Found: We have to acknowledge that we are up against competing demands such as cancer and dementia.

Found: Through our engagements with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) we know that cancer clinical trials are contingent

Found: biology can also be used to build more effective antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), which deliver drugs to cancer

Found: small molecule switching in de novo peptide-peptide interactions, addressing drug resistance in cancer

Found: Lucinda Tullie, Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UKAbstract

Found: (For info the areas listed are - personalised therapies such as CAR-T cancer therapy; artificial organs

Found: prosperity and quality of life. 2.From new antibiotics to tackle resistance and more effective cancer

Found: - ranging from new fuels which could support Net Zero ambitions, to the delivery of personalised cancer

Found: For example, a fundamental research study may report a new cytokine that is correlated to cancer

Found: Health London-based Prokarium design bacteria to deliver therapeutic cargo molecules to fight cancer

Found: transform access to treatment for a variety of serious conditions, from rare genetic diseases to cancer

Found: will be able to better study and understand complex large-scale genetic rearrangements that lead to cancer

Found: Health London-based Prokarium design bacteria to deliver therapeutic cargo molecules to fight cancer

Found: potential for improved patient outcomes through more precise, personalised therapies such as CAR-T cancer

Found: with other temperature sensitive medicines, it is used to send life-saving vaccines, insulin and cancer

Found: diseases, improve our food and farming systems, and develop more precise/effective treatments for cancer

Found: The University has world class clinical trial capabilities, and leading expertise in rare diseases, cancer

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for non-cancerous gynaecological services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. Equality of both access to care and outcomes will be at the heart of building an NHS that is fit for the future. This includes ensuring that women’s health is not neglected.

We have committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by the end of this Parliament, which includes those waiting for gynaecology treatment. To achieve this, we will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments per week, and will increase the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests, that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waits. This urgent work will help the nearly 600,000 women on gynaecology waiting lists get the care they need.

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 benefits of introducing national screening for prostate cancer.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committees (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm men, as some of them would be diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them problems during their life. This would lead to additional tests and treatments which can also have harmful side effects.

The UK NSC is currently carrying out an evidence review for prostate cancer screening, which includes different potential ways of screening the whole population from 40 years of age onwards, and targeted screening programme aimed at groups of men identified as being at higher than average risk, such as those with a family history, carriers of the BRCA2 gene, or based on ethnicity.

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 merits of allowing women over the age of 65 to request a cervical smear.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are currently no plans to make an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of extending the age of the National Health Service’s cervical screening programme beyond 65 years old. The UK National Screening Committee reviewed the evidence to screen women over 65 years old for cervical cancer in 2019, and due to the lack of evidence, no recommendation was made on changing the age at which women exit the programme.

People over the age of 65 years old who have not had a positive human papillomavirus (HPV) cervical screening result recently are not invited back for screening. Evidence suggests that it is very unlikely that they will develop cervical cancer over the age of 65 years old if they are HPV negative.

Anyone aged 65 years old or older continues to be screened within the NHS cervical screening programme if one of the last three screening tests was abnormal. In addition, people aged over 65 years old who have never had cervical screening, or who have not had a screening since they turned 50 years old, are able to request a cervical screening test through their general practice.

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 cost-effectiveness of extending the cervical screening programme beyond the age of 65.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are currently no plans to make an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of extending the age of the National Health Service’s cervical screening programme beyond 65 years old. The UK National Screening Committee reviewed the evidence to screen women over 65 years old for cervical cancer in 2019, and due to the lack of evidence, no recommendation was made on changing the age at which women exit the programme.

People over the age of 65 years old who have not had a positive human papillomavirus (HPV) cervical screening result recently are not invited back for screening. Evidence suggests that it is very unlikely that they will develop cervical cancer over the age of 65 years old if they are HPV negative.

