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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase capacity in community-based health and social care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Neighbourhood Health Service will increase access to care in the community and embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.

This will be achieved by increasing capacity in primary and community care settings for health and social care provision. We are committed to ensuring that there is higher growth in investment in primary and community services than in hospitals and to making the most of local community assets.

Neighbourhood health centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of health and care services on people’s doorsteps, joining up National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary sector services as a one-stop shop.

Through the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, we are supporting 43 areas across England to drive innovation and integration locally, accelerating improvements in outcomes, satisfaction, and experiences by ensuring care is more joined-up, accessible, and responsive to community needs.
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of part 2 overseas registration exam places to help increase the number of dentists delivering NHS care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The General Dental Council (GDC), as the independent regulator of dentists and dental care professionals in the UK, is responsible for overseeing provision of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE).

The GDC shortly expects to be able to announce the outcome of its procurement for a new provider to deliver the ORE from April 2026.

Once the new exam provider has been announced, the GDC will meet with me to present its action plan to reduce the waiting list for the ORE, including for those waiting to sit part 2 of the exam. This meeting will take place in the coming weeks. I will continue to meet regularly with the GDC to monitor and review progress as its plan is implemented.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of the 23 million (a) toothbrushes and (b) toothpastes will be provided to early years settings in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The information is not available at constituency level. In 2025/26, Buckinghamshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council have received 5,544 toothbrushes for use in early years settings, 4,812 toothpastes and 3,660 toothbrushes for children to take home. This equates to a proportion of 0.3% of the total allocation of products from our partnership with Colgate-Palmolive for this year. Product allocations are based on the number of 3-to-5-year children living in the 20% most deprived areas in England. Allocation of products for subsequent years will be confirmed in partnership with the councils and Colgate-Palmolive.
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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to formally recognise the contribution of community pharmacies to (a) NHS service delivery and (b) public health outcomes. \p Stephen Kinnock: This Government has repeatedly publicly recognised the valuable contribution to the National Health Service that community pharmacy makes as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the NHS, delivering a range of clinical services, providing access to medicine and supporting a range of public health outcomes.

That is why we agreed to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework by £617 million across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26, showing a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

We have further recognised, in our 10-Year Health Plan, that we can better use the skills of community pharmacy teams by expanding the services they offer and ensuring their vital role is recognised as we develop Neighbourhood Health Services helping to deliver the shift of care from hospitals into the community.
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Alistair Strathern:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help increase the availability of hydrocortisone for people with adrenal insufficiency. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department is aware of supply issues affecting hydrocortisone sodium phosphate 100 milligram /1 millilitre solution for injection and has been in contact with the supplier of the alternative, hydrocortisone sodium succinate 100 milligram powder which remains available for patients.

We have issued comprehensive management guidance to healthcare professionals on how to manage patients while supply is disrupted. The guidance highlighted the differences between the two hydrocortisone injections. It also included resources for patients and healthcare professionals on how to administer the alternative hydrocortisone injection. Any patient who is worried about their condition should speak to their clinician in the first instance.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken research into the potential impact of anti-depressants during pregnancy on unborn babies. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has funded research into this topic. Examples of relevant research include a study exploring antidepressant use during pregnancy to assess the benefits to mothers and long-term neurodevelopmental risks to children, and a project which aimed to create a computerised decision support tool to guide discussions between doctors and pregnant women about medication risks and benefits, ensuring a balance between maternal health and foetal protection.

