theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to integrate the work of (a) NICE, (b) NHS England, (c) health industry representatives and (d) the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on adopting new dementia treatments. \p Karin Smyth: The Government wants patients to benefit from rapid access to safe and effective new medicines in a way that represents value to the taxpayer. The Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) reviews medicinal products for quality, safety and efficacy and if satisfied, will provide an appropriate marketing authorisation or licence for the United Kingdom, detailing the safe use and target population. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. Wherever possible the NICE aims to publish recommendations on new medicines around the time of licensing.

With the consent of the marketing authorisation holders, the NICE and the MHRA have piloted enhanced information sharing arrangements for the new disease modifying treatments for dementia. The pilots have enabled the organisations to fully align their processes and announce marketing authorisation decisions and draft recommendations on the same day for the first two licensed disease modifying treatments. The MHRA, the NICE, NHS England, and counterparts in the other UK nations are working closely together to ensure that the NHS is prepared for the rollout of any licensed and NICE-recommended new dementia treatments.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the National Institute for Health and Care Research will be involved in the formulation of the National Cancer Plan. \p Karin Smyth: The Department launched the call for evidence for the National Cancer Plan on 4 February 2025. Individuals, professionals and organisations are invited to share their views on our new online platform on how we can improve cancer care and outcomes. The platform is available at the following link:  https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart, and we are committed to working closely with partners and patient groups to shape our long-term vision for cancer. Alongside the call for evidence, we will consult with partners and patient groups to get their views and priorities, and we will keep them updated throughout this process.

Research is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will continue to maximise the access to and the impact of clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. The plan will also consider the ways that we can accelerate the uptake of innovative, life-saving treatments so all NHS patients can benefit. We will work closely with partners including the National Institute for Health and Care Research on this.
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Sir Julian Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with internet service providers and with national and international partners on steps taken to prevent unlicensed medicines from entering the UK. \p Karin Smyth: 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 all medicines and medical devices in the United Kingdom, by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. 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. These regulations apply equally to medicines advertised, sold, or supplied through the internet.

Public safety is the number one priority for the MHRA, and its Criminal Enforcement Unit works hard to prevent, detect, and investigate illegal activity involving medicines and medical devices.

The MHRA works closely with e-commerce and the internet industry to identify, remove, and block online content promoting the illegal sale of medicines and medical devices. It also seeks to identify and, where appropriate, prosecute online sellers responsible for putting public health at risk. Working with national and international partners, the MHRA successfully seizes millions of doses of illegally traded medicines each year.

The MHRA’s #FakeMeds campaign provides advice to people in the UK who are considering buying medication online, outlining how products can be accessed from safe and legitimate sources. It also encourages people to report suspicious medicinal products and adverse side effects via its Yellow Card scheme, which is available at the following link:

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reducing academic barriers to entry to the nursing profession. \p Karin Smyth: No such assessment has been made.

Universities are responsible for setting their entry requirements in line with standards of proficiency, conduct and performance of nurses, as set out by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. It would not be appropriate for the Government to intervene in this process, to respect the independence and expertise of universities and regulators designing standards and curricular that ensure public safety.

For those whom a traditional full-time university course is not practical or preferred, there is an alternative route into the nursing profession via a registered nurse degree apprenticeship.
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Anna Sabine:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve (a) awareness of and (b) access to formula milk for infants. \p Ashley Dalton: Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby.

Whilst breastfeeding has significant health benefits, we recognise that for those families that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital that they have access to infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Infant formula regulations ensure that all infant formula is suitable for meeting the nutritional needs of babies, regardless of the price or brand.

The Competition and Markets Authority is undertaking a market study on infant and follow on formula and is due to publish its final report, with recommendations later this month. We welcome this report and will carefully consider its findings and recommendations including any on increasing awareness of, and access to, infant formula.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-12)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children with severe epilepsy can access second-generation cannabis-based medicines through the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: The law allows United Kingdom specialist doctors to prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs). Cannabis-based medicines licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are routinely available on the National Health Service, for example Epidyolex, for the treatment of two rare forms of epilepsy and tuberous sclerosis. However, some patients and families are seeking to access unlicensed forms of CBPMs, which have not been assessed by the MHRA. Clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions for unlicensed CBPMs.