Anyone aged 65 years old or older continues to be screened within the NHS cervical screening programme if one of the last three screening tests was abnormal. In addition, people aged over 65 years old who have never had cervical screening, or who have not had a screening since they turned 50 years old, are able to request a cervical screening test through their general practice.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he (a) has had and (b) plans to have discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on (i) its use of the new severity modifier and (ii) how it (A) measures and (B) reports the impact of the modifier on approval of treatments for (1) cancers, (2) relapsing and remitting conditions and (3) conditions that are more prevalent in older people.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have received briefings on the use of the severity modifier by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), in the development of its guidance for the National Health Service, on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS.

The severity modifier was introduced by the NICE in 2022 to replace the end-of-life modifier following extensive public and stakeholder engagement, as part of a number of changes that are designed to make the NICE’s methods and processes fairer, faster, and more consistent. The severity modifier reflects evidence of societal preferences and has already enabled the NICE to recommend innovative treatments for cystic fibrosis and hepatitis D that would not have been eligible for an end of life weighting.

Most cancers would be classed as severe and so would still have the additional weight applied. 79% of the NICE’s cancer appraisals carried out under the NICE’s updated methods have been positive, which compares with 78% under the NICE’s previous methods. The NICE continues to monitor the impact of the severity modifier on its evaluations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of minimally invasive cancer therapies; and whether his Department plans to provide funding for Integrated care systems to help ensure the availability of such treatments.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made a formal assessment. The adoption of new treatments, including increasing the number and availability of minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the National Health Service in England is generally the result of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and commissioner decisions. Both NHS England and the integrated care boards (ICBs) are required to put in place access for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by the NICE.

Where treatments are approved by the NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the NHS is required to fund and make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment and the development of additional capacity where necessary.

During 2024/25, NHS England will continue to support all ICBs in integrating the planning and commissioning of suitable specialised services with their wider population-level commissioning responsibilities, in line with their individual timeline for delegation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the removal of the end-of-life modifier on cancer technology appraisals.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have received briefings on the use of the severity modifier by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), in the development of its guidance for the National Health Service, on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS.

The severity modifier was introduced by the NICE in 2022 to replace the end-of-life modifier following extensive public and stakeholder engagement, as part of a number of changes that are designed to make the NICE’s methods and processes fairer, faster, and more consistent. The severity modifier reflects evidence of societal preferences and has already enabled the NICE to recommend innovative treatments for cystic fibrosis and hepatitis D that would not have been eligible for an end of life weighting.

Most cancers would be classed as severe and so would still have the additional weight applied. 79% of the NICE’s cancer appraisals carried out under the NICE’s updated methods have been positive, which compares with 78% under the NICE’s previous methods. The NICE continues to monitor the impact of the severity modifier on its evaluations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) early intervention and (b) treatment outcomes for ovarian cancer.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service in catching cancer, including ovarian cancer, as early as possible, to treat it faster and more effectively, and thereby improve outcomes. This is supported by the NHS’s current key ambition on cancer, to increase the number of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 to 75%, to improve treatment outcomes and survivorship.

To improve early intervention, NHS England is running the Help Us, Help You (HUHY) campaign, which was relaunched on 8 January 2024. The HUHY campaign seeks to address the barriers that are deterring patients from accessing the NHS. The current HUHY campaign is focused on addressing fear of cancer as a barrier to presentation across all cancer types.

The NHS Cancer Programme has commissioned six new cancer clinical audits, which includes ovarian cancer, to provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. The Royal College of Surgeons began work on this audit in October 2022, and the first outcomes are expected this September 2024.

