Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that people living in rural areas with limited public transport can access diabetic eye screening services locally, particularly where patients are advised not to drive following their appointments.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Further to the answer provided on 6 February in response to Question 105684, screening clinics are often delivered from GP practices and other local venues, to help reduce travel difficulties where possible.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential (a) health benefits and (b) cost savings to the NHS of extending eligibility for the shingles vaccination to immunocompetent people who were aged 65 to 69 before 1 September 2023 and are not currently eligible until they reach the age of 70.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the expansion of the shingles vaccination programme down to adults aged 60 years old, in line with the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, adults turning 65 and 70 years old became eligible for vaccination from 1 September 2023. This phased roll-out was agreed as a means of maximising population benefit and cost-effectiveness, whilst taking account of National Health Service delivery capacity. There are no plans to change this approach to eligibility in advance of 1 September 2028, when the second phase of the expansion will begin, and adults will become eligible for shingles vaccination when they turn 60 and 65 years old.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has reviewed the decision not to include immunocompetent people who were aged 65 to 69 before 1 September 2023 in the catch-up arrangements for the shingles vaccination programme; and whether he plans to extend eligibility to that cohort before they reach the age of 70.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the expansion of the shingles vaccination programme down to adults aged 60 years old, in line with the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, adults turning 65 and 70 years old became eligible for vaccination from 1 September 2023. This phased roll-out was agreed as a means of maximising population benefit and cost-effectiveness, whilst taking account of National Health Service delivery capacity. There are no plans to change this approach to eligibility in advance of 1 September 2028, when the second phase of the expansion will begin, and adults will become eligible for shingles vaccination when they turn 60 and 65 years old.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on how many occasions in the last year have Ministers met with the Chief Public Health Nurse to discuss health inequalities in coastal communities, and when did these meetings occur.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer he was provided on 16 July in response to Question 18268.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is taking to tackle health inequalities in coastal communities.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer he was provided on 16 July in response to Question 18268.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to support the establishment of an Urgent Treatment Centre in North Norfolk.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to establish an Urgent Treatment Centre in North Norfolk.
The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is progressing work to develop a network of urgent treatment centres across the county as part of wider improvements to urgent and emergency care services. This work is intended to support greater consistency in access to urgent care and ensure services are developed in line with local population needs and national guidance.
Urgent care services for people living in North Norfolk are currently delivered through a range of National Health Services, including the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) at Cromer Hospital.
The MIU at Cromer Hospital continues to provide assessment and treatment for a range of minor injuries, and there are currently no plans to change this service. Alongside the MIU, residents are able to access urgent care through general practice, NHS 111, community pharmacy services and, where clinically appropriate, ambulance services and emergency departments.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings Ministers in his department have attended in relation to coastal health inequalities in 2026.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Ministers in the Department meet regularly on a range of topics, including tackling health inequalities, to which coastal inequalities are closely linked.
The Government has committed to act on the social determinants of health, to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions, while increasing it for everyone, and to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.
Work to improve outcomes in coastal communities is being progressed through a range of programmes and policy initiatives, including efforts to better align health, employment, and skills interventions, support workforce participation, and strengthen prevention and early intervention in areas with the greatest need.
This includes neighbourhood health centres, which aim to improve primary care access, addressing transport barriers and reducing reliance on acute hospitals.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Action 15 of the National Cancer Plan, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that patients in remote and rural areas with poor access to public transport are not disadvantaged in their ability to access specialist treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The National Cancer Plan sets out how we will tackle unwarranted geographical variation head on and ensure that everyone has access to the best diagnostic and treatment services, no matter their postcode.
We recognise that rural and coastal areas have been struggling for too long, which is why this plan is increasing the number of training places for cancer consultants in rural and coastal areas, particularly in areas where there are a high number of vacancies. This will ensure quality improvement in the trusts with the greatest needs and provide all patients with access to specialised cancer doctors.
We will utilise data driven service planning tools, to support local systems to plan specialist care in a way that is accessible to everyone. It will take account of travel time and the impact on different groups who can experience disparities, such as older people, some ethnic groups, and those that live in rural and coastal areas.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost incurred by children and young people from North Norfolk for attending their cancer treatment in the nearest specialist treatment centre in Cambridge; how many of them are not receiving support for their travel costs; and whether he will introduce a Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund to support with these costs.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families in England.
The Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) is designed to provide financial support for eligible patients to facilitate their journeys to and from National Health Service-funded secondary care. Eligibility for HTCS is set by DHSC and details are available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/
Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also several charities in the United Kingdom who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.
NHS England does not collect national patient-level data on uptake of the HTCS. This data is held by the organisation paying for the claim, often the hospital trust or integrated care board. Therefore, DHSC has not made a formal assessment of the cost incurred by children and young people from North Norfolk for attending their cancer treatment in the nearest specialist treatment centre in Cambridge and how many of them are not receiving support for their travel costs.
On 4 February 2025, DHSC relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve experience and outcomes for children and young people with cancer in England.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the workforce modelling used as the basis for the 10 Year Workforce Plan will be independent; and whether the results of that modelling will be independently assessed and tested.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have committed to updating workforce modelling which will be set out in and alongside the 10 Year Workforce Plan when published in spring 2026. This will be supported by external scrutiny to independently assess and test it.