theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual cost of treating (a) patients over 18 and (b) children with Diabetic Ketoacidosis is. \p Ashley Dalton: A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system that is fit for the future. Tackling preventable ill health, such as type 2 diabetes, is crucial. Shifting the focus from treatment to prevention is one of three shifts for the Government’s mission for a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and is a cornerstone of supporting people to live healthier lives.

Preventing diabetes, like obesity, is a complex issue and requires multi-faceted action across both the public and private sector. Prevention involves collaboration across the public and private sectors to tackle underlying issues such obesity, poor diets, and lifestyle issues.

The Department is taking steps to prevent type 2 diabetes through programmes such as the NHS Health Check, England’s flagship cardiovascular disease prevention programme for those aged between 40 and 74 years old, which aims to identify people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and some cases of dementia, and to signpost them to behavioural support such as weight management and clinical treatment if needed.

Once identified, those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes can also be referred by their general practitioner into the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. The programme is highly effective, cutting the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% for people completing the programme, compared to those who do not attend.

The annual costs of treating patients over 18 years old and children with diabetic ketoacidosis is not available, as this data is not routinely collected and/or analysed nationally.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to launch targeted outreach programmes in areas with low cervical screening rates. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England launched its first ever cervical cancer elimination creative campaign and communications toolkit for Cervical Screening Awareness Week, which took place from 16 to 24 June 2025. The campaign included digital resources that create a strong sense of shared responsibility and which aim to increase awareness of the elimination goal, educate the public, and build confidence in cervical screening.

In March 2025, NHS England published its Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England, setting out how the National Health Service will improve equitable uptake and coverage across cervical screening to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. NHS England will build on what is already working well to drive vaccination and screening uptake and coverage, focussing on five cross-cutting themes: increasing access; raising awareness; reducing inequalities; improving digital capabilities; and strengthening workforce capacity. Further information on the plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

From early 2026, screening providers in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England will be able to offer human papillomavirus self-sampling kits to women if they have not attended their appointment for six months, or more following routine invitation.

Barriers to vaccination and screening services for underserved communities and people who experience health inequalities must continue to be addressed. This will include identifying groups using national and local level data who may be at higher risk of developing cervical cancer, to inform national initiatives, such as tailored screening invitations, and support local service planning.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) improve public awareness and (b) provide educational campaigns on the HPV vaccine. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works in partnership with NHS England and the Department to promote human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination as part of a national programme to prevent cervical cancers caused by HPV.

UKHSA uses data and surveillance to create public and stakeholder communications that raise public awareness of HPV and the importance of the vaccine. UKHSA publishes and provides a range of supporting materials to health professionals on both the 12- and 13-year-old HPV offer, and the vaccine programme for those at higher risk.

On 19 June 2025, NHS England launched the cervical cancer elimination campaign and toolkit for stakeholders, to increase awareness of the elimination target by 2040, educate the public about HPV, and build confidence in the HPV vaccine and cervical screening.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Deputy Director for 10 Year Health Plan Engagement's, Change NHS website blog, entitled, Ensuring the Plan represents everyone, what discussions his Department has with (a) travelling communities and (b) their representatives. \p Ashley Dalton: In building our 10-Year Health Plan, we ran one of the biggest public engagement exercises the National Health Service has ever run, including a large number of consultation events including eight in-person deliberative events with the public and seven with staff, culminating in a national summit, these events were attended by over 3,700 people. A further 17,000 people attended partner-led workshops across over 600 events. As part of these events, we aimed to include the voices of all patients, including patients whose voices are seldom heard in policy development.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with sex workers on the proposed NHS 10-Year Health Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: In building our 10-Year Health Plan, we ran one of the biggest public engagement exercises the National Health Service has ever run, including a large number of consultation events including eight in-person deliberative events with the public and seven with staff, culminating in a national summit, these events were attended by over 3,700 people. A further 17,000 people attended partner-led workshops across over 600 events. As part of these events, we aimed to include the voices of all patients, including patients whose voices are seldom heard in policy development.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department (a) has made and (b) plans to make an assessment of the impact of exposure to chemicals on cancer incidence rates. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK REACH regulation aims to protect human health from the risks that can be posed by chemicals, including substances of very high concern such as carcinogens. This is led by the Health and Safety Executive, with the UK Health Security Agency contributing to the process. The Department is currently not planning to make an assessment of the impacts of chemicals on cancer incidence rates for this reason.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is from initial referral to diagnosis for multiple sclerosis in each NHS region. \p Ashley Dalton: We do not hold data in the format requested. The latest data for referral to treatment waiting times in England, from April 2025, shows there were 223,699 pathways waiting for a neurology appointment, of which 53.8% were waiting for 18 weeks or less.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with food manufacturers on the labelling of (a) phosphorus, (b) potassium and (c) other minerals that are potentially harmful for people on dialysis. \p Ashley Dalton: Labelling of packaged foods and drinks plays an important role in helping individuals access information they need to make informed choices about the food they buy and eat.

