theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the health outcomes of veterans in the West Midlands. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: As well as being able to access all National Health Services across the United Kingdom, NHS England has introduced several bespoke services to improve the healthcare support available to veterans. These are: Op RESTORE which supports veterans with service-related physical health problems; Op COURAGE which supports veterans with a mental health pathway; and Op NOVA which supports veterans in the justice system.

In addition, the veteran-aware trust and the veteran-friendly accreditation schemes raise awareness amongst healthcare professionals of the specific needs of veterans. These schemes provide support to ensure appropriate signposting and referrals to relevant veteran and wider services within the NHS. All trusts in the West Midlands have been accredited as veteran aware and all primary care networks in the West Midlands have at least one accredited practice.

In May 2025, a national training and education plan was announced to help veterans benefit from improved and targeted healthcare. NHS staff across England will receive dedicated training to help them identify and support patients with military backgrounds. This will be rolled out across the NHS from November 2025.
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the commercial arrangements made by NHS England with marketing authorisation holders between January 2020 and September 2025 involving indication-specific pricing were for indications for (a) rare non-oncology and (b) ultra-rare non-oncology conditions. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Between January 2020 and September 2025, NHS England entered into 75 commercial arrangements involving indication-specific pricing. Of these, eight of the commercial agreements have involved indication-specific pricing for rare non-oncology conditions, and of those eight, two were for indications classed as ultra-rare non-oncology conditions.

Please note that the following definitions of rare and ultra rare non-oncology conditions have been applied: rare, meaning a condition which affects less than 1 in 2,000 people, as per the National Health Service rare diseases framework; and ultra-rare, meaning a condition affecting 1 in 50,000 people or fewer in England.
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Jessica Toale:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the feasibility of using historic medical records to (a) identify and (b) contact people who may have been exposed to diethylstilbestrol. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: We recognise the consequences for those who were exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) and offer our sincere sympathies to those who continue to be affected.

There have been no discussions between the Department and patient advocacy groups representing people affected by exposure to DES. However, we will consider what more can be done to improve the situation for these individuals.

The Department has not assessed the feasibility of using historic medical records to identify and contact people who may have been exposed to DES. In the 1970’s, medicines vigilance was only in its infancy and there were no electronic records or systematic monitoring of prescriptions. There has been a step change in reporting and record-keeping since this time, and today’s regulatory frameworks are significantly different with much stricter post-authorisation monitoring, allowing for earlier identification and action on emerging safety issues. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulates medicines supplied in the United Kingdom and its activity spans the whole of a medicine’s lifecycle.
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Jessica Toale:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential third-generation health impacts of Diethylstilbestrol exposure; and whether specific research has been commissioned to examine those impacts on fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and cancer risk. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government encourages all women, including those exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) in utero, to attend regular cervical screenings which test for human papillomavirus, the cause of most cervical cancers. Women who believe or know that they were exposed to DES in utero may also need regular colposcopy which falls outside the routine screening programme. We recommend that they should speak to their general practitioner about this as local arrangements should be made for the follow up of women who have the stigmata of DES exposure. Further information regarding individuals exposed to DES is contained within the cervical screening guidance for the National Health Service, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-programme-and-colposcopy-management/5-screening-and-management-of-immunosuppressed-individuals

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has asked NHS England to work with local cancer alliances to ensure that providers are aware of this existing screening and follow up guidance for individuals exposed to DES.

Furthermore, where appropriate, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is considering how the Department may be able to share awareness of this issue with colleagues from across the Government who are responsible for related areas of chemical and environmental health policy, with a view to minimising future public health risks.

There are no plans by the Department to undertake an assessment of the potential impact of DES exposure on the long-term or intergenerational health of people in the United Kingdom.

