theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Monica Harding:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to establish a specialist Huntington’s Disease Centre in Surrey. \p Ashley Dalton: Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Huntington’s Disease.

Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissions a specialist service that provides support to people with Huntington’s Disease. The service works closely with the Huntington’s Disease clinic at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. As of November 2024, there are 18 full time equivalent neurology consultants employed in National Health Service trusts within the Surrey Heartlands ICB region. This is seven more than a year previously.

At the national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including those with Huntington’s disease, such as the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services. The National Neurosciences Advisory Group developed clinical pathways for adults with movement disorders, including Huntington’s disease. This is being used to inform the proposed changes to the neurology service model, which will in turn be used to revise the service specification for neurology.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve the quality of administrative tasks within the NHS and (b) reduce the number of people receiving an invitation to an appointment after the date it is supposed to have taken place. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is putting patients first, making sure they are seen as quickly as possible and have the best possible experience, which includes receiving timely communication and experiencing high quality administration.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025 as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, sets out the reform we will deliver to reduce waiting times and improve experience of care. This will be patient-led and co-developed with people that use the National Health Service. We will work with patients, carers, and their representatives to target the things that matter most and will publish minimum standards patients should expect to experience.

We are reforming the digital landscape to improve productivity, communication, and offer greater convenience for NHS service users, including changing the NHS App to make it easier and more helpful for patients to access information about their appointments. By the end of March 2025, 85% of acute trusts will allow patients to view appointment information via the NHS App if they wish, reducing reliance on physical letters. We will also provide high quality, non-digital options for those who want and need them.

The Government is also reducing the burden of administrative tasks in the NHS. On Friday 4 October 2024, the Government and NHS England launched a Red Tape Challenge to address bureaucracy between primary and secondary care and give our health professionals back time to do what they do best. The challenge is being led by NHS England leaders, Medical Director for Primary Care, Dr Claire Fuller, and Medical Director for Secondary Care and Quality, Stella Vig.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27118 on NHS England: Pay, whether the annual salary of the Regional Director of NHS East of England is within the maximum exception zone for the salary band. \p Karin Smyth: The Regional Director of NHS East of England is not remunerated within the maximum exception zone for the salary band.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Sadik Al-Hassan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for when patients with Myasthenia Gravis will have access to recently licenced products. \p Karin Smyth: On 7 March 2024, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the medicine rozanolixizumab, marketed as Rystiggo, to treat adults with generalised myasthenia gravis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates all new licensed medicines and makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether they should be routinely funded by the NHS based on their clinical and cost effectiveness. NICE aims to publish guidance as close as possible to the time of licensing.

NICE published draft guidance on the use of rozanolixizumab for consultation in September 2024 and was unable to recommend it as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources due to uncertainties in the long-term effectiveness of the treatment, as well as uncertainties in the economic model and the cost-effectiveness at the price proposed by the company. NICE has not yet published final guidance, and it will keep stakeholders informed about next steps as soon as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27118 on NHS England: Pay, whether the Strategy Director of NHS East of England is remunerated with an annual salary within the maximum exception zone salary band. \p Karin Smyth: The Strategy Director of NHS East of England is remunerated within the maximum exception zone salary band.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an estimate of the cost to the NHS from injuries sustained from following social media trends. \p Karin Smyth: Under the Online Safety Act, providers will need to take steps to protect children from encountering harmful content. This includes providing age-appropriate access to priority content, which includes content encouraging dangerous stunts and challenges. We do not currently hold an estimate of the cost to the National Health Service of injuries sustained from social media trends.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle potential barriers to investment for the life science industry; and whether his Department is taking steps to improve partnerships between the NHS and the life science industry in the context of cancer care. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to supporting the United Kingdom’s vibrant life sciences sector, which contributes £108 billion to the economy and approximately 300,000 jobs nationwide. A new Life Sciences Sector Plan, part of the upcoming Industrial Strategy, is due to be published in late spring 2025, and will set out a comprehensive plan for how we will drive up investment.

In parallel, we continue to deliver our strategic partnership with BioNTech, which aims to provide up to 10,000 patients with personalised immunotherapies by 2030. BioNTech and its partners, supported by the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, are currently running 12 clinical trials in the UK, with over 50 trial sites covering the country.