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 effectiveness of (a) Genomics England Limited and (b) the NHS Genomic Medicine Service in (i) stimulating and (ii) facilitating research activity.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS), in partnership with Genomics England (GEL), delivers a national whole genome sequencing service, as part of routine care for rare disease and cancer patients. GEL delivers the National Genomic Research Library (NGRL) to store consented genomic and clinical data, enabling approved researchers to access the data securely and responsibly for health research. The NGRL currently comprises of approximately 170,000 whole genomes. Over 1,500 academic and industry researchers have access, working across 1,000 research projects since 2018. GEL and the NHS GMS also facilitate research programmes, including the Generation Study, Diverse Data, and Cancer 2.0. In addition, eight NHS Genomic Networks of Excellence have been established to generate evidence and models of adoption for new genomic technologies, and the NHS Genomics Research and Innovation Collaborative ensures coordination between the National Health Service, GEL, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many myeloma patients are receiving a fourth line treatment; and what proportion of those patients are being treated with isatuximab in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Information on the number of myeloma patients receiving a fourth line treatment is not held centrally. However, the following table shows the number of patients notified to receive isatuximab, in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone, in 2021, 2022, 2023 and from January to July of 2024:

Source: NHS England.
Note: not all patients will necessarily go on to receive the treatment itself.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to upgrade the ultrasound and x-ray equipment and software used in breast cancer screening units, to improve breast cancer detection; and what is their estimate of the proportion of units that have access to upgraded software and equipment.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department invested £10 million of funding into the NHS Breast Screening Programme in 2023, providing 28 new breast screening units and nearly 60 service upgrades, targeted at areas with the greatest challenges of uptake and coverage. This extra capacity aims to boost the uptake of screening in areas where attendance is low, tackle health disparities, and contribute towards higher early diagnosis rates, in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.

In addition, the Digital Transformation of Screening (DToS) programme seeks to design, deliver, and implement a more sophisticated and future-proof digital system for all screening IT systems. Although we know the new system will offer us huge improvements, it is important that the programme is introduced without interrupting the delivery of breast screening services. A full replacement of the IT systems will only take place when the DToS programme can replicate what the current National Breast Screening System does.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether officials in his Department (a) have had and (b) plan to have discussions with their counterparts in the Department for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of the use of AI on efficiency in the NHS.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The DSIT Secretary of State is committed to enabling the public sector to better adopt AI safely. DSIT is working closely with Departments, including DHSC, to support this in their areas of responsibility. For example, through the £21m AI Diagnostics fund, DHSC is supporting the deployment of technologies in key, high-demand areas such as chest X-Ray and chest CT scans to enable faster diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in over half of acute trusts in England. The Secretary of State has also asked Matt Clifford to draft an AI Action Plan to grow the AI sector and ensure AI can be deployed across the economy to improve people’s lives.

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 merits of providing access to Enhertu on the NHS for cancer patients.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS in England are taken by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the basis of an evaluation of a treatment’s costs and benefits. NICE’s methods are internationally respected, and have been developed through extensive work with industry, academics and the public to ensure they appropriately capture the costs and benefits, and best reflect social values. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is important that they are made independently and on the basis of the available evidence.

We understand that despite NICE instigating an exceptional pause in the process to allow for commercial negotiations to take place with the companies, Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca, a deal to enable patient access to this treatment on the National Health Service in England has not been reached.

We know NICE’s announcement has come as a blow to many women and their families. We understand that NICE and NHS England have already sought to apply as much flexibility as they can in their considerations of Enhertu for HER2 LOW breast cancer and have made it clear to the companies that their pricing of the drug remains the main obstacle to access.

Within 16 weeks of the publication of final guidance, companies can also request a rapid review to consider new patient access scheme proposals, with the aim of establishing a pricing agreement that would improve cost-effectiveness and enable patient access to high-cost medicines. This Government wants to see a deal reached to make Enhertu available. NICE and NHS England remain open to considering an improved offer from the companies through the rapid review process, and we strongly encourage the companies to come back to the table.

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 help ensure that people with bladder cancer in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency receive (a) an early diagnosis and (b) swift treatment.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will get the National Health Service catching cancer on time, diagnosing it earlier and treating it faster so more patients survive this horrible set of diseases, including bladder cancer, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system.

Nationally, there is a focus on innovation and a move to develop new cancer tests. University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust has been part of the Galleri trial of blood tests to identify cancer at the earliest stage. The trust is supporting the development of these trials and their adoptions as they are made available.

