theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role Price Waterhouse Coopers have been assigned in assisting with the financial management of the Mid & South Essex NHS Hospitals Trust; how long this task has been assigned for; what the cost to the public purse is; and what outputs they are required to deliver. \p Karin Smyth: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) received a direct award to undertake a nationally mandated Investigation and Intervention programme at the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board, to support it in delivering its financial plan.

The programme lasted eight weeks, and the cost of phase one was £246,187, which the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and the integrated care board incurred. The output was a report recommending actions the system should take to recover its in-year plan.

The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board decided to secure additional support from PwC for phase two from mid-July to the end of October 2024, which cost £1.07 million. This evolved into a programme of work supporting direct intervention within and across the foundation trust’s hospital sites.
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Sir Oliver Dowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to expand the Pharmacy First scheme. \p Stephen Kinnock: Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. The Government is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists as we shift care from hospital to the community.

Pharmacy First has built on existing services to increase the clinical scope of the treatment and advice patients can receive. The conditions treated under the Pharmacy First offer will continue to be kept under review.

The Government recently resumed its consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements.
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Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many FTE GPs at each (a) main practice and (b) branch surgery in Calder Valley constituency were (i) fully qualified and (ii) in training grades in May 2010. \p Stephen Kinnock: The following table shows the number of fully qualified and training grade Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs) at each main practice in the Calder Valley constituency, in December 2024:

Practice name

Fully qualified FTE GPs

Training grade FTE GPs

Rydings Hall Surgery

4.3

1.9

Hebden Bridge Group Practice

10.4

2.1

Todmorden Group Practice

7.0

0.5

Brig Royd Surgery

6.5

2.1

The Northolme Practice

6.0

4.9

Stainland Road Medical Centre

5.6

4.1

Church Lane Surgery

3.9

3.6

Rastrick Health Centre

2.0

4.3

Bankfield Surgery

4.2

1.5

Longroyde Surgery

2.2

0.0

Notes:

The data requested is not broken down by branch surgery, and the data for 2010 is not held centrally.
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Charlie Maynard:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet the hon. Member for Witney to discuss the availability of (a) NHS dentistry and (b) diagnostic testing in Witney constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

Recovering diagnostic services, including in Witney, is a priority for the Government, as part of our ambition to return NHS waiting lists to meeting constitutional standards. It is unacceptable that some patients are waiting more than six weeks for a diagnostic test.

Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing. This will include more straight-to-test pathways, increasing and expanding Community Diagnostic Centres, and better use of technology.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry and diagnostic activity, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Witney constituency, this is the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB.

I will write to the hon. Member to provide further detail.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of new GP surgeries that are projected to open each year till July 2029. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone can access primary care when needed. At the Autumn Budget, a £102 million capital fund was announced for 2025/26 to deliver approximately 200 general practice (GP) surgery upgrades across England, improving existing facilities, boosting productivity, and enabling the delivery of more appointments. This funding represents a first step in delivering the additional capital the primary care sector needs.

Decisions on new GP surgeries are made locally by commissioners based on the needs of their populations. Integrated care boards are responsible for planning and commissioning healthcare services to meet the reasonable needs of the people for whom they are responsible, including evaluating population needs and planning provision for GP services. Their annual commissioning plans consider requirements for new practices, such as those driven by population growth, contract expiries, or unplanned closures. Commissioners are expected to address gaps in service, and in the event of a closure, assess whether a replacement provider is needed before transferring patients to other local practices.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason NHS hospitals have not commissioned beds available in care homes to restore capacity on hospital wards by enabling patients to be discharged. \p Stephen Kinnock: Local authorities should determine the volume and type of services, including care home beds, that are required to meet their responsibilities under the Care Act 2014. National Health Service integrated care boards, local authorities, and providers should work together to ensure that efforts to discharge individuals from hospital into social care are joined up and make best use of the available resources, in line with the duty to cooperate as set out in Section 82 of the NHS Act 2006.

