theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mechanisms exist at a national level to prevent the misuse of performance management tools within NHS Trusts. \p Karin Smyth: All National Health Service trusts are independent employers and are required to comply with employment legislation and relevant Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service codes. Local human resources (HR) policies and procedures should follow best practice guidance, which may include model HR policies developed nationally.

At a national level, safeguards also exist to help prevent the misuse of performance management tools. The NHS Constitution commits employers to fair and supportive treatment of staff. The Care Quality Commission’s inspection framework includes workforce culture and governance, which can highlight poor practice. Every trust is required to have a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, giving staff a confidential route to raise concerns. The annual NHS Staff Survey provides transparency on staff experience and fairness, enabling action to be taken where concerns are identified.

In 2025, NHS England also published the expectations of line managers in relation to people management, alongside the launch of the NHS Management and Leadership Programme to ensure that NHS leaders and managers at all levels meet the standards and competencies expected of them, have access to professional development and support, and that the NHS continues to attract, develop and retain the best talent while strengthening public confidence in NHS leadership.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 12 of policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing the headcount of Integrated Care Boards on their capacity. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services and reduce duplication of responsibilities within the health and care structure. All ICBs shared their delivery plan in accordance with the guidance set out in Sir Jim Mackey's letter of 1 April 2025 and the Model ICB framework.

NHS England is working closely with ICBs to ensure the changes do not compromise quality of care. The Government expects ICBs to continue to deliver on all of their statutory responsibility relating to commission of health services and protect frontline medical staff from cuts.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2025 to Question 54408 on Recruitment: Equality, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the Rooney rule being adopted by NHS bodies. \p Karin Smyth: No such assessment has been made. We expect National Health Service organisations to implement policies and procedures relating to recruitment that are in line with employment law and good human resources practice, including the Equality Act 2010 and other relevant legislation.
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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ringfencing funding for cycle paramedic services. \p Karin Smyth: No such assessment has been made.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 14 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, if he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on his plans for the NHS workforce. \p Karin Smyth: The Employment Rights Bill is the first stage of Make Work Pay, which is a core part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all. The approach is designed to help more people to stay in work, support workers’ productivity and improve living standards. Once implemented, the Bill will represent the biggest upgrade in employment rights for a generation. The measures contained in the Bill support the 10-Year Health Plan’s ambition to make the National Health Service the country’s best employer.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the percentage of NHS services provided by private healthcare providers (a) on 6 September 2025 and (b) at the end of the 10 Year Health Plan period. \p Karin Smyth: The 10-Year Health Plan builds on the Elective Reform Plan and the Independent Sector Partnership Agreement, published in January 2025. It reinforces the commitment to use available capacity in the independent sector to treat National Health Service patients, driving choice and empowerment for more patients, and further commits enter discussions to expand NHS provision in the most disadvantaged areas to tackle health inequalities.

The overall proportion of health spending on independent sector providers has not increased significantly over recent years. In 2013/14, 6.1% or £6.5 billion of total health spending was spent on purchase of healthcare from independent sector providers. In 2023/24, this was 6.8% or £12.4 billion. No estimate has been made of the percentage of NHS services provided by independent sector providers or private companies on 6 September 2025. In the recently published data for NHS elective care activity, covering activity in June 2025, independent sector providers delivered 8% of activity.

No forecasting has been undertaken of the expected volumes of activity undertaken by independent sector providers or private companies at the end of the 10-Year Health Plan period.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to update dental professional healthcare regulation. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.

As a first step, we aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in late 2025 and to lay this legislation before Parliament in 2026. This will be followed by further legislation which will modernise the governing legislation for the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and for the Health and Care Professions Council, within the current Parliamentary session.

The Department will continue to work with regulators, the devolved governments and other key partners as we develop more consistent, efficient and effective regulatory frameworks.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the size of the maintenance backlog in the NHS at the end of the 10 Year Health Plan. \p Karin Smyth: Alongside the 10-Year Health Plan detailing our ambition to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, the Government recently published a 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy setting out 10-year maintenance budgets for the public estate, with £6 billion per year for maintenance and repair of the NHS estate up to 2034-35.

Investment will be targeted to address critical infrastructure risk and eradicate reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), starting to reverse the underinvestment of the previous 15 years.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle regional variations in the uptake of the Advice and Guidance scheme; and what support is being provided to regions with lower adoption rates. \p Karin Smyth: The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, outlines actions to significantly increase the use of Advice and Guidance (A&G), including reducing geographic variation. This includes the introduction of funding from April 2025 for general practitioners to recognise the importance of their role in ensuring patient care takes place in the most appropriate setting, as well as developing supporting resources such as an A&G toolkit with guidance for commissioners, referrers and secondary care clinical teams.

