Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
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 need for community eating disorder services to deliver treatment for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is currently producing new national guidance with sections on binge eating and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). NHS England has also developed training for primary care staff and others who come into contact with people with an eating disorder.
NHS England continues to work with eating disorder services and local commissioners to improve access to treatment for all children and young people with a suspected eating disorder, including those presenting with ARFID.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish a framework for community eating disorder services to deliver an Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder treatment pathway.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is currently producing new national guidance with sections on binge eating and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). NHS England has also developed training for primary care staff and others who come into contact with people with an eating disorder.
NHS England continues to work with eating disorder services and local commissioners to improve access to treatment for all children and young people with a suspected eating disorder, including those presenting with ARFID.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
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 Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the time taken to respond to the Hughes Report recommendations on women impacted by valproate and pelvic mesh.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments, including the Cabinet Office. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
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 engage with independent pharmacies to establish the basis for a fair and equitable contract to be offered to community pharmacy.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government consults with Community Pharmacy England on arrangements for remunerating and reimbursing community pharmacy contractors. Community Pharmacy England represents all pharmacies in England including independent pharmacies.
For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. Any future contractual framework for community pharmacy will also be developed in consultation with Community Pharmacy England.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of incorrectly completed HC3 forms have resulted in penalty to the claimant.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans to make an assessment on the adequacy of the application form for the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS), however the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), the administrator of the NHS LIS, is trialling a new online service available to those who meet certain criteria.
Incorrectly completing the NHS LIS application form does not result in a penalty for the applicant, but may lead to the result of their claim being delayed. Anyone who is entitled to help will be sent a HC2 certificate for full help with health costs or a HC3 certificate for limited help.
In 2024/25, the NHSBSA received a total of 375,625 applications for the LIS, and 121,428 of those applications are either pending for more information/further contact, or have been abandoned by the claimant.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
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 adequacy of the ease of use of the HC3 form for people applying for low-income support for NHS costs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans to make an assessment on the adequacy of the application form for the NHS Low Income Scheme (LIS), however the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), the administrator of the NHS LIS, is trialling a new online service available to those who meet certain criteria.
Incorrectly completing the NHS LIS application form does not result in a penalty for the applicant, but may lead to the result of their claim being delayed. Anyone who is entitled to help will be sent a HC2 certificate for full help with health costs or a HC3 certificate for limited help.
In 2024/25, the NHSBSA received a total of 375,625 applications for the LIS, and 121,428 of those applications are either pending for more information/further contact, or have been abandoned by the claimant.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on waiting lists for treatment for eating disorders.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Between October 2024 to December 2024, 80.8%, or 350 out of 433, of urgent referrals to Children and Young People’s Eating Disorders services were seen within one week, and 81.9%, or 2,064 out of 2,521, of routine referrals were seen within four weeks. Data on access and waiting times is not published for adult eating disorders due to concerns about data quality.
NHS England is continuing to expand the capacity of community-based eating disorder services, including crisis care and intensive home treatment, to improve outcomes and recovery, reduce rates of relapse, and to prevent eating disorders continuing into adulthood.
NHS England has asked local health systems, through this year’s National Health Service operational planning guidance, to focus on improving performance against the waiting time standards for children’s eating disorder services, so that 95% of urgent cases are seen within one week and 95% of routine cases are seen within four weeks.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
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 impact of trends in the number of (a) psychiatrists, (b) psychologists and (c) dietitians on the quality of eating disorder support provided by the NHS.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This information is not held centrally.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues on implementing the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review 2020.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Seven of the nine recommendations have been previously accepted by the Government, in full, in part, or in principle, and four of these have been successfully implemented, including:
- issuing an unreserved apology on behalf of the healthcare system;
- appointing Dr Henrietta Hughes as the first ever Patient Safety Commissioner in England in respect of medicines and medical devices; and
- establishing nine specialist mesh centres, which are in operation across England.
Work is ongoing in respect of the remaining recommendations, including working across the Government to consider the recommendations in the Hughes Report, which looked into and provided advice on redress for those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
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 promote awareness of early symptoms of Parkinson's disease amongst GPs.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including of Parkinson’s disease, 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. All doctors registered in the United Kingdom are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) Good Medical Practice. In 2012, the GMC introduced revalidation, which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, giving patients confidence that doctors are up to date with their practice, and promoting improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.
The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors, set by the Royal College of General Practitioners, has to meet the standards set by the GMC. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they do emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.