theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Integrated Care Board cuts on the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West ICB. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has asked the integrated care boards (ICBs) to act as main strategic commissioners of health and care services and to reduce the duplication of responsibilities within their structure, to achieve a 50% cost reduction in their running cost allowance. NHS England provided additional guidance to the ICBs, National Health Service trusts, and NHS foundation trusts on 1 April 2025, and tasked ICBs with developing plans by the end of May setting out how they will manage their resources to deliver across their priorities.

NHS England will be working closely with the ICBs to support the development of these plans, ensuring that their implementation reduces duplication and supports patient care. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/

No specific impact assessment has been carried out with regards to the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review the (a) licensing and (b) prescribing guidelines for the anti-malarial drug Lariam. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring that medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion meet applicable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The MHRA rigorously assesses the available data, including from the Yellow Card scheme, and seeks advice from the Commission on Human Medicines, the MHRA’s independent advisory committee, where appropriate, to inform regulatory decisions, including amending the product information.

Mefloquine, commercially known as Lariam, is effective in the prevention and treatment of malaria and is licensed for use by the MHRA in the United Kingdom. The current product information for mefloquine states that neuropsychiatric adverse reactions may occur during treatment and includes warnings and precautions to minimise these risks. It also states that such adverse reactions may persist for months, or longer, even after discontinuation of the drug. It has not been established, however, that such adverse reactions may be permanent.

Patient safety is our top priority, and no medicine would be approved unless it met our expected standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness. Our role is to continually monitor the safety of medicines during their use, including Larium. We have robust, safety monitoring and surveillance systems in place for all healthcare products.  When a safety issue is confirmed, we always act promptly to inform patients and healthcare professionals and take appropriate steps to mitigate any identified risk.

As with any medicine, clinicians are responsible for making prescribing decisions for their patients, taking into account best prescribing practice and the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care board.

Clinicians are also expected to take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness and safety, and are accountable for their prescribing decisions, both professionally and to their service commissioners. The national guidance for mefloquine is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/malaria-prophylaxis/prescribing-information/mefloquine/

Prescribers are responsible for ensuring that any side effects experienced by their patients are addressed promptly, they should work with their patient to decide on the most suitable management plan, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care for the individual always being the primary consideration.
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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase levels of (a) diagnosis and (b) early disease detection through the adoption of AI. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has provided £113 million, through the NHS AI Health and Care Awards, to 86 artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, which have been live in 40% of National Health Service acute trusts in England and hundreds of primary care networks across the United Kingdom. This funding is helping us to generate the evidence needed to deploy effective AI tools across the NHS and improve the lives and health outcomes of our population.

Many of these AI technologies are being tested and evaluated to aid healthcare diagnostics. For example, AI is being used to analyse and interpret acute stroke brain scans, to support doctors making treatment decisions in 100% of stroke units in England. In addition, the Department is focusing the £21 million AI Diagnostic Fund on the deployment of technologies in key, high-demand areas such as chest X-ray and chest computed tomography scans, to enable faster diagnosis of lung cancer in over half of acute trusts in England.

Despite these exciting examples of AI use, deployment of AI in the NHS is still at a relatively early stage. To address this, the Department is carrying out work to assess the barriers of effective adoption and improve the way AI tools are deployed across the NHS.
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Julia Lopez:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to transfer any NHS England functions to other arm's-length bodies. \p Karin Smyth: Work is progressing at pace to map functions, appraise options, and inform decision making on where NHS England’s functions will best sit. There are important choices to be made here, and ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation.
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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure NHS Trusts meet digital capability targets. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has supported over 160 trusts with digital transformation, which includes the implementation of Electronic Patient Records. Currently, we have achieved a 91% rollout of Electronic Patient Records, with work underway to provide tailored support to the remaining 19 trusts that do not yet have an Electronic Patient Record.

