theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of ringfencing funding for buvidal. \p Ashley Dalton: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol services according to local need, and this includes the provision of buprenorphine long-acting injections, including Buvidal. The Department funds local authorities to deliver drug and alcohol treatment services through the Public Health Grant and the additional Supplemental Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery grant. Through the Supplemental Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery grant, the Department allocated local authorities an additional £267 million in 2024/25 to improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. Funding for 2025/26 will be announced very shortly.

The Department has advised local areas that they are able to use these funding sources to enable the prescribing of buprenorphine long-acting injections in their areas, and advises and supports local areas to establish, maintain, and grow this provision. The Department promotes sharing and learning between local authorities and is working on additional clinical guidance which will be published later this year.

It is a clinical decision whether to offer this treatment, based on an individual assessment and personal choice. Buvidal is available in all regions in England, including in County Durham and Easington, and including for those who have been released from prison. The Government has no current plans to ring fence funding specifically for the provision of Buvidal and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not held discussions with Cabinet colleagues specifically on this issue and the provision of Buvidal for prisoners.
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Dr Ben Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to correspondence dated (a) 20 November 2024, (b) 7 January 2025 and (c) 10 February 2025 from the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge, case reference BS34018. \p Ashley Dalton: We have received the hon. Member’s correspondence of 20 November 2024, 7 January 2025 and 10 February 2025, and we will respond shortly.
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Chris Ward:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making food and nutrition assessments a statutory requirement in discharge care plans for patients leaving hospital. \p Ashley Dalton: Clinicians decide when a patient is medically ready for discharge, based on a set of criteria. The Hospital discharge and community support guidance sets out that multidisciplinary teams working across health and social care should plan and include information about post-discharge care and should ensure that general practice and other primary care providers are linked into all discharge planning. The Hospital discharge and community support guidance is available at the following link:

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

Diagnosis and detection are key, and health staff are trained to spot the early warning signs of malnutrition so effective individual treatment can be put in place. Tools and guidance are available through a range of organisations for health and social care professionals to identify and treat malnutrition and access appropriate training.

All National Health Services are recommended to adhere to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) clinical guideline, Nutrition support for adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, code CG32, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg32

This sets out the recommendations, based on the best available evidence, for the organisation, screening, and delivery of nutritional support in hospitals and the community. This includes screening for malnutrition and risk of malnutrition. The NICE guidelines recommend that all hospital inpatients on admission and all outpatients at their first clinic appointment should be screened for malnutrition. Screening should be repeated weekly for inpatients and when there is clinical concern for outpatients. People in care homes should be screened on admission and when there is clinical concern.

NHS England’s Nursing Directorate is leading on a review and refresh of the National Nutrition and Hydration guidance, which builds on the NHS England’s previous Commissioning Excellent Nutrition and Hydration guidance 2015-2018, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/nut-hyd-guid.pdf
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Michael Payne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome receive adequate medical support. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, which include better coordination of care and improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We remain committed to delivering under the framework and published the fourth annual England action plan on 28 February 2025, which reports on progress.

NHS England commissions some specialist services for patients with EDS, which are currently delivered by two centres in England, namely the London North West University Healthcare Trust and the Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. The complex EDS service provides diagnosis and advice to referrers on the treatment and management of complex cases.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide additional funding for research into Postural Tachycardia Syndrome \p Ashley Dalton: The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds clinical, public health, and social care research and works in partnership with the National Health Service, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes proposals for research into a range of conditions, including postural tachycardia syndrome, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic.
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Jess Asato:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to (a) reduce consumption amongst children and (b) encourage reformulation of products that are high in fat, sugar and salt that are targeted at children. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to tackling the childhood obesity crisis and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. We have revised the National Planning Policy Framework for local government which has provided stronger powers to local authorities to block new fast-food outlets near schools.

We are implementing legislation to ban junk food advertising on TV before 9pm and paid for advertising online. This will remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets per year in the United Kingdom and reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000.

