theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Aphra Brandreth:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered allowing medical students in their second foundation year to apply for positions that are ring-fenced for physician associates. \p Karin Smyth: No such consideration has been made. The role of physician associates (PAs) is to work with and support doctors, not to replace them. To become employed as a PA, candidates will need to have completed a recognised PA qualification.

Regulation of PAs by the General Medical Council (GMC) began at the end of 2024. To join the register, PAs must meet the GMC’s requirements and pass both parts of the Physician Associate National Examination.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of recent reductions in NHSP overtime pay rates on the NHS's ability to meet (a) existing and (b) projected patient demand. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has not made this specific assessment.

NHS Professionals Ltd (NHSP) is a company, wholly owned by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, providing temporary staffing services to National Health Service trust clients. NHSP’s client trusts determine the rates payable to bank staff supplied by NHSP, and it is a matter for those NHS trusts to assess the impact of bank pay rates on their ability to meet existing and projected patient needs.

Shifts made available by trusts through NHS Professionals are not classed as overtime. Trusts request that NHS Professionals fill a shift from its bank membership and specify the pay rate.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to increase oversight of recruitment practices in domiciliary care agencies. \p Stephen Kinnock: Most domiciliary care agencies are private sector providers and therefore their recruitment practises are independent of central Government.

The Department works closely with regulators, local authorities, other Government departments, and enforcement bodies to share concerns and intelligence about, and where appropriate take action against, illegal or unethical recruitment practices in adult social care.

Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 states that providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) must deploy “sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff to enable them to meet the needs of the people using the service at all times”. Additionally, Regulation 19 compels providers regulated by the CQC to make sure that they only employ “fit and proper” staff who are able to provide care and treatment appropriate to their role. To meet this regulation, providers must operate robust recruitment procedures, including undertaking any relevant checks.
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Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the quality of lenses used by private providers of NHS cataract surgery. \p Stephen Kinnock: No assessment has been made of the quality of lenses used by private providers of National Health Service cataract surgery.

The safety of all patients, whether they are treated in the NHS or the independent sector, is a top priority for the Government. All providers of healthcare are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality, below which care should never fall.
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Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of patients who have received NHS cataract surgery in private clinics and have then been re-admitted post-surgery to NHS providers in each of the last six years. \p Stephen Kinnock: A table showing the number and proportion of patients who received National Health Service cataract surgery in private clinics, who were then re-admitted post-surgery to NHS providers in each of the last six years, is attached.

Additional Document (docx, 23.1KB)
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the cost of untreated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. \p Stephen Kinnock: No formal assessment has been made of the cost of untreated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the report expected in the summer. The taskforce is considering the impact of not treating ADHD as part of its work.
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Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on General Practice coverage per population (a) in Leigh, (b) in each region and (c) in England. \p Stephen Kinnock: The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs), direct patient care staff (DPC), and nurses per 10,000 registered patients in Leigh and in each region of England:

Area

Number of FTE GPs per 10,000 registered patients

Number of FTE DPC staff per 10,000 registered patients

Number of FTE nurses per 10,000 registered patients

National

5.82

2.70

2.57

London

4.97

1.71

1.31

South East

5.36

3.00

2.52

South West

6.20

3.67

3.48

Midlands

6.16

2.56

2.64

North East and Yorkshire

6.39

3.05

3.28

East of England

5.46

3.21

2.71

North West

6.44

2.31

2.66

Leigh and Atherton

4.97

1.32

2.06
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to provide support services for autistic adults in West Berkshire who are not supported (a) existing services and (b) charitable organisations. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to support for autistic adults, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism based on the available evidence. 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 Department has launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. Chaired by Baroness Louise Casey and reporting to the Prime Minister, the commission will work with people who draw on care and their families, staff, Parliamentarians, local government, and the public, private, and third sector to make clear recommendations for how to rebuild the adult social care system to meet the current and future needs of the population. The Government has also made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes a £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish data on the average waiting times for discharge medications in hospital trusts within Wiltshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold data in the format requested. The data that is recorded relates to the dispensing time, from a prescription arriving in the dispensary to the time the medication is made available for the patient. The following table shows the most recent data available, for April 2025, regarding the average dispensing time for a prescription in the NHS South West region:

Region

Average time per discharge prescription

NHS South West

77 minutes
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46097 on General Practitioners: Pay, when the New Earnings Survey was replaced by the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) replaced the New Earnings Survey (NES) in 2004. A number of methodological improvements were introduced in the ASHE to address weaknesses of the NES’ design.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve support for family carers providing care at home for relatives with learning disabilities. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to ensuring that the families of people with learning disabilities have the support they need.

