Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans exist for replacing outdated scanning machines as part of the programme for doubling capacity.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Government is committed to investing in replacing outdated scanners. The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. This funding will deliver new community diagnostic centres to increase system capacity in diagnostic services, new scanners in acute hospital settings, as well as replacement of the oldest computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.
Aged scanner replacement is one of the areas the Government is investing in over the next four years. Many National Health Service trusts have submitted schemes to NHS England for consideration to replace CT, MRI, and non-obstetric ultrasound scanners as well as other types of diagnostic equipment. NHS England’s criteria for approval considers the age of the current scanners, the impact on diagnostics, Referral to Treatment, and cancer performance, benefits of replacement, including productivity gain, and value for money.
The Government is also supporting investment in artificial intelligence acceleration software for MRI machines which speeds up scanner acquisition time without degradation of image quality.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
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 prevent fraud by GP Consortia.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government takes fraud against the National Health Service very seriously and uses a range of measures to prevent, detect, and respond to fraud.
We have a comprehensive Counter Fraud Strategy in place, supported by a coordinated, system-wide approach across primary care, including in general practice, to identify and mitigate fraud risks. This includes the use of Fraud Risk Assessments and Initial Fraud Impact Assessments to understand and manage risks across contracted services.
A network of Local Counter Fraud Specialists operates across England, providing a comprehensive counter-fraud service to NHS organisations.
In addition, the NHS Counter Fraud Authority is a dedicated special health authority tasked with leading the fight against fraud, bribery, and corruption in the NHS in England. Where allegations of fraud are received, appropriate action is taken, including criminal investigation where appropriate.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to help reduce barriers for adults on lower incomes attempting to access NHS care.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
National Health Services are free at the point of use for those ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, except for certain charges, such as NHS prescriptions in England and dental charges across the UK.
Many schemes are available to help reduce barriers for adults on lower incomes attempting to access NHS care. This includes charges exemptions for specific groups, support through the NHS Low Income Scheme, and prescription prepayment certificates to cap costs. Patients on a low income may also be able to get help with other necessary health-related costs, for example through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, subject to eligibility.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the views of service users are taken into account in the design of mental health services.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government recognises that the views of service users and people with lived experience are essential to the design and delivery of mental health services.
We are committed to working closely with experts by experience to ensure their perspectives are at the heart of our work. This includes shaping our new cross Government mental health strategy for England, which is being informed by a Call for Evidence, alongside targeted engagement on key policy topics, and meaningful engagement with people with lived experience.
As part of this wider programme of reform, the Severe Mental Illness Modern Service Framework is helping to put these principles into practice. We have established a third co-chair, Jo Lomani, a national mental health co-production lead and expert by lived and living experience. Jo has been brought on board to support the implementation of our lived-experience involvement and co-production strategy on the modern service framework, helping to ensure that people who use mental health services stay at the centre of everything we do.
More broadly, we are putting patient feedback and outcomes front and centre of mental health services, improving transparency and using people’s experiences to drive improvements in quality, safety and accountability.
Our reforms also support co production and person centred care, ensuring that people with lived experience are directly involved in the design and delivery of services. For example, community based models such as mental health centres and neighbourhood approaches bring together National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary sector partners, embedding collaboration with people with lived experience and local communities in service design and delivery.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for improving provision for people with eating disorders.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
NHS England has recently updated guidance for children and young people’s eating disorder services, strengthening early identification and ensuring care is joined up across schools, primary care, and specialist services, with faster access to treatment where an eating disorder is suspected.
NHS England expects to publish the Mental Health Personalised Care Framework shortly. The mental health personalised care framework sets out the approach and related principles and actions for delivering personalised care for adults and older people with severe mental health problems.
In addition, a modern service framework for severe mental illness, including eating disorders, is being developed to improve the quality and consistency of care across the whole pathway.
As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England has established 15 Adult Eating Disorder Provider Collaboratives across England to oversee specialised adult eating disorder services. In addition to delivering inpatient care, these collaboratives are supporting the development of intensive community and day treatment models, helping more people receive care closer to home where clinically appropriate and reducing reliance on inpatient admission and geographical variation, while implementing improved processes supporting earlier discharge from hospital.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research is being undertaken into the most effective ways of supporting those with eating disorders.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including eating disorders.
