theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Katie White:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to insulin for people who need it. \p Karin Smyth: We are aware of supply issues with a limited number of insulin products, some of which are affected globally, including the discontinuation of Levemir pens and cartridges. We are working intensively with manufacturers of alternative insulin products to help mitigate these issues, including expediting deliveries where possible and ensuring there are sufficient volumes of alternative products to support the market during this time. We have issued communications to National Health Service healthcare professionals, providing comprehensive management guidance and information to allow them to support their patients as well as advise on alternative recommended insulin products. We are continuing to closely monitor the insulin market to ensure access to insulin for patients who need it.

The production of medicines is complex and highly regulated, and materials and processes must meet rigorous safety and quality standards. Medicine supply problems can occur for a number of reasons, for example due to manufacturing difficulties, regulatory problems, problems with the supply of raw materials, sudden demand spikes, or from issues which are related to the distribution of the product.

While we can’t always prevent supply issues from occurring, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise, 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, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, and issuing NHS communications to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals including general practitioners and pharmacists, so they can advise and support their patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS employees have a level 7 apprenticeship qualification. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold the information requested.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that regulatory frameworks at (a) Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and (b) other hospitals do not inhibit patients in obtaining (i) prosthetic eyes and (ii) novelty prosthetics through the National Artificial Eye Service. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the development and implementation of regulations for medical devices placed on the United Kingdom’s market, irrespective of the specific hospital in which they are used. All devices, including prosthetic eyes, must meet the relevant requirements of the UK Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (MDR 2002).

The MHRA is developing a future regulatory framework for medical devices that will ensure patients have access to the safe and effective medical devices they need, including prosthetic eyes and other custom-made devices. The first step is the introduction of new Post-Market Surveillance regulations, which came into force in June, putting in place strengthened legal requirements for how manufacturers monitor and report on their devices once they are being used in the real world. We intend to follow this with updates to the MDR 2002, which will enter into force next year, bringing further risk-proportionate improvements to ensure device traceability and patient safety. This will include additional measures that must be taken before a product can be placed on the market, including enhanced requirements for custom-made devices. To support patient access to medical technologies, the MHRA recently consulted on proposals to introduce an international reliance scheme to enable swifter market access for certain devices that have already been approved in a comparable regulator country. The agency will publish a response to that consultation in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure access to NHS-funded fertility treatment for people in Fylde constituency. \p Karin Smyth: We expect integrated care boards to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service funded treatment are still appropriate.

In the light of broader pressures on the NHS and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access to NHS-funded fertility treatment in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Karin Smyth: We expect integrated care boards to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate.

In the light of broader pressures on the National Health Service and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with ICBs on removing the need for self-funded artificial insemination before accessing NHS-funded IVF. \p Karin Smyth: We expect integrated care boards to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service funded treatment are still appropriate.

In the light of broader pressures on the NHS and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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John Whitby:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that more same-sex couples can access NHS-funded IVF. \p Karin Smyth: We expect integrated care boards to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate.

In the light of broader pressures on the NHS and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many foundation pharmacist training places have a named designated prescribing practitioner confirmed in the ORIEL recruitment system in 2025. \p Karin Smyth: All training posts in the National Recruitment Scheme for the 2025/26 training year were required to declare that they would provide access to a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) for prescribing supervision as part of their agreement to the Terms of Participation.

NHS England requires that DPP information is submitted within 13 weeks of the trainee pharmacist starting in post. Trainee pharmacists will start in post from July 2025. NHS England is therefore, currently in the process of contacting training sites and requesting details of all supervisors, including Designated Supervisors and DPPs.

It should be noted that only the training sites hosting trainee pharmacists that have graduated from a Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree against the 2021 learning outcomes are required to have a DPP. Those who have completed an MPharm which meets the previous (2011) standards for education and training or are studying on an Overseas Pharmacists Assessment Programme course, must take a separate accredited independent prescribing course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59412 on Government Departments: Reviews, if his Department will publish the line by line review of its spending conducted for the Spending Review 2025. \p Karin Smyth: The Government has used this Spending Review to maximise the value from every taxpayer pound. Phase 2 of the Spending Review marks the first zero-based review in nearly 18 years, with every line of Government spending scrutinised, to make sure it is delivering value for money.