Mandatory and voluntary measures are also in place which aim to reduce consumption and encourage reformulation of products that are high in fat, sugar and salt. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy has reduced sugar levels in drinks in scope by 46% between 2015 and 2020, removing 46,000 tonnes of sugar. As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, both the lower and higher tax rates of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will increase each year over the next five years. A review is also underway of the sugar thresholds at which the levy rates apply, and the current exclusion for milk-based drinks. These changes will ensure that the levy remains effective, protects its value in real terms, and will deliver further reformulation.

The voluntary reformulation programme requires the food industry sector to reduce levels of sugar, calories and salt in food and drink products that contribute substantially to poor diets.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 29713 on radiotherapy machines, when he plans to publish the funding allocation for the £70 million investment for replacing older radiotherapy machines. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England will be writing shortly to those trusts which have been allocated funding for a replacement machine. There are currently no plans to publish full details of the funding allocation.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what NHS guidance and training is available to ensure Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is understood by medical professionals across England; and whether his Department plans to issue further guidance. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS) is part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) and NHS England. The NCARDRS aims to collect, curate, quality-assure, and analyse data from patients in England diagnosed and/or treated with rare conditions. Further information about the NCARDRS and the NDRS is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/about/ncardrs

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs

Over the last five financial years, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has allocated £189,109 for research on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Research has focused on establishing evidence–based management of CRPS to improve clinical outcomes throughout the care pathway.

There is a National Health Service conditions page dedicated to CRPS, detailing the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment pathway, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/complex-regional-pain-syndrome/

NHS England’s Genomics Education Programme and GeNotes resource provides concise information to help healthcare professionals make the right decisions at each stage of a clinical pathway. GeNotes also includes resources on non-genetic rare diseases, and work continues to expand the programme's coverage.
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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to (a) return cervical cancer screening rates to pre-2020 levels and (b) meet cervical cancer screening targets. \p Ashley Dalton: To support improving the access and uptake of the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, the National Health Service has a series of initiatives underway, including:

- developing a digital-first approach to cervical screening invitations and reminders, including using the Cervical Screening Management System (CSMS) to create opportunities to communicate with the population differently;

- introducing a revised invitation correspondence, and subsequent reminder letter, in 2025/26, that is sent to 24.5 year olds to specifically highlight the need to attend a cervical screening even if they have had the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination, and to raise awareness of the HPV vaccine catch-up offer for those up to 25 years old;

- using CSMS to enable an opt-in process for transgender and non-binary peoples’ screening invitations to ensure that no-one eligible misses out on the opportunity to be invited and participate;

- expanding the range of accessible public information materials across all screening programmes, and continuing to highlight the importance of screening within our regular equalities-focused communications and engagement;

- developing an agile cervical screening workforce that can respond to fluctuations in demand through workforce planning, accounting for potential future changes to screening offers, which is being directed by the UK National Screening Committee;

- identifying low-cost/no-cost opportunities to communicate the NHS’s aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, highlighting the value of cervical screening and the HPV vaccination as fundamental to achieving this goal.

The UK National Screening Committee is also considering the benefits of introducing self-sampling for cervical screening non-attenders.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Oral Statement of 11 December 2024 on Puberty-suppressing Hormones, Official Report, column 914-916, whether the clinical trial into the use of puberty suppressing hormones for gender incongruence will begin early this year; and when his Department intends to update parents and young people on the (a) timetable and (b) eligibility of the clinical trial. \p Ashley Dalton: The PATHWAYS study proposal, including the clinical trial of puberty-suppressing hormones, is going through all the usual review and approval stages. These include an independent academic peer review and consideration by the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s funding committee. The study will need to secure full ethical approval before it can be set up and recruitment can open. The design of the study, including the timetable and eligibility criteria, will be finalised as part of the approvals process. It is planned to commence this year. Subject to the study achieving the necessary approvals, the study protocol will be made available in the public domain, as is usual for publicly funded studies.
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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to attend the World Health Organisation’s Second Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health in March 2025. \p Ashley Dalton: My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is unable to attend this World Health Organisation (WHO) conference. We aim to support attendance at relevant international events where possible and as appropriate, and work across Government to determine if and how Ministers can undertake travel, considering availability and finite resources.

The Government recognises that air pollution is a local, regional, and global issue and continues to be a long-standing supporter and member of the WHO. In advance of the Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, the United Kingdom is providing funding to the WHO to refresh and synthesize the evidence base on the health impacts of air pollution.
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Yuan Yang:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the eligibility requirements for the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine. \p Ashley Dalton: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is the United Kingdom’s expert committee that advises the Government on immunisations programmes.