The Department and NHS England closely monitor progress on A&G volumes, and there are robust mechanisms for system oversight and reporting. This includes the operational delivery framework for integrated care boards. The framework sets out a roadmap to help services develop their ability expand and improve their use of A&G across seven themes and with a set of minimum standards for best practice. This is helping NHS England work with local teams to address known barriers causing variation of uptake in A&G, including use of digital platforms, improving the quality of A&G, and workforce planning, training and development.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has has made of the potential impact hospital specialists providing advice through the Advice and Guidance scheme on their workload; and whether additional (a) resources and (b) staffing have been provided to specialist departments to manage this increased demand for consultation. \p Karin Smyth: Advice and Guidance (A&G) is a proven method of reducing unnecessary referrals into elective care, by diverting potential referrals where specialist advice determines that the most appropriate setting for care is in primary or community settings. Unnecessary referrals can waste valuable clinical time assessing and or treating patients in secondary care who could be cared for in the community. Allocating existing resources and staff time to handling A&G requests reduces demand for first outpatient appointments where a referral to secondary care is not considered necessary, so where referrals are made, they are a good use of patient and clinician time and result in the most appropriate treatment.

NHS England is leading a programme of work to improve clinical job planning to support trusts to provide high quality and timely A&G responses back to general practitioners alongside their existing work with patients. There are also robust mechanisms for system oversight and reporting on A&G, including the operational delivery framework for integrated care boards to identify and help resolve local operational barriers to delivering increased A&G volumes.
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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients resident in the postcode district (a) LA2, (b) LA5, (c) LA6, (d) LA7, (e) LA8, (f) LA9, (g) LA10, (h) LA11, (i) LA12, (j) LA13, (k) LA14, (l) LA15, (m) LA16, (n) LA17, (o) LA18, (p) LA19, (q) LA20, (r) LA21, (s) LA22 and (t) LA23 received radiotherapy treatment at the Rosemere Cancer Centre, Royal Preston Hospital in each of the last five years. \p Karin Smyth: The attached table shows the number of patients who received radiotherapy treatment at the Rosemere Cancer Centre, Royal Preston Hospital each year between 2019 and 2024 for the postcode districts requested.

Additional Document (docx, 18.2KB)
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Dave Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 on rent revenues earned by NHS properties hosting mobile infrastructure. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold the data of national-level assessment specific to this request. National Health Service property owners are responsible for ensuing they comply with all relevant commercial requirements and legislation.
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Kim Leadbeater:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the level of IVF funding is adjusted in line with inflation; and with reference to NICE's guidelines entitled Fertility problems: assessment and treatment, updated on 6 September 2017, what steps he is taking to ensure that local provision allows patients to access more than a single NHS-funded IVF cycle. \p Karin Smyth: We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.

NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on revised guidelines was published on 10 September 2025.

The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the NHS in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to improve NHS-funded fertility services.

In light of broader pressures on the NHS and ongoing changes within NHS England, we are considering achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to help reduce the average diagnosis time for endometriosis. \p Karin Smyth: It is unacceptable that women can wait too long for an endometriosis diagnosis and this government is committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions including endometriosis.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission. We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered 4.9 million more appointments.

In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated its guideline on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis to make firmer recommendations on referral and investigations, which will help women receive a diagnosis and effective treatment faster. This includes updated recommendations that for women with symptoms of endometriosis, initial pharmacological treatment should take place in primary care, and that this can take place in parallel with additional investigations and referral to secondary care if needed. The guideline is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the (a) safety, (b) dignity and (c) provision of healthcare for (i) transgender and (ii) non-binary people in Mid Bedfordshire constituency. \p Karin Smyth: The Denny Review, published in September 2023, investigated health-related inequalities in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes. This included a report commissioned from Healthwatch Luton on the experiences of LGBT+ people in the town.

Subsequently, training was provided to general practices in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes to increase the confidence of practices in enhancing dignity and respect for this group of patients.

NHS England has also increased the number of gender services available, across England, for both children and young people and adults. A Children and Young People’s specialised gender service is anticipated to open in the East of England later in the year.

