theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an estimate of the average cost of changes to employer National Insurance contributions to individual GP practices. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have made the necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise was implemented in April 2025.

General practices (GPs) are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account of the cost of delivering services.

We are investing an additional £889 million in GPs to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes.
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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that numbers of (a) GP surgeries and (b) staff working in those surgeries are not adversely impacted by changes to employer National Insurance contributions. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have made the necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise was implemented in April 2025.

General practices (GPs) are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account of the cost of delivering services.

We are investing an additional £889 million in GPs to fix the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes.

As commissioners of primary care, integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring that there is suitable provision of GP services to meet the needs of their local population. Practices close for a variety of reasons, including mergers or retirement, and so closures do not necessarily indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice does close, patients are informed of the closure and advised to register at another local practice of their choice within their area.

The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs. Data on the number of recently qualified GPs for which primary care networks are claiming reimbursement via the ARRS was published by NHS England on 7 April, showing that since 1 October 2024, 1,503 GPs were recruited through the scheme.
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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to establish specialist care pathways for people with bipolar to (a) improve treatment and (b) reduce misdiagnosis. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is unacceptable that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long, including for people with bipolar disorder. We are determined to change that.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, create a network of open access community Young Futures hubs, recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to cut wait times and provide faster treatment, and modernise the Mental Health Act.

NHS England is continuing to roll out the Community Mental Health Framework. The framework sets out a plan to deliver more flexible, personalised, and holistic care for more people with serious mental illness, including for people with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

We are also committed to new models of care for mental health, including reforming care for people experiencing a mental health crisis. We are testing neighbourhood mental health centres for people aged 18 years old and over with serious mental illness. These six pilot schemes are based in Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Sheffield, York, Birmingham, and Whitehaven.

These models will offer 24/7 open access care closer to home, with an integrated service including healthcare providers, local authorities, and the voluntary sector. These pilots build on international evidence that shows that similar models have led to a reduction in hospitalisation and waiting times, and supports our efforts to move more care into the community

In addition, people of all ages who are in crisis or who are concerned about a family or loved one can now call 111, select the mental health option, and speak to a trained mental health professional. NHS staff can guide callers with next steps such as organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternative services, like crisis cafés or safe havens, which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or a hospital admission.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve early diagnosis of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government recognises that foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) can have a significant impact on the early years of development for children. As a result, it is crucial to diagnose FASD as early as possible. As part of the prevention efforts around FASD, the Department promotes a precautionary approach by advising that the safest option during pregnancy is to avoid alcohol altogether.

The Department asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to produce a quality standard in England for FASD, to help the health care system improve both diagnosis and support for individuals affects by FASD. This was published in March 2022 and is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs204

Healthcare providers continue to advise pregnant women about the risks of alcohol consumption, document alcohol use, and refer children with probable prenatal alcohol exposure for assessment.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that the National Cancer Plan includes vaccine treatments for brain tumours. \p Ashley Dalton: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced that a National Cancer Plan for England will be published this year. The Prime Minister’s Health Mission sets the objective of building a National Health Service fit for the future, and an essential part of this is achieving our goal to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer.

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, and will apply to all cancer types, including brain tumours. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, to improve the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years.

The Department, NHS England, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) are taking several steps to help improve outcomes for brain tumour patients. Research will be a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.

The plan will also consider the ways that we can accelerate the uptake of innovative, life-saving treatments so all NHS patients can benefit. We will work closely with partners, including the National Institute for Health and Care Research, on this.
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Adam Thompson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing coronary artery calcium scoring in routine NHS cardiovascular health checks. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department has made no assessment of the inclusion of coronary artery calcium scoring in National Health Service cardiovascular health checks.

The NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme, assesses the top seven risk factors for CVD in people aged 40 to 74 years old and refers them for behavioural support services, such as smoking cessation and weight management, and clinical assessment for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high CVD risk, where appropriate.
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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to increase support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis who are employed. \p Ashley Dalton: Occupational health as advisory support has a broad remit. It plays an important role in supporting employers to maintain and promote employee health and wellbeing through assessments of fitness for work, advice about reasonable adjustments, work ability or return to work plans, and signposting to treatment for specific conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant that supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in sustainable paid employment. The tailored nature of the scheme allows customers to receive the appropriate grant and support based on their specific health and disability-related needs, including ME/CFS. Access to Work grants do not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments.