In addition, the NIHR has supported research which investigated Neonatal Adaptation Syndrome, a cluster of symptoms like jitteriness and feeding difficulties, in babies exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors antidepressants in utero. This research aimed to understand the experiences of mothers and monitoring practices.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the link between access to independent advice and improved health and wellbeing outcomes. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Our 10-Year Health Plan sets out a range of proposals to help patients get the advice they need, ranging from building artificial intelligence-powered online advice into the NHS App to co-locating National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary sector services within Neighbourhood Health Centres so they can also offer services like debt advice, employment support, and smoking cessation or weight management services. Within acute hospital settings we are rolling out Martha’s Rule, which gives in-patients in acute provider sites who are concerned about physiological deterioration the right to initiate a rapid review of their case from someone outside of their immediate care team. Taken together, these measures will help to ensure that patients receive the support and advice they need to improve their health and wellbeing.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to reduce prescription drug-related deaths in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government has taken decisive action to reduce prescription drug-related deaths in England by tackling overprescribing and improving patient safety. In September 2021, the Department published the National Overprescribing Review, which set out measures to ensure that patients receive the most appropriate treatment. These measures include better use of technology, more effective prescription reviews, and alternatives to medicines where clinically appropriate.

In March 2023, NHS England issued a framework entitled Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms. This framework sets out five actions for integrated care boards, focusing on the early identification of risk, personalised care planning, and shared decision-making to support safe tapering of medication and alternative treatments. These steps aim to improve patient outcomes by reducing harm from dependency-forming medicines such as opioids and benzodiazepines.

Integrated care boards are the National Health Service organisations responsible for arranging the provision of health services within their area in line with local population need and taking account of relevant guidance.
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Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that weight loss injections can only be prescribed following a face-to-face meeting with a GP who can determine that the patient (a) does not have too low a BMI and (b) signs of an eating disorder. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department is considering how the current prescribing system operates in relation to patient access to medicines through private, or non-National Health Service, routes. This includes online prescribing. A call for evidence was launched in August 2025 seeking feedback from individuals and organisations to ensure that the current systems remain fit for purpose.

The General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) updated guidance states that prescribers are expected to verify the information given to them by the patient to ensure that any medicines prescribed are appropriate. This could be through a video consultation, using a patient’s clinical record, or contacting the patient’s general practitioner. This helps to safeguard vulnerable patients.

If anyone has concerns about prescribing decisions or believes a medicine has been prescribed inappropriately, they can raise concerns with the prescriber’s professional regulator, for instance the General Medical Council or GPhC, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gmc-uk.org/concerns/supporting-you-with-your-concern

In addition to the duty of the prescriber, patients themselves must be honest when providing information to an online prescriber so that they receive advice and medicines which are appropriate for them, so that risks can be managed.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to tackle the illegal sale of prescription drugs in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the regulation of medicines for human use, medical devices, and blood products for transfusion 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.

Prescription-only medicines should only be obtained following a consultation with a doctor or qualified healthcare professional so that an assessment is made of the patient's suitability for the treatment and to consider any potential risks. Usually, such products should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy against a valid prescription.

Sourcing medicines from unregulated suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not authorised for use. Products purchased in this way will not meet the MHRA’s strict quality and safety standards and could expose patients to incorrect dosages or dangerous ingredients.

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 and takes robust enforcement action where necessary. It works closely with other health regulators, customs authorities, local authorities, law enforcement agencies, and private sector partners, including e-commerce and the internet industry to identify, remove, and block online content promoting the illegal sale of medicines and medical devices.

The MHRA seeks to identify and, where appropriate, prosecute sellers responsible for putting public health at risk. Last year, the MHRA and its partners seized more than 17 million doses of illegally traded medicines, including those usually issued on prescription. Further information on our recent enforcement activity is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-smashes-majorillicitweight-loss-medicine-production-facility-in-record-seizure

Additionally, the MHRA has also disrupted thousands of links to websites and social media pages selling medical products to the public illegally.

The MHRA’s FakeMeds campaign provides advice to people in the United Kingdom who are considering buying medication online, outlining how products can be accessed from a safe and legitimate source. Further information on the FakeMeds campaign is available at the following link:

https://fakemeds.campaign.gov.uk/

Anyone who believes they’ve had a side effect from a medicine, or think they’ve received falsified stock, can report it to the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme. Further information on the Yellow Card scheme is available at the following link:

https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will review the current appeals process for NHS prescription penalty charges to ensure that reasonable discretion is applied in cases of (a) genuine mistake and (b) hardship. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: There are no plans to review the appeals process. The Real Time Exemption Checking Service in England (RTEC) helps pharmacy teams confirm whether a patient holds a valid exemption from National Health Service prescription charges quickly while in the pharmacy. The RTEC provides assurance to patients and pharmacy teams that exemptions are being claimed correctly.

