Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department has taken to support access to men's mental health services in (a) East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency and (b) Sussex.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that some men may find it difficult to seek help for their mental health, and Sussex has made this a priority within its suicide prevention and mental health strategies. This includes targeted work to improve early identification, reduce stigma, and increase engagement among men and boys. Access routes have been strengthened through:
- primary care and community-based entry points, where men are more likely to present;
- NHS Talking Therapies, offering timely access to evidence-based support;
- crisis alternatives to hospital admission, including urgent mental health helplines and safe havens; and
- workplace and community outreach approaches, designed to engage men who may not access traditional services.
In addition to National Health Service provision, Sussex works closely with voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations, which play a key role in engaging men through peer support, wellbeing services, and targeted community-based interventions.
While data is not routinely reported by gender at a constituency level, system partners use available data and local insight to identify inequalities in access and outcomes, including for men, and to inform ongoing service improvement.
We are partnering with the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative, to help tackle male suicide, as part of England's first Men's Health Strategy. This work, carried out with Samaritans, provides matchday support for fans in stadiums, as well as an online hub with information and referral details for fans and followers watching from home. The partnership will see football clubs actively promoting existing mental health and suicide prevention support, such as NHS Talking Therapies and Every Mind Matters, and where appropriate, making onward referrals to appropriate organisations like the NHS.
Overall, Sussex continues to develop a whole-system approach to mental health support, ensuring that services are accessible, responsive, and effective for all populations, including men.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children are estimated to be living with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in (a) East Grinstead and Uckfield Constituency and (b) Sussex.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The data requested is not held centrally. Children with developmental coordination disorder, commonly known as dyspraxia, access support through local National Health Service occupational therapy, paediatrics, physiotherapy, and educational services.
NHS guidance sets out a referral process which typically begins with a general practice, health visitor, or a special educational needs coordinator, who may refer the child to paediatric occupational therapy and physiotherapist for assessment and support. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia/
For the first time, we have set a target for systems to work to in order to reduce long waits for community health services. By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets for elective care.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
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 reduce waiting times for endometriosis treatment in the East Grinstead and Uckfield Constituency.
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. We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for endometriosis. It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis and we are taking action to address this.
Nationally, we are establishing an online hospital, through NHS Online, which will give people across the country, on certain pathways, the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. It will connect patients with clinicians across the country through secure, online appointments accessed through the NHS App.
Menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis will be among the first nine conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027. We’ve chosen some of the conditions with the longest waits and where online consultation works best. NHS Online will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years, four times more than an average trust, while enhancing patient choice and control over their care. This will allow women with menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis across the country to reach a diagnosis and explore treatment options sooner.
Locally in Sussex, the primary National Health Service for severe endometriosis is the Sussex Endometriosis Centre (SEC) at Princess Royal Hospital, a British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy accredited centre for complex cases, offering specialist surgical and medical management via general practice referral. Alongside this, Endometriosis UK runs local support groups in both East Sussex and West Sussex for peer support.
NHS Specialist Care, provided by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, is based at the SEC within a Centre of Excellence for severe cases. The service supports patients with severe endometriosis symptoms affecting bowel, bladder, or uterus, and the team includes specialist gynaecologists, nurses, colorectal surgeons, and urologists. Patients can be referred either by their general practice or a local hospital.
Across Sussex, health and care partners have been making good progress with reducing long waits for patients but we recognise that there is further to go and that there are specific challenges in some specialities where cases are complex. Endometriosis is one of these areas.
NHS South East is continuing to work closely with providers, including the University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, to support further improvements in waiting times and to remain committed to working towards delivery of the ambitions set out by the Government, to eliminate very long waits for patients, recognising the impact that long waits for treatment can have on an individual's health and wellbeing.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
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 reduce waiting times for endometriosis treatment in West Sussex.
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. We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for endometriosis. It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis and we are taking action to address this.
Nationally, we are establishing an online hospital, through NHS Online, which will give people across the country, on certain pathways, the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. It will connect patients with clinicians across the country through secure, online appointments accessed through the NHS App.
Menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis will be among the first nine conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027. We’ve chosen some of the conditions with the longest waits and where online consultation works best. NHS Online will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years, four times more than an average trust, while enhancing patient choice and control over their care. This will allow women with menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis across the country to reach a diagnosis and explore treatment options sooner.
Locally in Sussex, the primary National Health Service for severe endometriosis is the Sussex Endometriosis Centre (SEC) at Princess Royal Hospital, a British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy accredited centre for complex cases, offering specialist surgical and medical management via general practice referral. Alongside this, Endometriosis UK runs local support groups in both East Sussex and West Sussex for peer support.
NHS Specialist Care, provided by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, is based at the SEC within a Centre of Excellence for severe cases. The service supports patients with severe endometriosis symptoms affecting bowel, bladder, or uterus, and the team includes specialist gynaecologists, nurses, colorectal surgeons, and urologists. Patients can be referred either by their general practice or a local hospital.
Across Sussex, health and care partners have been making good progress with reducing long waits for patients but we recognise that there is further to go and that there are specific challenges in some specialities where cases are complex. Endometriosis is one of these areas.
NHS South East is continuing to work closely with providers, including the University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, to support further improvements in waiting times and to remain committed to working towards delivery of the ambitions set out by the Government, to eliminate very long waits for patients, recognising the impact that long waits for treatment can have on an individual's health and wellbeing.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
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 reduce waiting times for endometriosis treatment in East Sussex.
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. We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for endometriosis. It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis and we are taking action to address this.
