Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to improve access to treatments for metachromatic leukodystrophy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as metachromatic leukodystrophy. One of the framework’s priorities is improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We remain committed to delivering under the framework and published the fourth England action plan on 28 February 2025.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE works closely with companies and the United Kingdom regulator with the aim of publishing guidance on new medicines as close as possible to the time of licensing so that patients can benefit from rapid access to clinically and cost-effective medicines. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended in a NICE appraisal, usually within three months of final guidance.
In 2022, NICE recommended the world’s first gene therapy atidarsagene autotemcel, also known as Libmeldy, for treating metachromatic leukoystrophy, which is now available to eligible NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 potential merits of increasing the maximum age for first-time blood donors.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England, and blood donor selection guidelines are prepared by the Joint United Kingdom Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC), with further information available at the following link:
https://www.transfusionguidelines.org/
JPAC is due to conduct a review of the upper age limit for new and returning donors in 2026, following analysis of adverse events over the preceding 12 months since NHSBT, and other UK blood services, adopted its updated guidelines for returning donors in 2024. A copy of the guidelines is attached.
The current maximum age of first-time donors was extended from 60 to 65 years old in line with Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005 limits on the safe age range for new donors, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/50/contents
There is no age limit for regular donors, who may continue to give blood over the age of 72 years old if they remain in good health and have made at least one full donation in the last two years.
Returning donors, those who have given blood anywhere in the world without an adverse reaction, can return to donating up to, and on, their 72nd birthday, and then can continue to donate as long as they remain healthy
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 merits of including metachromatic leukodystrophy in the newborn blood spot test.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) considered newborn screening for metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) in 2023. At that time, it concluded that the available evidence on screening test accuracy and cost-effectiveness, though limited, warranted further review. It also found that the volume and type of evidence relating to the benefits and/or harms of treatments in presymptomatic patients with MLD was sufficient to justify a more in-depth review of the evidence.
Since then, a further review has been undertaken. A three-month consultation on those findings closed on 5 August 2025. The UK NSC will consider the responses to this consultation in due course.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 the decline in the People's Health Trust's turnover and funding on local public health initiatives.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the valuable part played by third sector organisations in tackling health inequalities and the social determinants of health, and commends the work of the People’s Health Trust in providing funding and support to left-behind communities.
Much of what determines our health and wellbeing is influenced by factors other than health services. The roots of sickness too often lie in poverty, poor housing, poor education, poor work, and poor access to the things that make life worth living like culture, sport, and recreation. We are taking action on the social determinants of health, through our Health Mission, to reduce the gap in healthy life expectancy.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of the closure of 83 beds at St George's Hospital on patients.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made an assessment. Integrated care boards are responsible for delivery, implementation, and funding decisions for local services, rather than the Department.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 2 June 2025 to Question 53118 on NHS: Workplace Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing NHS Professionals under the direct control of his Department to allow bank employees access to the NHS Pension Scheme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Professionals is constituted as a company that competes for business in a commercial market. The terms and conditions that it offers its employees, including access to pension schemes, are the equivalent to those of its market competitors. If access to the NHS Pension Scheme was provided, the company would be required to fully pass on any additional associated costs to its National Health Service customers. This would be counter to the Government’s ambition to eliminate agency use and reduce bank spend in the NHS.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 merits of making the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline on waiting times for autism assessments a statutory requirement.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessment services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
NICE guidelines are not mandatory, but National Health Service commissioners and healthcare providers are expected to take them fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local populations.
Lord Darzi’s independent review of the NHS, published in September 2024, highlighted that demand for autism assessments has grown significantly in recent years. Waiting times for an assessment will be impacted by a range of factors, which may differ between areas, including the level of demand and the capacity within autism assessment services to meet that demand.
The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our NHS needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 merits of including NHS Professionals employees in the NHS Pension Scheme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made. NHS Professionals is a private limited company operating in a competitive environment to secure contracts with National Health Service trusts, and as such it makes its own assessment of the terms upon which it attracts and retains its employees.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 improve autism (a) awareness and (b) understanding among the adult population.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where autistic people are supported to thrive.
The Department is taking action to increase awareness and understanding of autism within health and adult social care services. From 1 July 2022, service providers registered with the Care Quality Commission are required to ensure their staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role, as set out in the Health and Care Act 2022. To support this, we are rolling out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. Over two million people have now completed the e-learning module, which is the first part of the training.
The Government has also committed to raising awareness of all forms of neurodiversity, including autism, in the workplace. An independent panel made of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity, including autism, has been launched to advise the Government on fostering more inclusive workplaces. This will build on the recommendations outlined in the Buckland Review of Autism Employment, which related solely to autism.
The panel will advise employers and ministers on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work, including for autistic people. The panel will consider mechanisms for change, making recommendations in the summer.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 health visitor check-ups for newborns within the first 12 months.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on new birth health visitor reviews is officially recorded and published annually. In 2023/24, the most recent annual data available, 97.8% of newborns received a health visitor review within 30 days following birth, a statistic stable from the previous year. The same data shows that 81.8% of newborns received a six to eight week health visitor review by week eight, which is 2.2% higher than 2022/23, but 3.3% lower than the comparable figure from 2019/20. Meanwhile, 86.5% of children received a 12-month health visitor review by month 15. This 12-month review figure represents an increase of 3.9% from 2022/23. It also represents a 2.9% increase from 2019/20.
The Government laid out its commitment to strengthen health visiting services in the Plan for Change.