It is also a patient’s responsibility to be aware of their entitlement and to ensure they take appropriate steps to legitimately enable them to claim exemption from charges. Further information on this is available on the NHS.UK website and the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) website, which are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/prescriptions/check-if-you-can-get-free-prescriptions/

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-help-health-costs

Patients can also use the NHS BSA eligibility checker, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/dont-get-caught-out-penalty-charges/check-you-tick

Where a patient is unsure if they are entitled to exemption from NHS prescription charges, they should pay the applicable charges and request an FP57 receipt and refund form at the point at which they pay the prescription charge. They can then claim a refund from the pharmacy within three months of paying the prescription charge once they have evidence of exemption.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure people with Huntington's disease have equitable access to mental health services. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Access to mental health services is based on clinical need, including for people with Huntington’s disease.

We know that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need and waiting times to access mental health services are too long. We are determined to change that. Backed by an extra £688 million in Government funding this year, we are transforming mental health services – hiring more staff, delivering more talking therapies sessions, and getting waiting lists down through our 10-Year Health Plan.

National Health Service Talking Therapies - Long Term Conditions services have been established across the country to support integrated pathways between Talking Therapies services and physical health pathways for people with long term conditions, including neurological conditions. All integrated care boards are expected to expand services locally by commissioning NHS Talking Therapies services integrated into physical healthcare pathways.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Gaza injured children scheme on NHS capacity in the regions hosting treated patients. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The United Kingdom Government is partnered with the World Health Organisation who provide a list of potential patients compiled by Gazan medical specialists for a team of expert National Health Service clinical leaders to review and match Gazan children needing highly specialist medical care, with where capacity exists within the NHS for treatment.

Each child will be assessed based on their individual medical needs. This is a considered process to ensure that treatment in the UK is in the best interests of each individual child.

NHS treatment for a very small number of Gazan children should not impact the day to day running of the NHS service.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to help improve dyslexia screening of adults. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Adults who wish to be assessed for dyslexia are advised to contact a local or national dyslexia association for advice. Further information on dyslexia assessments can be found on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/diagnosis/
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to support adaptive clinical trials for cannabinoid treatments tailored to children with drug-resistant epilepsy. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is funding two trials to investigate the safety and efficacy of cannabinoid treatments for drug-resistant epilepsy in both adults and children. Further detail on the trials can be found on the NIHR’s website, at the following link:

https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR131309

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with epilepsy, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments. We are working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future, including treatments for epilepsy.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of appraisal processes for (a) Freidrich’s Ataxia, (b) Neiman Pick’s disease and (c) other rare diseases for exceptional conditions. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) methods have been proven to be suitable for the evaluation of rare disease medicines, where companies are willing to price their medicines fairly. NICE’s approval rate for medicines for rare diseases is in line with its overall approval rate for new medicines, with 91% of medicines licensed for rare diseases recommended for some or all of the eligible patient population since April 2024.

NICE initiated an appraisal of Skyclarys (omaveloxolone) for the treatment of Friedrich’s Ataxia for people aged 16 years old and over but has had to terminate its appraisal as the company has withdrawn its evidence submission. NICE will review its decision if the company decides to make a new submission. Olipudase alfa for treating Niemann-Pick disease types B and AB was evaluated through NICE’s highly specialised technologies (HST) programme, which is reserved for a small number of medicines for very rare and very severe diseases. The HST programme uses a much higher cost-effectiveness threshold than a standard NICE appraisal that recognises the challenges of developing medicines for very small patient populations. NICE’s independent evaluation committee recognised that the evidence showed that the treatment improved lung function but found that there were uncertainties in the economic model. Even when taking into account the substantial clinical benefits of treatment and the higher threshold, it was unable to recommend it as a cost-effective use of National Health Service resources.
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Dan Aldridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia is expected to be published in 2026 and will deliver rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.