The goal is to open up opportunities to good work and to support a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, by helping more disabled people and people with health conditions like ME/CFS to get appropriate work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it. This supports the Government’s priority of tackling economic inactivity, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

NHS England recently completed a ME/CFS stocktake, aimed at providing a nationwide overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. The findings confirmed the widely recognised challenges of significant variation in care delivery across England and a lack of comprehensive activity data.

We aim to publish our ME/CFS final delivery plan by the end of June 2025. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease. The responses to the interim delivery plan consultation, along with continued close engagement with other parts of the Government, the National Health Service, and external stakeholders, will inform the development of the final ME/CFS delivery plan.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the national cancer plan will include policies on improving the (a) collection, (b) sharing and (c) analysis of data for all cancer types to help (i) identify (A) variation and (B) blockages in the pathway and (ii) develop solutions with the NHS. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.

The plan will look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. It will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. The plan will also consider mechanisms to accelerate the adoption of innovative diagnostics and treatments into the National Health Service, and will seek to ensure that high quality care is available to patients across the country.

Furthermore, reducing barriers of entry to care and improving the efficiency of patient pathways are essential to improving cancer outcomes and experiences. The plan will explore how we can improve data collection, sharing, and analysis, to help identify variation and blockages in the pathway and develop solutions with the NHS.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of prostate cancer screening for high risk groups. \p Ashley Dalton: Currently, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not recommend a national prostate cancer screening programme due to the limitations of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, which may lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of cancers that would not have caused harm during a man’s lifetime. However, the UK NSC is undertaking a comprehensive evidence review to assess six potential approaches to targeted screening for those at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Recommendations will be published upon the conclusion of this review.

In addition, the Government has invested £16 million in the £42 million United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, led by Prostate Cancer UK, which aims to identify new ways of detecting prostate cancer at an earlier stage, including in men without symptoms. The trial will ensure that at least 10% of participants are black men, reflecting their higher risk and the importance of ensuring new tests are effective across all groups.

The UK NSC does not currently recommend a national screening programme for prostate cancer, as the current PSA test lacks the necessary accuracy. It can lead to overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment, as well as false reassurance for some men. This is particularly important given that many prostate cancers are slow-growing and may not cause harm during a man's lifetime.

NHS England is taking steps to increase public understanding of prostate cancer and its risk factors. This includes working in partnership with Cancer Alliances, charities, and local representatives to reach people in their communities with tailored messaging and support.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations of the report entitled Recipe for health: A plan to fix our broken food system by the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee, published on 24 October 2024. \p Ashley Dalton: After the House of Lords’ Food, Diet and Obesity Committee report published in October 2024, the Government published its response to the report on 30 January 2025. It is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-house-of-lords-food-and-health-report

The Government welcomed the report and gave thanks to everyone involved in giving evidence and producing the recommendations. The response agreed with the committee’s assessment of the challenges in the food environment driving obesity rates. To best direct further policy action here, we are developing the National Health Service’s 10-Year Health Plan as well as a cross-Government Food Strategy, and will make more information available in due course.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, we are committed to achieving our Health Mission to build an NHS fit for the future, and under the 10-Year Health Plan to shift from sickness to prevention.
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Wera Hobhouse:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the accurate recording of deaths related to eating disorders; and what steps he is taking with the (a) National Medical Examiner, (b) Office for National Statistics and (c) Coroners' Society of England and Wales to increase understanding of how eating disorders contribute to deaths. \p Ashley Dalton: It is important that all deaths are recorded accurately, and it is right that the extent to which eating disorders and other factors have caused or contributed to deaths should be explored further, in collaboration with stakeholders including the National Medical Examiner, the Office for National Statistics, and the Coroners' Society of England and Wales.

The National Medical Examiner’s Good Practice Series No. 7 on mental health and eating disorders, published in June 2022, makes it clear to medical examiners how mental health conditions, including eating disorders, should be recorded on the medical certificate of cause of death. The Good Practice Series No. 7 is available at the following link:

https://www.rcpath.org/resourceLibrary/good-practice-series---mental-health-and-eating-disorders.html
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospital Trust and (b) Shrewsbury and Telford ICB on (i) patient safety, (ii) waiting times, (iii) value for money and (iv) regulatory compliance and improvement since July 2024. \p Karin Smyth: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no discussions with the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust or the Shrewsbury and Telford Integrated Care Board about these issues since July 2024.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is in segment four of the NHS Oversight Framework. This means that the trust is in receipt of national mandated support via NHS England’s Recovery Support Programme. The National Recovery Support team is working closely with the trust and region to support the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and to ensure the delivery of improvements.