Through the NIHR, the Department jointly funds the Eating Disorders Clinical Research Network, an initiative to build a coordinated, United Kingdom wide research infrastructure that strengthens evidence, improves care, and accelerates high‑quality studies across eating‑disorder services. Other projects recently funded by the NIHR include an investigation into how restrictive practices are used in the care of children and young people with eating disorders, with a focus on co‑produced solutions to reduce their use and improve patient experience.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
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 potential impact of delayed migraine diagnosis on patient outcomes.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Department recognises that delays in diagnosis and treatment can affect individuals’ quality of life and may lead to greater symptom burden and wider impacts on education, employment, and wellbeing.
Clinical management of migraine is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which has published guidance on the diagnosis and management of headaches. This guidance helps clinicians to diagnose migraine more promptly and to provide appropriate acute and preventive treatments based on individual clinical need.
NHS England is supporting improvements in migraine care through national programmes such as the RightCare headache and migraine toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time neurology programme. These initiatives are focused on reducing unwarranted variation in care, improving diagnostic accuracy, particularly in primary care, and ensuring patients can access specialist services where appropriate.
Responsibility for commissioning migraine services rests with integrated care boards, which are best placed to plan and deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes access to primary care, specialist neurology services, and newer treatments where clinically indicated.
There are currently no plans to establish a national champion for migraine. The Department continues to engage with NHS England, clinical experts, and patient groups to understand the challenges faced by those living with migraine and to consider how services and support can be improved.
More broadly, the Government remains committed to improving outcomes for people with long-term conditions through ongoing system reform, workforce expansion, and a focus on earlier diagnosis and better community-based care.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
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 time and accuracy of migraine diagnosis in primary care.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Department recognises that delays in diagnosis and treatment can affect individuals’ quality of life and may lead to greater symptom burden and wider impacts on education, employment, and wellbeing.
Clinical management of migraine is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which has published guidance on the diagnosis and management of headaches. This guidance helps clinicians to diagnose migraine more promptly and to provide appropriate acute and preventive treatments based on individual clinical need.
NHS England is supporting improvements in migraine care through national programmes such as the RightCare headache and migraine toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time neurology programme. These initiatives are focused on reducing unwarranted variation in care, improving diagnostic accuracy, particularly in primary care, and ensuring patients can access specialist services where appropriate.
Responsibility for commissioning migraine services rests with integrated care boards, which are best placed to plan and deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes access to primary care, specialist neurology services, and newer treatments where clinically indicated.
There are currently no plans to establish a national champion for migraine. The Department continues to engage with NHS England, clinical experts, and patient groups to understand the challenges faced by those living with migraine and to consider how services and support can be improved.
More broadly, the Government remains committed to improving outcomes for people with long-term conditions through ongoing system reform, workforce expansion, and a focus on earlier diagnosis and better community-based care.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered creating a national champion for migraine.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Department recognises that delays in diagnosis and treatment can affect individuals’ quality of life and may lead to greater symptom burden and wider impacts on education, employment, and wellbeing.
Clinical management of migraine is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which has published guidance on the diagnosis and management of headaches. This guidance helps clinicians to diagnose migraine more promptly and to provide appropriate acute and preventive treatments based on individual clinical need.
NHS England is supporting improvements in migraine care through national programmes such as the RightCare headache and migraine toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time neurology programme. These initiatives are focused on reducing unwarranted variation in care, improving diagnostic accuracy, particularly in primary care, and ensuring patients can access specialist services where appropriate.
Responsibility for commissioning migraine services rests with integrated care boards, which are best placed to plan and deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes access to primary care, specialist neurology services, and newer treatments where clinically indicated.
There are currently no plans to establish a national champion for migraine. The Department continues to engage with NHS England, clinical experts, and patient groups to understand the challenges faced by those living with migraine and to consider how services and support can be improved.
More broadly, the Government remains committed to improving outcomes for people with long-term conditions through ongoing system reform, workforce expansion, and a focus on earlier diagnosis and better community-based care.
Asked by: Peter Lamb (Labour - Crawley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust on the potential impact of the reduction in Crawley Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre's opening hours on patients.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Trust’s evaluation found that revised opening hours at Crawley Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre reduced the average time patients spend in the UTC by 17 minutes, with no significant impact on nearby emergency departments. Decisions on local service configuration are the responsibility of NHS commissioners. The Government has committed £250 million in the UEC Plan 25/26 to expand co-located urgent treatment centres alongside same day emergency care.