We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of specialist paediatric palliative medicine consultants within Frimley Integrated Care Board. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care and end of life care is wide-ranging, provided by generalist as well as specialist healthcare professionals, and is not disease or diagnosis specific. A large proportion of palliative and end of life care is not provided by palliative care specialists and, therefore, it is difficult to quantify the totality of the NHS workforce providing palliative and end of life care.

This Government is committed to publishing a 10-Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10-Year Workforce Plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

The Department and NHS England are currently working at pace to develop plans on how best to improve the access, quality and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS England Medium Term Planning Framework – delivering change together 2026/27 to 2028/29, published 24 October 2025, what steps his Department is taking to measure the same day appointments for all clinically urgent patients (face to face, phone or online) success measure. \p Stephen Kinnock: As part of our recently published Medium-Term Planning Framework, we have introduced a new and ambitious target to ensure all urgent appointments are provided on the same day, so that patients requiring urgent care are prioritised, irrespective of how they are delivered, whether it be face-to-face, via telephone, or online. At present, 44.4% of appointments are already delivered on the same day they are booked

We have always valued input from a range of stakeholders on the future of general practice and continue to engage with general practitioners broadly to ensure the targets are achievable, reflect the needs of the populations they serve, and to understand any barriers to delivery.
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to clear the backlog for the Overseas Registration Exam. \p Stephen Kinnock: The General Dental Council (GDC), as the independent regulator of dentists and dental care professionals in the United Kingdom, is responsible for overseeing provision of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE).

The GDC shortly expects to be able to announce the outcome of its procurement for a new provider to deliver the ORE from April 2026.

Once the new exam provider has been announced, the GDC will meet with me to present its action plan to reduce the waiting list for the ORE. This meeting will take place in the coming weeks. I will continue to meet regularly with the GDC to monitor and review progress as its plan is implemented.
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Stuart Andrew:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle travel costs for (a) children and (b) young people under 25 with cancer; and whether he plans to include policies on this matter within the national cancer plan. \p Ashley Dalton: Since its launch on 4 February 2025, the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce has been exploring opportunities for clinical and non-clinical improvement across a range of areas via a series of monthly taskforce meetings. To date, these meetings have focused specifically on developing a clear set of commitments for inclusion in the National Cancer Plan.

The Department is aware of the unique challenges that children aged up to 16 years old and young adults under 25 years old with cancer face and the work of the taskforce has focused on both of these patient groups.

The taskforce has considered opportunities for improving early detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience, which includes issues like travel. This is in recognition of the fact that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families.

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of local communities are met, including providing support for travel. The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional. Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or Personal Independence Payment. There are also a number of United Kingdom charities who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.

The National Cancer Plan, due for publication early next year, will set out further details on the work of the taskforce and Department’s plans to improve outcomes for children and young people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years, for all patient groups, including children and young people.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide funding for specialist dementia leads within GP surgeries. \p Stephen Kinnock: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline NG97 recommends that individuals should be referred to a specialist dementia diagnostic service, such as a memory clinic or community old age psychiatry service, if reversible causes of cognitive decline have been investigated and dementia is still suspected.

The Dementia Care Pathway: Full implementation guidance emphasises the need to ensure general practitioners (GPs) are supported in providing dementia diagnosis with education and training programmes, such as Dementia Revealed: What Primary Care Needs to Know, a resource for GPs and practice nurses who have no previous experience of diagnosing and treating dementia.

Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services.

We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework to deliver rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.

The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of men treated for prostate cancer in (a) South Holland and the Deeping constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in 2024. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department holds information on the number of patients treated for prostate cancer broken down into trusts rather than constituencies. However, using data from the three main trusts in South Holland and the Deeping constituency and Lincolnshire, it is possible to provide the number of patients treated for prostate cancer in 2024 at these trusts.