In June 2023, JCVI advised on introducing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programmes to protect older adults and infants at greatest risk of harm from RSV infection.

Following a competitive tender and in line with JCVI advice, the new RSV vaccination programmes began in England on 1 September 2024 for pregnant women and adults aged between 75 and 79 years old. Both programmes use Pfizer’s Abrysvo® vaccine, which is approved only for use in pregnant women from 28 weeks, for infant protection, and older adults, following clinical trials in these groups.

When advising the introduction of an RSV vaccination programme for adults aged between 75 and 79 years old, the JCVI considered that there was less certainty about how well the vaccine works in people aged 80 years old and over, as there were not enough people of this age in the clinical trials to be able to see if the vaccines are protective in this age band.

The structure of an immunisation programme is dynamic and the JCVI will continue to keep evidence under review. The Department will consider any further JCVI advice on who should be offered an RSV immunisation in due course.
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Jess Asato:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to (a) tackle, (b) prevent and (c) monitor child poverty in the form of malnutrition. \p Ashley Dalton: Most cases of malnutrition are clinical and will be secondary to another health condition which may impact on nutritional needs or impact on a person’s ability to eat and drink, rather than it solely being caused by poor or inadequate dietary intake. The term malnutrition is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to a poor diet; although this may put someone at increased risk of malnutrition, this would not necessarily meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis.

The National Health Service provides Hospital Episode Statistics figures for malnutrition, broken down by age group, for the period 2007/08 to 2020/21, which are available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/supplementary-information/2021/admissions-for-scurvy-rickets-and-malnutrition-2007-08-to-2020-21

The relationship between food poverty or food insecurity, nutritional intake and health in the United Kingdom is currently unclear. However, international evidence suggests that in the long-term, food insecurity may be associated with poorer diets and poorer health, including higher risk of overweight and obesity. The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs’ UK Food Security Report 2024, which pulls together data from a range of sources including the Department of Work and Pensions Family Resources Survey, found that 90% of UK households were food secure in the financial year ending 2023. The report is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024-theme-4-food-security-at-household-level

The Government is rolling out free breakfast clubs in every primary school, with an early adopter scheme launching in April 2025, so children start the day ready to learn, helping to break down barriers to opportunity and confront child poverty. Additionally, all children in Reception, year 1 and year 2 in England's state-funded schools are already entitled to universal infant free school meals and disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools, as well as students aged between 16 and 18 years old in further education, receive free meals based on low income.

The existing Healthy Start scheme aims to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies and young children under four from very low-income households. It can be used to buy, or put towards the cost of, fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk and infant formula; beneficiaries also have access to free Healthy Start Vitamins. The Child Poverty Taskforce, made up of ministers from across Government, will be publishing its strategy to reduce child poverty in spring 2025.
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Peter Dowd:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what collaboration there is between NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council on Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease funding; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of withdrawal of funding on (a) Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and (b) prion disease research by those bodies. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department funds research through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR). Since 2002, the Department has made over £43 million of funding available for research and surveillance of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and prion diseases.

The Department is working closely with NHS England on future funding for CJD diagnostic services. The Department also works closely with the Medical Research Council (MRC) to align funding for priority research, and has met specifically with the MRC Prion Unit recently.

Both the NIHR and the MRC welcome research proposals on all aspects of human health, including CJD and prion disease. Research applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality
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Jess Asato:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to screen for malnutrition in (a) children and (b) adults across the country in a consistent manner. \p Ashley Dalton: The diagnosis and detection of malnutrition are key, and health staff are trained to spot the early warning signs so that effective individual treatment can be put in place. Tools and guidance are available through a range of organisations for health and social care professionals to identify and treat malnutrition and access appropriate training.

