theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to defibrillators in (a) South East Cornwall constituency and (b) other (i) rural and (ii) coastal areas. \p Ashley Dalton: To improve patients' survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the Government committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED fund, launched in in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the Fund.

Funding was allocated where there was the greatest need, for example, remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas. There are no plans to undertake further work on improving access or provide additional support for AEDs, in light of the rapid expansion of AEDs across the UK.

We recognise the important work the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has undertaken in identifying communities with limited access to a defibrillator. The BHF undertook this work as part of its 2025 community defibrillator fund programme. The BHF is urgently encouraging areas eligible to apply to its 2025 scheme to do so. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/apply-for-a-free-defibrillator-for-your-community

Across the South West, there are currently over 12,000 public access defibrillators registered on The Circuit, with most being privately owned. Approximately 1,000 of these defibrillators are owned and managed by the South Western Ambulance Service (SWAST).

SWAST is working to improve the availability, accessibility and emergency readiness of all public accessible defibrillators across the South West. SWAST is currently contacting guardians of defibrillators which have not had a status check registered on The Circuit for more than three months. This proportion has, as a result, reduced from one third of all defibrillators to 17% over the past year.

SWAST is also working with all schools across the South West to encourage them to register their defibrillator on The Circuit, with 90% of schools across the South West now having a defibrillator registered, the highest percentage in the country. SWAST is also promoting the labelling of public access defibrillators using stickers produced by The Circuit to reduce the time taken for a defibrillator to return to its cabinet after allocation, reducing the time that it is unavailable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002, what provision exists for the revocation of this legislation should the evidence no longer support such controls. \p Ashley Dalton: The Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002 prohibits any food consisting of or containing kava-kava from being imported or placed on the market. This regulation is in place to protect public health.

Since the introduction of this legislation, any additional scientific evidence that has been provided to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has not been sufficient to support any amendments to the controls in place.

If additional data on the safety of kava-kava were to be submitted, appropriate evaluations, such as a risk assessment, will be considered by the FSA. The outputs of a risk assessment could then be used to provide advice to Ministers, to amend or repeal the legislation.

New scientific evidence on the hepatotoxic risk of kava-kava would be reviewed by the FSA.

Without additional evidence that indicates a safe level of human consumption for kava-kava, the FSA considers there is insufficient toxicological data available to initiate an assessment.

While there is no specific provision in the regulation that sets out the procedure for revoking the controls, as safety concerns provide the basis for the ban, an assessment of newly available data on the safety of kava-kava for human consumption would be the first step.

If the independent Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment is satisfied that there is a safe level of human consumption, this would inform advice to Ministers to amend or repeal the legislation.

Any future evaluation of the Kava-kava in Food (England) Regulations 2002, would need to be considered and carried out in tandem with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as The Medicines for Human Use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002 is applicable.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the progress made on (a) preventing and (b) treating all types of brain tumours. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government recognises that too little is currently known about how to prevent, diagnose and manage brain tumours, and they remain one of the hardest cancers to treat and a challenging area for research.

As with many other cancers, there is currently no guaranteed way to prevent a brain tumour, as the causes of most are unknown and not directly related to lifestyle or environmental factors. However, the risk of a brain tumour can be reduced by avoiding or limiting exposure to unnecessary radiation and carcinogens like smoking. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including a diet rich in antioxidants, getting adequate sleep and exercising regularly supports overall health and may help reduce some cancer risks.

The Department of Health and Social Care recognises that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan, which will complement the 10-Year Health Plan, will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients including those with rarer and less common cancers such as brain tumours. The Department ran a Call for Evidence to inform the development of the National Cancer Plan, including a question on priorities for cancer research. Over 11,000 responses were received, and although no assessment was separately taken on the prevention and treatment of brain tumours, all of the responses have been analysed to prioritise recommendations in the Plan.

Additionally, in September 2024, the National Institute for Health Research announced a new package of support to stimulate high quality brain tumour research applications, as part of the Government’s commitment to developing new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.

A new national Brain Tumour Research Consortium was established in December 2024 to bring together researchers from a range of different disciplines and institutions with the aim of driving scientific advancements in how to prevent, detect, manage and treat cancers in adults and children.

In addition to speeding up diagnosis and treatment, the work being undertaken by the Consortium aims to ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology and to clinical trials. This will make a significant contribution to bringing the UK’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Sir Mark Hendrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the provision of adequate levels of funding for seeking a cure for Parkinson's disease. \p Ashley Dalton: Government responsibility for delivering research into Parkinson’s disease is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.

