Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 NHS England on proposals to reduce reliance on resident doctors in response to industrial action.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has committed to create a new model of care, fit for the future. In spring we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver that transformed service.
The 10 Year Workforce Plan has been developed and is informed by regular discussions with NHS England and will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate changes for different professional groups.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 estimate of the number of NHS appointments and procedures postponed due to the resident doctors’ strike beginning on 7 April 2026.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England routinely publishes information on postponed inpatient and outpatient appointments during periods of industrial action, and this information will be published in due course. Further information will be available at the following link:
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of final-year students from (a) Queen Mary University of London Malta, (b) Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia and (c) the City St George’s, University of London medical degree programme delivered at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus who applied for the 2026 UK Foundation Programme; how many of those students were allocated an FY1 post in the primary allocation round; and how many were placed on the reserve list.
Answered by Karin Smyth - 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: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 ensure that inpatient mental health services have sufficient staffing levels and the appropriate skill mix to provide safe and therapeutic care.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government is recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers by the end of this Parliament. Over 8,000 of these workers have been recruited since July 2024, which will help to ease pressure on busy mental health services. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan later this year to ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places to care for patients when they need it.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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, with NHS England and integrated care boards, to address systemic failings in inpatient mental health care.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Anyone receiving mental health treatment should be able to expect consistently safe, high‑quality care. Families, staff, and the public deserve answers when things go wrong in mental health settings and it is vitally important that, where care falls short, we learn from any mistakes made to improve care across the National Health Service and to protect patients in the future. To this end, the Department has announced a statutory inquiry into the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.
The Department and NHS England are committed to ensuring we put in place a modernised legislative framework through the Mental Health Act 2025 which upholds patient rights and voice and that provides stronger oversight, higher standards, and a system that better protects and supports some of the most vulnerable people in society, whilst keeping patients and the public safe. We are also prioritising eliminating inappropriate out of area placements. The Medium Term Planning Framework set a new national expectation to end all integrated care board-commissioned inappropriate out of area placements and the commissioning of locked rehabilitation services by March 2028.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 whether NHS England’s projected PET-CT activity volumes for prostate cancer under the forthcoming commissioning arrangements align with current regional activity levels; and what assessment he has made of any variance between projected and existing provision.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is responsible for commissioning prostate‑specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radiotracers for positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET‑CT) imaging for adults with high‑risk primary or recurrent prostate cancer. The commissioning policy, published in February 2025, sets out that PSMA PET‑CT should be available as a routinely commissioned imaging option within defined clinical criteria.
NHS England undertook an assessment of current service provision, clinical evidence, and projected demand. This included reviewing existing PET‑CT activity across regions to identify variation and to ensure that projected activity volumes for prostate cancer aligned with current patterns of use and expected regional need. NHS England also considered evidence on current provision and expert advice when determining its recommended commissioning position.
With respect to the modelling assumptions underpinning projected PSMA PET‑CT activity levels, NHS England’s assessment drew on a review of clinical evidence, expected diagnostic pathways, and forward‑looking estimates of the number of patients with high‑risk primary or recurrent prostate cancer who would meet the criteria for PSMA PET‑CT. The Clinical Panel and commissioning groups considered evidence on current provision, anticipated future utilisation, and the role of PSMA PET‑CT where conventional imaging leaves clinically important uncertainties. These assessments are reflected in the policy documentation and supporting evidence reviews published by NHS England.
The commissioning policy documents including the Clinical Panel report, Evidence Review, and associated materials, are publicly available on the NHS England website at the following link:
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish the methodology used by NHS England to calculate projected PET-CT activity volumes, including any assumptions relating to future demand growth and pathway developments in prostate cancer.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is responsible for commissioning prostate‑specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radiotracers for positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET‑CT) imaging for adults with high‑risk primary or recurrent prostate cancer. The commissioning policy, published in February 2025, sets out that PSMA PET‑CT should be available as a routinely commissioned imaging option within defined clinical criteria.
NHS England undertook an assessment of current service provision, clinical evidence, and projected demand. This included reviewing existing PET‑CT activity across regions to identify variation and to ensure that projected activity volumes for prostate cancer aligned with current patterns of use and expected regional need. NHS England also considered evidence on current provision and expert advice when determining its recommended commissioning position.
With respect to the modelling assumptions underpinning projected PSMA PET‑CT activity levels, NHS England’s assessment drew on a review of clinical evidence, expected diagnostic pathways, and forward‑looking estimates of the number of patients with high‑risk primary or recurrent prostate cancer who would meet the criteria for PSMA PET‑CT. The Clinical Panel and commissioning groups considered evidence on current provision, anticipated future utilisation, and the role of PSMA PET‑CT where conventional imaging leaves clinically important uncertainties. These assessments are reflected in the policy documentation and supporting evidence reviews published by NHS England.
The commissioning policy documents including the Clinical Panel report, Evidence Review, and associated materials, are publicly available on the NHS England website at the following link:
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 whether the modelling assumptions underpinning projected PSMA PET-CT activity volumes within the forthcoming PET-CT commissioning arrangements are (a) forward-looking and (b) reflect clinical demand.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is responsible for commissioning prostate‑specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radiotracers for positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET‑CT) imaging for adults with high‑risk primary or recurrent prostate cancer. The commissioning policy, published in February 2025, sets out that PSMA PET‑CT should be available as a routinely commissioned imaging option within defined clinical criteria.
NHS England undertook an assessment of current service provision, clinical evidence, and projected demand. This included reviewing existing PET‑CT activity across regions to identify variation and to ensure that projected activity volumes for prostate cancer aligned with current patterns of use and expected regional need. NHS England also considered evidence on current provision and expert advice when determining its recommended commissioning position.
With respect to the modelling assumptions underpinning projected PSMA PET‑CT activity levels, NHS England’s assessment drew on a review of clinical evidence, expected diagnostic pathways, and forward‑looking estimates of the number of patients with high‑risk primary or recurrent prostate cancer who would meet the criteria for PSMA PET‑CT. The Clinical Panel and commissioning groups considered evidence on current provision, anticipated future utilisation, and the role of PSMA PET‑CT where conventional imaging leaves clinically important uncertainties. These assessments are reflected in the policy documentation and supporting evidence reviews published by NHS England.
The commissioning policy documents including the Clinical Panel report, Evidence Review, and associated materials, are publicly available on the NHS England website at the following link:
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for non-specific symptom pathways for earlier diagnosis of leukaemia and other blood cancers.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.
To tackle the late diagnoses of blood cancers including leukaemia, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers, including leukaemia, are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.
The NHS will improve early diagnosis and quicker treatment of blood cancers, including leukaemia, by expanding diagnostic services with investments in magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. Furthermore, the 10-Year Health Plan’s commitment to putting digital health at the heart of the future health service and integrating that with a single patient record and neighbourhood health services, will mean that cancer patients will get the joined-up care they deserve.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 cost of shipping and air freight following the conflict in the Middle East on the supply of generic medicines to the UK; and what steps he is taking to mitigate that impact.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We continue to monitor the impact of the Middle East conflict on the medical supply chain, including on generic medicines. While we understand that transport costs have risen, there are currently no reported shortages of medicines due to the conflict.
If shortages do occur, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to mitigate risks to patients. These include close and regular engagement with suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, sourcing unlicensed imports from abroad, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, use of Serious Shortage Protocols, and issuing National Health Service communications to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals including pharmacists, so they can advise and support their patients.