We have also co-funded £9 million to the MANIFEST cancer immunotherapy platform consortium composed of academia, the National Health Service and industry partners, to expand UK immunotherapy research and development capabilities and support better targeting and improved efficacy of treatments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on joining up NHS records so a patient's vaccination history is recorded all in one place. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England has been establishing the digital infrastructure required to maintain a consistent view of vaccination status between both individuals and healthcare providers. This includes data sharing across general practice, National Health Service trusts, community pharmacies and school-aged immunisation services.

The COVID-19 vaccination campaigns have demonstrated effective sharing of vaccination data across the NHS vaccination network. Effective data sharing across general practice, maternity services and targeted community pharmacies has since helped mobilise the delivery of respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programmes for older adults and pregnant women, to protect newborn babies, which were introduced in September 2024. Progress has also been made in the sharing of pertussis vaccination events delivered in maternity services, to protect babies from whooping cough.

NHS England continues to extend this capability across wider NHS vaccinations, ensuring that vaccination records are consistently visible to individuals and vaccination providers.

Work is also underway to improve the public’s vaccination experience, via the NHS app. This service will use this same digital infrastructure to help individuals understand which vaccinations they are eligible for, those they’ve already had, as well as how and where to access them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Chris Bloore:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers. \p Karin Smyth: We do not have a policy which explicitly covers paid time off work and other support to employees who become kinship carers. Employees can take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or are able to request other special leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request flexible working to support both short term and longer-term arrangements.

As with all requests for time off under our policies, each case is taken on a case-by-case basis, and consideration to grant requests, either paid or unpaid, taken in line with our provisions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of what the NHS waiting list will be in (a) 12 months, (b) two years, (c) three years and (d) by the end of the Parliament. \p Karin Smyth: Projected estimates of National Health Service waiting list size are currently being refined. We have delivered a reduction in the list of 160,000 pathways, as well as provision of over two million extra appointments between July and November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and endoscopy.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029; and the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out an expectation that national performance will increase from 58% as of December 2024 to 65% by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5 percentage point improvement by March 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of postcodes outside the recommended minimum distance from a defibrillator in (a) Essex, (b) the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: To improve patients' survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the Government has committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED fund, launched in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the Fund.

As part of the application process, the Department has selected the Smarter Society as its independent partner to manage grant applications against requirements specified by the Department to ensure that resource is allocated where there is the greatest need; for example, remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas.

When an AED is installed, these defibrillators are required to be registered on The Circuit, the national defibrillator ambulance service database. Upon registration, contact details are provided for the nominated AED guardian/s who are local to the defibrillator’s location and conduct checks when required.

87 AEDs have been distributed through the fund in Essex, including 1 in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve cardiovascular disease outcomes. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to tackling the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the Health Mission sets an ambition to reduce premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years. The Department held a symposium on heart disease and stroke on 13 March 2025 where charities, patient advocacy groups, clinicians, think-tanks and other experts discussed how to deliver on the ambition.

We are tackling the root cause of preventable heart disease and stroke by introducing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, implementing the advertising regulations for less healthy food and drink on television and online, and empowering councils to block the development of new fast-food shops outside schools.

To improve access to the NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s CVD prevention programme, we are developing a new NHS Heath Check Online tool so that people can have a check at a time and place convenient to them to understand and act on their CVD risk.

Furthermore, we are trialling a new workplace CVD check which will deliver more than 130,000 lifesaving heart health checks in the workplace.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS Health Check digitisation (a) reaches all communities equitably and (b) does not exacerbate health inequalities for dementia. \p Ashley Dalton: The NHS Health Check Online service is being developed to improve access and engagement with the cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme by enabling people to take a check at home, at a time convenient to them. The digital service will complement the face-to-face programme and is based on extensive user research and behavioural insight to ensure the service meets user needs.

Increasing uptake in the NHS Health Check Programme through the new online service, for those who are willing and able to do so, will free up primary care capacity to target resources towards underserved groups at the highest risk of CVD.

A six-month pilot in three local authorities will begin from spring 2025, and, as part of the independent evaluation, we will examine the impact on health inequalities. The results of this will inform the development and rollout of the online service in future.

The online service will follow the same assessments and criteria as the current service, signposting people to behavioural support, such as smoking cessation, and clinical management where appropriate. This includes making people aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia and being signposted to memory services as appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of patient outcomes for those undergoing heroin detoxification using Buvidal compared to Methadone. \p Ashley Dalton: No assessment has been made on patient outcomes for those undergoing heroin detoxification using buprenorphine long-acting injection, branded Buvidal, compared to methadone specifically. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is currently undertaking analysis of National Drug Treatment Monitoring System data to look at the comparative outcomes between Buvidal and other opioid substitution treatment medicines generally, not just methadone. This work is currently incomplete.

