Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 help prevent industrial action in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and officials from the Department, on his behalf, regularly meet with representatives of the health trade unions to understand the views and concerns of the National Health Service’s workforces in England which they represent. He has been clear that he wants to continue to work constructively with all trade unions to improve the working conditions of all NHS staff and avoid unnecessary industrial action.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has accepted all headline pay recommendations from the independent pay review bodies for 2025/26 so that all NHS staff in England received a fair and sustainable pay rise, has committed to funding improvements to the Agenda for Change pay structure for staff such as porters, nurses, and paramedics, and is working with NHS England to implement a 10 point plan to improve resident doctors’ working lives.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care made a written offer on 5 November to the British Medical Association Resident Doctors Committee (BMA RDC) which included measures to tackle bottlenecks in training, put money back in resident doctors' pockets and ensure that there is consistent implementation of existing contractual entitlements. Unfortunately, the BMA RDC rejected this just hours after being set out in a letter to them, instead choosing to proceed with the damaging strike action taken between 14-19 November.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase NHS capacity in winter 2025-26.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have done more than ever to prepare for this winter, including stress testing winter plans, making sure community teams have the vaccines they need, and identifying patients most vulnerable in winter.
The Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Plan for 2025/26, published on 6 June 2025, focuses on those improvements that will see the biggest impact on UEC performance this winter and on making UEC better every day, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. The plan commits to increasing the number of patients receiving urgent care in the community by expanding services such as urgent community response, neighbourhood multidisciplinary teams and increasing the use of virtual wards, also known as hospital at home. This will support winter resilience by expanding and optimising services such as urgent community response and increasing the use of virtual wards in each integrated care system, as well as planning with the ambulance services and 111 how to use this capacity most effectively.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department have made of potential (a) savings to the NHS and (b) improved or increased quality of life for patients from the early diagnosing of people with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has not made a specific assessment of the potential savings to the National Health Service or the improvements in quality of life arising from the early diagnosis of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
However, early identification and intervention are recognised as key to improving outcomes for people with eating disorders, reducing the risk of deterioration and the need for more intensive treatment later on. NHS England continues to work with commissioners and providers to ensure timely access to assessment and treatment for all individuals with suspected eating disorders, including ARFID.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of practicing clinicians who have received specialist training in (a) diagnosing and (b) treating Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2021, NHS England commissioned training for staff delivering treatment in inpatient children and young people’s mental health services to improve the understanding and management of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
NHS England does not hold centralised data on the number of clinicians who have received specialist ARFID training. Training is commissioned and delivered locally to meet the needs of local populations.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 improve the assessment and diagnosis for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in (i) Teesside and (ii) the North East of England.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is working with eating disorder services and local commissioners to improve access to assessment and treatment for all children and young people with a suspected eating disorder, including those presenting with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
In 2019/20, NHS England funded seven community eating disorder teams, one in each region in England, as part of a pilot programme to improve access, assessment, and treatment for children and young people with ARFID. The training from these pilots is now available for local areas to commission for their community children and young people’s eating disorder services.
The NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) has prioritised work to improve ARFID pathways. The ICB’s specialist provider collaborative appointed a dedicated ARFID project lead to develop and share best practice across the region. This work has supported improved clinical networking, supervision, and training materials, and resulted in the development of information and resources for families and service users.
Within the Tees Valley, eating disorder services provide assessment and treatment for patients with moderate to severe ARFID, and they have developed a specific ARFID pathway. Support for people with mild to moderate ARFID presentations is also available through local voluntary sector organisations such as Eating Distress North East.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance and information his Department issues to clinicians to assist in early diagnosis of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is working with eating disorder services and local commissioners to improve access to assessment and treatment for all children and young people with a suspected eating disorder, including those presenting with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
In 2019/20, NHS England funded seven community eating disorder teams, one in each region in England, as part of a pilot programme to improve access, assessment, and treatment for children and young people with ARFID. The training from these pilots is now available for local areas to commission for their community children and young people’s eating disorder services.
The NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) has prioritised work to improve ARFID pathways. The ICB’s specialist provider collaborative appointed a dedicated ARFID project lead to develop and share best practice across the region. This work has supported improved clinical networking, supervision, and training materials, and resulted in the development of information and resources for families and service users.
Within the Tees Valley, eating disorder services provide assessment and treatment for patients with moderate to severe ARFID, and they have developed a specific ARFID pathway. Support for people with mild to moderate ARFID presentations is also available through local voluntary sector organisations such as Eating Distress North East.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 provision of (a) counselling and (b) other psychological support for victims of crime.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that too many victims and survivors of crime are not getting the mental health support or care they need.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to transform mental health services to improve access and treatment, and to promote good mental health and wellbeing for the nation. This includes improving assertive outreach, investing in mental health emergency departments and neighbourhood mental health centres, and increasing access to talking therapies and evidence-based digital interventions.
The recently published Medium Term Planning Framework sets targets for integrated care boards to expand coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges and expand NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement Support schemes by 2029.
We continue to work with all parts of the system, including the National Health Service, policing, and justice services, to support and protect victims of crime.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he made of the adequacy of NHS provision for young people with (a) complex comorbidities, (b) Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, (c) epilepsy, (d) autism and (e) juvenile systemic lupus.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local populations. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.
Supporting children and young people as they transition into adulthood, especially those with long-term or complex conditions, including those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), is a priority for the Government, and we are committed to ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.
Our 10-Year Health Plan for England commits to establishing a new radical approach through neighbourhood health services, shifting from sickness to prevention and ensuring that support for children’s health and development is locally accessible. It ensures the support for children and young people as they navigate the National Health Service, and ensures that they feel confident in managing their own health and care from age 16 years old, where appropriate. This will include supporting young people, including those with EDS, as they move from child to adolescent and adult services, ensuring that care is developmentally appropriate throughout.
In addition, a national transition framework is currently awaiting publication. This is to help local areas set up this model or to strengthen an existing one, and the principles of age- appropriate services set out in this document apply to both young people receiving care for the first time and those already on a transition pathway. While the framework focuses on broad principles of transition, future work will focus on specific considerations and conditions.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 availability of transition support for young people with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome who are moving from paediatric to adult NHS services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local populations. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.
Supporting children and young people as they transition into adulthood, especially those with long-term or complex conditions, including those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), is a priority for the Government, and we are committed to ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.
Our 10-Year Health Plan for England commits to establishing a new radical approach through neighbourhood health services, shifting from sickness to prevention and ensuring that support for children’s health and development is locally accessible. It ensures the support for children and young people as they navigate the National Health Service, and ensures that they feel confident in managing their own health and care from age 16 years old, where appropriate. This will include supporting young people, including those with EDS, as they move from child to adolescent and adult services, ensuring that care is developmentally appropriate throughout.
In addition, a national transition framework is currently awaiting publication. This is to help local areas set up this model or to strengthen an existing one, and the principles of age- appropriate services set out in this document apply to both young people receiving care for the first time and those already on a transition pathway. While the framework focuses on broad principles of transition, future work will focus on specific considerations and conditions.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 recent trends in the length of NHS waiting lists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are clear that the extent of waits for vital treatment is unacceptable, and cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029.
We are making good progress. As of August 2025, there has been a reduction in the waiting list of over 206,000 since the Government came into office, despite over 24.5 million referrals onto the list in that period.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered 5.2 million additional appointments compared to the previous year, more than double our pledge of two million. This marks a vital first step towards delivering the constitutional standard.