The Healthy Child Programme in England is a universal programme for children aged zero to 19 years old. When there is a concern raised about a child’s growth, either a health visitor or a school nurse will monitor this and assess the child for signs of under or overweight, including as a possible sign of neglect and faltering growth, and will work with families to support them in addressing the family and child’s needs.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline Faltering growth: recognition and management of faltering growth in children, code NG75, for healthcare professionals, providers of children's services, commissioners of children's services, and parents and carers of children with faltering growth covers the recognition, assessment, and monitoring of faltering growth in infants and children. This guideline is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng75/chapter/Recommendations#faltering-growth-after-the-early-days-of-life

All National Health Services across the country are recommended to adhere to the NICE’s clinical guideline, Nutrition support for adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, code CG32, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg32

This sets out the recommendations, based on the best available evidence, for the organisation, screening, and delivery of nutritional support in hospitals and the community. This includes screening for malnutrition and the risk of malnutrition. The NICE guidelines recommend that all hospital inpatients on admission and all outpatients at their first clinic appointment should be screened for malnutrition. Screening should be repeated weekly for inpatients, and when there is clinical concern for outpatients. People in care homes should be screened on admission, and when there is clinical concern.

All people who are identified as being malnourished or at risk of malnutrition should be assessed by an appropriately qualified health professional, such as a dietitian, to receive an individualised care plan in line with their individual circumstances, dietary preferences, and medical needs.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote prostate cancer awareness month. \p Ashley Dalton: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Strangford on 23 January 2025 to Question 24851.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has received representations on health warnings on bacon. \p Ashley Dalton: Department officials are not aware of any correspondence or meetings being held in relation to health warnings on bacon. Government advice is that people with relatively high intakes of red and processed meat, namely over 90 grams per day, should consider reducing their intakes. It was estimated that a reduction to the adult population average of 70 grams per day would not increase the proportion of the adult population with low iron intakes.

Government recommendations on red and processed meat intake, including bacon, are based on advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), a committee of independent scientific experts. SACN reviewed the evidence on red and processed meat intake and the risk of bowel cancer as part of their report on Iron and Health, published in 2010. SACN concluded that red and processed meat is probably associated with increased bowel cancer risk.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people with postural tachycardia syndrome. \p Ashley Dalton: Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions, including postural tachycardia syndrome, is a key part of the Government's mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publishes guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of long-term conditions for use by healthcare professionals and commissioners. NICE has produced a clinical knowledge summary on the clinical management of blackouts and syncope, which sets out how clinicians should assess and diagnose postural tachycardia syndrome. This was last updated in November 2023 and is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/blackouts-syncope/diagnosis/assessment/

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their population. The Government expects ICBs to take account of NICE guidelines and other best practice in designing their local services.
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John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Care, if he will ensure that the cross-government delivery plan for ME/CFS will include (a) an apology to patients for their historic treatment and (b) clear steps that demonstrate his commitment to delivering a new approach. \p Ashley Dalton: The content of the myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), delivery plan has not yet been finalised. The responses to the 2023 interim delivery plan consultation, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, will inform the development of the final ME/CFS delivery plan, which we aim to publish in the coming months. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.

People with ME/CFS deserve the most appropriate treatment and to be confident that the National Health Service can offer that treatment. I recognise that care for people with ME/CFS has varied widely, and in the worst cases has left some people feeling that their illness is not recognised by the health and care system. We know that more research, better services, and a better understanding of the condition all have the potential to make a huge difference to the quality of life of people with ME/CFS.
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Charlie Maynard:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish monthly statistics on (a) the number of brain tumour patients who have received whole genome sequencing of their tumour and (b) the number of people diagnosed with brain tumours in the UK, by (i) NHS trust, (ii) histological tumour type and (ii) whether it is an adult or paediatric patient. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department does not hold publishable data to identify where whole genome sequencing has taken place and cannot identify tumours by histological type. NHS England holds data that provides a count of hospital activity only, not by the number of patients. This means that a patient may have had more than one admission within this requested timeframe and may therefore be counted multiple times. This data is held for England only and may not reflect when a patient was initially diagnosed.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of cardiac services in (a) Torbay, (b) Teignbridge and (c) South Hams. \p Ashley Dalton: There is a concerted focus in Devon on improving cardiology services, with support from regional and national colleagues, after being identified by the system as an area for action.

Work is under way to reduce cardiology waiting times and strengthen the quality of care for patients across the county, with all units, including Torbay, playing their full part. Clinicians are working closely together, taking advantage of capacity across the system, and sharing good practice. As a result, the number of cardiology patients waiting over a year in Devon has fallen from 930 to 577, representing a drop of 38%, in the past 18 months.

