theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the cancer plan will contain measures to improve (a) pathology and (b) testing within the (a) overall cancer and (b) triple negative breast cancer pathway. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and to improve outcomes for people living with different types of cancer including rare cancers, sub-types of cancer and triple-negative breast cancer.

The Government has set out plans to publish a ten-year health plan to reform the National Health Service. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new national cancer plan. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be and will provide updates on this in due course.

Data on triple negative breast cancer for England is collected through the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS). An NDRS Quality Assurance Team is in place to identify, investigate, and monitor data quality issues, with over 130 Quality Assurance reports being run each month as well as quarterly reports to assess the completeness of key data.

To drive up the completeness of the data for triple negative breast cancer, progesterone receptor status, human epidermal growth factor receptor in situ hybridization status, and oestrogen receptor status are part of the Cancer Outcomes and Services Data set, which supports national registration.

In January 2025, the Government published the Elective Reform Plan as part of the government’s Plan for Change. The plan sets out the reform and productivity efforts needed to ensure that patients, including those waiting for pathology tests are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care.

To improve the NHS Constitution standard for diagnostics, the cancer waiting time standards and the referral to treatment standard, we expect all community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and hospital-based diagnostic services to be open 12 hours a day, seven days a week so that patients have improved access and availability to diagnostic tests, including pathology.

Productivity and reform in CDCs will also be underpinned by investment in digital interventions. This will include all pathology networks reaching maturity in 2025. Networks are essential for facilitating diagnostic digitisation and ensuring the standardisation of systems needed for sharing results and optimising slot booking capacity. Networks can reduce variation and provide patients with equity of services' quality and efficiency, as well as maximise workforce efficiencies that can help to offset workforce shortages.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Paulette Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle barriers to (a) teenagers and (b) young adults accessing clinical trials; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of this on UK life sciences. \p Andrew Gwynne: To maximise our potential to be a world leader and develop a more competitive, efficient and accessible clinical research system, the Department is committed to implementing recommendations from the Lord O'Shaughnessy independent review of commercial clinical trials in full.

The Department is committed to ensuring clinical trials are people-centred and more accessible, including for teenagers and young adults. For example, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funded by the Department, provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research' which promotes participation in health and care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. Young adults aged 18 or over, can consent to be matched to and contacted about relevant studies.

The Department through the NIHR also funds research infrastructure provides research expertise, specialist facilities, a research delivery workforce and support services, necessary for the delivery of research nationally, including studies involving teenagers and young adults.

There is currently no assessment planned on the impact of barriers to teenagers and young adults accessing clinical trials on life sciences in the United Kingdom.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 18282 on Breast Cancer: Genetics, whether workforce planning for genetic councillors will prioritise areas that have regional inequities in access to genetic counselling. \p Andrew Gwynne: Each of the seven NHS Genomic Medicine Service regions is reviewing its local workforce strategies and people plans to understand the support needed for patients requiring genomic testing, including genetic counsellors. In addition, each of the 17 NHS Clinical Genomic Services is reviewing and planning profession capacity requirements, including genetic counsellors, to support delivery of care within timescales required for patients and clinicians.

Within NHS England, the NHS Genomics Unit is working with the Workforce, Training and Education Directorate to feed genomics demand into the national workforce model. This work is aligned with the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

In addition, NHS England and the NHS Race and Health Observatory have partnered to commission an 18-month research project to investigate disparities in access to and delivery of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service faced by ethnic minority patient groups and identify actions to address any inequities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK have been diagnosed with sepsis in the last 12 months. \p Andrew Gwynne: There is a lack of reliable estimates of the incidence and prevalence of sepsis, due to the inconsistency in the definitions used to describe sepsis, and the differences in coding between professionals and organisations in the United Kingdom.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on the number of death registrations where sepsis was the underlying cause of death, and where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, for England and Wales between 2001 and 2023. According to the ONS, in 2023, the number of deaths registered where sepsis was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate in England and Wales was 26,203. The ONS has not yet published the number of death registrations for sepsis for 2024. The published ONS data for deaths involving sepsis is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/adhocs/2111deathsinvolvingsepsisenglandandwales2001to2023

The Department continues to work with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to improve our understanding of sepsis data and to monitor trends in infection incidence and deaths from sepsis, which are complex and multifactorial.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the criteria are for Ministers to (a) intervene in an Integrated Care Board's reconfiguration proposal and (b) revisit decisions made in those proposals. \p Karin Smyth: The call-in power introduced on 31 January 2024 allows my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to intervene in service reconfigurations within the National Health Service at any stage where a proposal exists and following that intervention, to take or re-take any decision that previously could have been taken by the NHS commissioning body.

