Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department uses to monitor endometriosis diagnosis waiting times.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local authorities claimed emergency financial assistance money under the Bellwin scheme of emergency financial assistance to local authorities in each of the last 15 years; and how much money was received in each case.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The table below sets out the Bellwin payments made to local authorities by financial year in each of the last 15 financial years.

Link to the Bellwin guidance:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bellwin-scheme-guidance-notes-for-claims/bellwin-scheme-of-emergency-financial-assistance-to-local-authorities-guidance-notes-for-claims

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 repeat the Reproductive Health Survey for England 2023; and whether he plans to take steps to record (a) the experiences of those with endometriosis and (b) diagnosis time for those with endometriosis.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises the importance of understanding the experiences of women living with endometriosis. In 2023, the Department commissioned the Women's Reproductive Health Survey to gather views on women’s experiences in all aspects of their reproductive health, including menstrual problems and endometriosis. A report on the initial findings has been published, and is available at the following link:

https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/reproductive-health-survey-england#research

The Department will update plans to conduct the survey again in due course. The Department also commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has recently funded a qualitative study into patient and healthcare professionals' experiences of the management, diagnosis, and treatment of endometriosis. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR156216.

An ongoing Office for National Statistics study is investigating the impact of endometriosis on women's labour market outcomes. One component of this study is linking primary and secondary care data to better understand diagnosis times for endometriosis.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of patients waiting for gynaecological surgery are waiting for surgery for thoracic endometriosis.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

This data is not held in the format requested. As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken to diagnose endometriosis was in each of the last five years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

This data is not held centrally. The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the care for gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published an update to the guideline on endometriosis diagnosis and management in November 2024. This makes firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referrals and investigations for women with suspected endometriosis, which will help women receive a diagnosis and treatment more quickly.

For many women with symptoms of endometriosis, the initial pharmacological treatment takes place in primary care and can be in parallel with a referral for further investigations. As a result, looking at diagnosis times alone is unlikely to be the only measure of whether women are receiving care for endometriosis in a timely matter. NHS England is looking into metrics that best reflect the timely access to care and outcomes for women, including for endometriosis. This work will explore whether time to diagnosis is the optimum measure.

An ongoing Office for National Statistics investigation is looking into the impact of endometriosis on women's labour market outcomes. One component of this study is linking primary and secondary care data to better understand diagnosis times for endometriosis.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken to diagnose ankylosing spondylitis was in each of the last five years.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We do not hold data in the format requested. To support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, such as ankylosing spondylitis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published expert guidance on the diagnosis and management of spondyloarthritis in over 16 year olds, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng65

The NICE guidance aims to raise awareness of the features of spondyloarthritis and provide clear advice on what action to take when people with signs and symptoms first present in healthcare settings.

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) 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 ankylosing spondylitis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken to diagnose multiple sclerosis was in each of the last five years.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We do not hold data in the format requested. The latest data for referral to treatment waiting times in England, from January 2025, shows there were under 233,000 pathways waiting for a neurology appointment, 53.8% of which had been waiting less that 18 weeks.

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. We have delivered an additional two million appointments between July and November 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, seven months ahead of schedule, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. These additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure accurate recording of a presumed diagnosis of endometriosis in primary care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

General practices are expected to follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidance for the treatment and management of clinical conditions, as part of meeting the reasonable needs of patients. The NICE guidance on endometriosis is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73?UID=83951178202532511728

British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme

Found: Watch the meeting Modernisation Committee members present: Lucy Powell (Chair); Markus Campbell-Savours

Found: Watch the meeting Modernisation Committee members present: Lucy Powell (Chair); Markus Campbell-Savours

Found: Louise Haigh Karl Turner Nadia Whittome Dawn Butler Anna Dixon Tessa Munt Claire Young Markus Campbell-Savours

Found: Borough Council (including senior officers and the Chief Executive) • Cumberland Council • Markus Campbell-Savours

Submit Evidence (by 12 May 2025)

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee will examine the performance of the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA), and its two executive offices, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).