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). While no research has been commissioned into the health outcomes of people exposed to DES in utero, the NIHR would welcome high quality funding applications in this area. Further information on the scope of research funding calls is available on the NIHR website.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10-Year Health Plan, what safeguards will be put in place to prevent hostile actors from accessing genomic data held by the NHS. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: All organisations that have access to National Health Service patient data and systems must use the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) to provide assurance on an annual basis that they are practising good data security and that personal information is handled correctly. In September 2025, we introduced the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) to aligned DSPTs in order to raise DSPT requirements for genomics organisations as suggested by the Department. The CAF is the National Cyber Security Centre’s framework and focuses on outcomes and principles to guide good decision-making, and the CAF-aligned DSPT return is supported by an independent audit to the mandated framework.

National cyber teams are tackling the changing cyber risk head-on through their ambitious Cyber Improvement Programme, expanding protection and services to better protect the health and care system, backed up with over £338 million of investment since 2017.

Patients who are offered whole genome sequencing through the NHS can consent to having their genomic data stored in the National Genomic Research Library (NGRL) which is run by Genomics England. Data stored in the NGRL is de-identified and access to it is carefully controlled, including through an independent Access Review Committee, which ensures that only approved individuals from approved institutions have access to the data. Approved researchers can only access the data within a Secure Research Environment for health research purposes and are not allowed to extract data from the library.
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Richard Baker:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the design of the TRANSFORM trial includes sites that do not currently offer focal therapy; and how treatment diversity is being considered in trial recruitment. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

In November 2023, the Government and Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) announced the £42 million TRANSFORM screening trial to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer to find it before it becomes advanced and harder to treat. PCUK is managing the award on behalf of the funders with the Government contributing £16 million through the NIHR.

Once received, the protocol will be published on the NIHR website on the funding and awards page. This is expected to contain details of the site selection criteria.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 77257 on North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust: Medical Records, when he expects discussions between NHS England regional and national colleagues to take place on the (a) approvals and (b) funding for the outline business case. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust is currently part way through the business case process for a new Electronic Patient Record, working to submit its outline business case (OBC) in 2026. NHS England is supporting them to produce a robust and affordable OBC which meets their core capabilities as set out by the NHS England Frontline Digitisations Programme. This includes providing procurement support, subject matter expertise, and funding, including capital and revenue.

Hinchingbrooke has also recently submitted its strategic outline case for its new hospital as part of the NHP, which was considered by the Joint Investment Committee on 22 October 2025, and a decision is pending.
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Warinder Juss:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposals in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's final draft guidance, issued on 14 August 2025, to not recommend using cerliponase alfa, also called Brineura, for the treatment of children newly diagnosed with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2, also called CLN2. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes its decisions independently of the Government and in line with its carefully developed methods and processes. It would not therefore be appropriate for the Department to comment on or intervene in NICE’s decision making. However, these are very difficult decisions to make, and NICE recognises that they have real and important implications for patients. It only publishes final guidance on the use of a medicine after a very careful consideration of the evidence and a consultation with stakeholders.

NICE has not yet concluded its appraisal. It has received two appeals against its draft recommendation which will be heard by NICE’s independent appeal panel on 25 November 2025. Progress of the appraisal is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-hst10061

Brineura is currently available to National Health Service patients for a limited period, under a managed access agreement that was agreed in 2019. This will ensure continued access for patients who have already started treatment. It will also ensure continued access for patients who begin treatment either before the agreement ends in December or when NICE publishes its final recommendations, depending on which is sooner.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 77609 on Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness, what percentage of completed NICE appraisals for brain tumour medications have led to approval for use of a medication by the NHS in the last 12 months. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not published final guidance on any brain tumour appraisals in the last 12 months.

NICE is currently developing guidance on the use of vorasidenib for treating astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations after surgery in people 12 years and over and recently consulted on its draft recommendations. NICE currently expects to publish final guidance in January 2026.
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Mark Garnier:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to expand access to mental health services for young people at risk of not being in education, employment or training. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department recognises that young people with poor mental health can be at risk of not being in education, employment, or training.

This is why the Government is investing in mental health support services for young people, including continuing the roll out of mental health support teams in schools, with almost one million more young people to benefit in education settings this year.