The Department published statutory guidance in January 2024 which sets out how call-in requests may be considered. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reconfiguring-nhs-services-ministerial-intervention-powers
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated for the public consultation on a new NHS 10-year-plan. \p Karin Smyth: The public and staff must be at the centre of developing the Plan to make the National Health Service fit for the future, so it makes a positive impact on their day-to-day lives. That is why we are running a series of in-depth deliberative events and have launched an open platform to hear from members of the public and those who work in health and care.

The events are being delivered within the Department's budget as part of its responsibility to promote the health and wellbeing of everyone in England. We are determined to do this in a way that gives everyone the chance to get involved while also ensuring value for money. At this point in time, we are not able to provide accurate costs for the whole engagement exercise, because it is still ongoing.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing a Physician Associate to Junior Doctor conversion course. \p Karin Smyth: There is no training pathway specifically designed for a physician associate to become a doctor in the United Kingdom. To become a doctor in the UK, an individual is required to complete either an undergraduate degree or a graduate-entry programme in medicine from a UK medical school which meets the standards set by the General Medical Council.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the number of cancer medicines used in the NHS compared to other European countries. \p Karin Smyth: Whilst the Department has made no such assessment, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends most new licensed cancer medicines for use in the treatment of National Health Service patients in England, with a current positive approval rate of 92% for cancer topics, excluding terminated appraisals, for 2024/25. This equates to 24 out of 26 appraisals.

Analysis from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations’ W.A.I.T Indicators compares availability of new medicines across European countries. The 2024 report showed that the availability in England of cancer medicines that received an European Union marketing authorisation between 2019 and 2022 was slightly higher than the European average.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 28 of the policy paper entitled Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, what key performance indicators he plans to use to track the implementation of the 10 year health plan; and if he will publish definitions of success for each indicator. \p Karin Smyth: The 10-Year Health Plan is being developed in line with best practice for policy making set out in the HM Treasury Green Book. This includes consideration of monitoring and evaluation before, during and after implementation.

Identifying appropriate performance indicators will be done in conjunction with developing the detail of the plan. Further detail will be set out at an appropriate time, including any plans to publish specific success metrics and their definitions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of local medical committees advising GPs to withdraw from ADHD shared care agreements; and what steps his Department plans to take to ensure there is uninterrupted access to essential medications and care for patients with ADHD. \p Karin Smyth: Shared care arrangements between a specialist service and the patient’s general practice (GP) cover a number of clinical areas. Guidance is in place to help GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/the-professional-standards/good-practice-in-prescribing-and-managing-medicines-and-devices/shared-care

National Health Service clinicians need to be content that any prescriptions, or referrals for treatment, are clinically appropriate. If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing remains with the specialist clinician, and this applies to both NHS and private medical care. However, a GP who had previously agreed to, and had been deploying, a shared care agreement would need to demonstrate clear reasoning as to why they can no longer support this, and they have a responsibility, along with the specialist clinician, to secure continuity of care for their patient.

Where possible, we encourage patients to raise any concerns directly with their GP in the first instance, as this is usually the fastest method of resolution, and can help to build a practice patient relationship.

The Department has been working hard with industry and NHS England to help resolve the supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.

We are continuing to work to resolve the supply issues, where they remain, for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. To improve supply and resiliency, we are also working with prospective new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to expand the UK supplier base.

In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we plan to combine modelling for future growth forecasts, which will be shared with industry to improve demand forecasting for ADHD medicines.
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Edward Argar:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS Trusts have declared a critical incident since 1 December 2024. \p Karin Smyth: There is no official National Health Service data collected and validated for publication on the number of ‘critical incidents’ as these are declared locally by NHS organisations and can be stood-up and stood-down quickly.