On the 7 of April 2025, the Government increased the Carer's Allowance weekly earnings limit from £151 a week to £196, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage. This represents the largest increase in the earnings limit since the Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976.

Lord Darzi’s independent review of the National Health Service highlighted the need for a fresh approach to supporting and involving unpaid carers, to improve outcomes across the board, for carers, for those they care for, and for the NHS itself.

These findings will be carefully considered as part of our 10-year plan to reform and modernise the NHS, and as we continue to shape our plans to reform adult social care, including through the National Care Service.

We have also launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.

The commission will start a national conversation about what care and support working age adults, older people, and their families can expect from adult social care, including exploring the needs of unpaid carers, who provide vital care and support.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46095 on Mortality Rates: Huntingdon, what the standardised mortality was ratio for people aged under 65 years old in each ward in Huntingdon. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold this information centrally.
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on ensuring the provision of community pharmacies in new housing developments. \p Stephen Kinnock: Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies. Legislation requires PNAs to include consideration of the future need for pharmaceutical services in the area. The Department has published an information pack to support local authorities in preparation of PNAs, which is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/617bdc31d3bf7f5601cf3168/pharmaceutical-needs-assessment-information-pack.pdf

Chapter 6 of the information pack provides advice on how future needs, improvement, or better access should be articulated in the PNA, including following any new housing developments. These assessments inform commissioning decisions by integrated care boards.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that NHS patients who are deaf are able to adequately communicate with NHS staff about their care. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is for individual National Health Service organisations, including NHS trusts and integrated care boards, to comply with the Equality Act 2010. Under the Equality Act 2010, organisations have a legal duty to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are as accessible to disabled people, including deaf people, as they are for everybody else. This includes responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of British Sign Language interpreters to support deaf patients.

Health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. The Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag was developed to enable health and care workers to record, share, and view details of reasonable adjustments, across the NHS and social care, wherever the person is seen or treated. Following the launch of the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag Information Standard, published September 2023, the flag went live in the National Care Record Service, and is being rolled out across England.

Since 2016, all NHS organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the recommended approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss, including deaf people. NHS England has been undertaking a review of the AIS to help ensure that the communication needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss are met in health and care provision. A revised AIS will be published in due course. In the meantime, the current AIS remains in force, and therefore there should not be a gap in provision for people using services.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the upcoming 10-Year Plan for the NHS will include specific commitments to improve (a) diagnosis, (b) access to treatment and (c) support for research outcomes for people living with dementia. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government wants a society where every person with dementia receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The 10-Year Health Plan will address the challenges diagnosed by Lord Darzi and will set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of complex health and care needs, including people living with dementia. We are carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with dementia, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our partners, as we develop the plan.

In February, I hosted a roundtable discussion where partners shared how dementia, ageing well, and digital inclusion could be reflected in the 10-Year Health Plan.
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Jessica Toale:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for children's palliative care; and what plans he has to increase the level of funding available. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

Whilst the majority of 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 hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones.

In recognition of this, children and young people’s hospices will receive £26 million in revenue funding for 2025/26, once again via ICBs. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.

Additionally, we are also supporting both the child and adult hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for 2024/25 and 2025/26, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

In February, I met with key palliative care and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.
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Cat Eccles:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve dementia care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to improving dementia care and is empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including for those with dementia. That is why we have recently published the Dementia 100 Pathway Assessment Tool, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia. The Dementia 100 Pathway Assessment Tool has now been launched, and is available at the following link:

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-tool

To improve care for patients with dementia, we have refreshed the RightCare Dementia Scenario. The scenario works through the dementia well pathway journey, from diagnosing well through to dying well, detailing optimal and sub optimal approaches, with associated costings for each. They have developed a dementia model pathway based on data for each component of the dementia well pathway, to provide a high-level view of what dementia care activity looks like for local areas and to aid targeted support where appropriate.