The Government's first 50 Young Futures Hubs will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention.
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Richard Baker:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to determine site eligibility for participation in the TRANSFORM prostate cancer screening trial; and whether the availability of focal therapy is a requirement. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

In November 2023, the Government and Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) announced the £42 million TRANSFORM screening trial to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer to find it before it becomes advanced and harder to treat. PCUK is managing the award on behalf of the funders with the Government contributing £16 million through the NIHR.

Once received, the protocol will be published on the NIHR website on the funding and awards page. This is expected to contain details of the site selection criteria.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to request that NICE begin an appraisal of the Optune Tumour Treating Fields device for the treatment of glioblastoma. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department has no plans to request that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) appraise tumour treating fields (TTF), or to intervene in NICE’s established guidance prioritisation process.

NICE considered the use of TTF in its guideline on brain tumours, reference NG99, published in 2018, and recommended that the treatment should not be offered for the management of newly diagnosed glioblastoma or recurrent high-grade glioma, based on an assessment of the evidence available at the time.

Decisions on whether guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. NICE’s prioritisation board considered TTF for glioblastoma in July 2024 where they agreed that the topic should not be prioritised but reconsidered when relevant key trials have completed.

At the meeting on 15 September 2025, the topic was reconsidered. The prioritisation board noted that some trials are ongoing, including a key trial that is likely to be published in 2026, and consequently agreed that the topic should still not be prioritised at this time, but revisited once those trials have been published.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support young people with their mental health. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Through our Plan for Change, the Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029/30, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services. More widely, we are investing £26 million in new crisis centres, rolling out young futures hubs, and hiring 8,500 more mental health staff.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-06)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of clinical medical cases relating to childbirth injuries on maternal mental health. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: No such assessment has been made of the potential impact of clinical medical cases relating to childbirth injuries on maternal mental health.

However, significant progress has been made across England in recent years to ensure women experiencing moderate to severe and/or complex perinatal mental health problems can access specialist perinatal mental health services.

These services have expanded to provide care to women up to two years after birth, improve access to evidence-based psychological therapies, and provide a mental health assessment and signposting support for partners.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help find rare blood type donors. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organisation responsible for blood services in England. NHSBT works to find and encourage people with rare blood types to give blood to ensure blood of all types is available for patients when needed.

In addition to routine extended antigen typing, which enables many rare donors to be identified, NHSBT’s Rare Donor Screening Programme tests approximately 25,000 donors annually, for additional blood group antigens, to identify donors with rare blood types. This testing helps to maintain a national rare donor panel containing extremely rare types.

Furthermore, NHSBT’s Rare Donor Clinical Team contacts donors and actively manages their donation schedule via a special call up process. This team also works closely with hospitals to identify patients and their siblings as potential new donors. To ensure the timely availability of blood, blood from rare donors may also be frozen and stored in the National Frozen Blood Bank and thawed when required for patients.

Finally, NHSBT also contributes to the International Rare Donor Panel which contains details of donors of rare blood types from 27 contributing countries and frozen unit inventories from frozen blood banks around the world. Further information on the International Rare Donor Panel is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/ibgrl/services/international-rare-donor-panel/
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Iqbal Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what safeguards are in place to ensure that patient data managed by Palantir under the Federated Data Platform contract cannot be (a) accessed, (b) used and (c) transferred for purposes unrelated to NHS (i) care and (ii) administration. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: NHS England ran a rigorous independent and transparent procurement exercise for the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP), in line with public contract regulations.

The selection was made by multiple assessors against clear criteria following an open tender process where any supplier could respond with their solution. Potential suppliers were required to demonstrate their financial, commercial, security, and technical capability to meet contractual requirements.

The plans for an NHS FDP followed a consultation with trusts and integrated care boards to gather insight in order to understand what their common issues and challenges were in relation to data. The programme is supported by a Data Governance Group, made up of information governance professionals. The programme is also supported by the Health and Social Care Data Public Panel, a group consisting of patient, public, and professional representatives with an interest in patient data, including the Office of the National Data Guardian.