NHS management information as of 8 January 2025 reports that that there are 18 active critical incidents. Critical incidents can be declared in response to operational pressures and for other reasons including power outages, or IT or estates issues.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his statement of 6 January 2025 on Health and Social Care Reform, Official Report, columns 595 to 598, what steps he is taking to ensure equal access to healthcare in rural and urban areas. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises the health inequalities faced by rural communities in England, particularly around access to healthcare services. In response, we are working closely across the department, with NHS England and regional Directors of Public Health to develop approaches that address these inequalities so that no person or community is left behind.

The Government is committed to putting patients first, including in both rural and urban areas. This means making sure that all patients are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.

On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, part of the Government’s Plan for Change, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week Referral to Treatment target by the end of this Parliament. The plan sets out the reform and productivity efforts needed to ensure that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care. A copy of the plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/reforming-elective-care-for-patients.pdf

We have set an ambition to make progress on the 18-week standard in 2025/26, to 65% nationally and for all trusts to deliver a minimum five percentage point improvement by March 2026. At the end of November 2024, the rate at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust was 48.5%.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of blood cancer data. \p Karin Smyth: The National Disease Registration Service, through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services (NCRAS), collects information on how many people in England are diagnosed with or treated for cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. This creates a clinically rich data resource that is used to measure diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for patients diagnosed with cancer. The data held by the NCRAS supports service provision and commissioning in the National Health Service, clinical audits, and public health and epidemiological research, all of which contribute to improved outcomes for those diagnosed with cancer, including those with blood cancer. The information is available at the following link:

https://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/

National Disease Registration Service analysts attend quarterly meetings with United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Cancer Registries analysts to discuss any differences in the reporting of cancer data and how these can be made analogous. Annual performance indicators, including key performance indicators for haematology, are available at the following link:

https://ukiacr.org/kpis
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce NHS waiting lists in Runcorn and Helsby constituency. \p Karin Smyth: Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for this government. On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, part of the Government’s Plan for Change, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by the end of this Parliament. The plan sets out the reform and productivity efforts needed to ensure that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care, including those using the National Health Service in Runcorn and Helsby. The plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/reforming-elective-care-for-patients.pdf

We have set an ambition to make progress on the 18-week standard in 2025/26, to 65% nationally and for all trusts to deliver a minimum five percentage point improvement by March 2026. At the end of November 2024, the rate in Warrington and Halton Hospital NHS Trust was 59.5%, and the rate at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was 49.6%.

At the 2024 Autumn Budget, the Chancellor announced £1.5 billion of capital funding for new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners. This will build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests, as well as new beds which will create more treatment space in emergency departments, reduce waiting times, and help shift more care into the community.

Dedicated and protected surgical hubs are transforming the way the NHS provides elective care by focusing on high volume low complexity surgeries. There is one operational surgical hub serving patients in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency at Halton General Hospital - Mid Mersey Elective Hub (Captain Sir Tom Moore).
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, how he plans to measure the impact of digital transformation in the NHS; and what performance targets he has set for patient access to single health records. \p Karin Smyth: Digital transformation offers substantial opportunities for the National Health Service to improve care outcomes and to lower cost, while improving the experience of patients. The impact of digital tools and programmes are measured individually, and organisations are required to identify, manage, actively track and report impacts, outcomes and benefits against agreed plans.

The Government has announced its intention to develop a Single Patient Record, and specific investment decisions and targets will be subject to the forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan, Spending Review Phase 2, and further detailed work. The Government has continued to take action in the short term on joining up patient records, including investing £19.5 million in Shared Care Records.
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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) expertise and (b) public confidence are retained in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy services available on the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England is currently reviewing the service provision and national service specification for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Services, used to clearly define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care, due to the current service contracts expiring during 2025. Revisions to service specification follow the published process, which supports appropriate stakeholder engagement and governance. More information on the process is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/methods-national-service-specifications/

NHS England has considered the feedback received from the recent public consultation on the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Services revised service specification, alongside other sources of evidence, to inform its plans for the service re-procurement. The outcome of this will be made available in due course.

