Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what work the Government is undertaking with regulators and professional bodies to strengthen expectations around endometriosis education and diagnosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.
The Government also acknowledges the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained and educated on women’s health conditions, including endometriosis, and we have taken action to address this.
The General Medical Council (GMC) has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom. The content for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health, including endometriosis.
Women's health is included the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) curriculum for trainee general practitioners (GPs), including gynaecology, sexual health, and breast health. The curriculum also covers the healthcare needs of women across all diseases seen in primary care as it is important women are treated holistically. This ensures that all future GPs receive education on women’s health.
The RCGP has also published a Women’s Health Library which brings together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health from the RCGP, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare. This resource is continually updated to ensure GPs and other primary healthcare professionals have the most up-to-date advice to provide the best care for their patients.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has developed a women’s and reproductive health topic suite, and updated guidelines on endometriosis in 2024 to make firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected diagnosis. These clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide care for women with endometriosis.
Generally, employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many neurologists there are who have specialist training in Parkinson’s; how many geriatricians there are who have specialist training in Parkinson’s; and how many specialist Parkinson’s nurses there are in the UK.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While the Department does not hold data specifically on the number of Parkinson’s specialist staff in England, we do hold data on the number of doctors working in the wider specialities of neurology and geriatric medicine. As of August 2025, there were 2,010 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology and 6,284 in geriatric medicine in National Health Service trusts and other organisations in England. This includes 1,025 FTE consultant neurologists and 1,687 FTE consultant geriatricians.
The Department does not hold specific data on the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses employed in the NHS in England. These roles are commissioned locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards as part of neurology and movement disorder services.
NHS England has published a service specification for specialised adult neurology services, which includes Parkinson’s disease as part of its scope. This specification sets out requirements for multidisciplinary care, including access to Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists, consultant neurologists and allied health professionals.
NHS England is also implementing initiatives such as the Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aim to improve access to specialist care, reduce variation, and develop integrated models of service delivery for conditions including Parkinson’s disease. These programmes align with the National Institute for Care Excellence guidance on Parkinson’s disease, reference code NG71, which recommends that people with Parkinson’s have regular access to specialist staff with expertise in the condition.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consultation his Department has had on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's Future Homes Standards work in relation to wellbeing and health standards in homes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Government plans to legislate for the Future Homes Standard this autumn. This legislation will aim to ensure that all new homes are warm, comfortable, and maintain high indoor air quality. This work is being led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as the standards are finalised and implemented, to ensure that evidence on health impacts can be taken into account.