In December 2024 there were, on average, 12,000 adult patients in acute hospital beds per day with delayed discharges, 5% fewer than in December 2023.
wrans/answers2025-01-30 conversation_9
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 12879 on Employer national insurance contributions on pharmacies, whether an impact assessment was conducted prior to the decision to increase employer National Insurance contributions. \p Stephen Kinnock: A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, and an overview of the equality impacts.
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Dr Allison Gardner:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to end the difference between the treatment of military and civil compensation payments in means tests for disabled facilities grants. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are giving older and disabled people more independence in their own homes through an immediate in-year uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) of £86 million in 2024/25. This increase will provide approximately 7,800 additional home adaptations. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. The Government also announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for the 2025/26 financial year at the Budget, bringing total funding for 2025/26 to £711 million. To ensure the DFG is as effective as possible, we will continue to keep different aspects of the grant, including the means test, under consideration.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of fracture liaison services in southwest London. \p Andrew Gwynne: Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which make decisions according to local need. This includes the NHS South West London Integrated Care Board.

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. This includes how best to support systems, who are responsible for commissioning.

The Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme, which includes a dedicated Fracture Liaison Service database, is a national clinical audit of fracture prevention care, delivered by the Royal College of Physicians. This includes reporting on individual Fracture Liaison Services, and supporting local and national service improvement.
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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) develop and (b) improve Fracture Liaison Services. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures, and support the patients who sustain them. The Government is committed to ending the postcode lottery for access to Fracture Liaison Services.

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.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists have been recruited under the dental recruitment incentive scheme in Gloucester. \p Stephen Kinnock: Within the NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB), seven dentists have been recruited under the dental recruitment incentive scheme. ICBs continue to work with practices in their area to support recruitment to these posts.

This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) start and (b) end dates are of all lease agreements held by NHS ambulance trusts for (i) ambulances and (ii) other vehicles. \p Karin Smyth: The information requested is not held centrally.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vehicles other than ambulances used by the NHS were (a) petrol, (b), diesel, (c) hydrogen, (d) hybrid, (e) plug-in hybrid and (f) fully electric in (i) England, (ii) East of England and (iii) Suffolk in each of the last 10 years. \p Karin Smyth: The information requested is not held centrally.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many ambulances were (a) petrol, (b), diesel, (c) hydrogen, (d) hybrid, (e) plug-in hybrid and (f) fully electric in (i) England, (ii) East of England and (iii) Suffolk in each of the last 10 years. \p Karin Smyth: The attached tables show the number of double-crewed ambulances and other emergency vehicles for England and the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust by fuel type, from 2019/20 to 2023/24. Data is only held for the years included in the tables attached, and information is not available for the Suffolk geographical area.

Table for PQ26115 (docx, 21.5KB)
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Danny Beales:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with NHS England on the potential merits of publishing data on incidents of corridor care in the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is clear that patients should expect and receive the highest standard of service, and is determined to tackle the issue of corridor care.

Discussions on how to improve urgent and emergency care services are continuing, including how best to make use of data. Before the spring, we will set out the lessons learned from this winter and the improvements that we will put in place ahead of next winter.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) electric ambulances and (b) other electric vehicles were there in the ambulance service fleet for (i) England, (ii) the East and (iii) Suffolk in each year between 2014 and 2024. \p Karin Smyth: The following two tables show the number of electric double-crewed ambulances and other emergency vehicles for England and the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, respectively, from 2019/20 to 2023/24:

England

Year

Number

Double-crewed ambulance

2019/20

0

2021/22

1

2022/23

1

2023/24

2

Other emergency fleet

2019/20

1

2021/22

31

2022/23

80

2023/24

150

East of England Ambulance Trust

Year

Number

Double-crewed ambulance

2019/20

0

2021/22

0

2022/23

0

2023/24

0

Other emergency vehicle

2019/20

0

2021/22

0

2022/23

0

2023/24

2

Notes: there will be some variation in numbers when comparing between years due to different levels of data quality and completeness in the data collections.

Data is only held for the years included in the tables, and information is not available for the Suffolk geographical area.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many electric vehicle charging points were available at ambulance stations in (a) England, (b) the East of England and (c) Suffolk in each year between 2014 and 2024. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has collected this data since 2017 through the Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC) at a national and regional level, for the East of England National Health Service region, although it does not separate the data for Suffolk. The most recent data for 2023/24 shows that there are 572 national electric vehicle (EV) chargers on all ambulance sites, 22 of which are in the East of England. The following table shows the number of EV chargers at a national level and for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, broken down by year, from 2017/18 to 2023/24:

Year

National EV chargers

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust EV chargers

2017/18

34

0

2018/19

77

4

2019/20

116

16

2020/21

164

16

2021/22

246

15

2022/23

350

22

2023/24

572

22

Source: data is from the Estates Returns Information Collection, published by NHS England, and available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection

Notes:
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Danny Beales:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to encourage the wider adoption of drone technology in the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England will continue to encourage the wider adoption of drone technology in the National Health Service where it is both feasible and appropriate.