We are working closely with NHS England to monitor the situation.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available for people discontinuing anti-depressants. \p Karin Smyth: In 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published the guideline Medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: safe prescribing and withdrawal management for adults, which makes recommendations on discontinuing antidepressant medication. This is also addressed in Depression in adults: treatment and management. Further information on the guidelines on medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms and depression in adults is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng215

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222/chapter/Recommendations

In 2023, NHS England published Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: Framework for action for integrated care boards (ICBs) and primary care. The framework includes five actions, resources, and case studies to help develop plans that can support people who are taking medicines associated with dependence and withdrawal symptoms. The framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/optimising-personalised-care-for-adults-prescribed-medicines-associated-with-dependence-or-withdrawal-symptoms/

NHS England is also encouraging ICBs to address inappropriate antidepressant prescribing and to consider commissioning services for patients wishing to reduce or stop prescribed medicines that can cause dependence and withdrawal. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-medicines-optimisation-opportunities-2023-24/

The Government recognises that too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. This is why we are committed to ensuring we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance (a) his Department and (b) NHS England provide to people who are prescribed SSRIs on the risks of developing Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved product information provided to healthcare professionals and patients for all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was updated in 2019 to inform them that reports had been received of long-lasting sexual dysfunction where symptoms continue despite discontinuation of the SSRI. The MHRA was an integral part of the European Union-wide review of the available evidence, which underpinned the current warnings.   An Expert Working Group of the Commission on Human Medicines has been established to review evidence from patients and the scientific literature available since 2019, to address concerns about the ongoing lack of awareness of the existing warnings in the product information. A range of regulatory options are under consideration to help improve the communication of the risk of sexual dysfunction where symptoms continue after taking SSRIs.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will recognise Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction as a condition. \p Karin Smyth: The current Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved product information for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has a warning for the risk of sexual dysfunction where symptoms continue despite stopping treatment.

The term Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction was added to the regulatory dictionary in 2021, which will help with the recording and retrieval of Yellow Card data and literature cases, and in the future, will contribute to the much needed research into this important health issue.

Persistent sexual dysfunction following withdrawal of an SSRI, as a disorder, was added to the electronic health records system SNOMED in October 2024, as a code that will help with the clinical identification of patients with persistent sexual dysfunction, including after taking SSRIs.

An Expert Working Group of the Commission on Human Medicines has been established by the MHRA to consider how the risk of sexual dysfunction which continues after stopping antidepressants use is communicated in patient information leaflets, however this work will not address the clinical recognition of post-SSRI sexual dysfunction, as that is outside the remit of the MHRA.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether their Department plans to amend its policies on access to (a) toilets, (b) changing facilities and (c) other single-sex spaces in (i) Departmental buildings and (ii) other buildings within their Department’s remit following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025. \p Karin Smyth: The Department welcomes the Supreme Court's ruling and the clarity that it brings. We will review our internal policies wherever necessary, ensuring that they follow the clarity provided by the ruling and comply with the latest legal position. We will also ensure that the protections which remain in place for trans people to live free from discrimination and harassment, including in relation to their employment, are also taken into account.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of hearing loss causing dementia. \p Stephen Kinnock: The 2024 update of the Lancet Commission suggests that approximately 45% of global dementia cases are estimated to be potentially preventable or delayable. One of the 14 risk factors identified by the Lancet Commission for dementia is hearing loss.

The Department delivers a range of research into dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). For example, the NIHR is currently funding the ENHANCE research programme, which is developing and testing an intervention app to see its effects on cognition, risk, quality of life, and affordability. The ENHANCE app seeks to address ten risk factors for dementia, including hearing loss. In the long-term, the researchers will examine health records to see if the app can reduce dementia rates.

The Lancet Commission 2024 and further research will help inform Government action on dementia going forward.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to facilitate the circulation of material to General Practitioners advising how to (a) recognise and (b) treat with (i) antibiotics and (ii) anti-inflammatory medications the conditions of (A) Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and (B) Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS). \p Stephen Kinnock: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent, expert body that develops evidence-based guidelines for the National Health Service on best practice. While the NICE currently has no plans to issue guidance on paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus (PANDAS), should the evidence base develop further, we would look to the NICE to update clinical policy.