UHNM is working with primary care networks and other primary care stakeholders to outline a clear set of actions and milestones to improve referral practice, particularly for bowel, gynaecology and urology patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cancer patients have had access to minimally invasive cancer therapies in the last year by integrated care board.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data on the number of cancer patients that have had access to minimally invasive cancer therapies in the last year by integrated care board (ICB), is not collected. The adoption of new treatments, including increasing the number and availability of minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the National Health Service in England is generally the result of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and commissioner decisions. Both NHS England and the ICBs are required to put access in place for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by the NICE.

Where treatments are approved by the NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the NHS is required to make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment, and the development of additional capacity where necessary.

During 2024/25, NHS England will continue to support all ICBs in integrating the planning and commissioning of suitable specialised services with their wider population-level commissioning responsibilities, in line with their individual timeline for delegation. All systems are asked to make progress in transforming pathways of care in their priority areas.

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 sufficient supply of (a) creon and (b) other ADHD medications.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has been working with suppliers to address current supply issues with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) used by patients with conditions such as cystic fibrosis and certain cancers, including pancreatic cancer. The supply issues are impacting countries throughout Europe and have been caused by limited availability of raw ingredients and manufacturing capacity constraints to produce volumes needed to meet demand. The Department is continuing to work with all suppliers of PERT to help resolve the supply issues in the short and longer term. This includes asking that they expedite deliveries, source stock from other markets, and increase production.

We have issued comprehensive guidance to healthcare professionals about these supply issues, which provides advice on how to manage patients whilst there is disruption to supply. This guidance is being kept under review and updates will be made as necessary. Serious Shortage Protocols are in place for Creon 10,000 and 25,000 capsules to limit prescriptions to one months’ supply whilst stocks are limited.

The Department has also been working hard with industry to help resolve supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are also impacting countries throughout Europe. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved. All strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available. We are working to resolve the remaining issues impacting some strengths of methylphenidate. This includes asking suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term.

The Department has worked with specialist clinicians to develop management advice for clinicians which includes consideration to prescribe available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets. We have widely disseminated our communications and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping to ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussion with NHS England about improving early detection of Ductal Carcinoma in situ in women.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancer, is a priority for NHS England. NHS England has an ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2 by 2028, which will help tens of thousands of people live longer. The National Health Service in England carries out approximately 2.1 million breast cancer screens each year in hospitals and mobile screening vans, usually in convenient community locations.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is usually detected on a mammogram through the breast screening programme. In the United Kingdom, one in five breast cancers found by screening are non-invasive breast cancer, including DCIS. The Department and NHS England have regular ongoing meetings in regard to the breast screening programme and breast cancer awareness.

The Department is committed to improving waiting times for cancer patients across England by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that minimally invasive cancer therapies are available for patients across the country.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data on the number of cancer patients that have had access to minimally invasive cancer therapies in the last year by integrated care board (ICB), is not collected. The adoption of new treatments, including increasing the number and availability of minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the National Health Service in England is generally the result of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and commissioner decisions. Both NHS England and the ICBs are required to put access in place for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by the NICE.

Where treatments are approved by the NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the NHS is required to make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment, and the development of additional capacity where necessary.

During 2024/25, NHS England will continue to support all ICBs in integrating the planning and commissioning of suitable specialised services with their wider population-level commissioning responsibilities, in line with their individual timeline for delegation. All systems are asked to make progress in transforming pathways of care in their priority areas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of non-invasive cancer treatment technologies in the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data on the number of cancer patients that have had access to minimally invasive cancer therapies in the last year by integrated care board (ICB), is not collected. The adoption of new treatments, including increasing the number and availability of minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the National Health Service in England is generally the result of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and commissioner decisions. Both NHS England and the ICBs are required to put access in place for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by the NICE.

Where treatments are approved by the NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the NHS is required to make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment, and the development of additional capacity where necessary.

