Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the Levy review does not reduce access to (a) hormonal therapy and (b) surgery for trans and non-binary 18-25 year olds.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is currently carrying out a review of adult gender services. The review, chaired by Dr David Levy, has examined the model of care and operating procedures of each service, and has carefully considered experiences, feedback and outcomes from clinicians and patients. The review has been conducted in line with the publicly available terms of reference and key lines of enquiry. The Government will carefully consider the findings of the review.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 support patients with overlapping conditions such as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Long Covid, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder, Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the complex needs of people living with overlapping conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), long COVID, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, hypermobility spectrum disorders, postural tachycardia syndrome, and mast cell activation syndrome. Our approach focuses on improving care coordination and access to appropriate services.
For ME/CFS, we have published a cross-government final delivery plan, which sets out actions to boost research, improve professional education, and enhance support for daily living, including community-based services and better benefit assessments. While the plan is specific to ME/CFS, it acknowledges overlaps with other complex, multi-system disorders and commits to exploring synergies during implementation.
Additionally, the 10-Year Health Plan aims to transform services and outcomes for people living with complex conditions by prioritising integrated, personalised care. The plan focuses on earlier diagnosis and promotes multidisciplinary teams and community-based services to deliver coordinated support closer to home, reducing reliance on hospital care. Digital innovations, including remote monitoring and personalised care planning, will help manage long-term conditions more effectively. The Plan also commits to 95% of people with complex needs to have a personalised care plan by 2027. Personalised care plans will improve support for people with complex needs by ensuring that care is tailored to the individual and coordinated across services.
In addition, research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research into post-viral syndromes and autonomic disorders will help improve understanding autonomic dysfunction and overlapping conditions, accelerate innovation and deliver evidence-based care for patients with complex, multi-system health needs.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 potential impact of the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions on trends in the level of NHS staff on (a) GP practices, (b) care providers and (c) the health sector in Devon.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are investing an extra £1.1 billion in general practice, the biggest cash increase in a decade. That funding has allowed us to recruit an extra 2,500 general practitioners and improve access for patients.
General practices are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of NHS services. Every year we consult with the sector both about what services they provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking into account the cost of delivering services.
This Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
We hugely value the critical role that health care providers play, we are determined to address the issues they face.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 support patients with pulmonary fibrosis in Devon.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Royal Devon University Hospital provides a regional interstitial lung disease service covering Devon. The team provides clinical care, support, and access to services such as pulmonary rehabilitation. Patients with pulmonary fibrosis may attend pulmonary rehabilitation services in Exeter, North Devon, Torbay, and Plymouth.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 move funding away from being centered in the London and the Home Counties and towards research projects in (a) Devon and (b) other areas of the UK.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research infrastructure spans England in order to build research capacity, including in Devon.
The NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) is the main vehicle for clinical research delivery and will introduce a new national funding model in 2026/27 to ensure fair, transparent, and consistent funding across all regions, reducing variation, and supporting underserved areas.
Devon hosts four NIHR-funded infrastructure: the Regional Research Delivery Network South West Peninsula; the Exeter Biomedical Research Centre and Clinical Research Facility; the HealthTech Research Centre for Sustainable Innovation; and the Applied Research Collaboration for the South West Peninsula, which supports the whole of Devon. In line with prior commitments, the Department has increased funding for infrastructure developing and delivering research outside the greater South East.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care from across England and the United Kingdom. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
Additionally, by investing in career development initiatives through the NIHR Academy, NIHR Infrastructure, and the RDN, the NIHR continues to fund high quality applied health and care research and training across England.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 increase funding for research for pulmonary fibrosis.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds clinical, public health, and social care research and works in partnership with the National Health Service, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes applications for research on any aspect of human health and care, including pulmonary fibrosis. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Since April 2020, the NIHR has spent £4.8 million on research projects and programmes relating to pulmonary fibrosis.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to increase research funding for pulmonary fibrosis.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds clinical, public health, and social care research and works in partnership with the National Health Service, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes applications for research on any aspect of human health and care, including pulmonary fibrosis. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Since April 2020, the NIHR has spent £4.8 million on research projects and programmes relating to pulmonary fibrosis.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the level of pay of NHS staff in Newton Abbot constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pay for most staff employed by National Health Service organisations is set at a national level. The Government has remitted the independent NHS Pay Review Body and the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration to make recommendations on headline pay for NHS staff. Within their reports they make an assessment of the level of pay to recommend, with regard to various factors such as recruitment and retention. The process for the 2026/27 pay round is already underway, with the Department publishing its evidence to the Pay Review Bodies on 30 October.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS is taking to improve preventative measures for pulmonary fibrosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The causes of pulmonary fibrosis can be uncertain. However, measures exist to prevent the industrial exposure related causes of pulmonary fibrosis such as The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Smoking can also cause pulmonary fibrosis. To support current smokers to quit, an additional £70 million will be provided in 2025/26 to support local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the availability of medicinal cannabis for epilepsy patients in Devon.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The licenced cannabis-based medicine Epidyolex is available on the National Health Service in England for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex. This follows approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
NICE has assessed the available evidence, and concluded that there is a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions of unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use. NHS funding decisions follow established procedures that ensure equitable distribution of funding, prioritising those medicines that have proved their safety, quality, and clinical and cost effectiveness.