Regional support for the cardiology work in Devon is being provided by the South West Cardiac Network, which brings together specialists from across the region.

National support for the cardiology work in Devon is being provided by NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme, with advice from the National Clinical Director for Heart Disease.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for replacing Professor Sir Mike Richards as chair of the UK National Screening Committee. \p Ashley Dalton: Professor Sir Mike Richards was appointed as Chair of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) on 11 March 2022. Appointments to the UK NSC are made in line with the principles of public appointment as set out by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The first term of Professor Sir Mike Richards’ appointment is due to come to an end on the 10 March 2025 and a chair’s appraisal will be carried out by the English Chief Medical Officer to determine whether the appointment should be extended for a second term. The appointment can be extended up to three terms, not exceeding 10 years.
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Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that patients with Parkinson receive regular consultations. \p Ashley Dalton: We have delivered an additional two million appointments, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests and treatments. These additional appointments have taken place across several specialities, including neurology.

We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital and treatment to prevention. A central and core part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.

There are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with Parkinson’s disease in England, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP).

The GIRFT National Specialty Report made recommendations designed to improve services nationally and to support the NHS to deliver care more equitably across the country. The report highlighted differences in how services are delivered and provided the opportunity to share successful initiatives between trusts to improve patient services nationally. In addition, the NTP has developed a model of integrated care for neurology services to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home.

Once diagnosed, and with a management strategy in place, most people with Parkinson’s can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. NHS England commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 27 neurology centres across England. Within specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals, including Parkinson’s disease nurses, psychologists and allied health professionals such as dieticians and speech and language therapists, and that they can receive specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.
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Josh Newbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce mandatory labelling on alcoholic drinks with information for consumers on (a) ingredients, (b) calories and (c) sugar content. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to building a National Health Service fit for the future, with a greater emphasis on the prevention of avoidable health harms, supporting people to live well for longer. The Department will continue to work across Government to determine the best ways to reduce alcohol-related harms.

The Department commissioned a National Institute for Health and Care Research study on understanding the impact of alcohol calorie labelling on alcohol and calorie selection, purchasing, and consumption. This study is underway and due to end in 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_111

Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Institute for Health and Care Research has undertaken research on the potential impact of psychedelic medication on the treatment of severe mental health conditions. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is supporting psilocybin research via the NIHR King’s Clinical Research Facility and the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, where researchers are developing and evaluating the efficacy and safety of psilocybin therapy for use in the National Health Service and other healthcare settings. The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research on the potential impact of psychedelic substances for the treatment of severe mental health conditions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_112

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's (a) support for and (b) treatment of people with postural tachycardia syndrome in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions, including postural tachycardia syndrome, is a key part of the Government's mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publishes guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of long-term conditions for use by healthcare professionals and commissioners. The NICE has produced a clinical knowledge summary on the clinical management of blackouts and syncope, which sets out how clinicians should assess and diagnose postural tachycardia syndrome. This was last updated in November 2023, and is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/blackouts-syncope/diagnosis/assessment/.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their population, and the Government expects ICBs to take account of NICE guidelines and other best practice when designing their local services.
wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_113
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_113

Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 25911 on Fractures: Health Services, if he will set targets for making fracture liaison services available for all NHS trusts. \p Ashley Dalton: Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%. They can play a vital role in improving quality of life and increasing the number of years that can be lived in good health.

We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030. Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services.

In the meantime, we are investing in 14 high-tech DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans to ensure that people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.
wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_114
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_114

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with NHS England on the potential merits of promoting the return and reissue of reusable NHS medical equipment. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department published the Design for Life Roadmap in October 2024, which sets out the Government's ambition to transition away from all avoidable single-use medical technology products by 2045. One of the key mechanisms for doing this, as outlined in the roadmap, is maximising reuse in the National Health Service. The roadmap includes a suite of 30 actions to deliver the 2045 vision, which NHS England were closely involved in creating. We are now working together to deliver these actions, including through joint working groups.
wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_115
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_115