Nationally, we are establishing an online hospital, through NHS Online, which will give people across the country, on certain pathways, the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. It will connect patients with clinicians across the country through secure, online appointments accessed through the NHS App.
Menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis will be among the first nine conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027. We’ve chosen some of the conditions with the longest waits and where online consultation works best. NHS Online will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years, four times more than an average trust, while enhancing patient choice and control over their care. This will allow women with menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis across the country to reach a diagnosis and explore treatment options sooner.
Locally in Sussex, the primary National Health Service for severe endometriosis is the Sussex Endometriosis Centre (SEC) at Princess Royal Hospital, a British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy accredited centre for complex cases, offering specialist surgical and medical management via general practice referral. Alongside this, Endometriosis UK runs local support groups in both East Sussex and West Sussex for peer support.
NHS Specialist Care, provided by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, is based at the SEC within a Centre of Excellence for severe cases. The service supports patients with severe endometriosis symptoms affecting bowel, bladder, or uterus, and the team includes specialist gynaecologists, nurses, colorectal surgeons, and urologists. Patients can be referred either by their general practice or a local hospital.
Across Sussex, health and care partners have been making good progress with reducing long waits for patients but we recognise that there is further to go and that there are specific challenges in some specialities where cases are complex. Endometriosis is one of these areas.
NHS South East is continuing to work closely with providers, including the University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, to support further improvements in waiting times and to remain committed to working towards delivery of the ambitions set out by the Government, to eliminate very long waits for patients, recognising the impact that long waits for treatment can have on an individual's health and wellbeing.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a table of the waiting times for endometriosis treatment across integrated care boards in England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not centrally hold data on the number of patients in England awaiting specialised endometriosis care. In England, the waiting list for gynaecology care stands at 571,627. This is a reduction of 24,338 since the Government came into office. Waiting time data by treatment speciality, at both an integrated care board and national level, is published on the NHS.UK website.
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, including endometriosis care. Action to improve endometriosis care includes commissioning researching focussed on endometriosis diagnosis, treatment, and pain, and expanding the number of dedicated and protected surgical hubs, many of which gynaecology procedures. From 2027, a new online hospital, NHS Online, will also offer patients the choice to access specialist care from home. Menstrual problems potentially indicating endometriosis or fibroids from home will be among the conditions NHS Online initially focuses on, providing appointments to cut waiting times.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how long the waiting list is for treatment for endometriosis services in the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not centrally hold data on the number of patients in England awaiting specialised endometriosis care. In England, the waiting list for gynaecology care stands at 571,627. This is a reduction of 24,338 since the Government came into office. Waiting time data by treatment speciality, at both an integrated care board and national level, is published on the NHS.UK website.
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, including endometriosis care. Action to improve endometriosis care includes commissioning researching focussed on endometriosis diagnosis, treatment, and pain, and expanding the number of dedicated and protected surgical hubs, many of which gynaecology procedures. From 2027, a new online hospital, NHS Online, will also offer patients the choice to access specialist care from home. Menstrual problems potentially indicating endometriosis or fibroids from home will be among the conditions NHS Online initially focuses on, providing appointments to cut waiting times.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has conducted an equality impact assessment of the increase in the use of artificial intelligence in the National Health Service.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have not conducted a central Equality Impact Assessment of the increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the National Health Service. The Department leads national policy and regulation to ensure the deployment of AI tools within health and social care is safe, ethical, and effective, and that it supports equitable access to these technologies to ensure that all patients and staff benefit from advancements in AI.
National Health Service trusts are free to make their own decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, and NHS trusts are expected to ensure that access to the tools they employ is safe, ethical, effective and equitable for all within their remit.
Aligned to the Equality Act 2010 and Health and Social Care Act 2012, Equality Impact Assessments and Equality and Healthcare Inequalities Impact Assessments should be undertaken by all organisations in relation to each specific policy, proposition, programmes, proposal, or initiative in scope of public sector equality duties.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
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 ensure a) all women who are eligible take up breast screening in West Sussex and b) his Department tracks and follows up on non-attendance appointments.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
All eligible individuals, including in East and West Sussex, are given a timed appointment to attend the screening location closest to their registered general practice address, with the option to change the appointment time or location given by contacting the service. Research has shown that timed appointments are more effective in encouraging attendance. The service sends text reminders two and seven days before appointments.
Should an individual not attend their appointment, they are automatically given a new timed appointment at the same location and the same text reminder process occurs. If the individual does not attend the second timed appointment, they are offered an open invitation. This means that the individual can contact the service to book their own appointment. Since implementation of text reminders, the service has seen an improvement in appointment attendance, in line with expectations based on research.
Regular “do not attend” audits are undertaken by the service. The processes involved with these audits help identify any common rationales for non-attendance that can inform service improvement strategies.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
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 (a) ensure all women who are eligible take up breast screening in East Sussex and (b) track and follow up on non-attendance appointments.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
All eligible individuals, including in East and West Sussex, are given a timed appointment to attend the screening location closest to their registered general practice address, with the option to change the appointment time or location given by contacting the service. Research has shown that timed appointments are more effective in encouraging attendance. The service sends text reminders two and seven days before appointments.
Should an individual not attend their appointment, they are automatically given a new timed appointment at the same location and the same text reminder process occurs. If the individual does not attend the second timed appointment, they are offered an open invitation. This means that the individual can contact the service to book their own appointment. Since implementation of text reminders, the service has seen an improvement in appointment attendance, in line with expectations based on research.
Regular “do not attend” audits are undertaken by the service. The processes involved with these audits help identify any common rationales for non-attendance that can inform service improvement strategies.