Where minerals are added to foods, these must be included by law in the list of ingredients. Having this information on-pack means that consumers will always know if a product contains an added micronutrient, such as potassium. It is also mandatory for food and drinks packaging to include a nutrition declaration which shows the quantities of energy and key nutrients contained within them. Information on energy plus amounts of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt in required by law. When minerals are added to a packaged foods and drinks at a significant amount, as set out in legislation, it is mandatory to include them in the nutrition declaration.

Unpackaged foods, such as loose fruit and vegetables, are not required by law to carry a label, which we understand makes it difficult for consumers to know their mineral content. However, manufacturers may, supplement the nutrition label with the amounts of naturally occurring minerals in a product, such as phosphorus and potassium, provided they are present in at least a significant amount as defined in legislation, should they choose to do so.

The key nutrients that must be included in the nutrition declaration on a mandatory basis are the most relevant to current population level public health concerns in Great Britain. A standardised set of nutrients ensures consumers can easily compare products and requiring too many nutrients to be included on a mandatory basis may complicate labels and make comparisons harder.

The Department has not had discussions with manufacturers specifically on this topic, but we maintain forums to regularly engage industry and enforcement authorities on general labelling matters where these issues can be discussed.

For individuals with specific dietary needs, such as those on dialysis, personalised advice from a registered dietitian or healthcare professional is recommended to help manage mineral intake, including minerals from naturally occurring sources, while maintaining a healthy balanced diet.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Matt Bishop:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce regional disparities in the (a) treatment and (b) outcomes of patients with peripheral arterial disease. \p Ashley Dalton: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), like other cardiovascular conditions, shares risk factors and is largely preventable. However, access to timely diagnosis and treatment can vary significantly across regions. NHS England is working to reduce these disparities and improve outcomes for patients.

To support this, NHS England introduced the Vascular PAD Quality Improvement Framework, which was incentivised through a two-year scheme between 2022 and 2024. This framework helps ensure that patients across the country receive timely and effective interventions, such as revascularisation, by encouraging all providers to meet consistent standards of care. It aims to reduce variation in how quickly and effectively patients are treated, regardless of where they live. In addition, the National Vascular Registry (NVR) collects and publishes data on the outcomes of major vascular procedures across NHS hospitals. This includes procedures for PAD, such as angioplasty, bypass surgery, and amputations. By highlighting both good practice and areas needing improvement, the NVR supports hospitals and commissioners in identifying and addressing regional gaps in care quality and outcomes. While there is no dedicated public awareness campaign for PAD at present, information is available on the National Health Service website, and NHS England continues to work with clinical experts and professional bodies to improve care and reduce regional variation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Jess Brown-Fuller: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 report entitled World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative UK Report 2024, published in March 2025. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to giving children the best start in life, and infant feeding plays a crucial role in achieving this. We recognise the concerns raised in the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative’s United Kingdom report and are considering the recommendations.