The NHS is committed to decarbonising travel and transport, with a clear vision of achieving a zero-emission fleet by 2040. In October 2023, NHS England published the NHS Net Zero Travel and Transport Strategy, which contains an ambitious, yet deliverable, roadmap to achieve this. Further information on the NHS Net Zero Travel and Transport Strategy is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/net-zero-travel-and-transport-strategy/

This strategy includes drones as one of the interventions to achieve decarbonised travel and transport. There have already been a number of projects testing and implementing the use of drone technology in the NHS, including pathology drones in Cornwall and blood delivery drones in London. Further information on the pathology drones in Cornwall and the blood delivery drones in London is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.rcpath.org/resource-report/pathology-drone-transport-hopes-to-overcome-logistical-constraints-in-cornwall.html

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/news/nhs-delivery-drones-take-flight-offering-faster-and-greener-patient-care

Drones have also been used to deliver vital chemotherapy to the Isle of Wight, reducing a four-hour journey time by road and sea to a 30-minute flight, minimising waste and treatment delays whilst also reducing carbon, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/whats-already-happening/drone-deliveries-of-vital-chemotherapy-to-the-isle-of-wight/
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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of when he will meet his target of providing an extra 62,000 neurology appointments in England in each year. \p Karin Smyth: Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need. Currently, the waiting list stands at 7.48 million patient pathways, with over 6 million people waiting, including 235,000 on neurology waiting lists.

We will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029, increasing performance to 65% by March 2026, as set out in the Elective Reform Plan. We will deliver an additional 2 million operations, scans, and appointments across all specialties, including neurology appointments, during our first year in Government, as a First Step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks.

Alongside the breadth of reforms and productivity efforts in the plan, we will increase activity, deliver improvements in patient experience, and reduce waiting times for neurology patients across the country.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of the (a) name and (b) postcode of all ambulance depots in (i) England, (ii) East of England and (iii) Suffolk; and how many (A) ambulances and (B) other vehicles are based at each depot. \p Karin Smyth: A table showing the names, postcodes, and operating foundation trusts of all ambulance depots in England, including the East of England and Suffolk, is attached. Information on the number of vehicles at each depot is not held centrally.

Table for PQ26118 (xlsx, 55.5KB)
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of the differential effects of the changes in last year's budget to National Insurance Contributions on employers of Learning Disabilities nurses who work (a) directly for the NHS and (b) for independent health and social care suppliers who are contracted by the NHS to give support to its patients. \p Karin Smyth: We have taken tough decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented from April 2025, and NHS England has set out the approach to funding providers in planning guidance for the next financial year.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the totals of students on (a) all BSc nursing degree courses, and (b) specific courses for the degree of BSc Nursing (Learning Disabilities) since 2016; what percentage of students on BSc Nursing (Learning Disabilities) degree courses were in receipt of NHS bursaries in the year prior to the discontinuation of such bursaries; and what percentage of students currently on BSc Nursing (Learning Disabilities) degree courses are in receipt of apprenticeships. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service continues to offer rewarding careers, with many thousands of people choosing to study nursing and midwifery every year. The Department monitors the information published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which shows that healthcare courses were in high demand during the pandemic and now we are seeing a decrease in number of applicants across these programmes. The following table shows the number of acceptances to undergraduate nursing courses in England, from 2019 to 2024:

Year

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Acceptances

19,770

25,510

25,815

23,240

20,790

20,920

Source: data is from UCAS, and is available at the following link: https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-data-resources-2024

While the data from UCAS is not detailed enough to report acceptances to individual branches of nursing, the Office for Students tracks the number of starters on learning disabilities nursing routes, through their Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey. The following table therefore shows the number of undergraduate starters on learning disabilities nursing courses from 2016 to 2023:

Year

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Starters

495

315

375

425

580

570

535

345

Source: data is from the Office for Students, and is available at the following link:  https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/data-collection/get-the-heses-data/

Prior to the student funding reforms in 2017, nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions training places were centrally commissioned by Health Education England (HEE). All students on HEE commissioned places would have been in receipt of a non-means tested NHS Bursary and had their tuition fees paid. However, the Department does not hold the information that is able to confirm the proportion of Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Learning Disabilities) students who were in receipt of means tested elements of the National Health Service’s bursaries scheme or other allowances available to students in the year prior to their discontinuation.