The Government is investing in Parkinson’s disease research across all areas, from causes, prevention, and diagnosis to treatment and care, including for carers. Between financial years 2019/20 and 2023/24, the Government spent a total of £79.1 million on research into Parkinson’s disease.

One example of ongoing research into Parkinson’s disease is the UK Dementia Research Institute’s new partnership with Parkinson’s UK to establish a £10 million research centre dedicated to better understanding the causes of Parkinson’s and finding new treatments.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including Parkinson’s disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on Parkinson’s disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve fracture screening. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NICE) has published a clinical knowledge summary on osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures, which is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/osteoporosis-prevention-of-fragility-fractures/management/assessment/

If a doctor suspects that a patient has osteoporosis, they can calculate the probability of that individual having a fracture using the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool or the Q-Fracture risk calculator. Further tests, including bone density scans, otherwise known as DEXA scans, can be performed to diagnose or assess risk of osteoporosis.

Fracture liaison services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local needs. Our 10-Year Health Plan is committed to rolling out fracture liaison services across every part of the country by 2030.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to seek payment from foreign nationals for NHS treatment. \p Ashley Dalton: In England, the National Health Service is a residency-based system. Only people who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom or otherwise exempt from charges under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, are eligible for NHS healthcare without charge. Overseas visitors who use the NHS in England are charged upfront at 150% of the cost of treatment. Health is a devolved matter and there may be other arrangements in Northern Ireland.

The Department sets the policy, guidance and legislation through the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, and the NHS recovers treatment costs from charge liable patients.

Costs for NHS treatment provided to overseas visitors and other people who are not ordinarily resident in the UK are recovered through NHS direct charging, the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) and reciprocal healthcare arrangements. Individuals coming to the UK for six months or more are expected to pay the IHS as part of their visa application. Once their application is granted, they are entitled to receive treatment on broadly the same basis as someone who is ordinarily resident in the UK. People coming to the UK for six months or less are expected to have adequate funds or insurance to cover any healthcare needs whilst in England. The UK is also party to several reciprocal healthcare agreements. Patients who are from countries covered by a reciprocal healthcare agreement may be entitled to some NHS services without charge.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing self-sampling for cervical screening as an alternative to clinic-based cervical screening. \p Ashley Dalton: Following the announcement to introduce human papilloma virus (HPV) self-sampling in the National Health Service cervical screening programme for the under-screened population, the NHS has begun planning an in-service evaluation (ISE) of HPV self-sampling in the wider population.

The purpose of the ISE is to ensure the self-sampling test is as accurate at detecting HPV compared with a clinician-collected specimen, and to evaluate its impact on cervical screening uptake. The findings of the ISE will inform any future recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee to Ministers to offer self-sampling across the whole population.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans for the National Cancer Plan for England to include targets to improve the early diagnosis of blood cancers. \p Ashley Dalton: Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.
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Jim Dickson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Leader of the House of Lords on when the committee stage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will take place. \p Ashley Dalton: Ministers and officials from the Department are regularly in touch with their counterparts across Government. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has had its Second Reading in the House of Lords, and Committee stage will take place when parliamentary time allows. We expect the Bill to complete its passage within this parliamentary session.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the childhood cancer survival rate in each of the last five years. \p Ashley Dalton: The following table shows age and gender standardised overall one-year and five-year survival rates for children between the ages of zero and 14 years old in England, with the latest data being from 2020:

One-year overall survival data

Year

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Patients

1,415

1,428

1,307

1,381

1,319

Overall Survival (%)

94.3

92.9

93.0

93.6

93.3

Source: Department of Health and Social Care

Five-year overall survival data

Year

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Patients

1,415

1,422

1,383

1,383

1,370

Overall Survival (%)

85.8

86.3

86.1

86.2

86.2

Source: Department of Health and Social Care
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of PSA tests have (a) accurately diagnosed, and (b) given false (i) negative and (ii) positive diagnoses for prostate cancer in the most recent year for which figures are available. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. NDRS does not hold information on the specific results of the prostate specific antigen test in the format requested.
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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 10 Year Health Plan on people experiencing multiple forms of (a) social and (b) economic exclusion. \p Ashley Dalton: Social justice runs through our 10-Year Health Plan, which sets out a reimagined service designed to tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as to give everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with it on their own terms. We know everyday life poses greater health risks to the most disadvantaged in society, and that the current model of care works least well for those who already experience disadvantage and are far more likely to have complex needs.

