Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which Minister in her Department is responsible for delivery of (a) cancer screening programmes and (b) the NHS public health Section 7A agreement.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My role as the Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care includes responsibility for major diseases including cancer, and for screening.
In accordance with the NHS Public Health Functions Agreement (made under section 7A of the NHS Act 2006) NHS England is responsible for providing or securing the provision of breast, bowel and cervical screening programmes and other specified public health services.
My Rt. Hon friend, Andrea Leadsom MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health, Start for Life and Primary Care, has led ministerial responsibility for arrangements under section 7A.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Digital pathology to improve cancer screening and save lives, published on 5 January 2024, what additional training will be given to pathologists working to enable the quick uptake of new technology.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee to support the use of digital pathology in the National Health Service cervical, breast and bowel cancer screening programmes, NHS England are investing in and working with the Royal College of Pathologists in the on-going development of an online Pathology Portal.
This digital learning platform will support trainees and established pathology practitioners in digital pathology to ensure that digital learning materials are available to the multi-professional workforce.
NHS England plans to issue guidance at the end of January 2024 for the three NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, to support local providers of histopathology services who wish to implement digital pathology for the reporting of screening cases.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2023 to Question 3997 on Incontinence: Health Services, whether her Department plans to engage stakeholders during the course of the National Bladder and Bowel Health Project.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There have been no formal plans for stakeholder engagement set out at this stage. However, the Department remains open to future engagement with bladder and bowel health stakeholders.
Beyond the project in question, the Department continues to engage with stakeholders including commissioners, providers, and clinicians and also cancer charities on Bowel Cancer screening, including a planned meeting with UK National Screening Committee on bowel cancer screening in January 2024.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since the 2019 publication of 'Asymptomatic Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal Cancer Screening Programs' by Farrukh and Mayberry in Gastrointestinal Disorders in respect of its findings of differences and discrimination in the delivery of (1) colorectal screening in healthy people, and (2) care and surveillance of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
If someone is detected during bowel screening to have blood in their faeces, then found to have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) through follow up tests they are referred to the symptomatic service for onward management and surveillance. They are then offered screening every two years along with ongoing monitoring and surveillance, the timeframes of which are detailed below.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)’s guideline on colorectal cancer prevention was published in March 2011 and updated in September 2022. It recommends using colonoscopy to check for signs of bowel cancer in people aged 18 years old and over with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. The guidance recommends that follow-up and ongoing colonoscopic surveillance should be arranged at regular intervals for people with IBD and tubular adenoma as follows:
- Low risk: offer colonoscopy at five years;
- Intermediate risk: offer colonoscopy at three years; or
- High risk: offer colonoscopy at one year.
A copy of the guidance is attached.
We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to have due regard to relevant NICE guidelines when commissioning services. It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, in line with these NICE guidelines.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to hold discussions with Care Quality Commission, NHS England and integrated care boards to reduce differences and discrimination in the delivery of (1) colorectal screening in healthy people, and (2) care and surveillance of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans for specific discussion on this matter. However, the subject may be raised at programme boards and other regular conversations between officials at NHS England and the Department.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the possibility and potential of implementing routine assessments into the prevalence and geographic and socioeconomic disparities of people with (1) Crohn’s disease, and (2) ulcerative colitis to inform healthcare investment and planning decisions.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information is already collected on a range of bowel conditions, including Hospital Episode Statistics, through the Model Health System, and data from the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. These support clinicians and commissioners plan and prioritise care for people with bowel conditions, considering health disparities and patient needs.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to reduce the minimum age for bowel screening to 50.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England started the lowering of age for bowel cancer screening in April 2021. The following table shows the rollout plan for the bowel screening, keeping in mind that the timeline may differ slightly from region to region:
Cohort age at first invitation | Year invitations start |
56 years old | 2021/22 |
58 years old | 2022/23 |
54 years old | 2023/24 |
50 and 52 years old | 2024/25 |
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November to Question 881 on Bowel Cancer: Screening, what her planned timetable is for publishing a decision on lowering the screening age for bowel cancer from 60 to 50 years old.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England started the lowering of age for bowel cancer screening in April 2021. The following table shows the rollout plan for the bowel screening:
Cohort age at first invitation | Year invitations start |
Age 56 | 2021/22 |
Age 58 | 2022/23 |
Age 54 | 2023/24 |
Age 50 and 52 | 2024/25 |
Note: The timeline may differ slightly from region to region
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November to Question 881 on Bowel Cancer: Screening, when the last review of the national bowel cancer screening programme was completed; and what her planned timetable is for completing the next review.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) last looked at the evidence to optimise the population screening of bowel cancer in 2018. The Committee recommended screening every two years with the FIT test at 50 to 74 years old, rather than starting at 60 years old.
Since then, work has been underway to lower the bowel cancer screening age from 60 years old in a phased manner, so that by 2025, people aged 50 years old will receive a FIT test.
With these changes still being implemented, a date for the next review of bowel cancer screening has not yet been set. In the meantime, if any member of the public or stakeholder feels there should be further changes to the programme, these can be submitted via the UK NSC’s next annual call, which opens in summer 2024.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has taken recent steps to (a) increase the availability of and (b) support the rollout of new immunotherapy treatments for bowel cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service in England on whether medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NICE appraises all newly licensed medicines within their licensed indications and the NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE. Cancer medicines are eligible for funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of draft NICE guidance.
NICE has already recommended several immunotherapies for bowel cancer, which are now available for the treatment of eligible NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations. These include including panitumumab, pembrolizumab, and nivolumab with ipilimumab. NICE is also due to start its appraisal of nivolumab for previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer with high microsatellite instability or mismatch repair deficiency in March 2024.