Privacy by design is a core principle of the NHS FDP, with robust security measures to safeguard patient information. Access to data must have an explicit aim to benefit patients and/or the NHS in England.

Palantir provides the software platform, Foundry, that underpins the NHS FDP. NHS England remains the data controller at all times for the national instance. Each NHS organisation is the data controller for their local NHS FDP instance and decides how their local data is used.

Palantir operates strictly under the instruction of the NHS. They do not own or control NHS data.

The NHS FDP is built with robust security and privacy controls, including Privacy Enhancing Technologies procured separately from Palantir. Data access is tightly governed. Only authorised users can access data for approved purposes, and all access is logged and auditable.
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Tim Roca:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to make mental health services more widely available to children and young people in Macclesfield. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Through our Plan for Change, we’re determined to give children and young people, including in Macclesfield, the best start in life. The Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029/30, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services. More widely, we are investing £26 million in new crisis centres, rolling out young futures hubs, and hiring 8,500 more mental health staff.
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Tim Roca:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve support for veterans with complex PTSD in Cheshire. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: NHS England commissions Op COURAGE, a bespoke integrated veterans’ mental health and wellbeing service. The service provides a fully integrated mental health care pathway for veterans which includes support for veterans with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. People benefit from personalised care plans, ensuring they can access support and treatment both in and out of hours. Op COURAGE is available across England and individuals can contact the service to make an appointment or to ask someone to do this on their behalf. The Op COURAGE North service, run by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, covers the Cheshire area.

The Government recognises that not all veterans want to use veteran-specific mental health services and can instead choose to use mainstream National Health Services, such as talking therapies, which are available to both veterans and civilians.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce stigma around mental health in Yeovil constituency. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government is committed to creating an environment that promotes good mental health, prevents people from developing mental health problems, reduces stigma, and improves the lives of young people living with a mental health problem, including those in the Yeovil constituency.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to transform mental health services to improve access and treatment, and to promote good mental health and wellbeing for the nation. This includes improving assertive outreach, investment into mental health emergency departments, increasing access to evidence-based digital interventions, and providing mental health support teams in schools and colleges

In Somerset more widely, the Open Mental Health Alliance is a partnership between local voluntary organizations and the National Health Service, created to improve the way people in Somerset receive support with their mental health by integrating teams across mental health services and acute hospitals and by providing access to a number of specialist services. These include a range of third sector bodies offering a single point of contact, enabling patients to access the appropriate assistance, be it care in the community, talking therapy, community mental health, or acute services.
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Mr Richard Quigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce the backlog of ADHD assessments for children and (b) ensure continuity of care for people affected by service pauses in (i) NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board and (ii) other places. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government has recognised that, nationally in England, demand for assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England will make the National Health Service fit for the future, recognising the need for early intervention and support.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to ADHD assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought 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 later this year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.
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Imran Hussain:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has been made of the potential impact of fireworks on people with (a) PTSD, (b) autism, and (c) sensory processing conditions; and if he will set out the steps his Department is taking on this matter. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: We recognise that fireworks can cause distress for some people, including those with post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and sensory processing conditions. Information and advice is available at the following two links:

https://combatstress.org.uk/tips-for-coping-during-fireworks

https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/news/our-top-tips-use-your-senses-for-an-autism-friendl

Further general advice related mental health can be found at the following three links:

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/nhs-talking-therapies/
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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for people seeking psychological therapy to support employment. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government is committed to delivering expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and individual placement and support schemes to address the root causes of mental health issues and provide support for people to contribute to the economy by remaining in or returning to work. We will also make it easier for people to self-refer to talking therapies services through the NHS App.

We are continuing to roll out employment advisors in our NHS Talking Therapies services to support people with common mental health conditions in seeking and retaining employment. Our advisors help people who are in work but struggling or facing difficulties in the workplace, are off work sick, or are looking for work, so we can provide the right support at the right time.