We are already taking action to improve infant feeding support. We are strengthening the midwifery and health visiting workforce and building on these services by investing £18.5 million this year for infant feeding services through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 75 local authorities in England. We are also investing in the National Breastfeeding Helpline which provides UK-wide support 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and are expanding Start for Life communications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve the (a) protection, (b) promotion and (c) support of optimal infant feeding. \p Ashley Dalton: It is important that all families are supported to make the right choices for them and to achieve their infant feeding goals. This includes families who cannot breastfeed or choose not to. We know that breastfeeding has significant benefits and are committed to encouraging and supporting breastfeeding.

Most families will receive infant feeding information and support from midwives and health visitors. We are taking action to strengthen these services. We are taking further steps, including investing £18.5 million through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26 to encourage breastfeeding and to provide infant feeding support across 75 local authorities in England. We have increased the capacity of the National Breastfeeding Helpline. The Start for Life communication programme also includes advice on breast and bottle-feeding and introducing solid foods.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Jessica Toale:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve public awareness of (a) HPV vaccination, (b) regular cervical screening and (c) other cervical cancer prevention measures. \p Ashley Dalton: On 19 June 2025, NHS England launched its first ever cervical cancer elimination creative campaign and communications toolkit for Cervical Screening Awareness Week, which took place between 19 and 24 June 2025. The campaign included digital resources that create a strong sense of shared responsibility and aim to increase awareness of the elimination goal, educate the public about human papillomavirus (HPV), and build confidence in the HPV vaccine and cervical screening.

In March 2025, NHS England published its Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England, setting out how the National Health Service will improve equitable uptake and coverage across HPV vaccination and cervical screening to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

NHS England will build on what is already working well to drive vaccination and screening uptake and coverage, focussing on five cross-cutting themes:

- increasing access;

- raising awareness;

- reducing inequalities;

- improving digital capabilities; and

- strengthening workforce capacity.

Ensuring that people are aware of, and understand the benefits of, HPV vaccination and cervical screening is crucial for informed decision making. Creating effective, nuanced, and culturally sensitive health communications relies on collaborative work with third sector partners and local communities.

NHS England will raise awareness of cervical cancer prevention offers through strategic, long-term and evidence-based communications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people living with arthritis in Gosport constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: Services for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). The Department expects MSK services to be fully incorporated into integrated care system planning and decision-making.

As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. Launched in December 2024, with 17 ICBs selected in the first cohort, including the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB, GIRFT teams have deployed their proven Further Faster model to work with ICB leaders to reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with arthritis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services. The GIRFT programme is continuing to develop the approach to better enable integrated care systems to commission the delivery of high-quality MSK services in the community, which will benefit patients now and into the future, including those in Gosport constituency.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these will help deliver improvements to arthritis care in all parts of the country.

More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support people to manage their long-term conditions, including arthritis, closer to home.

Additionally, to support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published expert guidance for rheumatoid arthritis, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100

Whilst guidelines published by NICE are not mandatory, their implementation by ICBs will improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve outcomes for bowel cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: Reducing unwarranted variation in cancer treatment and diagnosing cancer, including bowel cancer, earlier are high priorities for the National Health Service. The National Cancer Plan will include further details on what will be done to improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, and ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, including for bowel cancer patients.

The bowel cancer screening standards have recently been reviewed by NHS England with representatives from the Department included, with changes taking effect from 1 April 2025. This will update the achievable and acceptable thresholds for both uptake and coverage. To further increase coverage across the population in England, NHS England is delivering new approaches to communicating with people about screening through the NHS App. NHS England is also working on improvements to the way eligible people are identified and invited for screening through the transformation of screening programme digital services.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns run across England and are publicly accessible. 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. Previous phases of the campaigns have focused on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can be indicative of bowel cancer. It is the responsibility of local National Health Service organisations to consider whether they wish to run additional campaigns tailored to the needs of their local population and aligned to their service provision.