The Department does not hold information on the percentage of students currently on Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Learning Disabilities) degree courses who are in receipt of apprenticeships.
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David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of seeking unlicensed products as an alternative to Creon to mitigate ongoing pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy shortages on pharmacies. \p Karin Smyth: There has been no assessment on the potential economic impact of seeking unlicensed products as an alternative to Creon.

The Department is continuing to engage with suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) and special importers of unlicensed medicines to increase the availability of PERT to mitigate the supply issue. The supplier of Creon expects to receive increased quantities for 2025. In December, the Department issued further management advice to healthcare professionals. This directs clinicians to unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable, and includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a public-facing page which includes the latest updates on PERT availability and easily accessible prescribing advice, including advice on preserving available stock of alternative PERT for certain patient cohorts.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide additional resources to healthcare trusts to enable them to bring outsourced services back in-house. \p Karin Smyth: Responsibility for spending decisions rests with individual National Health Service trusts. As public bodies, NHS trusts should maintain the highest standards of rigour, value for money and propriety in the use of public funding. All spending must contribute to organisational objectives and support the delivery of high-quality patient care.

Regardless of how staff are employed, the expectation from the Government is that their pay, terms and conditions remain attractive to support recruitment and retention.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) conditions and (b) treatments for people with a chronic urinary tract infection. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England published Excellence in Continence Care on 23 July 2018, bringing together evidence-based resources and research for guidance for commissioners, providers, and health and social care staff. This guidance covers both urinary and bowel, also known as faecal, incontinence. Further information on Excellence in Continence Care is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/excellence-in-continence-care/

NHS England will consider the next steps for Excellence in Continence Care.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to include cancer prevention within the National Cancer Plan. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Government has been clear that there should be a national cancer plan, and we are now in discussions about what form it should take, including the role of prevention in the work to reduce the lives lost to cancer. We will develop and publish the 10-Year Health Plan before publishing a new national cancer plan, and will provide updates in due course.

The Government recognises the importance of primary and secondary prevention within a holistic approach to improving cancer outcomes. With this aim, the plan will set out how we will fight cancer on all fronts, from prevention to diagnosis, treatment, and research.

Work is already underway on cancer prevention, with extensive programmes across vaccination, screening, and education, which have the potential to support both reductions in cases of cancer, and increases in early diagnosis rates. For example, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has led to a substantial reduction in cervical cancer cases. All children aged 12 to 13 years old, those in Year 8, are offered the HPV vaccine, and NHS England is taking action to increase uptake. In addition, the NHS Cervical Screening Programme provides all women between the ages of 25 and 64 years old with the opportunity to be screened routinely to detect certain types of HPV infection, which is the cause of 99.7% of cervical cancer.

Smoking is the cause of 72% of all lung cancers, and the diagnosis of lung cancer at an earlier stage helps to achieve better results, as there is a wider range of treatment options which can be curative. In response to this, the Government is committed to creating a smoke-free generation through the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The latest data shows that the Targeted Lung Screening Programme contributed to an 8% increase in the early diagnosis of lung cancer compared to the pre-pandemic rate.