The Government published robust delivery plans that set out exactly how departments will achieve their efficiency targets. HM Treasury published an overview of departmental efficiency targets and delivery plans for the 2025 Spending Review on 11 June 2025. These are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/departmental-efficiency-delivery-plans
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services announced on 23 June 2025 will be empowered to recommend (a) regulatory and (b) structural reform of the Care Quality Commission in the context of continued failings in maternity units at (i) Southend Hospital, (ii) Basildon Hospital and (iii) other hospitals rated as Requires Improvement. \p Karin Smyth: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced an independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. It will look at up to 10 maternity and neonatal units, international evidence, adoption of best practice, and a system-wide investigation of maternity and neonatal care. This will include bringing together lessons from past reviews. The investigation will produce, by December 2025, one clear set of national actions, that will take primacy over previous recommendations. These actions will drive the improvements needed to ensure high quality, safe care across maternity and neonatal services, and that women and families are listened to.

The terms of reference for the investigation are still under development with stakeholders and families, and will be released in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Jonathan Hinder:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made by the expert panel of clinical specialists on its review of the harms caused to young people by the provision of unregulated cross-sex hormones by private providers; and what his expected timetable is for publication of the panel's report. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is continuing its work with the National Health Service to reform gender services, to ensure young people receive timely, holistic care and support, while reviewing the use of cross-sex hormones in line with recommendation eight of the Cass Review.

The Cass Review said that NHS England should review its policy on cross-sex hormones. The review noted that the option to provide cross-sex hormones is available for patients aged 16 years old and over, but that “extreme caution” was recommended along with a “strong clinical rationale for providing hormones before the age of 18”. In line with Dr Cass’s recommendations, every case for treatment is now discussed by a national multi-disciplinary team, and NHS England is reviewing its clinical commissioning policy on cross-sex hormones. A public consultation on the evidence is anticipated to take place this summer, and an updated policy is expected to be in place by April 2026.

With regard to private prescribing, a working group has been established by NHS England to provide advice to Government officials and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer. The remit of the working group is to provide practical advice on the operational consequences of introducing any restrictions on private prescribing and advice on how to manage any risks to patients. The working group is made up of consultant endocrinologists, pharmacy and primary care leads, and national commissioners.

It is not the working group's role to decide whether restrictions on private prescribing should, or should not, be introduced. Neither is the group providing advice on the future use of cross-sex hormones by NHS clinicians. The Department will use the outputs of the working group to inform ongoing policy development.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people living in Essex who are digitally excluded have full access to the healthcare services they need. \p Karin Smyth: We are working to improve access to digital services, outcomes, and experiences for the widest range of people, based on their preferences. Digital health tools should be part of a wider offering that includes face-to-face support, with appropriate help for people who struggle to access digital services.

NHS England has successfully run a number of programmes to support patients, carers, and health service staff with their digital skills. These include:

- the Digital Health Champions programme, a proof of concept to support citizens who have no or low digital skills with understanding how to access health services online;

- the Widening Digital Participation programme, aimed to ensure more people have the digital skills, motivation, and means to access health information and services online; and

- the NHS App ‘Spoken Word’ Pilot project, designed to test the efficacy of promoting National Health Service digital health products and services in languages other than English.

NHS England has published a framework for NHS action on digital inclusion and is developing further resources to support practical actions. All programmes are actively considering how they can contribute to improvements in healthcare inequalities and digital inclusion.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Sonia Kumar:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take in the context of trends in the level of competition for training places in postgraduate medical training. \p Karin Smyth: We are aware that competition ratios for speciality training have grown in recent years, and that this is causing concern across the medical profession.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan published on 3 July, we will work across Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training.

We will also ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the NHS in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.

We will publish a new 10 Year Workforce Plan later this year, to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of appointments in (a) Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, (b) the East Midlands and (c) the UK that have been delayed due to a lack of availability of medical radioisotopes in 2025 to date. \p Karin Smyth: While we do not typically hold this information centrally, the Department is aware that the number of appointments delayed related to radioisotope supply issues at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust for the period of January 2025 to May 2025 consist of:

- 68 patients delayed for a fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan;

- 48 patients delayed for a F-18 FDG, prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan; and

- 57 patients delayed across multiple nuclear medicine tests.

We do not hold the information for the East Midlands more widely, or for the United Kingdom as a whole. The Department regularly engages with suppliers, specialist clinicians, the British Nuclear Medicine Society, and the UK Radiopharmacy Group to support the continued supply of medical radioisotopes for National Health Services. The Department continues to work with the NHS and other parts of the Government to better understand future need for medical radioisotopes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June to Question 56902 on Integrated Care Boards: Redundancy, (a) how the costs of restructuring will be met and (b) when when the national redundancy scheme will be launched. \p Karin Smyth: Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we have been clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as scaling back integrated care board running costs and National Health Service provider corporate costs reductions, in order to reduce waste and bureaucracy. Good progress is being made, with the Department and NHS England having announced voluntary exit or redundancy schemes.