Reducing inequalities and variation in cancer care, including for bowel cancer, is a priority for the Government. The NHS England Cancer Programme commissions clinical cancer audits, which provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. Rather than a single audit, NHS England commissions ten audits, by tumour type, including for bowel cancer. On 31 December 2024, the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre published its State of the Nation Report on Bowel Cancer, and the initial recommendations are informing improvements in treatment and care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of alcohol adverts on people with addictions. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department continues to monitor the emerging evidence about the impact of the advertising of alcohol products on people with addictions.

To strengthen the evidence base on the impact of alcohol marketing on levels of consumption, the Department has commissioned a study to examine the causal association between alcohol marketing and alcohol related attitudes and consumption. The study, due to be completed in 2026, will examine exposure to alcohol marketing amongst higher-risk drinkers.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce waiting times for (a) child and adolescent mental health services, (b) paediatric services and (c) other services for people affected d by foetal valproate spectrum disorder. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department will continue to work across Government and with the National Health Service to reduce waiting times to access support for the mental and physical health needs of people with rare conditions like foetal valproate spectrum disorder.
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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 improve access to NHS dental care for patients unable to register with a local practice in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.

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 Surrey Heath constituency, this is the NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The Surrey Heartlands ICB is expected to deliver 6,585 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

As a first step to reforming the dental contract, we are consulting on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver improved care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. A link to the consultation is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

The consultation was launched on 8 July 2025 and will close on 19 August 2025.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve NHS support for children and families with severe food allergies. \p Ashley Dalton: Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on schools to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions, and have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed. This includes allergies. The policy should also set out how staff will be supported in carrying out their role to support pupils, including how training needs are assessed and how training is commissioned and provided. Any member of school staff providing support to a pupil with medical needs should have received suitable training.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) encourages food businesses to complete the FSA’s allergen e-learning course and recommends that it is retaken annually to refresh knowledge and ensure that businesses are up to date on any changes which may have occurred. The FSA online training is free and offers practical advice to anyone wanting to learn more about food allergy.

NHS England has also produced the Healthy School Child e-learning programme, which available at the following link:

https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/healthy-school-child/

This programme is designed for healthcare professionals, including school nurses, working with children aged five to 12 years old. Module 5 of the e-learning programme includes sessions on asthma, eczema, and other allergies.
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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce geographic inequalities in access to approved blood cancer treatments in England. \p Ashley Dalton: Reducing inequalities in cancer diagnosis, care, and outcomes is a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at the targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival, and will develop interventions to tackle these. This includes looking at protected characteristics, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic location.

The Government is committed to improving access for everyone to treatment and care for all cancer types, including blood cancer. To help achieve this, the National Health Service in England has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, to ensure early diagnosis and faster treatment.

The NHS England Cancer Programme also commissions clinical cancer audits, which provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients, including those with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is a type of blood cancer.
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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will include commitments to (a) improve diagnostic pathways and (b) reduce delays in identifying blood cancers at an early stage. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government has announced that the National Cancer Plan will be published later this year, following the recent publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. The National Cancer Plan will ensure that all cancer patients, including patients with blood cancer, will have access to the best cancer care and treatments. It will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care.

The Department is supporting the National Health Service to reduce the number of cancers diagnosed in emergency care settings, by improving waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment, starting by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week.

Alongside improving cancer waiting time performance, the NHS has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. This includes blood cancer, which is one of the most common cancers diagnosed via these pathways.

Further actions on improving the survival of all cancers, including blood cancer, will be outlined in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.
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Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people with (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (b) other long-term lung conditions have access to integrated (i) psychological and (ii) mental health support as part of their care pathway. \p Ashley Dalton: People with long-term physical health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and musculoskeletal disorders can refer into NHS Talking Therapies for treatment if they have a common mental health disorder, for instance anxiety and/or depression. NHS Talking Therapies also offers integrated pathways of care for people with long-term conditions which are integrated with physical care services, usually through co-location. The NHS Talking Therapies Long Term Conditions (LTC) service does not treat the underlying physical health condition but treats the anxiety and/or depression that is either caused or exacerbated by having the LTC.

