theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_58

Sarah Pochin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish all risk assessments conducted by his Department into the administration of puberty blockers for under 16 year-olds. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: In March 2024, NHS England published a suite of documentation relating to its decision to remove gonadotrophin releasing hormone analogues as a routine treatment option in the National Health Service for children under 18 years old with gender dysphoria. This documentation included a review of the published evidence, which concluded that there is very limited evidence about safety, risks, benefits, and outcomes for the use of this medication in children with gender dysphoria.

Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led. In 2024, the Government introduced an indefinite ban on the sale and supply of puberty blockers via private prescriptions for the treatment of gender incongruence and/or gender dysphoria for under 18 year olds.

As part of that legislation the Government conducted a targeted consultation and sought advice on patient safety from the independent Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) and the Cass Review. The Government response to the consultation, the full report of the CHM, and the Cass review are available publicly, and respectively, at the following three links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chms-report-on-proposed-changes-to-the-availability-of-puberty-blockers/commission-on-human-medicines-report-on-proposed-permanent-order-to-restrict-the-sale-and-supply-of-gnrh-agonists-in-children-and-young-people-under-1

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20250310143633/https://cass.independent-review.uk/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the permanent exclusion of people who have used tanning injections is consistent with the current evidence base on the persistence of bloodborne infection risks. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The safety of blood is of the utmost importance. Donor exclusion policies are in place to maintain safety and are mandated in the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005: The Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005, which are available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/50/schedule/part/3/paragraph/2n3

Similarly to individuals with a history of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV, those with a history of non-prescribed intravenous or intramuscular drug use are permanently deferred from donating blood.

The Joint United Kingdom (UK) Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services’ Professional Advisory Committee produces guidance documents for UK blood services which outline the risks posed by tanning injections in the Addiction and Drug Abuse guideline and the Blood Safety Entry guideline, which are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://transfusionguidelines.org/dsg/wb/guidelines/ad001-addiction-and-drug-abuse

https://www.transfusionguidelines.org/dsg/wb/guidelines/bl008-blood-safety-entry

Their Whole Blood and Component Donor Selection Guidelines, which includes the guidance relating to injectable tanning agents, were last updated on 18 July 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Sarah Pochin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that puberty blockers are not administered to under 16 year old children with a mental illness or learning disabilities. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government has introduced an indefinite ban on the sale or supply of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues, also known as puberty blockers, for gender dysphoria and/or incongruence, to under 18 year olds.

Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led. That’s why we are following expert, independent advice from the Cass Review to implement a package of research to find out how the National Health Service can best support children and young people with gender incongruence.

This includes the PATHWAYS trial which has received independent scientific, ethical, and regulatory approvals as well as comprehensive review. The study design, including inclusion criteria and safety protocols, has been thoroughly scrutinised to protect young people's wellbeing. This includes demonstrating a good understanding of the intervention and the possible benefits and risks.

When making prescribing decisions, clinicians have a duty to work with their patient to decide on the best course of treatment, and must always satisfy themselves that the medicines they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed, taking into account any existing medical conditions or other factors including any disabilities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Gareth Snell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a pharmacist can use an Adrenaline Auto-Injector from their pharmacy on someone having an anaphylactic emergency. \p Ashley Dalton: While adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) are prescription only medicines, given by intramuscular injection, regulation 238 of the Human Medicine Regulations 2012 allows anyone to administer adrenaline for the purpose of saving a life in an emergency. This includes first-aid responders, although this does require the patient to have their AAI with them.

The decision to administer adrenaline is always subject to the pharmacist’s professional judgement. If a pharmacist administers adrenaline, they must also dial 999 for an ambulance, reporting a case of suspected anaphylaxis.