We have recently announced the Spending Review settlement, which provides an additional £29 billion of annual day to day spending in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. We are now carefully reviewing how the settlement is prioritised, including making provision for redundancy costs ahead of announcing further redundancy schemes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce incidents of stillbirths amongst black and Asian families. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that losing a baby or pregnancy loss is extremely difficult for parents and families. We are determined to make sure all women and babies receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care, regardless of their background, location, or ethnicity.

While the vast majority of births in England are safe, the stark inequalities in maternity outcomes demonstrate that there are deep-seated issues across maternity and neonatal services.

To address these and other issues within maternity and neonatal care, a rapid independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services is being launched. This will look at the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care, taking into account findings from previous maternity reviews.

This includes the Maternity Outcome Signalling System, a new system that will monitor the rates of term stillbirth, neonatal death, and brain injury. It will immediately flag unusually high rates to prompt a rapid review of any safety concerns. We have already made progress in this area, for example through the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, which provides maternity units with detailed guidance to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal deaths, and preterm births.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on maternal mortality rates in Jewish women. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold data on maternal mortality rates in Jewish or Sikh women. Maternity data broken down by several factors including maternal age and ethnicity is published by NHS England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve (a) safety and (b) other standards in maternity services at (i) Southend and (ii) Basildon Hospital. \p Karin Smyth: Following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of maternity services at Southend Hospital as Requires Improvement in January 2025, the trust made several changes to improve the quality of the service. These changes include ensuring qualified midwifery staff are always available to support the maternity telephone triage service, foetal monitoring equipment is regularly checked and available, and triage information is displayed in waiting areas to provide further guidance on waiting times.

Basildon Hospital’s maternity services were rated as Requires Improvement by the CQC in March 2024. The trust has made several changes to improve the service, including improvements to staffing, with midwifery vacancies now at their lowest ever, ensuring staff complete training and expanding midwifery support for the birth reflections clinic, and around quality assurance, with regular audits conducted and acted upon.

Basildon Hospital maternity services are part of the national Maternity Safety Support Programme, which puts in place oversight from the integrated care board (ICB), NHS England, and the Local Maternity and Neonatal System. This includes support from two Maternity Improvement Advisors, covering all three trust maternity sites. The trust is in the Improvement phase.

While improvements have been made, further work is required. The ICB will continue to support the Trust to enhance safety, care quality, and patient experience.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department offers to local NHS charities. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not provide support to local National Health Service charities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing free hypnobirthing classes to pregnant women. \p Karin Smyth: The majority of trusts already offer free antenatal education services. A National Health Service online tool is available for women and families to find a class local to them. These classes include support for pregnant women to make a birth plan, considering the different arrangements for labour and birth, and the choices available to them.

The Department is working with NHS England on how to improve the quality of these classes, and to ensure that mothers receive information about their choices so they feel empowered throughout their pregnancy journey, and into motherhood.

Pregnant women can discuss additional hypnobirthing courses with their midwife if this is something they wish to explore.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what governance arrangements will oversee the (a) reporting lines and (b) accountability mechanisms of the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and made up of a panel of experts as well as family, charity, and staff representatives. Bringing family voices to the heart of this work, the taskforce will co-produce a national plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

The terms of reference are still under development with stakeholders and families, and will be released in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of NHS Greater Manchester’s proposed reduction in the number of NHS-funded IVF cycles from two to one on residents of Stockport. \p Karin Smyth: We expect integrated care boards to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The NICE’s Fertility problems: assessment and treatment guideline recommends that the standard for the best outcome is offering three cycles of in vitro fertilisation for women aged between 22 and 39 years old, and one cycle for women aged 40 to 42 years old. NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service funded treatment are still appropriate.

In the light of broader pressures on the NHS and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients do not (a) miss and (b) cancel hospital appointments due to a lack of (i) affordable and (ii) accessible transport options. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Government is clear that reforming elective care must be done equitably and inclusively for all adults, children, and young people.

We know there is also geographical variation in waiting times. It is important that patients, including older and disabled patients, do not miss or cancel hospital appointments due to a lack of affordable and/or accessible transport options in their area.