During 2024/25, NHS England will continue to support all ICBs in integrating the planning and commissioning of suitable specialised services with their wider population-level commissioning responsibilities, in line with their individual timeline for delegation. All systems are asked to make progress in transforming pathways of care in their priority areas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the performance of (a) Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust, (b) Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board and (c) NHS Shropshire Telford and Wrekin with respect to (i) waiting times, (ii) value for money and (iii) CQC reports

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has been clear that National Health Services are currently not meeting the high standards that patients should expect, and is committed to supporting the NHS to return to the standards set out in the NHS Constitution. As a first step, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has appointed the Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of NHS performance, which will report this month.

NHS England holds integrated care boards (ICBs) and NHS providers to account for delivery of national priorities and statutory functions and oversees them via the NHS Oversight Framework, which assesses the effectiveness of each NHS system across five themes: quality of care, access, and outcomes; preventing ill-health and reducing inequalities; people; finance and use of resources; and leadership and capability. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/B1378_NHS-System-Oversight-Framework-22-23_260722.pdf

NHS England has allocated the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB to segment four of the NHS Oversight Framework segmentation. As a result, both are receiving national mandated support with NHS England’s Recovery Support Programme. They are also subject to NHS England’s regulatory undertakings.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB are currently in Tier 1 for urgent and emergency care, electives, and cancer, which means they receive intensive and significant national and regional support and oversight. The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust's overall rating from the Care Quality Commission, published in May 2024, is ‘requires improvement’.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. Equality of both access to care and outcomes will be at the heart of building an NHS that is fit for the future.

We have committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by the end of this Parliament. As a first step to achieving this, we will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week across the country, and will increase the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests, that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waits.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) it remains his policy to double the number of cancer scanners in the NHS and (b) that includes doubling the number of positron emission tomography scanners.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are working towards our commitment of doubling cancer scanners to address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times. Our commitment is related to magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography (CT) but of course we are also considering what increase in PET Computed Tomography (PET-CT) capacity is needed to accelerate cancer diagnosis and build a National Health Service fit for the future.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make representations to NICE on their decision to no longer offer Enertu for women suffering from metastatic HER2-LOW breast cancer.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England are taken by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the basis of an evaluation of a treatment’s costs and benefits. NICE’s methods are internationally respected, and have been developed through extensive work with industry, academics and the public to ensure they appropriately capture the costs and benefits, and best reflect social values. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is important that they are made independently and based on the available evidence.

We understand that despite NICE instigating an exceptional pause in the process to allow for commercial negotiations to take place with the companies, Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca, a deal to enable patient access to this treatment on the NHS in England has not been reached.

We know NICE’s announcement has come as a blow to many women and their families. We understand that NICE and NHS England have already sought to apply as much flexibility as they can in their considerations of Enhertu and have made it clear to the companies that their pricing of the drug remains the main obstacle to access.

Within 16 weeks of the publication of final guidance, companies can also request a rapid review to consider new patient access scheme proposals, with the aim of establishing a pricing agreement that would improve cost-effectiveness and enable patient access to high-cost medicines. The Government wants to see a deal reached to make Enhertu available. NICE and NHS England remain open to considering an improved offer from the companies through the rapid review process, and we strongly encourage the companies to come back to the table.

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 (a) widen treatment options on the NHS for people with brain tumours and (b) prevent patients from having to go abroad to access treatment.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

People with brain tumours have access to various treatment options on the National Health Service, including surgery, radiotherapy and systematic anti-cancer therapies, depending on the nature and stage of the tumour.

The Government is committed to improving waiting times for cancer treatment, so that people with brain tumours can get access to the care they need more quickly. We will start by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.

Lord Darzi is currently undertaking an independent investigation into the state of the NHS, the findings of which will feed into the Government’s 10-year plan to build a health service that is fit for the future.

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 effectiveness of Enhertu in reducing the number of women who lose their lives to breast cancer in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and b) England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Whilst we have made no specific assessment, the clinical trial evidence considered by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) shows that Enhertu increases how long people live and how long they have before their cancer gets worse compared with chemotherapy treatments used for HER2‑negative breast cancer. It is not, however, a curative treatment.

