Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) take steps to help reduce financial pressures on pharmacy students and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of including pharmacy students in the Learning Support Fund scheme.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to financially supporting healthcare students in England, including pharmacy students, throughout their studies. Support is predominantly provided through the Department for Education and the student loans system.
For the 2025/26 academic year, the Government has announced that the maximum loans and grants for living and other costs from Student Finance England will increase by 3.1% to meet forecast inflation.
There are no immediate plans to make changes to the NHS Learning Support Fund scheme design. The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review. At all times the Government must strike a balance between the level of support students receive and the need to make the best use of public funds to deliver value for money.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with independent pharmacy owners on the contracts offered to community pharmacies.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities. They provide an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.
We have now concluded the consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. Community Pharmacy England represent all pharmacy contractors in England, including independent community pharmacies. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows the Government’s commitment to rebuilding the sector.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 the adequacy of the level of funding for independent pharmacies.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities. They provide an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.
We have now concluded the consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. Community Pharmacy England represent all pharmacy contractors in England, including independent community pharmacies. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows the Government’s commitment to rebuilding the sector.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many families are receiving Healthy Start support in Nottingham East constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/
The NHSBSA does not hold data on local constituencies. The following table shows the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme for all ward areas in Nottingham, as of February 2025:
Local authority | Ward | Ward number | People on Digital Scheme |
Nottingham | Aspley | E05012270 | 314 |
Nottingham | Basford | E05012271 | 184 |
Nottingham | Berridge | E05012272 | 166 |
Nottingham | Bestwood | E05012273 | 285 |
Nottingham | Bilborough | E05012274 | 229 |
Nottingham | Bulwell | E05012275 | 313 |
Nottingham | Bulwell Forest | E05012276 | 128 |
Nottingham | Castle | E05012277 | 29 |
Nottingham | Clifton East | E05012278 | 148 |
Nottingham | Clifton West | E05012279 | 46 |
Nottingham | Dales | E05012280 | 168 |
Nottingham | Hyson Green and Arboretum | E05012281 | 282 |
Nottingham | Leen Valley | E05012282 | 48 |
Nottingham | Lenton and Wollaton East | E05012283 | 103 |
Nottingham | Mapperley | E05012284 | 126 |
Nottingham | Meadows | E05012285 | 107 |
Nottingham | Radford | E05012286 | 133 |
Nottingham | Sherwood | E05012288 | 90 |
Nottingham | St. Ann's | E05012287 | 208 |
Nottingham | Wollaton West | E05012289 | 51 |
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the availability of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy to all patients who need it.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department continues to engage with all suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to boost production to mitigate the supply issue. Increased volumes of PERT are expected for 2025, and specialist importers have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the gap in the market. In December 2024, the Department issued further management advice to healthcare professionals. This directs clinicians to prescribe unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable and includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are put in place and implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a webpage to include the latest update on PERT availability and easily accessible prescribing advice.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) improve awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms and (b) help ensure GPs receive appropriate training on recognising the symptoms of pancreatic cancer at an early stage.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is already taking steps to deliver a range of interventions to improve awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms. NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, including symptoms of pancreatic cancer, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an early point.
NHS England is also working with Pancreatic Cancer UK to develop a public-facing Family History Checker, which enables people, and their families, affected by pancreatic cancer to self-assess if they have inherited risk. People identified of being at risk are referred directly to the European Registry of Hereditary Pancreatic Diseases research trail, which aims to understand inherited conditions of the pancreas. Referrals to the trail can be made by any healthcare professional across all health sectors, or by individuals via self-referral.
General practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to hormone replacement therapy prescriptions through GPs for trans patients; and what steps he is taking to support trans patients' access to hormone replacement therapy prescriptions through GPs.
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 which will look at how to overcome the challenges that some individuals face in accessing a timely prescription.
NHS England has more than doubled investment in gender dysphoria services, increasing the number of adult Gender Dysphoria Clinics in England from seven to 12 since July 2020, with the rollout of five new adult gender pilot clinics. This will help tackle long waiting times, which have increased due to a shortage of specialist clinical staff to meet the rapidly rising demand.
To support general practitioners (GPs) in prescribing for adults with gender dysphoria, these pilot clinics are led by primary care and staffed by specialist GPs who are available to provide quick and effective support to colleagues.
The Royal College of General Practitioners’ position statement on the role of the GP in transgender healthcare sets out that GPs should liaise and work with Gender Identity Clinics in the same way as with any other specialist. This includes consideration of prescribing under a shared care agreement.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 improve the availability of GP appointments in Nottingham East constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to improving capacity and access to local services across the country, including in Nottingham East. That is why we have already begun recruiting 1,000 newly qualified general practitioners (GPs) through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, enabling the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified GPs across England. This will increase the number of appointments delivered in general practice, which will benefit thousands of patients that are struggling to care the care they desperately need. This will also secure the future supply of GPs and take pressure off those currently working in the system.
Additionally, we have announced a proposed £889 million uplift to the GP contract, with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to general practice. We are currently consulting on key proposals to improve access, continuity of care and GP recruitment.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 adequacy of the level of financial support provided to medical students through the NHS bursary.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Bursary funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.
We have applied an uplift of 2% to all NHS Bursary maintenance grants and allowances for the academic year 2024/25. This is the first time the maintenance grant has been uplifted since 2015.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
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 assessment of the potential merits of introducing auto-enrolment for Healthy Start.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Healthy Start scheme is kept under review. The Healthy Start scheme was introduced in 2006 to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. It can be used to buy, or put towards the cost of, fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries have access to free Healthy Start Vitamins for pregnant women and children aged under four years old. Healthy Start now supports over 353,000 beneficiaries. This figure is higher than the previous paper voucher scheme.
The NHS Business Services Authority operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. All applicants to the Healthy Start scheme, where they meet the eligibility criteria, must accept the terms and conditions of the prepaid card at the point of application. As the prepaid card is a financial product and cannot be issued without the applicant accepting these terms, the NHS Business Services Authority is not able to automatically provide eligible families with a prepaid card. However, we remain open to all viable routes to improve uptake.