However, the Government recognises that there is much more to be done on cancer prevention, and the value in engaging in wide-ranging and meaningful engagement and consultation on how cancer services can meet the needs of those living with cancer. We plan to engage with a wide range of cancer partners, including charities and patient representative bodies, in the development of the national cancer plan.
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Josh Newbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish the outcomes of NHS England trials of bespoke services for patients with type 1 diabetes with disordered eating. \p Andrew Gwynne: To support improved treatment and care for people with type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) across the National Health Service, NHS England will:

- provide another year of funding for the five T1DE pilot sites, up to March 2026, to ensure sufficient patient numbers to support evaluation;

- review the pilot evaluation findings to inform future national strategy;

- seek additional national investment for T1DE treatment and care through the multi-year Spending Review, from 2026 to 2030;

- share pilot evaluation findings with all integrated care boards (ICBs) and make the case for local investment in T1DE from ICB baseline budgets, including support with potential commissioning approaches, which will be important if further national funding is not secured, and reflective of the fact that treating the consequences of T1DE is already a cost being funded by all ICBs, with the opportunity to improve both treatment and care and reduce activity and costs if the right care model and commissioning arrangements can be agreed; and

- share evidence with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and collaborate with a range of partner organisations on providing wider support for the NHS on T1DE.

In addition, each of the five new pilot areas is submitting quarterly data to the evaluation. The analysis of this data is to be included in a final evaluation report which NHS England expects to be able to publish, once complete, in September 2025.

In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent there are structured education programmes for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. All patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are invited to join the programme, along with any carers they may have.

The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB was not part of the T1DE pilot project funded by NHS England. The ICB will work with NHS colleagues to build upon the outcomes from the T1DE pilot.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with (a) Eisai Co., Ltd and Biogen Inc. and (b) Eli Lilly and Company on the production of disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease in the UK. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Government deeply values its relationships with life science companies and is committed to getting treatments to National Health Service patients through our 10 Year Plan for the NHS. This will include a plan for procurement, giving a clearer route to getting products into the NHS, coupled with reformed incentive structures to drive innovation and faster regulatory approval for new technology and medicines. The Government engages regularly with companies on the production of disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease in the United Kingdom, such as those developed by Eisai, Biogen, and Eli Lilly, and where appropriate, ministers may be involved in this engagement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Coroner Deborah Archer's report entitled Maeve Boothby O’Neill: Prevention of Future Deaths Report, reference 2024-0530, dated 7 October 2024, what steps he has taken to ensure that the (a) care for patients and (b) training available for (i) GPs, (ii) hospital doctors and (ii) other health workers on treating patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome is adequate. \p Andrew Gwynne: We are committed to improving care and support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). We recognise how devastating the symptoms can be, and the significant impact they can have on patients and their families.

The Department has reconvened the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group, including senior Department and cross-Government officials, ME/CFS specialists and representatives from NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the devolved administrations, and ME/CFS charities and organisations. With stakeholder engagement via the ME/CFS Task and Finish Group, we are developing the final delivery plan for ME/CFS, which we aim to publish by the end of March. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.

The Department is also working with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS for healthcare professionals, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes. Sessions one and two of the e-learning programme are now available. The third session will become available later in 2025.

The Medical Schools Council will promote the NHS England e-learning programme on ME/CFS to all United Kingdom medical schools, and encourage those medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME/CFS. The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of medical schools, and it is important that education is reenforced at different stages of medical training. Royal colleges play an important role in this. The GMC has included ME/CFS in the content map for the new national exam, so all medical schools will need to teach it as a subject.

NHS England is currently undertaking a stocktake, commissioned in September 2024 and due at the end of January 2025, that will provide a more accurate, in-depth overview of the position of post-COVID-19 services across England. The scope of this commission has been extended to include ME/CFS services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Anna Sabine:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the uptake of smear tests. \p Andrew Gwynne: To support improving access and uptake of the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, the National Health Service has a series of initiatives underway, including:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Northern Ireland on funding research through public health agencies. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Department works closely with all of the devolved administrations on shared research interests. The Department has an arrangement with the devolved administrations that allows research hosts, including universities and research active National Health Service organisations, in the devolved administrations to apply for National Institute for Health and Care Research funding, due to funding contributions from the Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh administrations. These arrangements are in place due to consultation between the Department of Health and Social Care, the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office, Health and Care Research Wales, and Health and Social Care Research and Development in Northern Ireland. In support of this, the Department has regular discussions with senior officials in the devolved administrations on health and social care research.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support research into (a) the treatment of and (b) a cure for motor neurone disease. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Department delivers research into motor neurone disease (MND) via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into MND, including investing £8 million into EXPERTS-ALS, which is an early phase clinical research trial for MND, screening for drugs that have the potential to be successful in clinical trials for people with MND.