In April 2025, my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned NHS England to undertake an LGBT+ health evidence review to better understand LGBT+ healthcare needs and provide advice on future actions to address health inequalities amongst LGBT+ people including those who identify as trans and non-binary. The review was launched in June 2025 and will run for six months.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator in England with oversight of providers of health and adult social care. It holds services providers to account for safety and dignity for all patients and service users. The standards are enshrined in CQC regulations, having due regard to protected characteristics defined in the Equality Act 2010. Failure to comply with CQC standards can result is enforcement action.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) embedded communications and (b) members of the Government Communications Service are employed by (i) his Department and (ii) NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: At the end of August 2025, the Department had 40 full-time equivalent (FTE) communications staff embedded in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities working on public health and prevention programmes, and 85 FTE staff working in the Communications Directorate, covering a broad range of roles including media relations, marketing and branding, public health campaigns, internal communications and external publishing on GOV.UK. All are members of the Government Communications Service.

At the end of July 2025, NHS England had 330 FTE staff working in communications covering a wide range of roles and support functions, including business operations, system and stakeholder engagement, events and visits teams, and parliamentary briefing and Freedom of Information (FOI) management. There are also five FTE staff embedded in other directorates, including working with FOI management and parliamentary briefing.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve the quality of maternity care for women across the country. \p Karin Smyth: An independent Investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services has been launched to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies and families experience unacceptable care. Baroness Amos has been appointed as Chair of the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation and will be supported by a team of esteemed expert advisers, who will be selected following further engagement with families. The Chair is working with families to finalise the terms of reference for the investigation, and these will be published shortly. The Investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025.

The Government is also establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to be made up of a panel of experts and family, charity and staff representatives. The Taskforce will use the recommendations from the independent Investigation to develop a national plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care. The Taskforce will work closely with families in developing the action plan, ensuring their voices are central to this work.

Immediate action is also being taken to improve accountability and better identify safety concerns within maternity services. This includes: measures to hold the system to account;  a system to better identify safety concerns; rolling out a programme to all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism; and new best practice standards in maternal mortality.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 and (b) Articles (i) 42 and (ii) 43 of that Act on same-sex, non-married or civil partnered couples who both wish to included on their child’s birth certificate. \p Karin Smyth: Section 42 and 43 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 provide a framework of protection from disputes over legal parenthood. These provisions allow female couples who are married or in a civil partnership, or who have undertaken treatment in a United Kingdom licenced clinic, to both register as parents. Fertility treatment in an UK licenced clinic also offers important health screening protections and access for donor-conceived children to information about their genetic origins through the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s register.

There are no current plans to review these provisions in the Act.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of women who did not have a postnatal check-up with their general practitioner after six to eight weeks in each of the last three years. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold this information. NHS England has published guidance written in collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners on the six-to-eight week postnatal check-up for all women who have given birth. This provides an important opportunity for general practitioners to listen to women in a discreet, supportive environment to provide personalised postnatal care for their physical and mental health and support them with family planning.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure the NHS Find a dentist online service contains accurate information. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Jim Dickson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help raise awareness among young people of the risks of sudden cardiac death. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Tom Gordon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will ringfence funding for independent patient advocacy services after the abolition of Healthwatch. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Dr Ben Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy performance of Surrey and Borders NHS FT assessment pathway for neurodevelopment disorders in children. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many payments under the dental recruitment incentive scheme have been allocated to North Norfolk constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in which year the NHS created a Hospital Episode Statistic Code for rectopexy mesh. \p Karin Smyth: The Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are a curated data product containing details about admissions, outpatient appointments and historical accident and emergency attendances at National Health Service hospitals in England. This includes data on rectopexy procedures.

Since 1 April 2020, rectopexy mesh procedures can be identified in the HES data product through a combination of codes. There are two codes that relate to rectopexy procedures, but will not specifically be limited to rectopexy using mesh:

There are four codes that specifically classify where mesh has been used in a procedure and should be used in addition to the above codes, which have been mandates since 1 April 2020. The combination of these two codes allows for the identification of where a rectopexy procedure has used mesh:
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will adopt the recommendations of the report by Together for Short Lives entitled Overstretched and underfunded: The state of children’s hospice funding in 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: We want a society where every child receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.

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, to meet the needs of their local populations.

The Together for Short Lives report, Overstretched and underfunded: The state of children’s hospice funding in 2025, highlights variation in the ‘per person’ funding of charitable children’s hospices but does not take into account funding spent via National Health Services, which also supports children with palliative care and end of life care needs. In England, while the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to children, and their loved ones, at the end of life.

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. We will confirm funding for 2026/27 in line with usual processes and timelines for Government finances.

I have tasked officials to look 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.

The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national prostate cancer screening programme. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises ministers on all screening matters, commissioned an evidence review modelling the clinical effectiveness and cost of several approaches to prostate cancer screening. This included different potential ways of screening the whole population and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher-than-average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.