NHS England has put together a best practice directory for LTC pathways across NHS Talking Therapies services to provide a national picture of what pathways are in place and how they work. Information collected as part of the work to develop the national LTC directory will help to frame a review of the NHS Talking Therapies LTC Implementation Guidance.
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of widening the scope of the infant formula legislation to include the (a) digital and (b) other marketing of all (i) formula milks up to age 36 months and (ii) (A) bottles, (B) teats and (C) other equipment. \p Ashley Dalton: Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life, and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby.

Whilst breastfeeding has significant health benefits, we recognise that for those families that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital that they have access to infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Infant formula regulations ensure that all infant formula and follow on formula are safe and meet the nutritional requirements of babies and infants.

The regulations cover the composition, marketing, and labelling of infant formula and follow-on formula but they do not cover bottle, teats, or other equipment, and there are no plans to extend the regulations to these areas nor to extend the regulations to other formula milks.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making more emergency adrenaline auto-injectors available in community settings. \p Ashley Dalton: In November 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Commission on Human Medicine’s Adrenaline Auto-injector Expert Working Group, with wide-ranging input from patient groups, leading allergy experts, and healthcare professionals, published a report which outlined recommendations for the safe and effective use of adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), including quicker treatment, to help save lives. The MHRA has worked alongside the Department and the wider health system to take forward these recommendations, some of which are already in place.

In June 2023, the MHRA, with the support of allergy awareness advocates, launched a safety campaign to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and to provide advice on the use of AAIs. The MHRA produced a toolkit of resources for health and social care professionals to support the safe and effective use of AAIs. Alongside this, the MHRA produced guidance, which states that prescribers should prescribe two AAIs to make sure patients always have the second dose, and that those who are prescribed AAIs should always carry two AAIs at all times.

The majority of community pharmacies offer vaccinations. As part of offering this service, pharmacy contractors are expected to recognise and treat anaphylaxis. They must have immediate access to an anaphylaxis pack, including adrenaline. They are required to undertake training to administer adrenaline from an ampoule using a needle and AAIs in case of anaphylactic reactions.
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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will include specific targets for improving the early diagnosis rates of blood cancers. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government has announced that the National Cancer Plan will be published later this year, following the recent publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. The National Cancer Plan will ensure that all cancer patients, including patients with blood cancer, will have access to the best cancer care and treatments. It will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care.

The Department is supporting the National Health Service to reduce the number of cancers diagnosed in emergency care settings, by improving waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment, starting by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week.

Alongside improving cancer waiting time performance, the NHS has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. This includes blood cancer, which is one of the most common cancers diagnosed via these pathways.

Further actions on improving the survival of all cancers, including blood cancer, will be outlined in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-18 conversation_107

Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is planning to take through the National Cancer Plan to (a) improve early diagnosis rates and (b) reduce the number of those being diagnosed with blood cancer in an emergency care setting. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government has announced that the National Cancer Plan will be published later this year, following the recent publication of the 10-Year Health Plan. The National Cancer Plan will ensure that all cancer patients, including patients with blood cancer, will have access to the best cancer care and treatments. It will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care.

The Department is supporting the National Health Service to reduce the number of cancers diagnosed in emergency care settings, by improving waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment, starting by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week.

Alongside improving cancer waiting time performance, the NHS has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. This includes blood cancer, which is one of the most common cancers diagnosed via these pathways.

Further actions on improving the survival of all cancers, including blood cancer, will be outlined in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-18 conversation_108

Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of a universal, paediatric Type 1 Diabetes screening programme. \p Ashley Dalton: In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening, and which supports implementation.