We have undertaken an impact statement and an equalities impact assessment for the 10-Year Health Plan and these will be published shortly.
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason older people under 75 are not eligible for the NHS covid-19 autumn booster in 2025. \p Ashley Dalton: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an independent expert committee which reviews the latest data on COVID-19 risks, vaccine safety, and effectiveness and advises the department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation programmes. The JCVI has published advice for future COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in autumn 2025, spring 2026, autumn 2026, and spring 2027. The Government has accepted JCVI advice for autumn 2025. The Government is considering the JCVI’s advice for 2026 and spring 2027 carefully and will respond in due course.

The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious disease (hospitalisations and deaths) arising from COVID-19. The JCVI assessment indicates that the oldest age cohorts and individuals who are immunosuppressed are the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease.

Therefore, in autumn 2025, a COVID-19 vaccination will be offered to:
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Steve Yemm:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) improve early diagnosis, (b) increase funding for research and (c) improve access to specialist (i) support and (ii) treatment for patients with scleroderma. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as scleroderma. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community. These include helping patients get a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We published the annual England Rare Diseases Action Plan in February 2025, where we report on the steps we have taken to advance these priorities.

Pioneering research is an underpinning theme of the Framework. The Department for Health and Social Care funds and supports research into rare diseases such as scleroderma through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including rare diseases. The usual practice of the NIHR and other research funders is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics.

The 2025 England Rare Disease Action Plan includes information on research for rare diseases through significant investments to support rare disease research. This includes the Rare Disease Research UK Platform, a £14 million investment over five years from the Medical Research Council (MRC) and NIHR, announced in 2023, which is now established and positioned well within the rare disease research landscape. In December 2024, the MRC launched the first two MRC Centres of Research Excellence, both studying gene therapies, and each worth up to £50 million over 14 years.
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Sir Mark Hendrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to provide people with Parkinson's disease with a personal plan to allow (a) access to, (b) advice from and (c) treatment by a multidisciplinary team of (i) Parkinson’s nurses, (ii) physiotherapists, (iii) nutritionists, (iv) speech therapists and (v) other relevant health professionals. \p Ashley Dalton: Our 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that people with complex needs are supported to be active participants in their own care. As part of this, 95% of people with complex needs or long-term conditions like Parkison’s disease will have an agreed personalised care plan by 2027. Care plans will be a feature of the developing Neighbourhood Health Service, which will provide integrated, accessible, and localised services that will focus on early detection and diagnosis, and comprehensive multidisciplinary care. By being community-based, the centres will reduce barriers to care and ongoing support and will empower patients to manage their condition more effectively.

From 2026, ‘Diagnosis Connect’ will ensure patients are referred directly to trusted charities and support organisations as soon as they are diagnosed. It will ensure that patients are provided with timely, personalised advice, information, and guidance to help them manage their condition, improve their control over it, and navigate the complex support systems they may face. The Department has already had conversations with Parkinson’s UK about its ‘Parkinson’s Connect’ programme and will continue to do so in the context of ‘Diagnosis Connect’.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of obesity on cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: There is evidence that adults living with obesity have a higher risk of developing several types of cancer, according to research from Cancer Research UK, which is available at the following link:

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/obesity-weight-and-cancer/how-does-obesity-cause-cancer

Adults living with obesity are at a higher risk of many cancer types. This increased risk arises from excess weight causing mechanical changes to our bodies and complex changes to our hormones and metabolism. More information is available at the following links:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-018-0029-6

https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMsr1606602?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Data suggests that 6% of cancer cases in the United Kingdom are attributable to obesity and overweight, including: 34% of uterine cancer cases, or 3,000 out of 9,000; 24% of kidney cancer cases, or 2,900 out of 12,400; 17% of upper gastrointestinal cancer cases, or 5,600 out of 32,400; 11% of colorectal cancer cases​, or 4,800 out of 41,800; and 8% of breast cancer cases, or 4,600 out of 55,100. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/risk/overweight-and-obesity#heading-Zero
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of microplastics on health outcomes. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has conducted research to understand if there are potential health risks from exposure to micro and nano plastics through inhalational and oral routes. This was part of the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health.

