Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what services NHS England gender services provide for children and young people.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England commissions gender services for children and young people in line with its interim service specification for children and young people with gender incongruence.
Children and young people are cared for holistically by specialist multi-disciplinary teams based in specialist children's hospitals. The multi-disciplinary team should include expertise in paediatrics, psychological health, and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Each child or young person will have a tailored individual care plan to meet their needs. Depending on individual need, the gender service for children and young people will provide psychosocial and clinical interventions, including support for the family. Further information from the interim service specification is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) medical professionals, (b) charities, (c) organisations and (d) other groups the Commission on Human Medicines consulted on the provision of puberty blockers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s response to the targeted consultation on proposed changes to the availability of puberty blockers was published on 11 December 2024, and details the individuals and organisations with which the Commission on Human Medicines consulted. It is available at the following link:
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the National Institute for Health and Care Research has spent on research into (a) gynaecological and urogynaecological health, (b) asthma and (c) diabetes in each of the last ten years; and what proportion of the NIHR’s overall spend each of those amounts represents.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows how much the National Institute for Health and Care Research spent on research, as well as that spend as a percentage of total research spend, for gynaecological and urogynaecological, each year from 2014/15 to 2023/34, and in total over that period:
Financial year | Spend | Proportion of total research spend |
2014/15 | £3,820,598 | 1.3% |
2015/16 | £4,119,736 | 1.4% |
2016/17 | £4,598,586 | 1.6% |
2017/18 | £5,794,355 | 1.5% |
2018/19 | £4,876,814 | 1.3% |
2019/20 | £5,558,241 | 1.3% |
2020/21 | £5,255,747 | 1.3% |
2021/22 | £5,808,297 | 1.2% |
2022/23 | £5,472,805 | 1.0% |
2023/24 | £6,381,906 | 1.3% |
Total 2014 to 2024 | £51,687,086 | 1.3% |
Additionally, the following table shows how much the National Institute for Health and Care Research spent on research, as well as that spend as a percentage of total research spend, for asthma, each year from 2014/15 to 2023/34, and in total over that period:
Financial year | Spend | Proportion of total research spend |
2014/15 | £2,881,919 | 1.0% |
2015/16 | £3,148,352 | 1.1% |
2016/17 | £2,222,035 | 0.8% |
2017/18 | £4,451,842 | 1.2% |
2018/19 | £4,999,804 | 1.3% |
2019/20 | £8,823,017 | 2.1% |
2020/21 | £8,950,535 | 2.2% |
2021/22 | £7,378,125 | 1.5% |
2022/23 | £6,947,881 | 1.3% |
2023/24 | £8,733,915 | 1.7% |
Total 2014 to 2024 | £58,537,425 | 1.5% |
Finally, the following table shows how much the National Institute for Health and Care Research spent on research, as well as that spend as a percentage of total research spend, for diabetes, each year from 2014/15 to 2023/34, and in total over that period:
Financial year | Spend | Proportion of total research spend |
2014/15 | £8,886,001 | 3.1% |
2015/16 | £8,570,471 | 2.9% |
2016/17 | £8,899,325 | 3.0% |
2017/18 | £12,240,087 | 3.3% |
2018/19 | £13,180,008 | 3.4% |
2019/20 | £17,097,212 | 4.1% |
2020/21 | £16,899,589 | 4.1% |
2021/22 | £21,713,745 | 4.3% |
2022/23 | £20,346,333 | 3.8% |
2023/24 | £25,271,594 | 5.1% |
Total 2014 to 2024 | £153,104,366 | 3.8% |
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many invasive surgical procedures to (a) diagnose and (b) treat a reproductive health condition were not completed because of the level of pain experienced by the patient during that procedure in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held centrally. A range of procedures are used to investigate and treat gynaecological conditions. For example, ultrasound can be used in the diagnosis of fibroids, hysteroscopy can be used to investigate symptoms such as unexplained vaginal bleeding, and laparoscopy can be used to diagnose and treat endometriosis.