In the meantime, integrated care systems are responsible for planning care for their populations’ conditions, and clinicians will want to take account of any new research and developments in guidance, such as those being overseen by the PANS PANDAS Steering Group, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to their patients.
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Luke Murphy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of training available to (a) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and (b) other healthcare staff on recognising and responding to anxiety-led behaviour in children. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is the responsibility of each provider of mental health services to ensure that training meets the learning needs of their staff and that all staff adhere to and keep themselves appraised of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Additionally, NHS England provides a number of further training programmes that are accessible to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and other healthcare staff.

We will also publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.  We will ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's report entitled Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, published in 2021, whether he has had recent discussions with NHS England on improving awareness of overprescribing. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service and its partner organisations are responding to the challenge of overprescribing, as set out in the Government’s review of overprescribing, Good for you, good for us, good for everybody, in September 2021. Due to the multifaceted nature of overprescribing and the interventions used to address it, it is challenging to evaluate the effectiveness of individual policies and interventions. However, where an evaluation has been possible, there is evidence of reduced potential harms and more optimised use of medicines, for example prescribing volumes of unsafe and ineffective items, such as coproxamol and homeopathy, have reduced by 90% since policy interventions were implemented.

Structured medication reviews remain a service requirement, as part of the 2025/2026 DES contract for primary care networks (PCNs). In addition to the primary care contract, medication reviews are outlined in NHS England’s Neighbourhood health guidelines 2025/26, as an essential part of the core components associated with the neighbourhood multidisciplinary team and an effective neighbourhood service. Further information on the DES contract for primary care networks and NHS England’s Neighbourhood health guidelines 2025/26 is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/PRN01903-network-contract-des-contract-specification-2025-26-v1.1.pdf

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/neighbourhood-health-guidelines-2025-26/

NHS England is progressing a range of interventions to ensure that records can be safely shared and accessed across care settings by patients and health and care professionals, to support effective medicine optimisation. This includes progress in rolling out digital social care records (DSCRs). For example, this April, NHS England published a data standard for DSCRs that will ensure that core information is captured consistently across people, places, and providers.

In the past 12 months, the following has been undertaken, which has raised awareness of overprescribing:
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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Birmingham and Solihull integrated care board on access to ear wax removal services in the context of their decision to commission self-referral community audiology services. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has not engaged with the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) directly on this point, but it is supportive of the ICB’s work to improve access to community-based services. All ICBs have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local population. This includes the arrangement of audiology services.

In line with NHS England’s work to improve access to primary care following the COVID-19 pandemic, all ICBs were asked to expand self-referral pathways for certain carefully considered community-based services by September 2023.

However, the Birmingham and Solihull ICB recommend visiting a pharmacist for blocked ears caused by ear wax rather than using the self-referral hearing check service. Ear wax removal services are not a core service included in the national GP Contract, and general practitioners often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up as manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of developing a national brain tumour strategy. \p Ashley Dalton: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire on 14 March 2025 to Question 36024.
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John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed abolition of NHS England on (a) Genomics England and (b) the provision of whole genome sequencing to patients with rare cancers by the NHS Genomics Medicine Service. \p Ashley Dalton: Genomics is a powerful healthcare technology, aiding diagnosis and informing treatment for rare diseases and certain cancers.

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new Executive Team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds. Throughout the transition, we will retain our focus on patient care, ensuring continuity of care and that there are no risks to patient safety.

In addition, the National Cancer Plan for England will be published in the second half of this year, and will not be adversely affected by the work to bring the two organisations together. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including outcomes for people with rare cancers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-13)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 on guidance issued by NHS England on cervical screening. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government welcomes the Supreme Court ruling and the clarity it brings for women and service providers.

NHS England is working at pace to review the relevant guidance and will update them where necessary to ensure compliance with the ruling.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-13 conversation_222

Alistair Strathern:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of postnatal depression involved (a) engagement with and (b) mental health assessment of the woman’s partner by the relevant service in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available. \p Karin Smyth: The information requested is not held centrally at this level of detail. The Government is committed to improving the support available to mothers, fathers, and partners who experience mental health difficulties, including postnatal depression, during the perinatal period.