In June 2023, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with the support of allergy awareness advocates, launched a safety campaign to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and provide advice on the use of AAIs. The MHRA produced a toolkit of resources for health and social care professionals to support the safe and effective use of AAIs. Alongside this, the MHRA produced guidance, which states that prescribers should prescribe two AAIs to make sure patients always have the second dose and that those who are prescribed AAIs should carry two AAIs at all times.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment on the potential merits of allowing the use of prescribed medical cannabis within NHS buildings. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: National Health Service trusts have a duty of care to both staff and patients, as outlined in the NHS constitution, to ensure a safe working and care environment. This will include local policies concerning the use and administration of a patient’s own medicines.

The law was amended in 2018 to permit specialist doctors to prescribe unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use. While smoking these medicines is banned, vaping and other forms of administration are not prohibited. Regardless of the form of administration, it is always advisable for patients to declare any medicines prescribed, whether on the NHS or privately, and discuss them with their clinical team upon admission.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to enhance digital interoperability between NHS services. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Digital interoperability between National Health Services will be supported through the use of information standards, published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. This has been amended by the Health and Care Act 2022, and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, to make new information standards mandatory, including for regulated providers of health and adult social care, and including private providers, and their suppliers of IT services.

Information standards set the requirements, including data structure, that must be followed when health and adult social care information is used, shared, or otherwise processed, allowing for information to flow between organisations that use different systems, in real time. NHS England is introducing mandatory information standards in a staged process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing research funding for myalgic encephalomyelitis within NHS services in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government is determined to accelerate progress in the treatment and management of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), including through addressing barriers to research. We have outlined our approach to supporting ME/CFS research in the ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan, which was published in July. These steps include a research showcase event, a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical interventions, and the announcement of new funded studies in health and care services and research infrastructure and capacity building. We will continue working with the ME/CFS community to identify and address barriers to research, with the ambition of supporting more research and capacity-building programmes.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including ME/CFS. Research funding is available, and applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. The NIHR works closely with regional National Health Service trusts through funding research infrastructure and research delivery staff embedded in NHS organisations, ensuring research is translated into practice.

The NIHR and the Medical Research Council have provided over £3.2 million towards the DecodeME study to investigate if there is a genetic component to the condition. Preliminary findings from DecodeME indicate genetic differences in eight areas linked to the immune and nervous systems in people with ME/CFS. This discovery of specific genetic signals may help us understand the biological pathways involved in ME/CFS in the future, informing the development of diagnostics and treatments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Gill Furniss:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the switch from analogue to digital health services is inclusive of people whose first language is British Sign Language. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government has set out a commitment to make the NHS App British Sign Language accessible in the 10-Year Health Plan, which covers the period to 2035.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve local mental-health crisis support. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Nationally, progress has been achieved in building more robust crisis care pathways across all ages and in all regions, ensuring that people in a mental health crisis can receive the right care. This includes the introduction of the ‘mental health’ option for NHS 111 and the opening of new mental health crisis centres to provide accessible and responsive care for individuals in a mental health crisis.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our ambitions to go further by developing up to 85 dedicated mental health emergency departments so that patients get fast, same-day access to specialist support in an appropriate setting. This expansion builds on a number of early implementer sites that have been established in recent years by local health systems to provide a dedicated therapeutic alternative to emergency departments for individuals in a mental health crisis.

The plan also sets out our plans to transform mental health services to improve access and treatment, and to promote good mental health and wellbeing for the nation. This includes improving assertive outreach, investing in neighbourhood mental health centres, and increasing access to talking therapies and evidence-based digital interventions.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to include provisions relating to the treatment and care of people with eating disorders in the forthcoming modern service framework for mental health. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The exact scope of the modern service framework for people with severe mental illness is currently under development with external stakeholders, but we expect that it will include care and treatment for people with eating disorders.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Government of Montserrat regarding the requirement that patients accept full financial liability for medivac costs and all overseas medical expenses prior to emergency evacuation, and whether this policy is consistent with UK support for the territory’s health budget and obligations under Article 73 of the UN Charter. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office provides budget support to the Government of Montserrat. Specific healthcare budget allocations are a matter for the Government of Montserrat. The United Kingdom Government fulfils all its responsibilities under Article 73 of the United Nations Charter to promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the overseas territories.
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Gill Furniss:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure greater provision of British Sign Language across the NHS. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local population, which includes responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters to support patients in the community.