This is why the Elective Reform Plan, published January 2025, committed to reviewing existing national health inequalities improvement initiatives to develop them and increase their uptake. Specifically, the plan committed to reviewing local patient transport services and improving the signposting to and the accessibility of them for patients, to make it easier for vulnerable groups to travel to and access appointments.

This includes improving the accessibility, awareness, and efficiency of The Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, with a focus on reducing health inequalities and improving the patient experience.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with Devolved administrations on improving support for people living with motor neurone disease. \p Ashley Dalton: My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with counterparts across the devolved administrations. We have set up a United Kingdom-wide Neuro Forum, facilitating formal, biannual meetings across the Department, NHS England, the devolved administrations and health services, and the Neurological Alliances of all four nations. The new forum, which met for the first time on 10 March 2025, brings key stakeholders together, to share learnings across the system and discuss challenges, best practice examples, and potential solutions for improving the care of people with neurological conditions, including motor neurone disease.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support NHS staff with endometriosis. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and within the National Health Service workforce.

We are improving workplace support for women with endometriosis through a number of measures in the Employment Rights Bill. Strengthening statutory sick pay arrangements, making flexible working available to more people, and opening up conversations about women’s health through employer action plans will benefit all employees managing the condition.

In terms of supporting NHS staff with endometriosis, NHS trusts are expected to have local policies and procedures in place to support staff who have long-term health conditions and should be taking a proactive approach to supporting them. NHS England has made available tools and resources to support line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their emotional and psychological health and wellbeing.

Staff in need of additional support can also access their employer's occupational health service or employee support programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Tessa Munt:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2024 to Question 327 on Sodium Valproate and Surgical Mesh Implants, how many meetings have been held with the Patient Safety Commissioner on the recommendations of the Hughes report. \p Ashley Dalton: Departmental officials and ministers have met with the Patient Safety Commissioner on several occasions, and we are happy to continue to engage with the Patient Safety Commissioner on this matter.

The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, what recent discussions his Department have had with HM Treasury on the provision of funds for valproate (a) financial redress and (b) interim payments. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is carefully considering the work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer 30 June 2025 of Question 58911 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus, if he will set out a timetable for completion of the (a) consideration of options and (b) recommendations for change. \p Ashley Dalton: I reiterate my sincere condolences to individuals, and their families, who have experienced harm following vaccination.

At this stage, I am not in a position to comment on timelines for the consideration of options for reform or recommendations for change. Ministers continue to consider options covering both potential reforms to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, and the situation of those who have suffered harm following COVID-19 vaccination.

In parallel, the Department has been working with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, to take steps to improve the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme and process claims at a faster rate.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to conduct a review of the Carr-Hill formula in Primary Care Networks. \p Stephen Kinnock: On 25 June 2025, we announced that the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan would address the inequalities in general practice (GP) services across England. We know that the Carr-Hill formula is considered outdated and recognise the importance of ensuring funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country.

The Government will review how health need is reflected in the Carr-Hill funding formula for GPs. Details of the review, including timeframes, will be confirmed in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

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Mr Calvin Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of launching a prostate cancer awareness campaign for people at high risk of prostate cancer through his forthcoming National Cancer Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government understands that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for people at high risk of prostate cancer.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address the barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

The Department continues to advise patients to follow National Health Service guidance on signs and symptoms of several types of cancer, including prostate cancer. This advice is available publicly on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England is in development and will include further details on how we will improve diagnostics, access to treatments, and outcomes for all tumour types, including prostate cancer. As such, the Department has no current plans for a separate assessment of the merits of a prostate awareness campaign.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_55

Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with relevant professional bodies on the (a) clinical management and (b) treatment of hay fever. \p Ashley Dalton: No recent discussions have taken place on the clinical management and treatment of hay fever specifically, however, as part of the Expert Advisory Group for Allergy, Department policy officials meet regularly with the National Allergy Strategy Group, which includes the professional body, the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The most recent meeting was in April 2025.