Charlie Maynard:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many school age children die each year from Asthma in England and Wales. \p Ashley Dalton: To reduce avoidable deaths, improve the quality of life for children and young people with asthma, and to raise the profile of this work, NHS England published the first National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma in September 2021. Through this workstream, asthma care has received higher prioritisation within systems, regional leadership, system led governance, and increased accountability, to improve outcomes for children and young people in England. Further information on the National Bundle of Care for Children and Young People with Asthma is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-bundle-of-care-for-children-and-young-people-with-asthma/

The Asthma Friendly Schools Programme has been very successful in embedding asthma knowledge and management within teaching and non-teaching professionals in schools. Initially developed by a team in London, the approach has been shared through networks and nationally led meetings. NHS England has encouraged integrated care systems to develop similar approaches or programmes to ensure representation of their local requirements and to build synergy between healthcare, education, and local authority teams.

As part of the National Bundle of Care, specially designed courses have been developed to educate all professionals, healthcare and non-healthcare, on children and young people with asthma, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/children-and-young-peoples-asthma/

These courses have been extremely popular, and over two years there were over 80,000 first tier completions. 74% of these completions have been by teaching or school staff. Further data can be found at the children and young people’s asthma dashboard and the dashboard for asthma metrics and dispensing.

The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) published a report in December 2024, reviewing the deaths of children and young people with asthma in England between April 2019 and March 2023. Between this period, there were 54 deaths due to asthma. For the second iteration of the National Bundle of Care, NHS England is adapting the structure to include recommendations from the NCMD and develop a more systems first approach with additional resources for ongoing support. Further information on the NCMD’s report is available at the following link:

https://www.ncmd.info/publications/child-deaths-asthma-anaphylaxis-allergy/#:~:text=This%20NCMD%20thematic%20report%20aims%20to%20identify%20trends,children%20and%20young%20people%2C%20and%20those%20involved%20in
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_116

John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether steps to strengthen care for (a) ME, (b) Long Covid and (c) other infection-associated chronic conditions will be included in plans to bolster the UK’s preparedness for future pandemics. \p Ashley Dalton: Ensuring that the United Kingdom is prepared for a future pandemic is a top priority for the Government, and we are embedding lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in our approach to pandemic preparedness. We aim to have flexible, adaptable, and scalable capabilities that can respond to any infectious disease or other threat, rather than relying on plans for specific threats.

The Government’s response to module one of the COVID-19 inquiry sets out the changes we have made to risk planning and data management to help ensure that we are reducing any disproportionate impacts on any groups or individuals, and targeting support where it can be of best help in civil emergency planning and management. The response is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-government-response-to-the-covid-19-inquiry-module-1-report

The Government is committed to ensuring that there are quality services for people suffering with long COVID in every part of the country. NHS England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist post-COVID-19 services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, developing digital self-management tools, and investing in ensuring that general practice teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition.

The Government has also invested over £57 million into long COVID research. This aims to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, and to evaluate clinical care.
wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_117
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_117

Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) medical assessors are in post; and how many assessors have left since the roll-out of the VDPS to covid-19 vaccinations. \p Ashley Dalton: The number of medical assessors is managed by a third-party supplier and varies depending on the volume of claims received, as well as the volume of medical records received from healthcare providers. Since COVID-19 was added to the Vaccine Damage Payment Act 1979, the number of medical assessors assessing claims has significantly increased.
wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_118
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-05)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-05 conversation_118

Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training medical assessors of applications to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme relating to covid-19 vaccinations receive; what qualifications are needed to become such an assessor; what continuing professional development requirements must such assessors meet; whether such assessors are required to work in-person and not remotely; and to what supervision are such assessors subject. \p Ashley Dalton: Medical assessments are carried out by an independent, third-party supplier. The supplier manages the medical assessors' training and work arrangements, organises for each medical assessment to be peer reviewed by another medical assessor, and is responsible for ensuring that medical assessors continue their professional development.

All medical assessors are General Medical Council (GMC) registered doctors with a license to practise and a minimum of five years' post graduate experience. They are held to strict professional standards set by the GMC and, in addition to their five years’ post graduate experience, assessors must have experience of undertaking a medical and/or disability assessment, and of addressing questions of causation and impact in the context of legislative or policy requirements.