Confidential support is available to people at any stage of their career. This could include school- or college-leavers looking for their first job to people looking at changing their lifestyle or work-life balance as they get closer to retirement.

We are also expanding individual placement and support schemes embedded in community mental health services to improve employment outcomes for people with severe mental illness. These schemes offer intensive, individually tailored support to get people into work, with ongoing support for the employer and employee to help ensure the person keeps their job.
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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing details to the public on how to report suspected unlicenced vendors providing weight loss injections. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), acting on behalf of my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is responsible for the regulation of medicines intended for human use in the United Kingdom. This includes applying the legal controls on the retail sale, supply, and advertising of medicines, which are set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

Sourcing weight loss medicines from unregulated suppliers significantly increases the risk of receiving a product which is either falsified or not authorised for human use. Products purchased in this way will not meet the MHRA’s strict standards for quality, safety, and efficacy and can therefore pose significant risks.

Protecting the public from the dangers of falsified and unregulated medicines is one of the MHRA’s highest priorities.

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, the MHRA and its partners seized approximately 17 million doses of illegally traded medicines with a street value of more than £37 million. The MHRA is constantly working to develop new and innovative ways to combat the trade in illegal medicines. These measures include:

- introduction of the Yellow Card scheme, which enables healthcare professionals and patients to report suspected fake medicines and adverse drug reactions, with referrals being assessed and acted upon as appropriate. Further information is available at the following link: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/;

- implementation of a web-based reporting scheme allowing users to report suspicious online sellers to the MHRA;

- rollout of an online service which will allow users to check if a website has been deemed ‘Not Recommended’ by the MHRA;

- publication of a #Fakemeds campaign which explains how to access medicines through safe and legitimate online sources, with further information available at the following link: https://fakemeds.campaign.gov.uk/; and

- public guidance on how to safely access and use GLP-1 medications, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/glp-1-medicines-for-weight-loss-and-diabetes-what-you-need-to-know/glp-1-medicines-for-weight-loss-and-diabetes-what-you-need-to-know.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency early access service for innovative technologies to open. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: In July of this year the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency published a statement of policy intent for the development and implementation of an Early Access Service for innovative medical devices, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices#next-steps

The service aims to speed up safe access to innovative medical devices for patients, supporting the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan. The statement set out our intention to work with stakeholders across the life science ecosystem to further develop the policy and to build the internal capability required to deliver the service throughout 2025. Further information on our plans will be provided in early 2026.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she had made of the potential impact of the Amazon Web Services outage in October 2025 on NHS services. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: We are not aware of any impact to National Health Services resulting from the outage at Amazon Web Services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_100

Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount paid by his Department in clinical negligence costs. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.

As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs and how we can improve patients’ experiences of clinical negligence claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_101

Anna Sabine:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the Patient Safety Commissioner entitled The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_102

Dame Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the Department has spent on dental research in each of the last three years. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).  Between the 2022/23 and 2024/25 financial years, the NIHR directly spent £18.2 million on research projects and programmes on dentistry research. The following table shows the spend on dentistry research, to the nearest £100,000, from 2022/23 to 2024/25 and in total over that period:

Financial year

Spend

2022/2023

£5.1 million

2023/2024

£7.1 million

2024/2025

£6.1 million

Total

£18.2 million

The Department, through the NIHR, also funds clinical academic training for doctors and dentists through the Integrated Academic Training Programme. This includes Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) at the pre-doctoral level and Clinical Lectureships (CLs) at the post-doctoral level. From 2022 to 2024, 53 ACFs and 15 CLs were recruited in dentistry, with an estimated total value of over £14 million across the duration of the awards.