The three trusts that the data comes from are the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, and the United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The number of patients treated for prostate cancer at each trust was 1,170, 532, and 1,333 respectively.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to children in voluntary foster care who have (a) drug dependency and (b) mental health needs; and whether he has made an assessment of access to (i) therapy and (ii) treatment for such children. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department for Education’s National Minimum Standards for fostering makes it clear that local authorities should ensure that children in their care should have prompt access to doctors and other health professionals, including specialist services such as those supporting mental health and drug dependency, when they need these services. Further information on the National Minimum Standards for fostering is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fostering-services-national-minimum-standards

Local authority commissioned community drug and alcohol treatment is free and accessible to all those who need it, including children and young people in voluntary foster care. Funding for alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services is provided through the Public Health Grant (PHG). In addition to the PHG, in 2025/26, the Department of Health and Social Care is providing a total of £310 million in additional targeted grants to improve drug and alcohol treatment services and recovery support to ensure that those in need can access high quality help and support. This includes children and young people with, or at risk of developing, drug and/or alcohol problems. As a result of recent increases in funding, as of August 2025, there were 4,374 more children and young people in drug and alcohol treatment. In 2024, 10% of under 18 year olds in drug and alcohol treatment were in care.

For children and young people in distress or struggling with their mental health, including those in voluntary foster care, fast access to early, high-quality support is critical. That is why the 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by expanding mental health support teams in schools and colleges in England, to reach full national coverage by 2029. This will build on the work that has already begun, including providing mental health support for almost one million more young people in schools this year and investing an extra £688 million in Government funding to transform mental health services, hire more staff, and deliver more early interventions.
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Paul Davies: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 (a) level of rollout completion and (b) uptake rates of lung cancer screening programmes in each area where those services have been commissioned. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Lung Cancer Screening Programme is designed to identify lung cancer at an earlier stage, particularly among people at highest risk. The programme offers screening to individuals aged 55 to 74 years old with a history of smoking, recognising that lung cancer disproportionately affects people living in more deprived areas.

The National Health Service is currently rolling out the programme across England. The Public Health Functions Agreement between the Department and NHS England sets a target to invite 50% of the eligible population by March 2026, with full implementation planned by the end of the decade.

To encourage uptake of lung screening, the NHS in England is directly targeting activity at areas that we know will make a difference. This includes awareness campaigns such as the NHS Help Us, Help You campaign, to increase awareness of cancer symptoms, including lung cancer, and encourage people to get checked.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to provide hospices with funding to raise staff pay in line with nationally agreed NHS pay rises. \p Stephen Kinnock: The impact that National Health Service pay uplifts will have on the hospice sector will depend on the structure of the charity, including the number of employees and salary levels.

Independent organisations, such as charities and social enterprises, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment, including the pay scales. It is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate, and how to recoup any additional costs they face if they choose to utilise the terms and conditions of NHS staff on the Agenda for Change contract.

NHS England has issued guidance on the implementation of the 2024/25 pay awards. Providers of NHS-commissioned services should direct questions to their commissioners, their local integrated care board or NHS England regional team, on the application to their specific contract arrangements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what quantity of illegal meat was seized from (a) shops and (b) restaurants in England in each of the last five years. \p Ashley Dalton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not hold United Kingdom-wide local authority seizure data centrally. This data is held by individual local authorities.

Where a non-compliant product, for example illegal meat, is identified in-land, the FSA works closely with local authority partners. These partners are responsible for this aspect of enforcement and for the removal of non-compliant products from potential sale in the UK market. This work is supported by the FSA’s National Food Crime Unit, in conjunction with wider FSA teams.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-10 conversation_227

Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to Integrated Care Boards to support the delivery of children’s community health services in each of the last three years. \p Stephen Kinnock: Children’s community health services are part of integrated care board (ICB) core commissioning responsibilities. ICBs are given a non-ring-fenced allocation from which to commission services to meet these responsibilities and therefore there is no separate allocation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-10 conversation_228

Mr Calvin Bailey: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 article entitled European Study of Prostate Cancer Screening - 23 Year Follow-up published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 29 October 2025; and if he will ensure that this research is considered as part of the UK National Screening Committee’s review of prostate cancer screening options. \p Ashley Dalton: The article European Study of Prostate Cancer Screening – 23 Year Follow-up was published after the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) completed its formal modelling report as part of its evidence review into prostate cancer screening.