Treatment decisions are taken between a person and their clinician to ensure the right option for them, and long-acting injectable buprenorphine, branded as Buvidal, oral buprenorphine, and methadone should be offered as part of a package of care, alongside the usual talking therapies and recovery support that can help people stay off drugs. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol services according to local need, and this includes the provision of buprenorphine long-acting injections.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK have genetic eye conditions impacting the AIPLI gene. \p Ashley Dalton: Mutations in the AIPL1 gene can cause retinal disorders. Genetic causes of retinal disorders are tested for by R32 testing that is available nationally via the National Genomic Test Directory for any patient that meets the eligibility criteria. R32 tests for 280 genes. There have been 11 individuals reported with causative variants in the AIPL1 gene from over 4000 tests. This data represents testing of patients from England only as NHS England does not hold this information for devolved nations.

This number also does not capture the number of individuals identified by cascade testing following the identification of AILP1 causative variants through an R32 test of a family member. Cascade testing is the process of informing and testing family members for a genetic condition discovered within the family.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Marsha De Cordova:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of expediting the implementation of section 95 of the Health and Care Act 2022 on the rights of disabled people. \p Stephen Kinnock: Following commencement of the regulations made under the Health and Care Act 2022, new arrangements will come into effect to make information standards mandatory. Existing standards will need to go through a new process to become mandatory, and once a standard becomes mandatory, organisations will be expected to comply. The timing for the Accessible Information Standard will be considered along with those of the other existing standards. These arrangements are expected to happen this year, once the regulations have been approved by Parliament.

The intent of making information standards mandatory is to improve the rigour of standards, and the consistency of their application. The implementation of Section 95 should have a beneficial impact on those using services, by contributing to the effective operation of the health and care sector. The Accessible Information Standard is intended to improve the accessibility of information, while other standards often specify the technical basis for ensuring that data flows through the system in a usable and standardised form, improving the quality of care and patient outcomes. Information standards do not affect people’s rights.

NHS England commissioned the North of England Commissioning Support Unit to review compliance with the Accessible Information Standard, prior to reviewing the standard. Their findings matched the independent reviews undertaken by Sign Health and Healthwatch, that implementation was inconsistent. NHS England has considered how to strengthen compliance with the standard, including the requirement to identify local implementation leads, and the development and testing of a self-assessment framework.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the adequacy of the provision of NHS dental services across the UK. \p Stephen Kinnock: Whilst the provision of National Health Service dental care is devolved, my Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and I have engaged and intend to continue to engage fully with Ministers from all four nations on matters crucial to the future of our health and social care system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people on low incomes to access ADHD treatment that is not available through the NHS. \p Stephen Kinnock: As set out in the NHS Constitution, access to services in the National Health Service is based on clinical need, not an individual’s ability to pay. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected in the summer.

In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning. NHS England has also conducted detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, capturing examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services. NHS England is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to ADHD (a) diagnosis, (b) medication and (c) other treatment in (i) areas where waiting times are long and (ii) other areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessments and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

NHS England has established the ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected to make recommendations in the summer.

In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning. NHS England has also conducted detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, capturing examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services. NHS England is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ring-fencing funding for ADHD services. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of ring-fencing funding for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including those with ADHD, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, recently announced a series of reforms to the National Health Service operating model to move power from the health centre to local leaders. In keeping with these reforms, we are giving systems greater control and flexibility over how funding is deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.

NHS England has established the ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected in summer 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent regional variations in ADHD (a) assessment and (b) treatment times. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessments and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

NHS England has established the ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support. The final report is expected in the summer, which will make recommendations about how to address the challenges faced by those affected by ADHD.

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for assessment for, or treatment of, ADHD either nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, relevant information may be held locally by individual NHS trusts or commissioners.

In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning. NHS England has also conducted detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, capturing examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services. NHS England is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time from referral to diagnosis has been for people being referred to memory assessment services in the last five years. \p Stephen Kinnock: A timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible.

The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services, including the detection and diagnosis of dementia, and will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services. The Government and NHS England remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%.