The Expert Advisory Group for Allergy, which was established in 2023, is co-chaired by the Department and the National Allergy Strategy Group, and brings stakeholders together to inform policymaking and to identify key priorities in relation to the holistic care of people with allergies, including those with hay fever. The National Allergy Strategy Group is developing the UK National Allergy Strategy 2025-2035. The Department will carefully consider, and respond to, recommendations in the strategy when we receive it later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_56

Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase research funding for (a) ovarian, (b) uterine and (c) other gynaecological cancers. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department invests in research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In the period 2020/21 to 2024/25, the NIHR’s Academy and other programmes invested approximately £39 million across 50 gynaecological cancer research projects. The following table shows the number of awards and the value of the awards for each gynaecological cancer type:

Gynaecological cancer type

Number of awards

Awards value

Cervical cancer

17

£15,200,000

Ovarian cancer

17

£6,300,000

Vulval cancer

1

£3,700

Womb (uterine) cancer

10

£3,600,000

More than 1 gynaecological type

5

£10,000,000

Grand total

50

£39,000,000

Additionally, the NIHR’s Research Delivery Network, which enables the health and care system to attract, optimise, and deliver research across England, and has supported 123 commercial studies and 148 non-commercial studies for gynaecological cancers covering the same period.

The NIHR funds research in response to proposals received. The NIHR continues to welcome high quality, high impact funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including all gynaecological cancers.
wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_57
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_57

Calum Miller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that parliamentary scrutiny of child and young people's mental health policy is supported by transparent ministerial accountability in the House of Commons. \p Stephen Kinnock: Ministers in the Department take their accountability to Parliament very seriously and we welcome the role of hon. Members in championing the interests of children, young people and their families, raising awareness of the issues affecting their mental health and in scrutinising our policies and holding the Government to account.

Parliamentary scrutiny of the Government’s policies on children and young people's mental health is evidenced through our written ministerial statements, including the statement made on 27 March 2025 on Mental Health: Expected Spend for 2025-26, our contributions to debates such as the one on Eating Disorder Awareness that took place on 1 April 2025, in our evidence to committees, our responses to Members’ oral and written questions and through the House’s scrutiny of the Mental Health Bill during its first and second readings and its recently completed committee stage.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_58

John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking is taking to ensure that people diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer are routinely offered MRI scans for follow-up monitoring. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Health Service is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients in England, including those with lobular breast cancer, have access to personalised care, including a needs assessment, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support.

Treatment for cancer is highly individualised and decisions about cancer treatment, including ongoing monitoring and follow up care, are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals. These decisions are based on medical assessments and what's best for the individual's overall health and well-being.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_59

Kirith Entwistle:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the proposals on gambling outlined in the letter sent to him by the Health and Social Care Committee on 8 May 2025. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department has responded to the letter from the Health and Social Care Committee in full. A copy of the Department’s response is attached.

PQ64243 Document  (pdf, 169.5KB)
wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_60
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_60

Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether each Integrated Care System is required to reduce the number of (a) people with a learning disability and (b) autistic people from their area in mental health hospitals by 10 per cent within 2025-26. \p Stephen Kinnock: National Health Service planning guidance for 2025/26 includes a focus on improving care for people with a learning disability and autistic people and contains the objective to deliver a minimum 10% reduction in the use of mental health inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people in 2025/26. As part of operational planning, each integrated care board (ICB) is expected to: reduce the number of adults with a learning disability, including those who may also be autistic, in mental health inpatient care by 20% from a 31 March 2024 baseline by 31 March 2026; and reduce the number of autistic adults, with no learning disability, in mental health inpatient care by 20% from a 31 March 2024 baseline by 31 March 2026.

The baseline is from Assuring Transformation data and was extracted from 31 March 2024. The expectation is that ICBs will have been working towards achieving a 10% reduction from the 31 March 2024 baseline by 31 March 2025 and will build on this during 2025/26. They are therefore expected to achieve a 20% reduction from the 31 March 2024 baseline by 31 March 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_61

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the current number of people with Activated P13K-delta syndrome. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England does not hold data on the current number of patients diagnosed with activated P13K-delta syndrome.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_62

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62450 on Vamorolone, which NHS Trusts have submitted prior approval forms. \p Karin Smyth: 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.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_63

John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Audit of Metastatic Breast Cancer will provide a specific breakdown by (a) breast cancer subtype and (b) hormone receptor status. \p Ashley Dalton: 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.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_64

John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS spends on average per patient with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer; and if he will make a comparative assessment of the average spend per patient with primary breast cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: 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.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_65

Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional funding for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. \p Stephen Kinnock: 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.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_66

John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the 2013 mandate to accurately collect and collate data on cancer recurrence is being fully implemented. \p Ashley Dalton: 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.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-07 conversation_67

John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide routine access to circulating tumour DNA blood tests to support the (a) detection and (b) treatment of breast cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: 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.