Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2025 to Question 95676, whether his Department has conducted any evaluation of patient safety risks affecting people with severe and very severe ME/CFS, including malnutrition.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Patient safety risks affecting people with severe and very severe myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), including malnutrition, have been considered during the development of the final delivery plan (FDP) published in July this year, through engagement with stakeholders, including clinicians and patient groups.
To this end, the FDP includes an action for the Department and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for very severe ME/CFS. Officials from the Department have commenced discussions with NHS England on how best to take forward this action.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 invest more in prevention and public health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
For 2025/26, the Government increased the Public Health Grant by £224 million to support local authorities to deliver public health services. The Government will continue to invest in local authorities' vital public health work, providing more than £13.4 billion over the next three years through a consolidated Public Health Grant and giving authorities certainty over their future funding with a three-year settlement.
Annual National Health Service spending will increase by £15 billion in real terms by 2028/29, taking the resource budget to £225 billion, and the health capital budget will increase to £15.2 billion by the end of the Spending Review period. This will support national public health services such as world-leading immunisation programmes, including new vaccinations for chickenpox, helping to prevent young children from getting seriously ill and raising a healthier generation, and screening programmes to detect, act, and in some cases to prevent serious diseases. It will enable investment in wider preventative services, including Neighbourhood Health which will focus resources on keeping people well and shifting activity out of hospital and into local communities, and will deliver 250 neighbourhood health centres, with the first 120 upgrades due to be operational by 2030.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, further to the commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England to expand the Start for Life/Healthy Babies programme to every local authority, when will York receive funding to provide these services for the 2,614 babies aged 0-2 in York Central constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out an ambitious agenda to how we will improve the nation’s health by creating a new model of care that is fit for the future.
We recognise that local authorities such as City of York Council are ambitious, seeking to deliver universal support to families and prevent escalating need. We are committed to delivering the 10-Year Health Plan ambition to match Healthy Babies, formerly Start for Life, to Best Start Family Hubs over the next decade.
Healthy Babies is one element of our broader commitment to supporting babies, children, and families. From April 2026, Best Start Family Hubs will expand to every single local authority, including City of York Council, backed by over £500 million to reach up to half a million more children and families. This funding will help all local authorities to integrate a range of statutory and non-statutory health and family services.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 Botham Park Hospital being used as an asset for community use.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The former Bootham Park Hospital site was declared surplus to National Health Service requirements in 2016 and has been vacant since 2018. Returning the property to any operational use is considered unviable, with previous estimates indicating that approximately £75 million would be required to bring it back into economic use.
NHS Property Services, who own the site, invited bids from public bodies and other interested parties in October 2023, but none were received. Separately, a potential purchaser withdrew their interest after securing planning permission for redevelopment that included significant public benefits alongside a commitment that 50% of sale proceeds will be reinvested into the local health system. Since its closure, combined holding costs for security, maintenance, and upkeep have totalled approximately £5.5 million, reflecting the management of a Grade I heritage asset in line with Historic England and Cabinet Office guidance.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent on Bootham Park Hospital (a) security and (b) maintenance and upkeep since its closure as an NHS facility.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The former Bootham Park Hospital site was declared surplus to National Health Service requirements in 2016 and has been vacant since 2018. Returning the property to any operational use is considered unviable, with previous estimates indicating that approximately £75 million would be required to bring it back into economic use.
NHS Property Services, who own the site, invited bids from public bodies and other interested parties in October 2023, but none were received. Separately, a potential purchaser withdrew their interest after securing planning permission for redevelopment that included significant public benefits alongside a commitment that 50% of sale proceeds will be reinvested into the local health system. Since its closure, combined holding costs for security, maintenance, and upkeep have totalled approximately £5.5 million, reflecting the management of a Grade I heritage asset in line with Historic England and Cabinet Office guidance.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 potential impact of enabling directors of children's services to commission CAMHS on the holistic provision for (a) children and (b) children with neurodiversity.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made of the potential impact of enabling directors of children’s services to commission Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services on holistic provision for children, including those with neurodiversity.
The Government’s priority is to ensure that health and children’s social care work together effectively to provide timely, joined-up support for children and young people. This is being delivered through integrated care systems, which bring National Health Services and local authorities together to plan and deliver care collaboratively.
The Government recently announced a three-year pilot to improve mental health support for children in care by bringing together social workers and NHS professionals. Additionally, programmes such as ‘Early Language Support for Every Child’ and ‘Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools’ promote early intervention, alongside special educational needs and disabilities reforms in the forthcoming Schools White Paper.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made in developing a strategy for delivering Adult Social Care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he is having with (a) local authorities and (b) independent sector agencies on the delivery of adult social care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how can MPs be involved in supporting Baroness Casey in developing an Adult Social Care strategy.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Independent Commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Casey, is working to build consensus on the future of adult social care, meeting with people with first-hand experience of the social care system and sector organisations. As part of building political consensus, Baroness Casey held the first cross-party engagement in September last year.
Details about how to engage with the Commission are available on its website at the following link:
https://caseycommission.co.uk/
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which agencies have been involved in the work of Baroness Casey in the Adult Social Care strategy.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Independent Commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Casey, is working to build consensus on the future of adult social care, meeting with people with first-hand experience of the social care system and sector organisations, and holding the first cross-party engagement.
The Commission has already met with over 350 people, including those drawing on care and support, national organisations, and delivery or provider organisations.
Further detail on the Commission is available on its website at the following link:
https://caseycommission.co.uk/