All National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of people with a disability, impairment or sensory loss, including people using BSL.

On 30 June 2025, a revised AIS was published. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using these services.

I also recently attended and spoke at a parliamentary event highlighting the BSL Advisory Board health and social care report and we will be considering its findings.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 77546 on NHS: Strikes, whether (a) paid and (b) unpaid trade union facility time can be used for NHS staff who are trade union representatives to take part in campaigning on (i) ballots and (ii) industrial action. \p Karin Smyth: It is for each National Health Service employer and representatives of locally recognised trades unions to agree in partnership to local arrangements and procedures on time off and facilities that are appropriate in local circumstances and whether that time off is paid or unpaid. Local arrangements should also specify the circumstances when time off may be refused for either representatives or members and are expected to be consistent with the principles set out in Section 25 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service Code of Practice on time off for trade union duties and activities. Section 25 specifies that trade union representatives should make a request to their employer in advance when seeking time off for unpaid trade union activities. The request should include details such as the purpose of the absence, the timing, and the expected duration so the employer can give fair and due consideration of the request. The employer should not unreasonably refuse such requests, but the granting of time off should always be balanced against the needs of the service and what would be considered reasonable in the circumstances.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 77546 on NHS: Strikes, whether NHS staff who are on strike may be paid by another NHS trust for undertaking (a) agency and (b) locum during the strike. \p Karin Smyth: Regulation 7 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 stipulates that striking National Health Service staff can work for another NHS trust on days of industrial action as long as they do not do so via an employment business to cover the work of striking workers. Some employment contracts may require employees to either declare to or seek permission from their primary employer before working with another employer, and further guidance for employers can be found on the NHS Employers website. In addition, doctors should refer to the Good Medical Practice Guide issued by the General Medical Council (GMC) when making decisions about working during periods of strike action. The GMC advises that doctors who are due to work but are not attending because of strike action should remain prepared and available during their scheduled hours in case circumstances change.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Steve Barclay:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his NHS Pay Review Body remit letter: 2026 to 2027, what the expected annual financial impact is of changes to the implementation of the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme. \p Karin Smyth: This specific assessment has not been made. No recent changes have been made to the Job Evaluation Scheme (JES) itself. Some job profiles have been updated to be assessed against locally.

Following a national review by the Job Evaluation Group, the updated nursing and midwifery national profiles were republished by the NHS Staff Council on 3 June 2025. These changes did not change implementation of the JES or banding outcomes. During the evidence collection process for the nursing and midwifery national profile review, we were made aware that job documentation was often outdated, leading to concerns about pay banding outcomes through inconsistent local application of the JES.

Any financial impact will largely depend on current local job evaluation practices and subsequent application of the revised profiles. The NHS England letter titled Agenda for Change non-pay deal recommendations – NHS job evaluation, dated 3 June 2025, was clear with employers that where there is out of date practice, they are accountable for correctly implementing the scheme and must ensure that all changes are implemented effectively within existing budget constraints.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on the rollout of universal thrombectomy services. \p Karin Smyth: Department ministers regularly have discussions with colleagues across Government on issues of cross-border interest. There have been no specific meetings held recently on thrombectomy services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prevent industrial action within NHS services in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Karin Smyth: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and officials from the Department, on his behalf, regularly meet with representatives of the health trade unions to understand the views and concerns of the National Health Service’s workforces in England, which they represent. He has been clear that he wants to continue to work constructively with all trade unions to improve the working conditions of all NHS staff and avoid unnecessary industrial action.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has accepted all headline pay recommendations from the independent pay review bodies for 2025/26 so that all NHS staff in England received a fair and sustainable pay rise, has committed to funding improvements to the Agenda for Change pay structure for staff such as porters, nurses, and paramedics, and is working with NHS England to implement a 10 point plan to improve resident doctors’ working lives.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care made a written offer on 5 November to the British Medical Association Resident Doctors Committee (BMA RDC) which included measures to tackle bottlenecks in training, put money back in resident doctors' pockets, and ensure that there is consistent implementation of existing contractual entitlements. Unfortunately, the BMA RDC rejected this just hours after being set out in a letter to them, instead choosing to proceed with the damaging strike action taken between 14 and 19 November 2025.
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Patrick Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the per patient funding was in (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 for (i) Central Suffolk and North Ipswich ICB and (ii) England. \p Karin Smyth: The total recurrent revenue allocation per head figures for the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB), as well as for England overall, can be found from the ICB allocations published on the NHS England website. The column titled ‘Recurrent Allocation £/head’ in each allocations tab provides the per-patient funding figure both by ICB and for England as a whole:

- allocations for 2023/24 to 2024/25 are available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/icb-allocations-combined-2023-24-and-2024-25-v1.2.xlsx; and

- allocations for 2025/26 are available at the following link:  https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/icb-allocations-combined-2025-26-v1.3.xlsx.

The figures represent the total recurrent revenue allocation per head based on National Health Service registered populations as assumed at the time allocations were set. Consecutive years are not directly comparable as the delegated responsibilities of ICBs changed over time. Capital and non-recurrent revenue are not included in this summary, and specialist services were not delegated in 2023/24 and were commissioned directly by NHS England.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of training for people performing (a) newborn hearing tests and (b) audiology testing in children. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the reasons for increases in levels of lead poisoning in children. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Stuart Andrew:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what meetings or engagements Ministers or senior officials from his department have had with any of the following patient organisations to discuss newborn screening: (a) Genetic Alliance UK (b) UK LSD Collaborative (c) UK Newborn Screening Collaborative (d) ArchAngel MLD Trust (e) MPS Society (f) MLD Support Association UK (g) SMA UK (h) Immunodeficiency UK (i) Alex, The Leukodystrophy Charity (j) Metabolic Support UK, since July 2024. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many consultations his Department has launched since 4 July 2024; and if he will list them. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve audiology screening for (a) children and (b) newborns. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Stuart Andrew:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the National Screening Committee and the newborn screening programme appropriately consider rare diseases. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what resources i) his department and ii) the NHS is providing to support those wards within the government Pride in Place program in a) Telford, b) West Midlands and c) England. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve training on racial bias. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve respiratory health and care. \p Karin Smyth: The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.

Through the community diagnostic centres, we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get tested for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates.

We are also focused on expanding capacity and improving quality in pulmonary rehabilitation delivery to support patients living with respiratory conditions.

We are also taking action to reduce the causes of respiratory conditions such as enabling a smoke free generation and cross Government action to improve air quality.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much her Department spent with private sector providers of (a) diagnostic and imaging services (b) elective surgery (c) mental health services (d) community and primary care services for each year from 2015 to date. \p Karin Smyth: The information is not held in the format requested, breaking down private sector spend by these exact categories. However, the annual reports and accounts for the Department provide figures for total National Health Service spending with non-NHS, including private, voluntary, local authority, and other, providers. The following table shows the total spend with non-NHS providers and the spend on private providers within that figure, for each year from 2015/16 to 2023/34:

Year

Total spend with non-NHS providers (£bn)

Of which, spend with private providers (£bn)

2015/16

12.2

8.7

2016/17

12.7

9

2017/18

13

9

2018/19

13.7

9.2

2019/20

14.4

9.7

2020/21

18.4

12.1

2021/22

17

10.9

2022/23

16.6

11

2023/24

18.1

12.4

Source: the Department of Health and Social Care annual reports and accounts of activity and services for 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, and 2018/19 to 2023/24, with further information available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dhsc-annual-reports-and-accounts
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to update healthcare professional regulation. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.