The Digital Maturity Assessment was also successfully completed in May 2024, with a 100% response rate from secondary care organisations and integrated care systems. This assessment provides a baseline and a holistic view of digital maturity across National Health Service trusts in England. The assessment will be run yearly to track progress and identify areas for improvement.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which body will be responsible for allocating the existing NHS capital grant funding programme for housing for people with (a) a learning disability and (b) autism, in the context of the abolition of NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to reducing the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people who are inpatients in mental health hospitals. High quality, safe, and suitable homes can help people stay independent and healthy for longer.

Work is progressing at pace to map functions, including grant allocations, appraise options and inform decision making on where NHS England’s current functions will best sit in the future. There are important choices to be made, and Ministers and senior departmental officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation.
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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to promote the adoption of (a) digital technologies and (b) AI to support the transition of healthcare from treatment to prevention. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service is already home to world-first digital innovation, with NHS England supporting the rollout of key products, many of which support the shift to prevention and early diagnosis. Examples include the world's first certified autonomous artificially intelligent (AI) diagnostic tool, which can triage patients with suspected skin cancer, as well as digital innovations supporting people struggling with mental health and musculoskeletal issues to gain or remain in employment.

NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and the Department are developing a rules based pathway (RBP) for medical technology in the NHS. The RBP aims to create a clear, consistent, and efficient process for evaluating and adopting medical technologies, including digital technologies, in the NHS.

The Early Detection using Information Technology in Health, or EDITH trial, announced in February 2025, is backed by £11 million of Government support via the National Institute for Health and Care Research. It is the latest example of how British scientists are transforming cancer care, building on the promising potential of cutting-edge innovations to tackle one of the United Kingdom’s biggest killers.

Between October 2021 and May 2023 funding was invested in a risk-stratification tool to identify women who are at most risk of developing life-threatening and life-altering complications of pre-eclampsia.

Between October 2020 and September 2023, the Department invested £1.9 million in an AI stroke technology, capable of automatically processing acute stroke computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans, which can provide real-time, clinically useful information in the acute stroke setting, leading to faster decisions.

Between October 2020 and September 2021 funding was invested towards generating a toolkit prototype which can automatically generate placental metrics from a 3D-US scan. These can be combined with other known risk factors and blood results to generate a multi-factorial screening test for fetal growth restriction, which is the single most common cause of stillbirth.

The deployment of AI in the NHS is still at a relatively early stage, with many AI tools being used in a research capacity. To address this, the Department is carrying out work, with NHS England, to assess the barriers of safe, ethical, and effective adoption, and improve the way AI tools are deployed and used in the NHS across England.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on (a) the regulatory framework for Beyond Visual Line of Sight drone operations and (b) how this impacts NHS and emergency service deployments. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to innovation in drones and other growth sectors, and work is ongoing across the Government, including between the Department and the Civil Aviation Authority, to support the safe and effective introduction of drones into medical logistics. Further information on the Government’s support for drones is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-20-million-to-help-drones-and-flying-taxis-take-to-uk-skies

Last year, the Department of Health and Social Care, working in collaboration with the Department for Transport, Innovate UK, and UK Research and Innovation, supported five pilot projects, allocating them a total of £500,000, to explore the use of drones in the National Health Service. Given the potential of drones to improve how the NHS delivers patient care, the Department of Health and Social Care is supportive of trials that explore the use of drones in medical logistics. Recent drone trials in the NHS have included pathology deliveries in Cornwall, blood deliveries in London, and the transport of chemotherapy to the Isle of Wight, where drone use reduced journey times from four hours by road and sea to a 30-minute flight.

The Department of Health and Social Care continuously reviews the available evidence surrounding the use of drones in medical logistics and is supportive of new trials to further build this evidence base.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that integrated care boards provide gluten free bread prescriptions for patients with coeliac disease. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has undertaken two national consultations in recent years on the prescribing of gluten-free foods in primary care. The rationale for this was the increased availability of these products in supermarkets and other food outlets at a time when the annual cost to the National Health Service of prescribing such items was £15.7 million. The first of these proposed changes to prescribing arrangements resulted in the Government’s decision to restrict such foods to bread and mixes.