The potential impact of microplastic materials on human health has been assessed by the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. The most recent statement was published in 2024 and is available at the following link:

https://cot.food.gov.uk/M-statementsandpositionpapers#microplastics

In 2022, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs initiated a research project to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. This project reviewed the emissions from microplastics, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. Earlier this year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published the Option Appraisal for Intentionally Added Microplastics, which provides a welcome addition to our knowledge on the options to protect human health and the United Kingdom’s environment from the risks of microplastics. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the results of this study, which is available at the following link:

https://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=21802
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve healthcare provision for people with Friedreich’s Ataxia. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Friedreich’s ataxia. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community. These are: getting a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We published the annual England Rare Diseases Action Plan in February 2025, where we reported on the steps we have taken to advance these priorities.

NHS England has revised the national service specification for specialised neurology following extensive consultation. The service specification was published on 13 August 2025 and includes guidance on both specialised and core neurology services. The specification includes an Annex which provides greater clarity for neurology sub-specialties, including the categories of both movement disorders and neurogenetics into which Friedreich’s Ataxia would fall.

Additionally, the national specialised commissioning neurology transformation programme has developed guidance as part of an integrated care system toolkit, specifically to support the implementation of the service specification. Every specialised neurology centre could and should see patients with Friedreich’s Ataxia.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of food labelling requirements for people with (a) intolerances, (b) allergies and (c) undergoing cancer treatment of products that contain artificial sweeteners. \p Ashley Dalton: Food labelling legislation requires that all ingredients, including artificial sweeteners, are clearly listed on food labels. Products containing sweeteners must carry additional labelling to indicate their presence. Certain sweeteners also require specific warnings to support safe consumption. This ensures that consumers, including those with allergies, intolerances, or undergoing medical treatment, can identify relevant ingredients and make informed choices.

The Department continues to work with the Food Standards Agency and stakeholders to ensure labelling remains clear, consistent and responsive to consumer needs.
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Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve patient safety across the NHS in Greater Manchester. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department has been informed that, in 2023, the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB) reviewed its approach to quality assurance and provider oversight and developed the Greater Manchester Quality Assurance and Escalation Framework. As a commissioner, the ICB has a provider oversight framework that operates alongside NHS England’s provider oversight framework to ensure that there is strong oversight in relation to patient safety. All providers’ boards are accountable for their workforce and organisational culture and report on areas such as safer staffing and workforce planning.

We have been informed by the ICB that the measures being taken to improve patient safety across Greater Manchester are focused on the areas of quality assurance and provider oversight, winter planning, maternity and neonatal oversight, and mental health oversight.

The Government is committed to advancing patient safety and a learning culture across the National Health Service. The changes we are making as part of the 10-Year Health Plan will improve quality and safety by making it clear where responsibility and accountability sits at all levels of the system. This will be reinforced by a new era of transparency, a rigorous focus on high-quality care, and a renewed focus on patient and staff voice.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's funding for children’s hospices. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, including from children’s hospices, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.

The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken is for GP practices to secure funding for expansion through ICBs; and how his Department plans to reduce that time. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.

There is no average time for securing funding for expansions as each application is treated individually and multiple factors such as planning permission, recurrent revenue funding associated with the reimbursable elements, and legal agreements to protect the investment must be considered for each application.

The Department continues to actively seek ways to improve and streamline our processes and we have announced our aim to fundamentally reform the financial system in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan. In parallel, a standard, simplified Grant Agreement has been developed and is being tested for capital schemes under £144,000. This is supporting a fast-track process for securing grant agreements for relatively low value schemes. We will continue to review all elements of the premises development approvals process to help improve productivity and reduce the overall time to secure approval and deliver expansions of primary care premises.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled PM launches new era for NHS with easier care in neighbourhoods, published on 2 July 2025, how his Department plans to define neighbourhoods in rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Neighbourhood Health Service will mean millions of patients, including those in rural constituencies, are treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of health professionals.

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that meets the needs of local populations. Rather an applying a rigid, one-size fits all model, the population base for Neighbourhood Health Services is intentionally flexible and locally determined. The geography of a ‘neighbourhood’ will be determined locally by integrated care boards in partnership with their strategic partners, particularly local authorities.

The plan introduces two new contracts, including one to create multi-neighbourhood providers covering populations of approximately 250,000 people, that will unlock the advantages and efficiencies possible from greater scale working across all general practices and small neighbourhood providers in their footprint.

Moreover, in the future, there will also be neighbourhood health plans drawn up by local government, the National Health Service, and its partners. The local ICB will bring together these plans into a population health improvement plan for their footprint, which they will use to inform commissioning decisions.