Fathers and partners of women accessing specialist perinatal mental health services and maternal mental health services should be offered an evidence-based assessment for their mental health and signposted to sources of support as required. This can include NHS Talking Therapies services, which are available for anyone who needs support with their mental health. People can refer themselves online via the National Health Service website or by contacting their general practice.

In addition, in January 2025, the Department announced £126 million for the continuation of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26 in 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation. This includes £36.5 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support, including for fathers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-13 conversation_223

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) adult and (b) child dental care in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Dental Statistics - England 2023/24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available from the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324

The data for the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board, which includes the Surrey Heath constituency, shows that 39% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2024, compared to 40% in England, and that 55% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2024, compared to 56% in England.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-13 conversation_224

Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve NHS dental service provision in Newbury. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Newbury constituency, this is the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB is expected to deliver 15,454 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-13 conversation_225

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS systems used by (a) GPs and (b) pharmacies are protected against IT outages in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Business continuity is a shared responsibility between IT service providers, general practices, and pharmacies. The Frimley Integrated Care Board collaborates with general practices to enhance their resilience planning, which includes reviewing current arrangements, adopting best practices, and preparing for worst-case scenarios. This approach ensures practices are well-equipped to manage any IT disruptions effectively.

For example, the Patient System, which is a patient record system used by general practices, can operate in business as usual mode when offline so that local functionality can continue if web services are interrupted. Many sites are prepared for Main Network, Health and Social Care Network, outages so that they can continue to access and share information. Sites are equipped with laptops featuring Virtual Private Network capabilities, which can connect to mobile hotspots if the primary network internet connection is unavailable.

All National Health Service community pharmacy owners are required to have a business continuity plan in place to address temporary service suspensions under their terms of service. All registered community pharmacy premises are regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council, which sets expectations regarding business continuity planning and IT resilience. Pharmacies are expected to develop robust plans that incorporate proactive risk assessments, preparedness measures, and comprehensive response and recovery strategies. These plans must ensure that essential services, such as medication dispensing and patient care, can continue during disruptions, including power outages, network failures, or physical security breaches.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-13)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to introduce dental buses to treat (a) low-income, (b) elderly and (c) disabled patients in West Dorset constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.

The decision about whether to commission dental vans should be made locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs know the needs of their local areas and are best placed to make decisions about whether or how mobile dental vans can contribute to meeting the dental care needs of their population. For the West Dorset constituency, this is the NHS Dorset ICB.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-13 conversation_227

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46097 on General Practitioners: Pay, what the difference is between the (a) New Earnings Survey and (b) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) replaced the New Earnings Survey (NES) in 2004. A number of methodological improvements were introduced in the ASHE to address weaknesses in the design of the NES. Key changes included the introduction of the weighting of survey results to population totals using information from the Labour Force Survey, changes to sampling processes to improve coverage, and the introduction of imputation for item non-response. Further information can be found in the Methodology for the 2004 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings technical report, a copy of which is attached.

PQ50264 Document (pdf, 119.5KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-13 conversation_228

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to (a) implement and (b) enforce the Accessible Information Standard for organisations that provide (i) NHS care and (ii) publicly-funded adult social care. \p Stephen Kinnock: Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the recommended approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss. The AIS conformance criteria, published in 2016, set out how organisations should comply with the AIS, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/patient-equalities-programme/equality-frameworks-and-information-standards/accessibleinfo/resources/assess-conformance/

The responsibility for monitoring compliance with the AIS sits with the commissioner of the service.

NHS England has been undertaking a review of the AIS to help ensure that the communication needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss are met in health and care provision. A self-assessment framework has been developed to support providers of NHS and social care services to measure their performance against the AIS, and develop improvement action plans to address gaps in implementation. The Care Quality Commission takes the AIS into account when regulating health and social care services, considering whether people using the services have accessible communications, in line with the relevant regulations, as set out in their assessment framework.

A revised AIS will be published in due course. In the meantime, the current AIS remains in force and therefore there should not be a gap in provision for people using services. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication, and engagement, and with a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using these services.

Section 95 of the Health and Care Act 2022, once commenced, and if Parliament agrees to the procedural regulations, would make compliance with information standards mandatory for health and care providers, and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care would be responsible for enforcement, with appropriate support from NHS England. A programme of work has been set up to ensure readiness for the publication of mandatory information standards, including ensuring compliance functions are in place.