Further, NHS England is required to commission services, including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Services, in line with the National Health Service’s triple aim of improving health outcomes, improving quality of care and ensuring value for the system.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Oral Statement of 11 December 2024 on Puberty-suppressing Hormones, Official Report, Column 923, what guidance his Department issues to parents considering taking their children to other countries for (a) top surgery and (b) other gender reassignment surgery. \p Karin Smyth: There is no published guidance regarding young people under 18 years old travelling abroad for gender reassignment surgery. NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Services, which are commissioned in line with NHS England's interim service specification and the Cass Review, do not make referrals for surgical interventions.

The Government strongly discourages parents from taking their child abroad for gender reassignment surgery. Parents should seek advice from appropriate medical professionals if they believe their child has gender incongruence.
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Ben Lake:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the retained margin element of the NHS drug tariff. \p Karin Smyth: The adequacy of medicine margin that pharmacies are allowed to retain, with medicine margin being the difference between how much pharmacies are reimbursed and how much pharmacies were charged by suppliers, is currently being considered as part of the wider funding for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 December 2024 to Question 19416 on Maternity Services: Nurses, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of close relative marriage neonatal nurses there are in the NHS; and if he will publish this data. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has no plans to make such an estimate.
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Dr Allison Gardner:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce ambulance waiting times in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises the pressures on the National Health Service during the winter period and the impact this is having on ambulance response times, including in Stoke-on-Trent.

We are committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance and achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution but must be clear that there are no quick fixes.

However, we are determined to turn things around through investment and reform. The Chancellor announced £25.6 billion of additional healthcare funding over the next two years, and we will set out a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.
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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 12 of the document entitled Reforming elective care for patients, published on 6 January 2025, what steps he plans to take to implement shared decision-making. \p Karin Smyth: The Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025, sets out the reform and productivity efforts needed to ensure that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care. Shared decision making is an important part of good patient experience, ensuring that patients have greater empowerment, autonomy, and control over their care. Shared decision making is not a new concept but is a key component of universal personalised care that we are committed to delivering and expanding.

Improving digital tools will be essential, and changes to the NHS App will help to improve communication and shared decision making between patients and clinicians. We have committed to ensuring that at least 85% of acute trusts will be able to provide information about their elective appointments to patients on the NHS App by the end of March 2025. We will also make more types of content about patients’ treatment available on the NHS App, such as discharge letters, by December 2025. We will also support all trusts to adopt digital patient engagement portals (PEPs) which enable patients and their healthcare team to send messages and share documents. We understand, though, that digital options do not work for everyone and we will continue to provide high quality, non-digital options for those who want and need them. Providing customer-care training to patient facing non-clinical staff will form another key part of supporting patients to make informed decisions about their care.

The plan outlines that we will be expanding opportunities for self-management and remote monitoring which will empower patients to manage long-term conditions in ways which are more convenient for their lives. The National Health Service will use digital questionnaires through PEPs and the NHS App to make remote monitoring a standard offer to patients with long-term conditions, following agreement with their healthcare team.

Shared decision making between patients and clinicians is a cornerstone of supporting more patient initiated follow-ups (PIFU), helping patients to be seen quickly when required, whilst avoiding the inconvenience of appointments they do not need. We have set out the aim of increasing PIFU uptake to at least 5% of all outpatient appointments by March 2029.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of difficulties faced by NHS patients in Somerset in receiving prescriptions of Creon. \p Karin Smyth: The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. We have not made an assessment of stock levels within Somerset specifically.

The Department has been working with suppliers, NHS England and national clinical specialists to address current supply issues with Creon, which is a brand of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). The supply issues with Creon are impacting countries throughout Europe and have been caused by limited availability of raw ingredients and manufacturing capacity constraints to produce volumes needed to meet demand. These issues have resulted in knock-on supply disruptions of alternative PERT medications.