In addition, investments in NIHR infrastructure, not included in the figures above, support the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research that is funded by the NIHR’s research programmes, other public funders of research, charities, and the life sciences industry. This has supported the delivery of over 50 studies and the recruitment of over 12,000 participants in research under the specialty area of oral and dental health in the last three financial years.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including dental research. 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.
wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_103
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_103

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what safeguards are in place to prevent children and young people from being placed in inappropriate mental health settings, including (a) adult wards and (b) facilities located far from home. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: All placements must be clinically appropriate, proportionate to any risk presented, and local ownership and involvement must be maintained from a clinical and commissioning perspective. Where possible, a placing team should look to neighbouring geographical areas when considering placements to minimise distance from home and ensure that local involvement is facilitated more easily and effectively.

NHS England is developing a new model for specialised children and young people’s mental health services, supported by a new service specification and quality standards. This model will support the delivery of specialised services in the community and within children and young people’s mental health inpatient settings. This will aim to ensure children and young people are treated in the least restrictive, age-appropriate environments, as close to home as possible.

£75 million has been set aside in the NHS Capital Guidance for 2025/26 to reduce inappropriate out of area placements in adult, and children and young people’s services, including in acute care, Psychiatric Intensive Care Units, rehabilitation wards, and secure services. Integrated care boards will receive allocations from this funding pot based on credible, cost-effective, high-impact plans to reduce inappropriate out of area placements.

The Medium-Term Planning Framework, published on 24 October, sets targets for integrated care boards to eliminate inappropriate out-of-area placements by 2028/29
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_104

Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to update families affected by sodium valproate on compensation following publication of the Hughes Report; and when families should expect to receive details of (a) interim and (b) main payments. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report.
wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_105
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_105

Jessica Toale:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to update NHS clinical reference materials or NICE guidelines to include information on the diagnosis, management, and screening of patients potentially exposed to Diethylstilbestrol. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the national body that develops authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the NHS on best practice in the care and treatment of patients with defined conditions. NICE has not issued any guidance on the diagnosis and management of patients potentially exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) and it currently has no plans to do so. Decisions on the development of new topics for NICE guidance are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by its Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework.

The current advice from the UK Health Security Agency, formerly Public Health England, is that routine cervical screening is appropriate for those who believed they were exposed to DES in utero. Further information on the UK Health Security Agency’s advice is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-programme-and-colposcopy-management/5-screening-and-management-of-immunosuppressed-individuals#

Participation in the National Breast Screening Programme is also recommended. Pregnant women who know that they were exposed in utero to DES should inform their obstetrician and be aware of the increased risks of ectopic pregnancy and preterm labour.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_106

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of clinical trials available for brain cancer vaccines. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and delivering better patient care, to make the Untied Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research, including clinical trials for brain cancer vaccines.

The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform set up to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines and speed up access to mRNA personalised cancer vaccine clinical trials for cancer patients. Any company that wishes to deliver trials via the platform, including those developing vaccines for brain tumours, can contact the CVLP to explore how the platform can support their research.

In addition, the Department funds research and research infrastructure across England, such as the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including on brain cancer.

The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. The bill will make it easier for clinical trials on brain cancer to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_107

Luke Murphy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing funding to community-led suicide bereavement services. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: We recognise the important role that community-led organisations can play in suicide prevention and suicide bereavement services.

While there is no specific national funding allocated for suicide bereavement services, integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning health and care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which may include working with community-led organisations.

As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to working closely with voluntary, community, and social enterprise stakeholders as we begin this journey to transform mental health services, tackle the drivers of mental ill-health, and create the conditions to nurture good mental health and wellbeing for all.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-06)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-06 conversation_108

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supporting the (a) training and (b) deployment of UK health staff to Ukraine. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: There are options for National Health Service staff to voluntarily provide healthcare support on a humanitarian basis and separately to their NHS duties. For example, humanitarian medical charities such as UK Med are active in Ukraine with NHS clinicians volunteering to provide life-saving medical aid to people affected by the conflict.

Additionally, four NHS trusts have established partnerships with Ukrainian healthcare institutions under the International Medical Partnership initiative. These partnerships provide mutual learning and development opportunities for clinicians that will improve public health and patient experience in both the United Kingdom and Ukraine.