We continue to call on manufacturers to conduct research to prove their products are safe, and clinically and cost effective. NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research have agreed funding for two randomised control trials relating to the use of CBPMs for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsies. These will be world-first trials and will be crucial in furthering the evidence base and informing future NHS funding decisions.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support community pharmacies. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible front door to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.

The Government is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists. To support these private contractors, NHS England is providing fully funded national training opportunities to help them deliver quality NHS services.

We have now recommenced our consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements for 2024/25 and 2025/26.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help stabilise primary care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The 10-Year Health Plan will describe a shared vision for the health and care system in 2035, drawing directly from the extensive engagement underway with the public, patients, and staff.

We have announced a proposed £889 million uplift for general practice (GP) in 2025/26 and set out the proposed areas of reform which will help us to deliver on our commitments. This is the largest uplift to GP funding since the beginning of the five-year framework and means we are reversing the recent trend with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to GPs.

By fixing the front door of our health service we will ensure everyone can access GP services. We will make sure the future of GPs is sustainable by training thousands more GPs, guaranteeing a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one, and delivering a modern booking system. We have already started hiring an extra 1,000 GPs into the NHS and uplifted a monthly payment to practices by 7.4%.

We want to take pressure off GPs, by improving access to community pharmacies and creating a Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service. We are currently in consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding the funding arrangements for 2024/25 and 2025/26 and are unable to say more until this consultation is completed.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the number of hospitals in Leicestershire that have not followed the appropriate discharge procedure for parents in the last five years. \p Stephen Kinnock: Statutory guidance on hospital discharge procedures that was published in January 2024 sets out how local areas should plan and implement hospital discharge to support safe and timely discharge for all individuals. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance

Local areas should provide the monitoring of discharge quality and performance to ensure that the agreed hospital discharge procedures are being followed consistently.
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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department is providing to support the implementation of ongoing and holistic post-release support for prison leavers with severe mental health issues. \p Stephen Kinnock: The NHS RECONNECT service supports people leaving prison with identified health needs to make the transition to community-based services, including mental health services, which are funded by local health and care systems.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) timely and (b) equitable dementia diagnosis. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government and NHS England remain committed to increasing the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%. To support recovery of the dementia diagnosis rates and implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, NHS England has developed a dashboard for management information purposes. The aim is to support commissioners and providers of memory services with appropriate data and enable targeted support where needed.

NHS England has also funded an evidence-based improvement project to fund two trusts in each region, 14 sites in total, to pilot the Diagnosing Advanced Dementia Mandate tool to improve the diagnosis of dementia and the provision of support in care homes. All pilots completed at the end of May 2024, and it is anticipated that learning will be shared in early 2025.

The Department delivers dementia research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into dementia, for example an £11 million programme to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia. The NIHR is also partnering with the Economic and Social Research Council and Alzheimer’s Society to support a £5.5 million investment in four Dementia Network Plus research grants. One of the networks, EQUADEM, seeks to address inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care.

The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme is investing in biomarker innovations, ranging from an artificial intelligence tool designed to improve the accuracy of blood tests for dementia, to using retinal scans to detect early-onset dementia decades before symptoms. Some of these innovations could support improved diagnosis in the future, if validated for clinical use.

To reduce variation in diagnosis rates, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Dementia Intelligence Network has developed a tool for local systems, which includes an assessment of population characteristics, such as rurality and socio-economic deprivation. This enables systems to investigate local variation in diagnosis and take informed action to enhance their diagnosis rates. The tool has been released and is available via the NHS Futures Collaboration platform.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a cross-government strategy to tackle (a) health and (b) lifestyle factors that increase the risk of developing dementia. \p Stephen Kinnock: As part of the Government’s Health Mission, we will shift from sickness to prevention, to tackle ill health, prevent premature deaths, and build a fairer United Kingdom where everyone lives longer, healthier lives.