The Department is continuing to work with all suppliers of PERT to help resolve the supply issues in the short and longer term by asking that they expedite deliveries, source stock from other markets and increase production. The Department has also been working with specialist importers of unlicensed medicine to ensure National Health Service patients can obtain unlicensed imports of PERT where appropriate to help mitigate this supply issue. Comprehensive guidance has been issued to the NHS and is being regularly reviewed and updated as the situation changes.
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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to open one of the new seven day Community Diagnostic Centres at St Mark's Hospital in Maidenhead. \p Karin Smyth: St Marks Hospital is currently hosting temporary activity for Slough Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) in Maidenhead whilst the permanent site at Upton Community Hospital in Slough is being completed. All diagnostic activity will move to Upton Hospital later in 2025 once the new CDC is constructed, where it is expected that Slough CDC will be open 12 hours per day, 7 days a week.

The Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025, sets out that we will extend the minimum standards for all community diagnostic centres, to open 12 hours per day, 7 days a week as well as delivering additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new ones.

CDCs intend to provide a broad range of elective diagnostics in the community and closer to home, reducing pressure on hospitals and giving patients quicker and more convenient access to tests. Therefore, where feasible, the National Health Service has and will endeavour to locate CDCs in the community rather than in acute settings. This supports one of the Government’s key strategic shifts, namely moving care from the hospital to the community.

Capital investment agreed at Spending Review 2025 and announced in the Autumn Statement will be allocated to local systems by NHS England, and details on this will be released as part of upcoming capital planning guidance. The investment will support a range of initiatives, including supporting systems to deliver against the Government's ambition to return to the 18-week constitutional standard.

NHS England will work with local systems to identify the most appropriate locations for investments, including new CDCs, and expansions of existing CDCs. A key factor they will consider is that new CDCs are positioned in a location which addresses local need and will address health inequalities.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) encourage NHS trusts in Greater Manchester to participate in the Early Access Programme for Givinostat and (b) to help tackle barriers to participation. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England does not have any initiatives to encourage participation in compassionate use schemes, which are the responsibility of individual pharmaceutical companies.

Participation in the Early Access Programme (EAP) for givinostat, which must be through one of the 23 NorthStar Centres in the United Kingdom, is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level although there is general advice that trusts should engage with the relevant commissioner if they choose to participate. A NorthStar Centre will not be able to provide givinostat if its local trust has not approved participation. Under the EAP, givinostat is free to both patients taking part in it and to the NHS, but the trusts must still cover the cost of administering it to patients. Only Duchenne muscular dystrophy clinicians can make requests for givinostat for their patients. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis for individual named patients aligned to eligibility criteria.

NHS England hopes that all NHS trusts, including in Greater Manchester, who receive a request from a NorthStar Centre to provide givinostat to an eligible patient approve this request. NHS England will work with partners to ensure that Trusts understand the urgent need to make access possible for eligible patient.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the use of NHS Shared Business Services for finance services such as (a) payroll, (b) pensions, (c) procurement and (d) taxation. \p Karin Smyth: NHS Shared Business Services provides these services though contract framework agreements which it hosts. In late 2023, NHS England launched an Accredited Framework Host programme and successfully accredited 20 Procurement Framework Host organisations, of which NHS Shared Business Services is one, all of whom have subscribed to enhanced standards. These standards cover a range of areas, from minimum contractual terms & conditions, robust supplier appointment and value for money assessment processes, through to sharing of commercial and commission data with NHS England.

Further details and the list of accredited host organisations such as NHS Shared Business Services are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/system-guidance-for-the-implementation-of-framework-host-management/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Dr Allison Gardner:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce waiting lists and (b) expand provision for pain management services in Stoke-on-Trent. \p Karin Smyth: Tackling waiting lists and expanding provision is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government. We have committed to getting back to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients should be seen within 18 weeks of referral to treatment by the end of this Parliament.

On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, part of the Government’s Plan for Change, which sets out a whole system approach to reducing waiting lists and hitting the 18-week target by the end of this Parliament. The plan sets out the efforts needed to ensure that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care, including those using the National Health Service in Stoke-on-Trent.