The modelling and evidence review are now complete, and the reports are being considered by the UK NSC and experts. Subject to no further revisions being required, the UK NSC plans to start a three-month public consultation towards the end of 2025. After this, the UK NSC will make a recommendation about screening for prostate cancer. Ministers will then be asked to consider whether to accept the recommendation.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Food Standards Agency on the regulation of imported protein (a) powders and (b) supplements. \p Ashley Dalton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the lead department for food safety, including food supplements. Local authorities, and district councils in Northern Ireland, are the enforcers of food law in their respective local authority areas. The FSA produces advice and guidance for businesses, local authorities and consumers.

While food supplements, including those that are imported, are not required to receive pre-market approval before being placed on the United Kingdom market, there is a legal duty on businesses to only place onto the market food that is safe. The FSA provides guidance for businesses to aid legal compliance and provides clarity to local authorities in the form of a toolkit to help support enforcement.

The FSA also provides advice for consumers on the consumption of food supplements containing caffeine, and it is currently working on general food supplements advice aimed at helping consumers consume supplements safely.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support for people with Central Neurocytoma in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as central neurocytoma. 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 remain committed to delivering under the Framework and, in February, published the annual England Rare Diseases Action Plan.

Central neurocytoma is an example of a rare benign brain tumour. These types of brain tumours are managed through surgical intervention in most instances. Services for both adults and paediatric patients are commissioned and delivered through two national clinically developed service specifications. These are the NHS England Neurosurgery (Adults) specification, published in 2019, and the NHS England Paediatric Neurosurgery Services specification, published in 2013.

For patients living in the Surrey Heath constituency aged over one year old, the pathway of care for treatment is through the St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust service. Patients aged under one year old will be seen and treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provisions will be made for children over 18 months who have missed the initial two-dose chickenpox vaccine schedule. \p Ashley Dalton: On 29 August, the Government announced plans to introduce chickenpox (varicella) vaccination into the routine childhood immunisation schedule from 1 January 2026. Eligible children will receive an MMRV vaccine during routine general practice (GP) appointments, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.

Eligibility will primarily be based on a child’s age on 1 January 2026, and not whether a child has previously received an MMR vaccine. The eligibility criteria, including which age groups will receive the vaccine, will be announced ahead of the programme launch.

It is important that children continue to come forward for their vaccinations when they are due, including the MMRV vaccine when it is available.

As with other childhood immunisations, parents will be contacted by their GP surgery to arrange an appointment if their child is eligible. The National Health Service and GP practices send reminders to families of those who are not fully vaccinated, and will provide catch-up doses to children who have missed any jabs.

Parents and carers can contact their GP surgery to check their child’s vaccination record and arrange a catch-up appointment, and details of vaccinations can also be found in a child’s Red Book.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

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Oliver Ryan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) awareness, (b) diagnosis and (c) clinical understanding of Bertolotti Syndrome within the NHS; and whether he plans to update NHS training materials or clinical guidelines to include reference to the (i) Jenkins LSTV classification system and (ii) other up-to-date approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of this condition. \p Ashley Dalton: We are committed to giving people with long-term conditions, such as Bertolotti syndrome, the support that they need, including referral to specialist services as appropriate.

While there are no current plans to update National Health Service training materials or clinical guidelines to include reference to the Jenkins LSTV classification system, we would expect all spinal surgeons in England to be aware of Bertolotti syndrome and possible treatment options. Decision making about the risks and benefits of a treatment option is a matter of clinical judgement and shared decision-making with the patient.

Healthcare professionals are responsible for ensuring that their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date, and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development.

Our recently published 10 Year Health Plan presents a significant opportunity to revolutionise care for people with conditions like Bertolotti syndrome by shifting from hospital-centric care to community-based and preventative approaches to manage or reduce symptoms, alongside digital advancements. The plan focuses on earlier intervention, improved access to care, and better integration of services to address the challenges faced by individuals with long-term conditions like Bertolotti syndrome.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-15 conversation_166

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of missed medication in hospitals on Parkinson’s patients in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England. \p Ashley Dalton: Hospital providers across England, including hospitals in the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) area, are responsible for ensuring that patients within hospital settings, including those with Parkinson’s disease, receive their appropriate medication on time. There are tools to support both patients and staff to achieve this. Electronic prescribing systems, currently in use in 85% of hospitals in England, enable in-depth monitoring and reporting on missed or delayed dosing of medications.