As a first step, we aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in early 2026 and to lay this legislation before Parliament in the same year. We also plan to update the governing legislation of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council, as well as introducing a statutory barring system for National Health Service managers in England, within the current parliamentary period.
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John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of how much the NHS budget will need to grow to keep pace with patient need, drug prices, inflation and private finance debt in each of the next five years. \p Karin Smyth: The financial pressures and the cost of new commitments for the National Health Service are analysed as part of the Spending Review process. The outcome of the most recent Spending Review is given in the policy paper Spending Review 2025, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2025-document/spending-review-2025-html

As set out in the document, this level of funding growth will support the NHS to deliver on the Government's priorities, including delivery of the Government’s Plan for Change commitment, meaning that by the end of this Parliament, 92% of patients will start consultant led treatment for nonurgent conditions within 18 weeks of referral.

At the 2025 Autumn Budget, the Government protected the NHS envelope announced at the 2025 Spending Review. This will see the NHS in England receive an over £15 billion real terms increase in annual resource budgets by the end of the period, between 2025/26 and 2028/29.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_88

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to care for menopause treatment across the country. \p Karin Smyth: The Government acknowledges that women suffering from symptoms of menopause have been failed for far too long, and the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships, and participation in the workplace.

In October 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced that menopause will be added to the NHS Health Checks from 2026. Local authorities will be asked to include menopause to the check for eligible women aged 40 to 55 years old who attend. This will support up to five million eligible women across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms and where to seek support when they need it the most.

We are also renewing the Women’s Health Strategy for England to set out next steps to improving women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan. The priority will be to create a system that listens to women's experiences and tackles the inequalities they face. The renewal will look at women’s health as a whole including considering the menopause.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_89

Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of NHS England’s recent guidance on physician associates on patient services. \p Karin Smyth: In response to the Independent Review of Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates (the Leng Review), NHS England wrote a letter and published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide guidance and support to the system on the implementation of the recommendations. The FAQs are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/leng-review-nhs-england-faqs-on-actions-for-nhs-organisations.pdf

Whilst individual primary and secondary care providers are responsible for making decisions regarding their workforce, NHS England is actively engaging employers to understand the impact of the Leng Review recommendations. This will inform how we steward and guide the system to further support employers as implementation continues.

As further information to support implementation of the recommendations is available, it will be published at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/response-to-recommendations-from-the-independent-review-of-physician-associates-and-anaesthesia-associates/.
wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_90
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_90

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of healthcare capacity in West Dorset, particularly regarding primary care, ambulance response times and urgent care provision in winter 2025-2026. \p Karin Smyth: We have done more than ever to prepare for this winter, stress testing winter plans across the country, including in West Dorset, making sure community teams have the vaccines they need, and identifying the patients most vulnerable in winter.

West Dorset sits within the NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB), where general practices have delivered 14.3% more appointments in September 2025, or 495,000 appointments, in comparison to September 2024, at 433,000. This is above the national average of a 6.6% increase. There is good coverage of pharmacy first services which are offered by 90% pharmacies in Dorset, and there has been a steady increase in uptake since September 2024. 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 April 2025, and these are available across the country with specific expectations for the region. There are also four pilot sites for urgent dental access running this winter which will support better local access to these services.

Urgent and emergency care has fallen short of the standards patients rightly expect in recent years. To address this, we launched our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, setting ambitious goals of at least 78% of patients in accident and emergency being seem within four hours and reducing the average Category 2 ambulance response time to 30 minutes. Backed by £450 million of capital investment, we are upgrading hundreds of ambulances and expanding the capacity of urgent and emergency care services, enhancing both the speed and quality of care for patients in greatest need.