We understand from NICE that it is estimated that approximately 1,000 women in England would have been eligible for treatment with Enhertu, if NICE had been able to recommend it for use in the treatment of HER2-low breast cancer. Information at constituency level is not held.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NICE guidelines on access to minimally invasive cancer therapies is followed.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The adoption of new treatments, including minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the National Health Service in England is generally the result of National Institution of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance and/or commissioner decisions. Both NHS England and integrated care boards are required to put in place access for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by NICE.

Where treatments are approved by NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the NHS is required to make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment and the development of additional capacity where necessary.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of establishing permanent Early Liver Disease Diagnostics centres to deliver non-invasive diagnoses (a) in Oxfordshire and (b) nationally.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Early detection of liver disease is vital to enable interventions and encourage behavioural change that can potentially lead to recovery. The Community Liver Health Check programme was established in June 2022 and aims to support the early detection and diagnosis of liver cancer, including hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), the most common liver cancer. As of the end of July 2024, the programme has delivered over 66,000 FibroScans and referred over 4,700 people into six-monthly liver ultrasound surveillance. Across Thames Valley, which includes Oxfordshire, 1,430 FibroScans have been delivered, with 5% of people identified to be at risk of HCC.

The Community Liver Health Check programme has an evaluation underway, with the final report due in Spring 2025. The results of the evaluation will be considered by NHS England when deciding on next steps.

The Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing diagnostic centres specifically for the early diagnosis of liver disease, for either Oxfordshire or nationally. However, the National Health Service is continuing to roll out Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), many of which will have testing capability to support the early diagnosis of liver disease, including some CDCs that offer FibroScans. There are currently plans for 14 CDCs to offer FibroScans by the end of this financial year, 10 of which are currently providing the test, and have delivered 2,144 tests in 2024/25.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the pilot scheme for the Community Liver Health Check Programme.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Early detection of liver disease is vital to enable interventions and encourage behavioural change that can potentially lead to recovery. The Community Liver Health Check programme was established in June 2022 and aims to support the early detection and diagnosis of liver cancer, including hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), the most common liver cancer. As of the end of July 2024, the programme has delivered over 66,000 FibroScans and referred over 4,700 people into six-monthly liver ultrasound surveillance. Across Thames Valley, which includes Oxfordshire, 1,430 FibroScans have been delivered, with 5% of people identified to be at risk of HCC.

The Community Liver Health Check programme has an evaluation underway, with the final report due in Spring 2025. The results of the evaluation will be considered by NHS England when deciding on next steps.

The Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing diagnostic centres specifically for the early diagnosis of liver disease, for either Oxfordshire or nationally. However, the National Health Service is continuing to roll out Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), many of which will have testing capability to support the early diagnosis of liver disease, including some CDCs that offer FibroScans. There are currently plans for 14 CDCs to offer FibroScans by the end of this financial year, 10 of which are currently providing the test, and have delivered 2,144 tests in 2024/25.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the UK National Screening Committee to conclude the prostate cancer screening evidence review it commissioned in November 2023.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) evidence review for prostate cancer screening is already underway and plans to report within the UK NSC’s three-year work plan.

The evidence review includes modelling the clinical cost effectiveness of several approaches to prostate cancer screening, including different potential ways of screening the whole population from 40 years old onwards and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher than average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve early detection of prostate cancer through screening.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committees (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm men as some of them would be diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them problems during their life. This would lead to additional tests and treatments which can also have harmful side effects.

The UK NSC is currently carrying out an evidence review for prostate cancer screening; this includes different potential ways of screening the whole population from 40 years of age onwards, and targeted screening programme aimed at groups of men identified as being at higher-than-average risk such as those with a family history, carriers of the BRCA2 gene and based on ethnicity.