The NIHR is also funding the Lighthouse II phase three clinical trial, testing the drug Triumeq in patients with MND.

The MND Translational Accelerator, supported by £6 million of Government funding, is connecting the UK Dementia Research Institute, the UK MND Research Institute, and the UK Dementias Platform to speed up the development of treatments for MND and frontotemporal dementia.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce age-related universal testing for prostate cancer. \p Andrew Gwynne: Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended in the United Kingdom, due to the inaccuracy of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test.

A UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) review, looking at whether to offer screening for prostate cancer, is currently underway. This evidence review will cover the modelling of the clinical and cost effectiveness of several approaches to prostate cancer screening. This will include different potential ways of screening the whole population as well as targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher-than-average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.

Once the modelling and evidence review are complete, it will be considered by the UK NSC. Provided that no further revisions are required, the UK NSC plans to look at the findings towards the end of 2025. Further details of the UK NSC’s evidence review process are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Danny Beales:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to expand the trial of the transportation of blood by drone technology undertaken by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital to more NHS Trusts. \p Andrew Gwynne: The medical drone delivery service for the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust is a six-month trial, that started in November. There is potential for drones to support and improve the way the National Health Service delivers patient care, with the outcome of trials supporting NHS trusts to consider the benefits of adoption.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Dr Danny Chambers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce a new plan to help reduce childhood obesity. \p Andrew Gwynne: The prevention of ill health is a clear priority for the Government, and the cornerstone of this is supporting children to live healthier lives. We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government will take action to tackle the root causes of obesity head on, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.

We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, we have announced changes to the planning framework for fast food near schools, and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. Further action on obesity under the Government’s Health Mission will be set out in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of ensuring that adults aged over 60 with pre-existing conditions are included in the respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programme. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps all vaccine programmes under review and will continue to update its advice as new evidence emerges. In October 2024, the JCVI agreed that it would need to formally review, in detail, the evidence for a potential extension to the programme for the very elderly and risk groups in those aged less than 75 years old. This review would be undertaken by the JCVI respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sub-committee.

The Department will consider any future JCVI advice on who should be offered an RSV immunisation. Once published, minutes of JCVI meetings are available on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation#sub-committee-membership-and-minutes
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were registered at each (a) main practice and (b) branch surgery in Calder Valley constituency as of May 2010. \p Stephen Kinnock: The following table shows the number of registered patients at each main general practice in the Calder Valley constituency as of December 2024:

Practice name

Total registered patients

Rydings Hall Surgery

7,873

Hebden Bridge Group Practice

18,541

Todmorden Group Practice

16,185

Brig Royd Surgery

10,677

The Northolme Practice

16,055

Stainland Road Medical Centre

11,562

Church Lane Surgery

11,106

Rastrick Health Centre

5,308

Bankfield Surgery

11,318

Longroyde Surgery

5,006

Source: General Practice Workforce, 30 December 2024, published by NHS England.

Notes:

The Department does not hold data regarding how many patients were registered at main and branch practices in the Calder Valley constituency for 2010.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Yasmin Qureshi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing additional regulations on the advertisement of food and drink (a) outdoors and (b) on other media platforms. \p Andrew Gwynne: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care discusses a range of diet and obesity-related issues with Government colleagues. Supporting people to stay healthier for longer is at the heart of the Government’s Health Mission, which aims to reduce the amount of time spent in ill health, tackle health inequalities, and drive economic growth. This includes taking bold action to tackle the childhood obesity crisis and create the healthiest generation of children ever.

The Government has committed to banning junk food advertising to children. The regulations introduce a 9:00pm watershed for the advertisement of less healthy food or drink products on television, and a total restriction of paid-for advertising of these products online.

The Government welcomes the recent action that has been taken at local level to ban junk food advertising across public transport networks and public spaces that are controlled by local authorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-30)

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Tessa Munt:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 22 January 2025 to Questions 24638, 24639 and 24640 on Radiotherapy: Medical Equipment, whether the criteria developed by NHS England for funding exclude (a) replacing radiotherapy machines purchased by charities for use by the NHS and (b) the costs of artificial intelligence products; and what the three technical specification options are for linear accelerators from which providers need to choose. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.