NHS England’s guidance, Prescribing Gluten-Free Foods in Primary Care, was developed to communicate to local commissioners, now integrated care boards (ICBs), the changes in legislation. Wording is included in the guidance which states that commissioners may further restrict the prescribing of gluten-free foods by selecting bread only, mixes only, or may choose to end the prescribing of gluten-free foods altogether, if they feel this is appropriate for their population, and whilst taking account of their legal duties to advance equality and have regard to reducing health inequalities. In NHS England’s guidance, there are no limits on the amount of bread or mixes that can be prescribed.

Decisions about the commissioning and funding of local health services are the responsibility of local ICBs. NHS England’s guidance should be taken into account when ICBs formulate local policies, and prescribers are expected to reflect local policies in their prescribing practice. The guidance does not remove the clinical discretion of prescribers in accordance with their professional duties.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding standard NHS blood tests to routinely include (a) B12, (b) B6, (c) folate, (d) vitamin C and (e) vitamin D. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has made no assessment of the potential merits of expanding standard National Health Service blood tests to routinely include B12, B6, folate, vitamin C, and vitamin D. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides evidence-base guidance for the health and care system on best practice, makes recommendations on testing for vitamin deficiency based on symptoms and risk factors.

NICE guidance makes recommendations on tests where the evidence supports their use in making a diagnosis, ruling out a condition, or for guiding treatment decisions. This is usually condition or symptom specific, and the NICE would not make recommendations on a ‘standard’ blood test or range of blood tests. NICE guidance is not mandatory, and therefore healthcare professionals should use their clinical judgement in deciding what blood tests should be carried out for individual patients, taking into account relevant national or local guidance, including NICE guidelines.
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help elderly people access affordable ear wax removal services. \p Karin Smyth: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local population. This includes the arrangement of services for ear wax removal.

When ICBs exercise their functions, including commissioning healthcare services such as ear wax removal, they have a duty to reduce inequalities between people with respect to their ability to access health services and to reduce inequalities between patients with respect to their health outcomes.

Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so general practitioners (GPs) will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.

However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP could then consider referring the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many registered dentists were treating patients in (a) South Holland and (b) South Kesteven local authority areas in each year since 2015. \p Stephen Kinnock: Data is not held on the number of registered dentists who have treated patients. We have provided data on the number of dentists who delivered National Health Service care in the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which is the ICB for the South Holland and South Kesteven local authority areas. The following table shows the number of dentists who delivered some NHS dental care each year in Lincolnshire ICB, from 2015/16 to 2023/24:

Financial year

Number of dentists who performed NHS work

2015/16

310

2016/17

300

2017/18

299

2018/19

310

2019/20

320

2020/21

292

2021/22

301

2022/23

292

2023/24

287

Source: the latest figures are published by the NHS Business Services Authority, and the figures prior to 2023/24 were published by NHS Digital, with further information on both available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324  https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics

Note: figures before 2019 are not directly comparable.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase accessibility of GP appointments in rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: We acknowledge the urgent challenge of ensuring that rural areas have the resources to continue serving their patients. To address this, we are increasing capacity in general practice (GP) by recruiting more GPs, ensuring rural areas have the necessary workforce to provide integrated, patient-centred services.   We have invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, which has enabled the recruitment of over 1,500 recently qualified GPs across England since October 2024. This will increase the number of available appointments, secure the future pipeline of GPs, and alleviate the pressure on those currently working in the system.   We’ve also delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an £889 million uplift, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources. For the first time in four years, the General Practitioners Committee England backed the new 2025/26 contract, which includes key reforms to improve access to GPs, like making sure patients can request appointments online throughout core hours.
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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, from what date patients who are prescribed antidepressants will be able to access mental health support from community pharmacies. \p Stephen Kinnock: The New Medicine Service (NMS) is an advanced service offered by community pharmacies, providing patients with advice to address any possible side effects, issues, or questions that patients who are prescribed a new medicine may have. The service focuses on treatments for long-term conditions, including asthma and hypertension.