To aid dementia diagnosis and the provision of support in care homes, we funded an evidence-based improvement project to fund two trusts in each region, 14 sites, to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate protocol. Learning is currently being shared and promoted with regional and local partners, following an impact assessment of the pilots.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 48627 on GP Practice Lists: Huntingdon, what proportion of patients registered at each surgery are (a) adults and (b) children. \p Stephen Kinnock: The following table shows the proportion of adults and children registered at each general practice in the Huntingdon constituency:

Practice code

Practice name

Adults

Children

D81004

Alconbury Surgery

89%

11%

D81010

Priory Fields Surgery

90%

10%

D81027

Wellside Surgery

89%

11%

D81030

Grove Medical Practice

90%

10%

D81038

Kimbolton Medical Centre

90%

10%

D81045

Buckden Surgery

89%

11%

D81049

Spinney Surgery

89%

11%

D81050

The Hicks Group Practice

89%

11%

D81060

Moat House Surgery

90%

10%

D81081

Great Staughton Surgery

91%

9%

D81606

Riverport Medical Practice

89%

11%

D81633

Acorn Surgery

86%

14%
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on how to provide long term, sustainable funding for transforming palliative and end of life care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: In February, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.

I also recently met Rachael Maskell MP and Baroness Finlay to discuss the progress of their independent commission into palliative and end of life care.

As part of the work to develop the 10-Year Health Plan, we will be carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our partners.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and palliative and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that funding provided through NHS dental contracts is adequate for meeting the costs of providing care in rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural and coastal areas. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of National Health Service dentists. There are no perfect payment systems and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver a system better for patients and the profession.

The NHS in England invests £3 billion into dentistry every year. NHS England is responsible for issuing guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) on dental budgets.

NHS England’s Planning Guidance for 2025/26 has now been published and sets out the funding available to ICBs. Planning guidance also confirms that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority. Dental budgets are ringfenced and NHS England reserves the right to direct unused resources, if contractors are unable to deliver on NHS dental commitments.

In July 2022, the first substantial changes to the NHS dental contract, since the 2006 Dental System Reforms, were made. These changes included allowing the best performing practices to see more patients where commissioners have given agreement, with up to 10% extra activity. Furthermore, the minimum value for a Unit of Dental Activity was uplifted to £28 from April 2024, benefitting 876 contracts.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 45881 on NHS England: Redundancy Pay, on what evidential basis he said that the cost of abolishing NHS England will be offset by future reductions in spending. \p Karin Smyth: The organisational change programme is still in its early phases, but we expect a contribution to overall efficiency to be realised from functional integration, more coherent policy and delivery alignment, and improved performance and accountability mechanisms, which will all in turn reduce reporting burdens and empower local leaders.   While there will be some upfront costs, we expect the reform to wipe out duplication and drive a smaller centre, based in a single organisation, will generate significant savings in the long run allowing us to divert savings to the front line.

Further detail will be provided as the programme develops.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent reductions in NHSP overtime pay rates for Band 5 nurses on NHS staff (a) retention and (b) morale. \p Karin Smyth: NHS Professionals, a limited company wholly owned by the Department, contracts on an arm’s length basis with National Health Service trusts to provide flexible workforce solutions, including managed bank services and its National Bank offering.

Shifts made available by trusts through NHS Professionals are not classed as overtime. Trusts request that NHS Professionals fill a shift from its bank membership and specify the pay rate, as it may be at the Agenda for Change rate for that assignment, or may be at an enhanced rate.

Enhanced rates were initially introduced in response to competition from higher cost agencies, and were always intended to be a temporary measure. A decision to amend the rates was made by the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust following a detailed review of the enhanced bank rates in nursing and midwifery services across the Greater Manchester area.

The Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, to ensure we retain more of our skilled and dedicated staff. NHS England is leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43351 on Domestic Waste: Fires, whether the UK Health Security Agency has undertaken research on the impact of the low-intensity burning of domestic household waste in household gardens. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not undertaken an assessment of the health impact of the low intensity burning of domestic household waste in household gardens, as there is legislation and guidance to prevent fires causing pollution or a nuisance. However, the UKHSA has published systematic reviews of the epidemiological studies on the health impacts associated with outdoor and indoor exposure to solid fuel burning.