The Dementia Care Pathway: Full Implementation Guidance, commissioned by NHS England, outlines the dementia care pathway and associated benchmarks to support improvements in the delivery and quality of care and support, for people living with dementia and their families and carers. The guide showcases good-practice examples of services that have successfully reduced their waiting times. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/nccmh/dementia/nccmh-dementia-care-pathway-full-implementation-guidance.pdf

To support recovery of the dementia diagnosis rates and implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, NHS England has developed a dashboard for management information purposes. The aim is to support commissioners and providers of memory services with appropriate data and enable targeted support where needed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the public health risks associated with high levels of nitrogen oxide pollution from diesel vehicles. \p Ashley Dalton: Despite significant progress, air pollution remains a significant environmental threat to human health. Leading our Health Mission, the Department of Health and Social Care is working across Government, including with the Department for Transport, to promote a reduction in the health harms of air pollution.

Tackling the public health risks associated with air pollution involves reducing concentrations of pollutants where people live, work and play. Local authorities have an important role in identifying and implementing the local measures needed to achieve legal air quality limits and clean up the air we breathe. The NO2 programme has provided £575 million to support local authorities to address nitrogen dioxide pollution and achieve compliance with legal limits in the shortest possible time, supporting measures such as Clean Air Zones, traffic management improvements and vehicle upgrade schemes, and recently agreeing Greater Manchester’s £86 million Clean Air Plan.
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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the NHS Payment Scheme on waiting times for ADHD assessments. \p Stephen Kinnock: As required by law, NHS England has assessed the impact of the proposed NHS Payment Scheme. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/25-26-NHSPS-Consultation-notice-C-impact-assessment.pdf

This impact assessment includes consideration of the impact on patient choice, as well as an assessment of the impact on patients, in line with NHS England’s public sector equality duty.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients will continue to benefit from the Right to Choose their provider at the point of referral. None of the proposed changes to the NHS Payment Scheme included in the consultation would change this.

Local integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning service provision in their local area, including for ADHD assessments. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.

The consultation on the proposed NHS Payment Scheme closed on 28 February 2025. The outcome of the consultation will be published shortly once all responses received have been fully considered and any decisions made about the final Payment Scheme.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with leadership at the Care Quality Commission on ensuring concerns raised regarding elderly care homes are dealt with appropriately. \p Stephen Kinnock: Ministers regularly meets with external stakeholders and key organisations to discuss a variety of issues, including but not limited to social care provision. I met with the Care Quality Commission on Friday 14 March 2025.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of obesity-related illnesses on health services in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire. \p Ashley Dalton: The prevention of ill health is a clear priority for the Government and the cornerstone of this is supporting children to live healthier lives. Officials in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) Northwest regional team prioritise tackling obesity and support children and young people to lead a healthier lifestyle. The Government has: laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on TV and online from 1 October 2025; announced changes to the planning framework for fast food outlets near schools; and is committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old.

Examples of national schemes in Lancashire include: supporting weight management services to help families living with obesity, including the CHANGE weight management service in Fylde; Diabetes and Complications of Excessive Weight Service in NHS England’s Royal Preston Hospital, using a holistic approach to treating conditions related to obesity in children and young people; and 14 schools offering school breakfast clubs, as part of the Department for Education’s early adaptors programme, with the aim of providing healthy, varied and nutritious breakfasts.

In March 2023, Lancashire County Council published a report on creating healthier weight environments in Lancashire and subsequently established Healthy Hearts as one of three priorities to narrow the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy between local areas by 2030. The report is available at the following link:

https://foodactive.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Creating-Healthier-Weight-Environments-in-Lancashire-Mar23_Final.pdf

A two-year programme of work is being established to strengthen existing activities underway across the county and contribute to improving the food environment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-18 conversation_184

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 October 2024 to Question 5319 on Peripheral Arterial Disease, whether he plans to include policies on the treatment of (a) peripheral arterial disease and (b) other cardiovascular diseases in the 10-Year Health Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts the 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 cardiovascular health in all parts of the county.

More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including cardiovascular disease, closer to home. Moving from sickness to prevention will help us reduce the causes of the biggest killers, and provide treatment earlier, rather than only intervening when conditions deteriorate.