Early interventions of this type can improve medication adherence, patient outcomes, and can reduce pressure on the wider National Health Service. From October 2025, the NMS will expand to introduce depression as a further therapeutic area for which patients can receive support.
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Matt Bishop:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that all NICE-approved medicines for osteoporosis are included in (a) ICS and (b) local formularies. \p Karin Smyth: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits.

The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by the NICE, usually within three months of final guidance.

The 2025/26 NHS Standard Contract, which applies to all contracts between NHS commissioners and providers, stipulates that, where any service involves or may involve the prescribing of medicines, the provider must ensure that its formulary reflects all relevant positive NICE technology appraisals.

The NICE has also published guidance on developing and updating local formularies, which is intended to support commissioners and healthcare providers, including those working within integrated care systems, in developing formularies that reflect local needs, reducing variation in prescribing, and allowing for the rapid adoption of new medicines and treatments. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/mpg1
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme applies a currency model to commission (a) palliative and (b) end-of-life care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.  ICBs are responsible for commissioning palliative and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations.

Details of currency models for the last year of life and end of life care were published as supporting documents to the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme. This supporting document is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-nhs-payment-scheme/#heading-3

The currencies are not directly linked to payment for 2025/26, but providers and commissioners should ensure that all data items for the currency models are collected. The currencies should be used to inform ICB commissioning plans and to support service planning and local benchmarking, as well as evaluating service provision.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help ensure that carers are (a) involved in patient care decisions and (b) given appropriate access to medical (i) records and (ii) updates during hospital stays in cases where patients have (A) cognitive and (B) neurological conditions. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Health and Care Act 2022 introduced significant measures for people caring for their family and friends, as well as the people they are caring for. These include:

Lord Darzi’s independent review of the NHS said that a fresh approach to supporting and involving unpaid carers is required to improve outcomes for carers, people needing care, and the NHS.

We will carefully consider these findings as part of our 10-year plan for reforming and modernising the NHS and as we develop plans to reform adult social care, including through the National Care Service.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the cost of dental care for (a) low income families and (b) pensioners. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards across England. Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:

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

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

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

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

Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for an exemption or a full remission of dental patient charges. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many registered chiropractors there are in the UK. \p Karin Smyth: The General Chiropractors Council (GCC) is responsible for collecting data on the numbers of chiropractors in the United Kingdom. They publish an annual report which provides the number of chiropractors in the UK, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gcc-uk.org/about-us/publications

In the GCC 2023 annual report, it states that there were 3,752 chiropractors on the register.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32596 on Psychiatric Hospitals: Autism and Learning Disability, where the commitment has been documented; and what steps his Department has taken to communicate this to people working in the health and social care system. \p Stephen Kinnock: The 2025/26 NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance was published on 30 January 2025. It includes a focus on improving mental health and learning disability care and contains the objective to deliver a minimum 10% reduction in the use of mental health inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people in 2025/26.

Updates on the planning guidance have been provided at NHS England’s monthly Mental Health (MH) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Forum, attended by the vast majority of MH CEO’s or their deputies. NHS England also hosted a face-to-face planning guidance session and a question-and-answer session with MH CEOs in London.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve staffing levels at GP surgeries to ensure ring timely access to women's health services. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified general practitioners (GPs) through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs. Since 1 October 2024, 851 full-time equivalent (FTE) GPs have been recruited through the scheme.

In addition, for GPs employed by practices directly, as of January 2025, there were 573 more fully qualified, FTE GPs working in practices in England compared to July 2024.

The recruitment boost, part of the Government’s Plan for Change, will help to end the scandal of patients struggling to see a doctor, easing pressure on GPs and cutting waiting times. Alongside changes to the GP Contract for 2025/26, these additional GPs will help end the 8:00am scramble for appointments which so many patients currently endure every day.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service. Women's health is included the Royal College of General Practitioners’ curriculum for trainee GPs, including gynaecology, menopause, sexual health, and breast health.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS documents are available in (a) large print, (b) braille and (c) other accessible formats for patients with visual impairments. \p Stephen Kinnock: Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.

