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.

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.

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:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/psma-radiotracers-in-petct-imaging-for-individuals-with-high-risk-primary-or-recurrent-prostate-cancer/

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:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/psma-radiotracers-in-petct-imaging-for-individuals-with-high-risk-primary-or-recurrent-prostate-cancer/

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:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/psma-radiotracers-in-petct-imaging-for-individuals-with-high-risk-primary-or-recurrent-prostate-cancer/