments will be available to NHS patients experiencing painful oral health issues, such as infections, abscesses, or cracked or broken teeth. Patients can contact their usual dental practice or call NHS 111 if they do not have a regular dentist or need help out-of-hours.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to achieve the Access and Waiting Time Standard for Children and Young People with an Eating Disorder in every area.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is vital that children and young people with a diagnosed or suspected eating disorder, as well as their families and carers, can access effective help quickly. Given this, NHS England is in the process of publishing updated commissioning guidance for children and young people with eating disorders and updated Access and Wait Time Standard guidance. NHS England has also recently published updated guidance on caring for children and young people in a mental health crisis.
The updated guidance will reflect NHS England's ambition to improve eating disorder services and align with the latest evidence-based care, improve outcomes and experiences of care, and focus on prevention, where possible, to reduce prevalence and re-occurrence. It supports providers in meeting the standard that 95% of children and young people referred for assessment or treatment for an eating disorder receive National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved treatment with a designated healthcare professional within one week for urgent cases, and four weeks for all other cases.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of the number of beds provided for Psychiatric Intensive Care Units in (a) Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS Foundation Trust and (b) other trusts.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have no plans to currently do so. The 2025/26 Planning Guidance sets a requirement for integrated care boards (ICBs) to reduce the average length of stay in adult acute mental health beds, improving the availability of local beds and reducing inappropriate out of area placements. It also asks ICBs to maximise the use of crisis alternatives, including 111 mental health option, crisis resolution and home treatment teams, and community mental health services to keep people well at home.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 increase the number of nurses in acute inpatient mental health settings.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service has been facing workforce shortages for a number of years and, while there has been growth in the mental health workforce over recent years, more is needed. That is why, as part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce waiting times and provide faster treatment. We recognise that bringing in the staff needed will take time. We are working with NHS England on options to deliver this expansion of the mental health workforce.
More broadly, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS. This plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. A central part of this will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.
This summer we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 increase the accessibility of Fracture Liaison Services for people with osteoporosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%. We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030. That is what the Secretary of State promised before the election, and what he is delivering. In the meantime, we are investing in 14 high-tech DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans to ensure people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 introduce early diagnosis services for osteoporosis.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week Referral-to-Treatment target by the end of this Parliament.
Part of the plan sets out funding to boost bone density DEXA scanning capacity, to support improvements in early diagnosis and bone health for conditions such as osteoporosis. This will provide an estimated 29,000 extra scans per year.
As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) Musculoskeletal (MSK) Community Delivery Programme. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT teams will deploy their proven Further Faster model to work with integrated care board leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with osteoporosis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) efficacy of and (b) adequacy of the provision of Clozapine.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Clozapine is licenced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Products are licenced by the MHRA where the benefit-risk assessment has been found to be positive in relation to quality, safety, and efficacy. Clozapine is marketed in different strengths and formulations, for the following indications.
Firstly, Clozapine is indicated in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients and in schizophrenia patients who have severe, untreatable neurological adverse reactions to other antipsychotic agents, including atypical antipsychotics. Treatment resistance is defined as a lack of satisfactory clinical improvement despite the use of adequate doses of at least two different antipsychotic agents, including an atypical antipsychotic agent, prescribed for an adequate duration. Secondly, Clozapine is indicated in psychotic disorders occurring during the course of Parkinson's disease, in cases where standard treatment has failed. Further information is available on the MHRA’s website, which is available at the following link:
The Department is not aware of any supply issues regarding the provision of this medicine. Furthermore, decisions about what medicines to prescribe are made by the doctor or healthcare professional responsible for that part of the patient’s care. Prescribers are accountable for their prescribing decisions.
It is for the responsible clinician to work with their patient and decide on the best course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care for the patient always being the primary consideration. Prescribers must always satisfy themselves that the medicines they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed and that they take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards (ICBs). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed a Quality Standard on psychosis and schizophrenia in adults. NICE quality standards are concise sets of statements designed to drive quality improvements within a particular area of care and cover the NHS, public health, and social care. The Quality Standard recommends that adults with schizophrenia that have not responded adequately to treatment with at least two antipsychotic drugs are offered Clozapine, and provides quality measures to be used by service providers, commissioners, and healthcare professionals to assess the quality of care or service provision.