Since 2016, 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 patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss. This includes providing information in alternative formats such as large print and braille.

NHS England has been undertaking a review of the AIS to help ensure that the communication needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss are met in health and care provision. A revised AIS will be published in due course. In the meantime, the current AIS remains in force and therefore there should not be a gap in provision for people using services.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent (a) staff shortages in and (b) the closure of local pharmacies. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises that pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Employers clearly have a key role in retaining staff and making jobs in community pharmacy attractive. To support employers, NHS England has provided a number of fully funded national training opportunities for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to help support private contractors to deliver quality National Health Services, including Pharmacy First.

We have now concluded the consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a commitment to rebuilding the sector.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide clarity on levels of funding for (a) children’s and (b) adult hospices. \p Stephen Kinnock: Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing services within the National Health Service. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between integrated care board (ICB) areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.

We are, however, at a national level, also supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The Government has released the first £25 million tranche of the £100 million capital funding, with Hospice UK kindly allocating and distributing the money to hospices throughout England. An additional £75 million will be allocated in the coming weeks for use in 2025/26.

Additionally, we are providing £26 million revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. NHS England has now communicated the details of the 2025/26 funding allocation and dissemination to individual hospices.

In February 2025, I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, and long-term sector sustainability, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan, was discussed at length.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-22)

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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients continue to receive ADHD medication without cost when their shared care agreement has come to an unpredicted end. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to medication services for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Services are underpinned by relevant guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice.

It is for the responsible clinician to decide on the most appropriate treatment plan to manage ADHD, in discussion with their patient. This decision is based on the clinician’s expertise regarding treatment options, evidence, risk and benefits and the patient’s personal circumstances as part of a shared decision-making process. The NICE guideline on the diagnosis and management of ADHD provides recommendations that healthcare professionals should account for when considering treatment options.

Shared care within the National Health Service refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s general practitioner (GP).

The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. Shared care is not part of the GP contract and as such, participation is voluntary. GP practices may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds. A GP who has previously agreed to a shared care agreement but can no longer support it must provide a clear rationale for their decision. Both the GP and the specialist clinician share responsibility for ensuring continuity of care for the patient.

ADHD medication prescribed by an NHS doctor is subject to prescription charging, unless the patient meets the criteria for a prescription charge exemption. This is the case regardless of a shared care agreement being in place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-22 conversation_259

Kirith Entwistle:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that meeting patients' communications needs is included in the 10 year plan objective to shift from analogue to digital. \p Karin Smyth: We have committed to develop a 10 Year Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. While it is too soon to say exactly what will be in the plan, digital services will support and complement face to face care and will help meet patients’ communication needs.

The Government will create a more modern NHS by bringing together a single patient record, summarising patient health information, test results, and letters in one place, through the NHS App. It will put patients in control of their own medical history, meaning they do not have to repeat it at every appointment, and that staff have the full picture of patients’ health.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-22 conversation_260

Yasmin Qureshi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS 10-Year Plan will include specific measures to provide health and care staff with full access to integrated patient records. \p Karin Smyth: We have committed to develop a 10 Year Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. While it is too soon to say exactly what will be in the plan, it will set out how we shift health and care systems in England from analogue to digital systems. Subject to Parliamentary approval, new laws are set to be introduced to make NHS patient health records available across all NHS trusts, general practice surgeries, and ambulance services in England, speeding up patient care, reducing repeat medical tests, and minimising medication errors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-22 conversation_261

Rebecca Paul:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help support GP practices to acquire larger premises. \p Stephen Kinnock: General practice (GP) contractors are responsible for securing the premises from which to deliver their contracted services. Should practice premises be deemed too small, GPs may make an application to integrated care boards for capital funding grants for repurposing existing underutilised space, or expansion of the existing site, or seek agreement for the GP practice to relocate to a different building.