However, given that it is a peer-reviewed update to one of only two large-scale prostate cancer screening trials, the UK NSC Secretariat has checked the key results of this research against the UK NSC’s evidence review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of effectiveness of the Carr-Hill formula. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Carr-Hill formula is outdated, as the formula is based on data that is 25 years old in some cases. It uses the expected workload of general practices (GPs) to determine the distribution of funding for GPs across England. Currently, GPs serving more deprived areas receive on average 10% less funding per patient when adjusted for need than those in less deprived communities, despite having greater health needs and significantly higher patient-to-GP ratios.

We recognise the importance of ensuring that funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 25 June that, through the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government will review the Carr-Hill formula with the aim of ensuring that resources are targeted where they are most needed.

The review, conducted by National Institute for Health and Care Research, has now commenced. It will draw on a range of evidence and advice from experts, with a focus on how health need is reflected in funding.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

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Layla Moran:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to introduce screening for asymptomatic heart conditions in young people in sports settings. \p Ashley Dalton: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 October 2025 to Question 78454.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve the early detection of liver cancer as part of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The early diagnosis of cancers, including liver cancer, is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, in order to improve outcomes. The Department received over 11,000 responses to its call for evidence and has engaged extensively with patients, clinicians, and charities to help shape the plan’s priorities, including partners representing liver cancer charities.

In addition, the National Health Service in England and public health partners are taking immediate action to improve the early diagnosis of liver cancer.

The NHS and public health partners promote awareness of the risk factors and symptoms for liver disease and liver cancer, including through the early identification of hepatitis B and C and the management of underlying liver disease, to help reduce the risk of late diagnosis.

The NHS England cancer programme is working to detect more hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) at an early stage, when the chances of survival are higher. This includes through Community Liver Health Checks and liver primary care case finding, to identify people with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis requiring HCC surveillance. NHS England is also expanding access to diagnostic tests, including imaging and pathology, through community diagnostic centres, which have now delivered more than 8.7 million tests, checks, and scans since July 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the capacity of NHS dental services in Chichester constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Chichester constituency, this is the NHS Sussex ICB.

We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from 1 April 2025. The NHS Sussex ICB is expected to deliver 26,546 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

ICBs are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.

We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the UK’s cancer survival rate was in (a) 2021-2022, (b) 2022-2023, (c) 2023-2024 and (d) 2024-2025. \p Ashley Dalton: The most recent statistics for cancer survival are for cancer diagnosed from 2016 to 2020 and followed up to 2021. They can be found at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-survival-in-england/cancers-diagnosed-2016-to-2020-followed-up-to-2021

Furthermore, the publication Cancer survival: Index for sub-Integrated Care Boards, 2005 to 2020 summarises the one-year cancer survival by sub-integrated care boards for all cancers combined from 2005 to 2020 and followed up to 2021. This publication is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-survival-in-england/index-for-sub-integrated-care-boards-2005-to-2020

The latest cancer survival statistics are due to be published on 13 November 2025. The published data will provide information on cancer survival in England for cancers diagnosed 2018 to 2022 and followed up to 2023.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-10 conversation_234

Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many civil servants in his Department are working on the Independent commission into adult social care; whether any (a) Commissioners and (b) other external appointees have been (i) appointed and (ii) assigned to support the work of the Commission; and what the budget for the Commission is in the current financial year. \p Stephen Kinnock: There is a total of ten officials assigned to work on the Independent Commission into adult social care (the Commission). Eight are employed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and two by the Cabinet Office. There are a further four officials working in the Commission’s sponsorship function based in DHSC.

There are currently no Commissioners appointed, and one external individual has been hired as contingent labour to support the work of the Commission.

As the Commission is independent, the secretariat may expand as it carries out its work, and as Baroness Casey considers what further skills and expertise she needs.