West Dorset is served by South Western Ambulance Service. The latest National Health Service data shows that in October, the South West achieved an average Category 2 response time of 32 minutes 37 seconds, an improvement of nearly 10 minutes compared with the same month last year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_91

Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds information on the number of NHS cancer treatment centres that have access to medical grade freezers. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department and NHS England do not hold information centrally on the number of National Health Service cancer treatment centres that have access to medical grade freezers. Further information on the availability and adequacy of freezing capacity in specific cancer treatment centres may be obtained through direct engagement with NHS providers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_92

Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NHS England's plan entitled Cervical cancer elimination by 2040 – plan for England, published on 28 March 2025, if his Department will set out (a) who is responsible for each of the actions in that plan, (b) when those actions will be delivered by and (c) what the metrics are for success. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to improving vaccine uptake and access across all immunisation programmes by exploring new and innovative delivery models, including expanding routes such as community pharmacies, as set out in the NHS Vaccination Strategy and the 10-Year Health Plan for England.

In June, the UK National Screening Committee, which advises ministers on all aspects of screening, recommended a human papilloma virus (HPV) self-sampling option to women and people with a cervix who never or rarely attend routine cervical screening appointments. From early in 2026, they will receive home testing kits if they have not responded to a cervical screening invitation for a period of time. This will help tackle deeply entrenched barriers that keep some away from life-saving screening.

The World Health Organisation’s cervical cancer elimination targets will be used as the basis for ongoing monitoring, along with the regular assessment of cervical cancer rates.

NHS England will be monitoring and evaluating the success of all the individual activities included within its elimination plan, as well as new initiatives as they are developed and implemented.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_93

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to help reduce cases of hypoglycaemia in a) England and b) the parliamentary constituency of Romford. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published advice on the management of type 1 diabetes, including advice on managing hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia, which is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/diabetes-type-1/management/

NICE’s guidance includes the use of hybrid close loops (HCL) for type 1 diabetes which provide real time monitoring of glucose levels and administer insulin when needed to prevent hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia.

Following NICE’s guidance, NHS England developed a five-year national strategy with guidance to National Health Service providers on the phased uptake approach of HCL systems. The guidance applies nationally, including to Romford. Rollout started last year. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta943

NHS England also commissions diabetes digital structured education services, which support users to self-manage their condition.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_94

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years. \p Ashley Dalton: The specific information breakdown requested is commercially confidential.

However, significant payments to companies, £25,000 and over, are published by month as part of the Department’s transparency data. This information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/spending-over-25-000--2
wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_95
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-01 conversation_95

Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department taking to help improve the diagnosis of overlapping illnesses such as PoTs and EDS. \p Ashley Dalton: We recognise the growing prevalence and complexity of overlapping and co-existing chronic illnesses and long-term conditions, and the importance of improving diagnosis, management, and support for these patients.

Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding community diagnostic services, introducing Neighbourhood Health Centres, and deploying multidisciplinary teams to provide holistic support. Patients will benefit from enhanced NHS App functionality, including My Medicines and My Health, and will be able to self-refer to specialist services where appropriate.

Additionally, the 10-Year Health Plan’s commitments on artificial intelligence will give clinicians advanced tools for faster diagnosis, predictive analytics, and personalised care planning. For people with long-term conditions, this means earlier interventions, better monitoring of complex needs, and more time for clinicians to focus on patient-centred care rather than administrative tasks. The plan also commits to 95% of people with complex needs having a personalised care plan by 2027.

The appointment by NHS England of a National Specialty Adviser on multi-morbidity provides expert leadership to improve care for people with multiple long-term conditions, ensuring services are better coordinated, evidence-based, and focused on holistic patient needs.

We also recognise that doctors can find it challenging to diagnose Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) because these conditions share symptoms with many other disorders.

Resources such as the Royal College of General Practitioners’ Syncope Toolkit for PoTS and the EDS Toolkit, now maintained by Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, are improving clinician awareness of both conditions. The National Institute for Care Excellence provides a clinical knowledge summary on blackouts and syncope to support consistent assessment and diagnosis of PoTS. NHS England commissions a National Diagnostic Service for rare EDS subtypes.