One of the core objectives of the 10-Year Health Plan is enabling people to access care closer to home and in the community. In autumn 2024, we announced £102 million of additional capital funding for GP estates upgrades in 2025/26. This will support improved use of existing buildings and space, boosting productivity and enabling practices to deliver more patient appointments.

There may be revenue solutions to premises needs, dependent on the budgetary capacity of the local commissioner. Commissioners can work closely with local authorities, other system providers, and the One Public Estate Programme to identify existing premises for the potential delivery of healthcare services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-22 conversation_262

Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure hospital transport providers are meeting the needs of patients and their families. \p Karin Smyth: It is the responsibility of local commissioners and providers to work together to ensure that hospital patient transport services are meeting the needs of their populations locally. National guidance for non-emergency patient transport services, to support them in becoming consistently more responsive, fair, and sustainable, is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/improving-non-emergency-patient-transport-services/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-22 conversation_263

Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to raise the minimum reference range for vitamin B12 serum levels to 500 pmol/L. \p Karin Smyth: The assessment and clinical management of vitamin B12 falls under the remit of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In March 2024, the NICE published the guidance, Vitamin B12 deficiency in over 16s: diagnosis and management, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng239

The guidance provides thresholds in table 1 to guide diagnosis. There are no plans to update this guidance at present.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-22 conversation_264

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve public awareness of autism in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to creating a more inclusive society where autistic people are supported to thrive. As part of implementing its All Age Autism Strategy 2021 to 2026, Surrey County Council is working to: support autistic children, young people and adults to understand what their autism means for them, their strengths and skills so that they can live fulfilling lives; ensure autistic people are understood, welcomed and can access community services, for example, transport, leisure facilities, shops, youth clubs and community events; tackle stigma attached to autism in the community; and ensure information about where to find advice, signposting and support across education, health, care and the community is easily accessible to all.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-22 conversation_265

Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential side effects of the anti-malarial drug Lariam on civilian patients prescribed it in the UK. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring that medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion meet applicable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The MHRA rigorously assesses the available data, including from the Yellow Card scheme, and seeks advice from the Commission on Human Medicines, the MHRA’s independent advisory committee, where appropriate, to inform regulatory decisions, including amending the product information.

Mefloquine, commercially known as Lariam, is effective in the prevention and treatment of malaria, and is licensed for use by the MHRA in the United Kingdom. The current product information for mefloquine states that neuropsychiatric adverse reactions may occur during treatment, and includes warnings and precautions to minimise these risks. It also states that such adverse reactions may persist for months, or longer, even after discontinuation of the drug. It has not been established, however, that such adverse reactions may be permanent.

Patient safety is our top priority, and no medicine would be approved unless it met our expected standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness. Our role is to continually monitor the safety of medicines during their use, including Larium. We have robust, safety monitoring and surveillance systems in place for all healthcare products.  When a safety issue is confirmed, we always act promptly to inform patients and healthcare professionals and take appropriate steps to mitigate any identified risk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-22 conversation_266

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of available NHS dental appointments in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 April 2025 to Question 44281.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-22)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-22 conversation_267

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the dementia diagnosis target has been removed from the NHS Operational Planning Guidance. \p Stephen Kinnock: We remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rates (DDR) to the national ambition of 66.7%, with rates in England being 65.4% as of the end of February 2025. A timely diagnosis is vital to ensure people with dementia can access the treatment and support they need. Overall, the rate remains higher than previous years.

We have taken a new approach to National Health Service Planning Guidance this year, reducing the number of national directives from 32 to 18. These are the first steps on our journey for long-term reform of the NHS. NHS Planning Guidance is not an exhaustive list of everything the NHS does, and the absence of a target does not mean it is not an area of focus.

The Darzi Investigation found that there are too many targets set for the NHS, which made it hard for local systems to prioritise their actions or to be held properly accountable. Our aim is to give more power to local systems and let them decide how they use local funding to best meet the needs of their local population. This approach signals our ambition for reform, recognises the role of the NHS in driving economic growth, and enshrines our commitment to financial rigour in the system.