In addition, we are working with Prostate Cancer UK to launch the TRANSFORM trial. The £42 million nationwide screening study will compare the most promising tests to look for prostate cancer in men that do not have any symptoms.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make representations to (a) Daiichi Sankyo and (b) AstraZeneca following the decision by NICE not to recommend Enhertu as a cost effective treatment for advanced stage breast cancer.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England are taken by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), on the basis of an evaluation of a treatment’s costs and benefits. The NICE’s methods are internationally respected, and have been developed through extensive work with industry, academics, and the public, to ensure they appropriately capture the costs and benefits, and best reflect social values. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is important that they are made independently, and on the basis of the available evidence.

We understand that despite the NICE instigating an exceptional pause in the process to allow for commercial negotiations to take place with the companies Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca, a deal to enable patient access to this treatment on the NHS in England has not been reached.

We know the NICE’s announcement has come as a blow to many women and their families. The NICE and NHS England have already sought to apply as much flexibility as they can in their considerations of Enhertu for HER2 LOW breast cancer, and have made it clear to the companies that their pricing of the drug remains the main obstacle to access.

Within 16 weeks of the publication of final guidance, companies can also request a rapid review to consider new patient access scheme proposals, with the aim of establishing a pricing agreement that would improve cost-effectiveness and enable patient access to high-cost medicines. The Government wants to see a deal reached to make Enhertu available. The NICE and NHS England remain open to considering an improved offer from the companies through the rapid review process, and we strongly encourage the companies to come back to the table.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to evaluate the lung cancer diagnostic programme, and if he will roll this programme out to provide greater access for people who present a risk of lung cancer.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Targeted Lung Health Check (TLHC) is aimed at people who are over 55 years old, but younger than 75 years old, and who have a history of smoking, which puts them at a higher risk of lung cancer. The TLHC will be converted into a national lung cancer screening programme, which will be rolled out nationally by 2030.

The programme is currently being monitored by NHS England who are reviewing data gathered from the programme and quality assuring it. This data includes information on how many checks have been performed, along with invitations sent, and demographic information. Standards for the programme are being developed, for when the programme is fully rolled out.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to support the continuation of the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The work on the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce has been paused. We are in the process of considering next steps for taking forward the Taskforce’s work.

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 increase uptake of breast cancer screening in Aldershot constituency.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In Aldershot at a local level, the team will soon start trialling an animated video to promote breast screening. This has been developed in partnership with Imperial College London.

On a national level, NHS England has developed an improvement plan in collaboration with key stakeholders to support local and regional uptake, which includes: expanding access and reducing inequalities by increasing the use of evidence based and evaluated interventions, focusing on low uptake areas and groups; improved data and analytics by ensuring we have the availability of population level data to show insights into uptake and support services, to deliver targeted initiatives; IT developments to continue development of the breast screening IT systems, as part of the Digital Transformation of Screening programme, and by starting a programme of work to enable people to book appointments through the NHS App; contracting and service oversight, by strengthening contracting mechanisms and performance management to monitor impact and benefits; and communication, by ensuring the programme has appropriate inclusive and accessible communication mechanisms and materials.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with Leukaemia UK on publication of a cancer strategy.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not had discussions with Leukaemia UK regarding the publication of a cancer strategy. The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, sets out the National Health Service’s current key ambitions on cancer. The plan sets out the NHS ambition to increase the number of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 to 75%, to increase the number of people surviving cancer for five years by 55,000 as a result.

Professor Lord Darzi is currently undertaking an independent investigation into the state of the NHS, the findings of which will feed into the Government’s 10-year plan to build a health service that is fit for the future. The Government will set out any further priorities on cancer and health in due course.

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 reduce gynaecology waiting lists.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. Equality of both access to care and outcomes will be at the heart of building an NHS that is fit for the future. This includes ensuring that women’s health is not neglected.

We have committed to achieving the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by the end of this Parliament, which includes those waiting for gynaecology treatment. To achieve this, we will start by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week across the country, and will increase the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests, that are needed to reduce elective and cancer waits. This urgent work will help the nearly 600,000 women stuck on gynaecology waiting lists get the medical care they need.

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