We have set an ambition to make progress on the 18-week standard in 2025/26 so that 65% of patients nationally wait no longer than 18 weeks and set a target for all Trusts to improve on their current performance on this standard by a minimum of five percentage points by March 2026.

Currently, the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, on average, runs 11 clinics each week in the main outpatient department at Royal Stoke University Hospital for pain management. The trust also host the Stoke-on-Trent Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC). The CDC is open and delivering more timely, accessible, and additional diagnostic tests for patients in Stoke-on-Trent. Under our plan, we expect all CDCs to open 12 hours per day, seven days a week, to deliver additional diagnostic capacity for local populations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Sir Bernard Jenkin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Oral Statement of 6 January 2026 on Health and Adult Social Care Reform, Official Report, Column 597, where new diagnostic centres in (a) Essex and (b) Suffolk will be based. \p Karin Smyth: The Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025, sets out that we will deliver additional community diagnostic centre (CDC) capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new ones.

Capital investment agreed at the 2025 Spending Review and announced in the Autumn Statement will be allocated to local National Health Service systems by NHS England, and details on this will be released as part of upcoming capital planning guidance. The investment will support a range of initiatives, including supporting systems to deliver against the government's ambition to return to the 18-week constitutional standard.

NHS England will work with local systems to identify the most appropriate locations for investments, including new CDCs, and expansions of existing CDCs. A key factor they will consider is that new CDCs are positioned in a location which addresses local need and will address health inequalities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the ability of the NHS to adopt precision medicines with companion diagnostics at pace. \p Karin Smyth: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. To enable rapid access for NHS patients to effective new treatments, NICE aims wherever possible to issue recommendations on new medicines close to the point of licensing. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

Where a companion diagnostic test is required, the costs will be built in to the NICE appraisal process. To enable the rapid implementation of these, planning for delivery of testing, including identifying appropriate testing technologies and where new testing populations need to be supported, must begin before NICE draft recommendations are published to ensure that appropriate genetic testing is available at the capacity required.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) male and (b) female patients who have received a diagnosis of infertility are waiting for fertility treatment. \p Karin Smyth: This information is not collected centrally.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Matt Bishop:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to fund research into potential treatments for brain tumours to help (a) extend life expectancy and (b) alleviate suffering. \p Andrew Gwynne: Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department of Health and care invests over £1.5 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £121.8 million in 2022/23.

In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the NIHR directly invested £11.3 million in research projects and programmes focused on brain tumours. In addition, our wider investments in NIHR research infrastructure, including facilities, services and the research workforce, are estimated to be £31.5 million, between 2018/19 and 2022/23, and have enabled 227 brain cancer research studies to take place in the same period. In total, NIHR investments have enabled 8,500 people to participate in potentially life-changing research in the National Health Service over this time.

In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients, and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Dr Allison Gardner:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) provide support for and (b) increase capacity of drug and alcohol recovery services in Stoke-on-Trent. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for evidenced-based, high-quality treatment. In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department provides additional funding to support drug and alcohol services. In 2024/25, a total of £4,670,913 was allocated to Stoke-on-Trent. This included £2,906,020 for the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant, £939,906 for the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant, £589,429 for the Housing Support Grant, £165,719 for the Individual Placement and Support Grant (employment support), and £69,839 for the Inpatient Detoxification Grant. Future targeted funding for drug and alcohol treatment services beyond 2025 will be announced very shortly.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) provides monitoring, data, guidance, and targeted support to help local authorities, such as Stoke-on-Trent, to support improvement of drug and alcohol treatment. For Stoke-on-Trent, this support includes regular meetings with the Director of Public Health, commissioners, and providers to discuss treatment and recovery delivery, site visits by OHID, and engagement in improvement support programmes, for example introducing innovation into treatment services to improve access and retention for people who use opiates.

Additionally, OHID has published guidance for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services in their areas, with more information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-quality-standard-alcohol-and-drug-services

The Department continues to work with all local areas to address unmet need and drug misuse deaths and to drive improvements in continuity of care. This includes the Unmet Need Toolkit which can be used by local areas to assess gaps in referral pathways. The toolkit also contains guidance on good practice to reduce the level of unmet need and target priority or underserved groups.