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need. The focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, but the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and/or deprived inner cities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of GP visits before diagnosis for patients with blood cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. However, because of the state of the NHS this Government inherited, we recognise that patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

To help prevent multiple general practice (GP) visits and emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The Department recently hosted a roundtable with industry experts to discuss the proposal for Jess’s Rule. Outcomes and further steps will be confirmed in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Leader of the House of Lords on when the committee stage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will take place. \p Ashley Dalton: Ministers and officials from the Department are regularly in touch with their counterparts across Government. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has had its Second Reading in the House of Lords, and Committee stage will take place when parliamentary time allows. We expect the Bill to complete its passage within this parliamentary session.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of (a) child psychologists and (b) other qualified specialists to assess severely disabled children for (i) ADHD and (ii) other neurodevelopmental conditions where (A) a lack of assessment prevents access to appropriate medication and support and (B) in other circumstances. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The government’s 10 Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future, recognising the need for early intervention and support, without the need for diagnosis.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to ADHD and autism assessments and support, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is bringing together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June, with the final report expected to be published later in the year and we will carefully consider its recommendations.

The Government is supporting inclusive environments for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through the ‘Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools’ programme and earlier intervention through the ‘Early Language Support for Every Child’ programme. In addition, through local commissioning, the Government will ensure that Neighbourhood Health Services work in partnership with family hubs, schools, nurseries and colleges to offer timely and joined-up support to children, young people and their families.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Fred Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that essential home adaptations required for hospital discharge are (a) supported and (b) delivered in a timely manner. \p Stephen Kinnock: The statutory ‘Hospital discharge and community support guidance’ outlines that health and care systems and providers should collaborate to share information early to support a safe and timely discharge, minimise issues that may disrupt care provision, and ensure necessary home adaptations and equipment are considered, while also requiring local authorities to engage housing services to provide support and advice where needed.

In January, we published a new policy framework for the Better Care Fund, which requires local areas to agree joint plans, developed in collaboration with local housing authorities, that achieve more timely and effective hospital discharge.

Housing adaptations, including those delivered through the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) play a key role in supporting these objectives by funding changes that help people remain well, safe, and independent at home for longer. We have provided an additional £172 million across this and the last financial year to uplift the DFG, which could provide around 15,600 home adaptations to give older and disabled people more independence in their homes. This brings the total funding for the DFG to £711 million in 2024/25 and 2025/26.

Alongside this, local authorities have a statutory duty under various legislations, including the Care Act 2014 and the Children and Families Act 2014, to ensure provision of community equipment and disability aids in order to meet the assessed eligible needs of individuals who are resident in their area, which help support independent living at home. This facilitates safe discharge into the community from hospital and prevents avoidable admissions into acute services, such as hospitals or care homes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take further steps to support children's hospices with their energy costs. \p Stephen Kinnock: While most palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life and their loved ones.

Most children’s hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between integrated care board (ICB) areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We know that many hospices have chosen to use this funding on energy efficiency measures, such as boiler upgrades or solar panel installation, to reduce energy costs and improve efficiency in the longer term.

We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Care Quality Commission adequately monitors the provision of meaningful activities in care homes. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for assessing care home providers for compliance with standards in the assessment framework and the accompanying quality statements. Care homes are expected to promote independence, give care home residents choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing, including around meaningful activities.

The Department continues to work closely with the CQC as they make changes to their assessment framework and regulatory approach, ahead of formal consultation planned in the autumn.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the feasibility of implementing swab tests for the detection of Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies in children with risk factors for those diseases. \p Ashley Dalton: No assessment has been made as this test is in development, backed by the British Heart Foundation. An early study has been undertaken, but further research is needed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-11)

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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made in helping to reduce sudden cardiac deaths in (a) children and (b) young adults. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England has published a national service specification for inherited cardiac conditions that covers patients who often present as young adults with previously undiagnosed cardiac disease or families requiring follow up due to a death from this cause. This describes the service model and guidance that should be followed to support diagnosis and treatment of patients or family members. It also includes the requirement for specialised inherited cardiac conditions services to investigate suspected cases.

NHS England is currently reviewing this service specification in line with the national service specification methods review process. NHS England is working with a broad range of stakeholders as part of this review including National Health Service clinical experts, the Association of Inherited Cardiac Conditions, Cardiomyopathy UK, Heart Valve Voice, and the British Heart Foundation.

The consensus at present is to focus on the rapid identification and care of people who are likely to be at risk of sudden cardiac death, and on automated external defibrillator use in people who suffer a cardiac arrest.