As part of the 10-Year Health Plan engagement exercise, I hosted a symposium on cardiovascular disease on 13 March 2025. This brought together a range of charities and clinical experts in the disease. This is in addition to the responses received to the consultation from numerous national and local charities and organisations and their attendance at the National Partners Council.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-18 conversation_185

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to support mental health services for children in Bedfordshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: We know that waits for children and young people's (CYP) mental health services are far too long, including in Bedfordshire. That is why the NHS planning guidance for 2025/26 makes clear that one of the priorities for children's mental health services is to reduce inequalities in access to CYP mental health services.

The Government will also recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across children and adult mental health services and provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school through expanding Mental Health Support Teams, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.

Early intervention and prevention support in the community is vital. That is why we are providing £7 million of funding to extend support for 24 Early Support Hubs that have a track record of helping thousands of young people in their community.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-18 conversation_186

Jeremy Hunt:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the timely publication of the 2023-24 report by NHS England on learning from lives and deaths: people with a learning disability and autistic people. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England commissions Kings College London and its partners to analyse data from the publication, Learning from Lives and Deaths: People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People. The annual report is published by Kings College London, which is currently working on the next annual report and NHS England advises it will publish this shortly. The last report was published in November 2023 and is available at the following link:

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/assets/fans-dept/leder-2022-v2.0.pdf
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-18 conversation_187

Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take with community care providers to help reduce hospital discharge waiting times. \p Stephen Kinnock: We will tackle delayed discharges by developing local partnerships between the National Health Service and social care, and making sure people get the right support to return home.

Every acute hospital trust has access to a care transfer hub. These hubs bring together professionals across health, social care and other partners, including community providers, to manage discharges for people with more complex needs.

We have published Neighbourhood Health Guidelines to help local health and care systems progress neighbourhood health in 2025/26. Integrated intermediate care supports hospital discharge and is a core component that we are asking systems to focus on this year. Close partnership working between adult social care, the NHS and other community partners is vital to the successful delivery of intermediate care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-18 conversation_188

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for dyslexia assessments in Lincolnshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: Data on waiting times for dyslexia assessments is not held centrally. Assessments for dyslexia in children are provided by an educational psychologist or an appropriately qualified specialist dyslexia teacher. If a parent thinks their child may be dyslexic, as a first step they should speak to their child’s teacher or their school's special educational needs co-ordinator about their concerns. The school may be able to offer additional support to help the child if necessary. The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Education on policies relating to children with Special Educational Needs and Disability.

Adults who wish to be assessed for dyslexia are advised to contact a local or national dyslexia association for advice. Further information on dyslexia assessments is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/diagnosis/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-18 conversation_189

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) pilot and (b) support the adoption of new diagnostic tools for dementia (i) including blood tests and (ii) generally. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

The Department funds research into dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Alongside Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and the People’s Postcode Lottery, the NIHR is funding the Blood Biomarker Challenge which seeks to produce the clinical and economic data that could make the case for the use of a blood test in the NHS to support diagnosis of dementia.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-18 conversation_190

Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of community rehabilitation services on (a) people’s well-being and (b) the prevention of ill-health. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government understands the importance of having effective rehabilitation services available to help people recover. By providing an alternative to hospital or care home admission, community rehabilitation supports the Government’s shift from hospital to home and from sickness to prevention.

Successful intermediate care and reablement support services are better for service users, promoting faster recovery, improving independence, reducing risk of physical deconditioning associated with long stays in hospital, and providing a joined-up experience of health and care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-18 conversation_191

Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dental patients in Eastleigh constituency will benefit from the 700,000 extra urgent appointments. \p Stephen Kinnock: We will deliver 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments per year, with integrated care boards (ICBs) asked to start making extra appointments available from April 2025. The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to ICBs across England. Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB, which includes Eastleigh constituency, is expected to deliver 30,032 additional urgent dental appointments.

The urgent appointments will be available to NHS patients experiencing painful oral health issues, such as infections, abscesses, or cracked or broken teeth. Patients can contact their usual dental practice or call NHS 111 if they do not have a regular dentist or need help out-of-hours.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-18 conversation_192

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle dementia cases which could be (a) prevented and (b) delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors. \p Stephen Kinnock: For most people, their local general practice surgery is the first port of call when a health problem starts, so excellent primary care is the key to unlocking timely diagnosis of progressive health conditions like dementia.

The NHS Health Check aims to prevent heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and some cases of dementia among adults aged between 40 and 74 years old. Through the check, people aged between 65 and 74 years old should be made aware of the signs and symptoms of dementia and be signposted to memory services as appropriate.

The Government is investing in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis and prevention to treatment, care and support, including for carers.