We have committed to developing a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with dementia care needs, with input from the public, patients, and health staff as we develop the plan. The plan is being co-produced with the health and care sector and the public.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to strengthen dementia diagnostic pathways. \p Stephen Kinnock: To support the implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, NHS England has developed a dashboard. The aim is to support commissioners and providers of memory services with appropriate data and enable targeted support where needed. NHS England has also supported the development of resources for integrated care boards (ICBs), including an integrated care system self-assessment framework, to support the design of integrated dementia pathways. NHS England's RightCare team has 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.

NHS England is hosting a series of webinars to share best practice in dementia for staff in memory assessment services, primary care, urgent and emergency care, and ICBs. To aid improvement in dementia diagnosis rate performance, NHS England has also initiated a regional delivery group to address variation and enhance diagnosis rates.

The Department delivers research into dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into diagnosing dementia, including investing in two dementia and neurodegeneration Policy Research Units to further boost evidence for policymaking. One of the units is undertaking a project to investigate the United Kingdom’s healthcare system’s readiness for using blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers at scale outside of specialist services.

The NIHR-funded CONGA trial is also seeking to improve the diagnostic process for dementia, providing more accurate evidence for clinicians and helping patients to get appropriate treatment quickly.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to increase the (a) number of specialists in and (b) level of training on young onset dementia in memory assessment services. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise that those with young onset dementia who draw on care and support have different ambitions and face different challenges to older age adults.

The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services, including the detection and diagnosis of dementia, and will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services.

Under Care Quality Commission Regulation 18: Staffing, persons employed by the service provider in the provision of a regulated activity must receive such appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision, and appraisal as is necessary to enable them to carry out the duties they are employed to perform. This would include receiving appropriate support to carry out duties linked to young onset dementia.

The required training needs are set out in the Dementia Training Standards Framework, commissioned and funded by the Department and developed in collaboration with the sector, which is available at the following link:

https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/info-hub/dementia-2015-updated-2018/
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Rebecca Long Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 13789 on Mental Health Services: Software, if his Department will commission a review into the quality of mental health support signposting provided by local NHS providers. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are working with NHS England to explore solutions that would more effectively meet some of the objectives around an app library, including building awareness of evidenced digital health technologies tailored effectively to the needs of different audiences, including commissioners, clinicians, and patients.
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Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve access to treatment for people with functional neurological disorder. \p Ashley Dalton: The majority of services for people with neurological conditions, including functional neurological disorder (FND), are commissioned locally. Integrated care board commissioners are best placed to configure services for their populations, and will be supported by clinical guidance.

At a national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including FND, such as the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme.

In 2023, the National Neurosciences Advisory Group developed a clinical pathway for FND, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nnag.org.uk/optimal-clinical-pathway-adults-fnd-functional-neurological-disorder

NHS England is in the process of updating the Specialised Neurology service specification. This will include FND, which is not included in the current published version. Service specifications are important in clearly defining the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also has guidance in place to support clinicians in the diagnosis of suspected neurological conditions, including FND. The NICE guidance, Suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral, updated in October 2023, includes guidance on FND, and outlines symptoms that are often common in FND, such as recurrent dizziness, limb or facial weakness, numbness and tingling, and difficulties with memory and concentration. The guidance also outlines that the severity of the symptoms of FND often fluctuate and increase during times of stress.

The NICE is also currently developing a guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders and acquired brain injury, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10181

FND will be included in the final guideline, which the NICE expects to publish in September 2025.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the increase in employer's National Insurance contributions on social care providers in South Suffolk constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have taken necessary decisions to provide stability to the country’s finances. The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care at an England level as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process.

To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26. Overall, core local government spending power is increasing by 6% in cash terms.

Suffolk County Council will receive a 5.7% cash terms increase in its core spending power for 2025/26, compared to 2024/25.
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Kim Leadbeater:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing subsidised dental care for patients undergoing chemotherapy. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises that patients with a cancer diagnosis can have specific dental needs. Free National Health Service dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:

- under 18 years old, or under 19 years old and in full-time education;

- pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months;

- being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist, although patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges; and

- receiving low-income benefits, or under 20 years old and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits.

Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for exemption or full remission of dental patient charges. In 2023/24, 49% of NHS dentistry courses of treatment were delivered to children and adults exempt from paying patient charges. While there are no current plans to extend the list of people eligible for free NHS dental care, the Government is working across the system to ensure that patients who have a diagnosis of cancer receive timely, safe and effective dental care. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 23850 on Health Services, when he plans to provide an update on whether Advice and Guidance arrangements are agreed as part of GP Contract negotiations. \p Stephen Kinnock: My Department and NHS England started consultation with the General Practitioners Committee in England, of the British Medical Association, on the 2025/26 GP Contract on 19 December and will consider all proposed policy changes, including Advice and Guidance arrangements. Final changes will be announced before April 2025 in the usual way, following the close of the consultation.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the backlog of people waiting for elective mental health care. \p Stephen Kinnock: Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need. Currently, the elective waiting list stands at 7.48 million patient pathways, with over six million people waiting. We are committed to putting patients first, making sure that patients are seen on time, and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care.

As set out in the Government’s Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. This includes those patients waiting for mental health services where the referral is made to a medical consultant-led mental health service.

The majority of National Health Service mental health care is outside the scope of the elective waiting list and the referral to treatment 18-week constitutional standard. With regard to mental health care more broadly, we know that too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that mental health is given the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it. We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment which will also help ease pressure on hospitals. We will also ensure every young person has access to a mental health professional at school, and will set up Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of NHS dentists in Torbay constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are determined to rebuild dentistry in the National Health Service. It will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions. 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 NHS dentists.

Integrated Care Boards have started to advertise posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will issue additional guidance to Integrated Care Boards on determining appropriate levels of funding for hospices to ensure equitable access to palliative care services across different regions. \p Stephen Kinnock: In England, 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 for adults, and children and young people. ICBs are responsible for commissioning palliative and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations. Further information on palliative and end of life care services’ statutory guidance, the guidance for adults, and the guidance for children is available, respectively, at the following three links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/palliative-and-end-of-life-care-statutory-guidance-for-integrated-care-boards-icbs/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/service-specifications-for-palliative-and-end-of-life-care-adults/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/service-specifications-for-palliative-and-end-of-life-care-children-and-young-people-cyp/

Whilst the majority of palliative 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 the end of life, and their loved ones.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations that receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between ICB areas. The variation is dependent on demand in the area, and on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB footprint.

I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders on 3 February to discuss the long-term sustainability of palliative and end of life care, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.
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Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support adult social care providers in Gloucester. \p Stephen Kinnock: To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025-26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

The additional funding available to Gloucestershire in 2025-26 means that they will see an increase to their Core Spending Power of up to 6.6% in cash terms.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to support the (a) development and (b) use of eye scans for diagnosing dementia. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services, including the detection and diagnosis of dementia, and will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services.

The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme is investing in biomarker innovations ranging from an artificial intelligence tool designed to improve the accuracy of blood tests for dementia, to using retinal scans to detect early-onset dementia decades before symptoms. Some of these innovations could support improved diagnosis in the future, if validated for clinical use.

The Department delivers dementia research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into diagnosing dementia, including investing nearly £11 million of funding to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia.

As part of the NIHR funded DaRe2THINK sub-study, researchers are using tests, including eye scans, to look at the effects of blood thinning medications on preserving brain function and assessing the real-time disease burden of dementia.
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Andy Slaughter:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider the merits of implementing safety recommendation R/2025/055 in the report by the Health Service Safety Investigations Body entitled Mental health inpatient settings: Creating conditions for the delivery of safe and therapeutic care to adults, published on 30 January 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are grateful to the Health Services Safety Investigations Body for their report on creating conditions for learning from deaths in mental health inpatient settings. The report highlights important concerns and safety recommendations that can help us to improve inpatient mental health services.