A proposal for screening for neonatal diabetes mellitus was submitted to the UK NSC via its 2021 annual call process. An evidence-mapping exercise was conducted at that time which concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to recommend screening for this condition.

The UK NSC received a submission via its 2024 annual call process to consider screening for autoimmune type 1 diabetes through blood testing. The committee requested further information from the submitter, and this is now in the process of being reviewed. Further information on the annual call process is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-annual-call-submitting-a-screening-proposal/uk-nsc-annual-call-how-to-submit-a-proposal

The UK NSC is aware of the ELSA study that is looking at screening children for type 1 diabetes and looks forward to receiving the results of this study in due course.

When the UK NSC makes a recommendation to introduce any screening programme they consider the cost effectiveness of the programme, and the Department estimates the cost of implementing the recommendation before ministers agree to the recommendation. Therefore, if the UK NSC makes a recommendation to screen for type 1 diabetes, a cost assessment will be made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-18 conversation_109

Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that funding for the implementation of the recommendations in the National Cancer Plan is shared across (a) prevention, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment. \p Ashley Dalton: The forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, to ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer.

The Department settlement means that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms, a £53 billion cash increase, by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-18 conversation_110

Jessica Toale:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the progress to meeting the World Health Organisation's 2030 strategy for (a) the elimination of cervical cancer, (b) 90 percent of girls vaccinated with HPV by age 15, (c) 70 percent of women screened by 35 years and again by 45 years and (d) 90 percent of women identified with cervical disease receiving treatment. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England published the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England in March 2025, setting out how the National Health Service will improve equitable uptake and coverage across human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical screening to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

Progress has been made against meeting the World Health Organization’s targets and the 2030 milestones.

76.7% of girls and 71.2% of boys aged 14 to 15 years old received the HPV vaccination by school Year 10 after catch-up, as of 2023/24. Although uptake is not currently where we would like it to be for cohorts affected by the pandemic, catch up opportunities will remain in place through School Aged Immunisation Service providers and general practices, until the age of 25 years old.

76.9% of women aged 35 to 39 years old have a screening test recorded before their 35th birthday. 75.9% of women aged 40 to 44 years old have been screened in the previous five years, again as of 2023/24.

88.3% of all cervical cancers received one or more forms of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and tumour removal treatment. This rose to more than 96% for cervical cancer at stages 1 to 3, as of 2022/23.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-18 conversation_111

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a national screening programme for pancreatic cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and which supports implementation.

The UK NSC received a submission via its 2024 annual call process to consider a new screening programme for the early detection of pancreatic cancer. The UK NSC decided to explore this proposal further, and the next step will be an evidence mapping process. Further information on the annual call process can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-annual-call-submitting-a-screening-proposal/uk-nsc-annual-call-how-to-submit-a-proposal
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-18 conversation_112

Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the forthcoming National Cancer Plan and NHS Workforce Plan will together improve blood cancer patients' (a) outcomes and (b) experiences. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Cancer Plan will ensure that all cancer patients across England have access to the best cancer care and treatments. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, including the design of services and the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including those with blood cancer.

Recruitment to National Health Service roles is managed locally by NHS trusts and partner employers. However, NHS England is taking a range of actions to support the recruitment and retention of staff in the NHS cancer workforce. As of February 2025, there are over 1,800 full time equivalent doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is almost 150, or 8.9%, more than last year.

The NHS Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places to deliver the care all patients need, including blood cancer patients, improving outcomes and experiences. This will include expanding specialty training places in key cancer professions, such as histopathology, clinical radiology, and gastroenterology. Targeted national campaigns and outreach activities, for example in clinical oncology, also promote cancer career pathways, with a focus on increasing applications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-18 conversation_113

Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of levels of of geographic variation in access to NHS approved treatments for people with blood cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to providing patients with timely access to diagnosis and treatment, regardless of their location in the country.

The National Health Service has delivered an extra four million operations, scans, and appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment for patients.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.