The Government recognises that some procedures, such as hysteroscopy, can result in pain, and the level of pain experienced will vary between individual women. It is important that healthcare professionals provide women with information prior to their procedure so that women can make an informed decisions about the procedure and pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of GP practices are commissioned to fit long-acting reversible contraception for purposes of gynaecological care; and what the (a) fitting fee and (b) cost is of fitting long-acting reversible contraception in primary care.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on the proportion of general practices commissioned to fit long-acting reversible contraception for the purposes of gynaecological care, as well as the fitting fee and cost of fitting in primary care, is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has made in developing guidelines for polycystic ovary syndrome.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following referral from the Department, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently planning the development of a guideline on the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. The NICE is exploring the possibility of collaboration with a reputable, guidance-producing partner to enhance the speed and efficiency of this work. The NICE’s website will be updated at the earliest opportunity, when expected timings are confirmed.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women's health hubs have been established; and in which integrated care board areas they are located.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has invested £25 million over 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support the establishment of at least one pilot women’s health hub in every integrated care system. The 2024/25 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance asks integrated care boards (ICBs) to establish and develop at least one women’s health hub in every ICB by December 2024, working in partnership with local authorities.
NHS England has asked the ICBs to report regularly on their progress implementing the funding. As of September 2024, 36 of the 42 ICBs had had reported to NHS England that their women’s health hub was open. Those ICBs are:
The Birmingham, RAND, and Cambridge Evaluation, published in September 2024, identified 17 women’s health hubs in England which were established between 2001 and 2022. The report is available at the following link:
https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hsdr/JYFT5036/#/abstract
The research notes the difficulty in locating models for women’s health hubs, meaning the research may not have captured all open women’s health hubs, in particular hubs that have opened more recently as locally-led initiatives.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans increase breast screenings for young women with (a) neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and (b) other determinants of being at risk of developing breast cancer.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All women with neurofibromatosis type 1 are eligible to begin screening at the age of 40 years old. This is 10 years below the normal screening age of 50 years old. Women can have screenings from a younger age if they have a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer, for example due to family history or an inherited gene such as BRCA.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to develop standardised national guidelines for the (a) identification and (b) treatment of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We remain committed to the UK Rare Diseases Framework, which highlights helping patients get a final diagnosis faster, and improved access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs as priorities to improve the lives of people with living with rare diseases.
NHS England commissions a service for adults and children with complex neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). This is provided by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. The overall aim of the service is to provide the highest quality of care to people with complex NF1 through accurate diagnosis, including genetic testing, coordinated care from a specialist multidisciplinary team, monitoring of complications of the disease, and referral to other specialties as required. The two national centres and a multi-disciplinary team of senior doctors and nurses co-ordinate diagnosis and long-term care of patients with complex NF1. A referral is needed to access this service, and both centres also accept non-complex NF1 referrals. The clinicians in the complex NF1 team contribute to the evidence base on this condition, including development of international guidelines. Genetic testing for NF1 is available through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has no plans to develop a guideline on NF1. With the exception of health technology evaluations, where the NICE's responsibilities are clearly defined, the NICE will not routinely produce guidelines that relate to single rare diseases. Instead, they seek to identify commonalities between conditions to provide products that can be applied across multiple rare disease groups.
NICE guidelines are developed by experts based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence, and through extensive engagement with interested parties. They describe best practice, and healthcare professionals are expected to take them fully into account in the care and treatment of their patients, although they are not mandatory and do not override a clinician’s responsibility to make decisions appropriate to individual patients.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of the recent pay award for Agenda for Change staff will be funded from (a) existing NHS budgets, (b) the Departmental budget, (c) additional funding from the Treasury, (d) efficiencies, and (e) any other sources; and what consequential funding will be allocated to each of the devolved administrations as a result.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The statement from my Rt hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29 July 2024 sets out the position across the Government, and includes departments making savings to pay towards the outcomes of the Pay Review Bodies. As the process for agreeing savings is not yet complete, at this point we cannot provide the breakdown requested.
However, the Government is committed to ensuring the National Health Service receives the funding it needs to pay for this deal. There will be no reduction in the availability or quality of frontline health and care services as a consequence of funding this pay award.
Any Barnett consequential would be provided to the devolved administrations in the usual way. Any additional funding that flows to the Department as a result would be at supplementary estimates in 2024/25.