We will formally respond to all the recommendations for the Department made within this report in due course.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to refine the NHS Health Check to better identify dementia brain health risks. \p Stephen Kinnock: The NHS Health Check raises awareness of the actions people can take to reduce their risk of dementia and, for people aged 65 to 74 years old, the signs and symptoms of dementia, with signposting to memory services where appropriate. The Department will continue to work with NHS England to ensure the advice and guidance on dementia in the NHS Health Check is up to date.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-12 conversation_50

Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve public oral health education in rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: In England, local authorities are responsible for assessing the oral health needs, developing oral health strategies, and commissioning oral health improvement programmes for their local area. We have also published evidence-based resources for dental teams on preventive advice to improve their patients’ oral health. This is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention

We will be implementing a national targeted supervised toothbrushing programme to children aged three, four, and five years old living in our most deprived communities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-12 conversation_51

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of support provided by the NHS to people with ADHD after they have left full-time education. \p Stephen Kinnock: There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

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 ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and support across sectors, and their impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-12 conversation_52

Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve capacity in dementia diagnostics to facilitate access to new dementia treatments. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing. This will include more straight-to-test pathways, increasing and expanding community diagnostic centres (CDCs), and better use of technology. With 170 CDCs due to be up and running by the end of March 2025, CDCs can take on more of the growing diagnostic demand within elective care. We will also deliver additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding several existing CDCs and building up to five new ones.

To prepare for the new generation of dementia treatments in development, NHS England is working closely with regulators to ensure that arrangements are in place to support the adoption of any new licensed and treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence as soon as possible.

Alongside Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Gates Ventures and the People’s Postcode Lottery, the National Institute for Health Research is funding the Blood Biomarker Challenge which seeks to produce the clinical and economic data that could make the case for the use of a blood test in the NHS to support diagnosis of dementia.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-12 conversation_53

Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23853 on Pharmacy: Contracts, when he expects to conclude the consultation on the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework's 2025 to 2026 funding contract. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recently resumed its consultation on the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework regarding funding arrangements for 2024/25 and 2025/26. As is custom and practice, we expect to announce the outcome in a joint letter to contractors in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-12 conversation_54

Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department plans to (a) increase the number of scanners available for dementia diagnosis and (b) reduce diagnosis times for patients. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing. This will include more straight-to-test pathways, increasing and expanding community diagnostic centres (CDCs), and better use of technology.

With 170 CDCs due to be up and running by the end of March 2025, CDCs can take on more of the growing diagnostic demand within elective care. We will also deliver additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new ones.

Alongside Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Gates Ventures and the People’s Postcode Lottery, the National Institute for Health Research is funding the Blood Biomarker Challenge which seeks to produce the clinical and economic data that could make the case for the use of a blood test in the NHS to support diagnosis of dementia.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-12 conversation_55

Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings he has had with Community Pharmacy England since July 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: Ministers meet regularly with external stakeholders on a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, pharmacy. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly in arrears on the GOV.UK website.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-12 conversation_56

Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve access to NHS dentistry in Gloucester. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to Integrated Care Boards across England. For Gloucester constituency, this is NHS Gloucestershire ICB.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-12 conversation_57

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 26149, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the performance of ICBs in addressing gaps in service. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is for integrated care boards (ICBs) to ensure there is sufficient access to local services, which would include making assessments of gaps in provision. ICBs are responsible for planning and commissioning services which meet the healthcare needs of their local population and have a duty to produce a joint forward plan outlining how this will be achieved.

Under the National Health Service Act 2006, as amended by the Health and Care Act 2022, NHS England is required to assess the performance of each ICB and publish a summary of the outcomes of its assessments. This is available on the NHS England website for 2023/24.

NHS England’s assessment process involves an assessment of the ICB’s capacity and capability to deliver its legal responsibility for arranging healthcare, including primary care services for which NHS England has delegated this responsibility to ICBs. The NHS Oversight Framework sets out NHS England’s overall approach to ICB oversight and support. NHS England is planning to update this framework, along with its operating model, to support ICBs to deliver neighbourhood health.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-12 conversation_58

Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the accessibility of Fracture Liaison Services for people with osteoporosis. \p Ashley Dalton: Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%. We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030. That is what the Secretary of State promised before the election, and what he is delivering. In the meantime, we are investing in 14 high-tech DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans to ensure people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.