The evidence suggests that burning solid fuels indoors could contribute to the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer in adults, while the evidence for other respiratory effects is less clear. The results regarding outdoor exposure and the health effects were too limited to draw firm conclusions.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 48852 on Diabetes, whether he has had discussions with universities on how studies into the causes of (a) diabetes 2 and (b) other related health conditions are funded. \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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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled GP surgery refurbs to enable over 8 million more appointments, published on 6 May 2025, which GP surgeries will receive funding to (a) expand their premises and (b) upgrade storage rooms into consultation areas in Huntingdon constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: On 6 May 2025, the Government announced which primary care schemes are in line to receive funding from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, in order to deliver upgrades this financial year to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England.

These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care. It represents the biggest investment in GP facilities in five years, and forms part of the Government’s plan to shift care out of hospitals and into the community.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board has prioritised the Orchard Surgery in the Huntingdon constituency within its allocation, and it is in line to receive a share of the £102 million. This will bring tangible benefits for patients of Huntingdon, and I know will be welcome news to you and your constituents. A full list of the schemes being considered for funding this year can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-care-utilisation-and-modernisation-fund-2025-to-2026
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been prescribed (a) Ozempic and (b) other weight loss medication in the last 12 months. \p Karin Smyth: Ozempic is only licenced for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and can only be prescribed off-label for use in weight management. The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) collects data on the number of prescriptions dispensed in England. Between March 2024 and February 2025, 83,286 unique identified patients were dispensed Ozempic in England. The data does not specify the purpose for which it was prescribed.

The NHSBSA also holds data on the number of prescription items dispensed of weight-loss medication. Between March 2024 and February 2025, 344,927 unique identified patients in England were dispensed medicines licensed for weight loss management.

The following have been included as they are licenced for weight management: Biolide; Nevolat; Saxenda; Wegovy; Orlistat (chemical substance) (Xenical, Alli, Orlos); and Tirzepatide (chemical substance) (Mounjaro). These have also been listed in the National Health Service’s obesity treatment information page, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/treatment/

There may be other medicines that may be prescribed for weight loss treatment that are not included in this data. As above, the NHSBSA does not collect data on the clinical condition for which medicines have been prescribed, so this data does not specify whether patients were prescribed medicines for weight-loss or another condition.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help support healthcare services to (a) recruit and (b) retain speech therapists in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire. \p Karin Smyth: Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skills mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

The Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, to ensure that we retain more of our skilled and dedicated staff. NHS England is leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 May 2025 to Question 48666 on NHS: Disclosure of Information, whether his Department plans to begin collecting data on the number of National Health Service staff who have left the NHS in (a) Devon and Cornwall and (b) England under non-disclosure agreements. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has no plans to begin collecting information from National Health Service bodies on the use of non-disclosure agreement, or instances where confidentiality clauses are included in a local settlement agreement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-14 conversation_130

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of community first responders within the ambulance service. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises the important contribution of Community First Responder (CFR) volunteers who generously donate their time to support ambulance services and patients across the country.

CFRs are recruited and trained directly by ambulance trusts. Trusts are responsible, on an individual basis, for taking decisions on the capacity and support needed to deliver their services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-14 conversation_131

Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) Lecanemab and (b) other new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are made accessible to eligible patients through the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service in England on whether new medicines should be routinely funded based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NICE evaluates all new medicines, including medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, and aims to publish guidance for the NHS as close as possible to licensing. The NHS in England is legally required to fund recommended treatments, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

The NICE concluded that the evidence presented so far shows that neither donanemab nor lecanemab provide enough benefit to justify the substantial resources the NHS would need to commit to implement access to them. The NICE has not yet published final guidance on either medicine, and its independent Appraisal Committee will meet on 14 May to consider the responses to its recent consultation.

To prepare for the new generation of dementia treatments in development, NHS England is working to ensure the diagnostic and treatment capacity, clinical pathway redesign, and investments are in place to support the adoption of any new licensed and NICE-recommended treatments as soon as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-14 conversation_132

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how Serco performed against key performance indicators at the most recent performance review of the Forth Valley Royal Hospital contract. \p Karin Smyth: Health is a devolved matter in Scotland. The Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government are responsible for the National Health Service in Scotland, including legislation, funding, and overall management.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-14 conversation_133

Phil Brickell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on levels of patient demand at Leigh walk-in centre. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold the information requested. NHS England publishes official statistics for accident and emergency attendances at a provider, National Health Service trust level. Information for the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2024-25/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-14 conversation_134

Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish outcomes data from quality improvement projects delivered through the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board. \p Karin Smyth: A Quality Account is a report of the quality of services offered by a National Health Service healthcare provider. NHS organisations are required to produce quality accounts annually, which are an important way for local NHS services to demonstrate the effectiveness of, and show improvements in, the services they deliver. The Bath and North-East Somerset, Wiltshire and Swindon Integrated Care Board (ICB) has published quality assurance information in their annual report, which can be found on the respective ICB website, at the following link:

https://bsw.icb.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/QOX_BSW-ICB-Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2023-24_FINAL_unsigned.pdf
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-14 conversation_135

Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the existing skills base across NHS trusts within Integrated Care Systems to deliver improvements based on (a) human factors and (b) systems thinking. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment has been made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-14 conversation_136

Gill Furniss:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support for women in making informed choices about (a) hormonal and (b) non-hormonal treatment options for (i) menstrual and (ii) reproductive health. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises the importance of women and girls being able to access adequate information and care for menstrual health conditions and reproductive health.

The women’s health area on the National Health Service website brings together over 100 health topics including pages on heavy periods, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and contraception. This provides women with information on hormonal and non-hormonal treatment options for menstrual health conditions, and information on the different types of hormonal and non-hormonal contraception methods, including where to get them and how well they work at preventing pregnancy.

NHS England has also developed a shared decision tool to help women and general practitioners make decisions about the best treatments for heavy menstrual bleeding. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/decision-support-tool-making-a-decision-about-managing-heavy-periods/

Clinical guidelines also support healthcare professionals to provide evidence-based care. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidelines on a range of women’s health topics, including heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, and contraception, and has also published a guideline on shared decision making.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-14 conversation_137

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people with Restless Leg Syndrome in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: Most services for long-term conditions, including restless leg syndrome (RLS), are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). It is the responsibility of the ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop local services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.

General practitioners (GPs) will utilise the RLS Rating Scale to understand the impact on the patient and then trial treatments. GPs are supported by neurology referral or specialist advice and guidance.

There are 27 specialised neurological treatment centres across the National Health Service in England, which provide access to neurological multidisciplinary teams to ensure that patients with RLS can receive specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.

The National Institute of Clinical Excellence publishes clinical knowledge summaries (CKS) as a source of information, mainly for NHS staff working in primary care. The CKS on the diagnosis and clinical management of RLS was updated in February 2025, and is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/restless-legs-syndrome/

We have also launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS and improve care for people with long-term conditions. A central and core part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to make it more accessible, proactive, and tailored for patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-14 conversation_138

Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) development and (b) implementation of (i) whole genome sequencing and (ii) other innovative treatments for brain tumours. \p Ashley Dalton: We are supporting NHS England in implementing genomic testing, including whole genome sequencing (WGS), in the National Health Service, provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service, and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes tests for over 200 cancer clinical indications, including WGS tests for a range of brain tumours.

The NHS now offers all children and young people with cancer and adults with certain cancers, including brain cancer, whole genome sequencing to enable more comprehensive and precise diagnosis, and access to more personalised treatments.

We recognise that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and the significant impact that rarer forms of cancer can have on patients, carers, and their families. We are invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.

We are working on developing the National Cancer Plan, which will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. Research is a key focus of the plan, and we will work closely with partners, including the National Institute for Health and Care Research, on this.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-14 conversation_139

Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 34127 on Pain: Women, whether the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is undertaking any research into (a) patient and (b) healthcare professionals' experiences of (i) menopause care and (ii) the prescription of hormone replacement therapy. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is currently funding a £2.7 million study that aims to find out if adding testosterone to standard hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can reduce menopausal symptoms beyond its effect on sexual function. This research will provide health care professionals with the evidence required to have informed discussions with their patients and will help to shape and inform better menopause care for women. A separate study is exploring inequalities in menopause care. Through interviews with women and with healthcare professionals in general practice, this research aims to understand the experiences of obtaining information, care, and support for the menopause in general practice.

The NIHR is also currently funding research to determine whether there are ethnic and social disparities in HRT prescribing in the United Kingdom. This information will inform future work to develop a risk calculator to show a woman’s individual risks or benefits from taking HRT, providing the first UK data on women who are taking HRT, which will identify a cohort who are not taking HRT and estimate a potential unmet need.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of women’s health, including research on patient and health care professionals’ experiences of menopause care and on the prescription of HRT.