As set out in the 10 Year Health Plan, we will support people with long-term conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, across England, including in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the wider Staffordshire area, to better manage their condition, including managing their medication. As part of the NHS App, the My Medicines section will enable patients to manage their prescriptions and remind them when to take their medications, and the My Health section will enable patients to monitor their symptoms and will bring all their data into one place. Patients will be able to decide whether their data is shared in real-time with care teams, so they can proactively monitor health and intervene when necessary.

Guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on Parkinson’s disease in adults highlights the importance of patients getting Parkinson’s medicines on time to prevent harmful effects. The NICE guidance states that people with Parkinson’s disease who are admitted to hospital or care homes should be given their medicines at the appropriate times, which, in some cases, may mean allowing self-medication.

Parkinson’s UK has produced resources as part of its Get It on Time campaign, which supports people with Parkinson's with medicine management in preparation for a hospital stay. These resources can also support hospital and care home staff to make sure that patients and residents get their medication on time, every time.

NHS England has also published guidance, developed in partnership with charities, including Parkinson’s UK, to help local National Health Service staff take practical steps to improve the care for patients with progressive neurological conditions in hospitals, including hospitals in the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB area. The Right Care Toolkit for progressive neurological conditions provides advice on medicine optimisation, highlighting the importance of timely administration of specific drugs for Parkinson’s, such as Levodopa, in both acute and community health settings.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-15 conversation_167

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of radiotherapy services to patients in Devon. \p Ashley Dalton: We will improve National Health Service waiting time performance, so patients are diagnosed faster and have quicker access to the treatments they require, including radiotherapy. However, we do recognise that there is much more to be done to ensure that this is the reality for all patients across the country, including Devon.

Radiotherapy is vital in cancer care, and it remains a key priority for the Government to reduce radiotherapy waiting times and provide the highest quality of treatment available. This is why the Government has invested £70 million of central funding on 28 new LINAC radiotherapy machines across the country to replace older, less efficient radiotherapy machines. The new machines were allocated across England and funding was allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England developed. These criteria focused on the age of the machine being replaced, the proportion of older machines in use within the trust, and the trust’s performance on radiotherapy. The University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, the local provider for cancer services in Devon, has been awarded funding for a replacement machine.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will ensure all patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-15 conversation_168

Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review the (a) application process and (b) delivery timescales for the Disabled Facilities Grant. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government has no immediate plans to review the application process or delivery timescales for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). We continue to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. Recently, we carried out a review of the upper limit for the DFG and are currently considering the findings.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government share policy responsibility for the DFG. We also work with other Government Departments more widely on relevant issues.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-15 conversation_169

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the retention of social care workers in areas with a high rate of vacancies. \p Stephen Kinnock: English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs, and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.

Skills for Care data suggests the adult social care workforce is growing. Skills for Care data shows in 2024/25 there were 1.6 million filled posts, an increase of 52,000, or 3.4%, from 2023/24. Skills for Care data also shows that the turnover rate decreased from 25.8% in 2023/24 to 24.7% in 2024/25 in the independent sector.

The Government is committed to a well-supported adult social care workforce who are recognised as the professionals they are. Those with the opportunity to develop and progress in their role are far more likely to remain within the adult social care workforce. That is why we are delivering an ambitious programme of reforms with the aim of attracting people to join and remain in the sector, help professionalise the workforce, and improve the quality and experience of those receiving care. These include delivering the first universal career structure for the whole adult social care sector, a Learning and Development Support Scheme backed by up to £12 million funding in 2025/26, and introducing a Fair Pay Agreement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-15 conversation_170

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of autism assessments in South Suffolk. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government has recognised that, nationally, the demand for assessments for autism 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, including early intervention and support, without the need for diagnosis.

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

On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the NHS to deliver improved outcomes for people referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and following a recent diagnosis of autism. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.

The Government is also supporting inclusive environments and earlier intervention for children through the Early Language Support for Every Child and the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programmes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-15 conversation_171

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine for people aged between 75 and 79 on the number (a) deaths, (b) hospital admissions and (c) GP appointments. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) analysis in the Lancet journal in April indicated 30% fewer respiratory syncytial virus hospital admissions in 75- to 79-year-olds than would have occurred without vaccination. This was seen after around 40% of eligible older people had taken up their vaccination and uptake has since increased.

The full analysis is available at the following link:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00346-0/fulltext.

At the June 2025 meeting of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, UKHSA presented new estimates of averted deaths and admissions in those aged 75 to 79 years. This was based on enhanced hospital surveillance and conservative estimates of vaccine waning over three seasons.

They estimate: