theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's report entitled SACN statement on the WHO guideline on non-sugar sweeteners: summary, published on 2 April 2025. \p Ashley Dalton: In its statement, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) concluded that the evidence of a risk to health from consuming non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) is inconsistent. It also made a precautionary recommendation that intakes of NSS be minimised. With greater certainty of the impact of sugars on health, the SACN recommended that “swapping sugars for NSS may help reduce sugar intake from foods and drinks (and so reduce energy intake), at least in the short term. The long-term goal is to limit both sugar and NSS intake”.

A number of Government policies encourage businesses to reduce sugar levels in products. As a result of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, the sugar levels of the drinks included within the levy have reduced by nearly half, or 47% specifically, and through other policies reductions of approximately 15% have been seen in breakfast cereals, with reductions of over 13% and approximately 7% also having been seen in yogurts and ice creams, respectively. Sugar levels in pre-packed milk-based drinks have also reduced by approximately 32%.

For the levy, the sugar that has been removed has largely been replaced with sweeteners, although this is not the case for all of the drinks included in the scope of the levy where sugar levels have been reduced. Sweeteners have not been used in food products to such a great extent, which is generally due to legislative or business-related restrictions, the latter largely arising because of consumer concerns around their usage.

It is ultimately up to businesses to decide if and the extent to which they use sweeteners in their products, where these are permitted for use. It is recognised, however, that there are benefits to not replacing the sugar removed with sweeteners as these maintain a highly sweet taste in a product, rather than allowing palates to adapt to having less sugar in food and drink.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking during the transition to the NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board to ensure that the level of the dental workforce meets any change in demand in the East of England. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a critical role to play in the future as strategic commissioners, and this is going to be central to realising the ambitions that have been set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. Any proposed changes to the ICBs in the east of England will not impact the requirement for ICBs to commission dentistry services that meet the needs of their population.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.

We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of (a) international approaches to national cancer plans and (b) previous UK cancer plans, in the context of his planned national cancer plan. \p Ashley Dalton: As part of development for the National Cancer Plan, the Department has engaged with international counterparts to consider their approaches to national cancer strategies. This includes engagement with Denmark to discuss the lessons learned from their cancer plans.

The Department has also considered previous UK cancer plans and submissions to the previous 10 Year Cancer Plan and Major Conditions Strategy call for evidence to inform the development of the upcoming National Cancer Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of asking the National Screening Committee’s to review the evidence on risk-stratified screening. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) already consider risk stratification in screening programmes.

Last year the National Health Service moved from annual diabetic retinopathy testing for all people over 12 years of age with diabetes, to every two years for lower risk individuals. This followed a UK NSC recommendation.

This year, the NHS adopted the UK NSC’s recommendation to move from age-based screening intervals in the cervical screening programme to risk-based intervals. Women with a positive HPV test (high-risk) are screened annually while the general population of women ages 25 – 64 will be screened every five years. The UK NSC are also working with Australian researchers to determine whether HPV vaccination status should be a risk stratification screening consideration.

The UK NSC is considering risk stratification in breast screening. Work is underway with researchers to look at whether women with denser breasts should have a different screening approach, and consideration is being given to whether certain genetic mutations may require further stratification in the breast screening programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what requirements are in place for (a) airlines, (b) rail services, (c) buses and (d) other public transport operators to carry adrenaline auto-injectors. \p Ashley Dalton: There are not any requirements for airlines, rail services, buses or public transport operators to carry adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs).

Guidance published in June 2023 by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency states that prescribers should prescribe two AAIs to make sure patients always have the second dose, and that those who are prescribed AAIs should always carry two AAIs at all times.

There are a number of implications that would need to be given careful consideration if AAIs were to be located in public places or placed on airlines, rail services, buses and other public transport operators. For example, we would need to consider the impacts on supplies of AAIs for patients who are prescribed them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to treatments to manage Fanconi Anaemia. \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 Fanconi Anaemia. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community. The fourth priority of the framework is improved access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs. Action under this priority has included reviewing the medicines access pathways, namely the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the Innovative Licensing Pathway, and the Innovative Medicines Fund, for their suitability for rare disease therapies and reforming clinical trial regulations. Information on Fanconi Anaemia is included on the NHS England GeNotes page, supporting healthcare professionals with easy access to information on the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of mandatory training requirements for food handlers in businesses serving the public on increasing awareness of (a) allergens, (b) gluten-free diets and (b) other food hygiene regulations for people with coeliac disease. \p Ashley Dalton: Under United Kingdom law, food business operators must ensure that staff training is appropriate to the type of food handled, including high-risk foods such as those containing allergens or gluten. While there is no standalone legal requirement for allergen-specific training, the Food Standards Agency provides free online allergy training, allergen guidance for food businesses, and technical guidance on food allergen labelling, which includes gluten-free considerations.

While food allergen training is the responsibility of the food business operator, local authorities assess its adequacy during inspections to ensure compliance with allergen management requirements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on (a) the potential cost-effectiveness of expanding access to radiotherapy treatment and (b) other funding relating to radiotherapy cancer treatments. \p Ashley Dalton: There have not been any recent discussions relating to the cost-effectiveness and funding of radiotherapy. However, the Government remains committed to supporting the use of radiotherapy as a crucial cancer treatment. We have already invested £70 million in replacing outdated radiotherapy machines across the National Health Service with new, cutting-edge technology that will speed up treatment for thousands of patients.

Additionally, the Government will also continue to support the NHS to deliver a wide range of cancer treatment services, as we work towards our aim of diagnosing and treating cancer more quickly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing Band 3 vaccinators to continue in vaccination roles after April 2026. \p Ashley Dalton: In December 2020, amendments were made to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to provide a mechanism that enabled an expanded workforce to legally and safely administer COVID-19 and influenza vaccines without the input of a prescriber, using an approved protocol. This temporary amendment is due to lapse on 1 April 2026.

Recognising the important role the expanded vaccinator workforce has played in safely and effectively delivering COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, the Department is proposing to establish a new permanent provision to support the continued use of an extended workforce to supply and administer vaccinations from 1 April 2026. These proposals are subject to public consultation, which went live on 5 September 2025 and closes on 28 November 2025. The consultation is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/amend-regulations-to-support-the-supply-and-deployment-of-vaccines
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people seeking a potential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis are seen by a neurologist within 12 weeks. \p Ashley Dalton: Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to achieving the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029, including in neurology services.

In January 2025, we published our Elective Reform Plan, which sets out our approach to hitting that target by the end of this Parliament.

We surpassed our manifesto pledge to deliver an extra two million elective appointments; we have delivered 5.2 million additional appointments in our first year of government. Many of those appointments included appointments for treating multiple sclerosis.

Waiting lists are coming down; they have fallen by over 206,000 since the Government came into office.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to Lyft shots prescribed for children with Type 1 diabetes in (a) Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes constituency and (b) England. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department has not made a specific assessment. Decisions on the prescribing of medicines in England are a matter for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE has published advice on the management of Type 1 Diabetes, including advice on managing acute hypoglycaemia. This is available at the following link:

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

Glucose gels, such as Lift shots, are available on prescription for Type 1 diabetes hypoglycaemia episodes if deemed clinically appropriate and with regard to national guidance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Darren Paffey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential (a) merits of introducing a preventative screening programme for (i) kidney and (ii) chest conditions and (b) impact of such a programme on (A) early detection, (B) patient outcomes and (C) long-term cost savings to the NHS. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed the evidence to screen for kidney disease (glomerulonephritis) in 2011 and recommended against screening because

However, the National Health Service Health Check assesses for high blood pressure and high blood sugar which are risk factors for the development of both chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Where an individual’s NHS Health Check indicates high blood pressure or high blood sugar, it is for their general practitioner to consider the results, and then, if required, undertake further clinical investigation and treatment where appropriate.

The 10-Year Health Plan outlines our intention to publish a Modern Service Framework for CVD, which will identify the best evidenced interventions, set clear quality standards, drive innovation in CVD prevention and management, and reduce unwarranted variation.

The UK NSC’s recommendation to screen for lung cancer was accepted in 2023 and a national programme is in the process of being rolled out.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of extreme weather related to climate change since 1 January 2020. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Health Effects of Climate Change report estimated that heat-related mortality from climate change and related socio-economic change in England could cost approximately £6.8 billion per year in the 2020s, rising to £14.7 billion per year in the 2050s.

The Department is supporting the improvement of National Health Service sites in order to reduce these impacts by investing £30 billion over the next five years in maintenance and repair, alongside £5 billion which has been allocated specifically to address the most critical building issues.

For estimating future costs of extreme weather, decisions on key Government spending are subject to clear requirements through the Green Book. This includes supplementary guidance which covers the impacts of climate change, and which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-book-supplementary-guidance-environment

This ensures that policies, programmes, and projects are resilient to the effects and future costs of climate change, and that such effects are being taken fully into account when appraising policy options.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of cancer patients who will require radiotherapy as part of their treatment in each year to 2035. \p Ashley Dalton: The number of patients diagnosed with and receiving treatment for cancer is increasing. We expect that these numbers will continue to rise, and consequently that more patients will require radiotherapy as part of their treatment.

The most recently available data shows that between 2021/22 and 2022/23 the number of attendances of patients attending hospital to receive radiotherapy treatment increased from 1,532,846 to 1,635,373, an increase of 6.7%.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with the British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS (BACME) on the geographical availability of regional specialist services for ME/CFS; and if he will undertake a mapping exercise to list the areas that (a) are and (b) are not covered. \p Ashley Dalton: A stocktake of long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), services was concluded by NHS England in December 2024. Although not all integrated care boards responded to the survey, the stocktake did show variation in models across England.

Departmental officials will continue to work with the British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS on the implementation of the final ME/CFS delivery plan, which was published in July.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of reclassifying the NHS ambulance service as an emergency service on (a) retirement age, (b) pension entitlements and (c) other areas. \p Karin Smyth: National Health Service ambulance staff are entitled to NHS Pension Scheme membership. There are no plans to reclassify these staff as being entitled to Police or Firefighter’s Pension Scheme membership, or to a separate scheme with similar terms. This reclassification would significantly increase the pension contribution costs of these staff.

NHS Pension Scheme members, including those in the ambulance service, do not have to work to the scheme’s normal pension age (NPA) to claim their retirement benefits. Flexible retirement options enable members to choose when to claim their benefits. Voluntary Early Retirement allows staff to fully retire up to ten years earlier than the NPA with an actuarially reduced pension due to the pension being in payment for longer. Alternatively, partial retirement allows members to draw down some or all of their pension while continuing to work and build up further pension benefits. Even when taken years before normal pension age, NHS Pension Scheme entitlements give exceptional value to staff and can provide for a comfortable living in retirement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Josh Newbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with private fertility clinics on their profit levels. \p Karin Smyth: No such discussions have taken place with private fertility clinics.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is the UK-wide regulator for fertility treatment but has no powers over the commissioning of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or the cost of fertility treatment. All fertility clinics are free to set their own costs.

The Competition and Markets Authority produced guidance for patients and clinics explaining more about the costs of fertility treatment. It states that costs should be clearly set out to a patient before starting treatment, in order to comply with consumer law. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fertility-clinics-compliance-with-consumer-law-findings-published
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Josh Newbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the performance of NHS-commissioned fertility clinics. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand NHS-funded fertility services and the effectiveness of these services.

All fertility clinics offering licensed fertility treatment are regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and must comply with related legislation and guidance. All licensed clinics must be physically inspected every two years to assess their compliance with the law and guidance and inspections ensure the clinic’s services are up to standard. The success rates of HFEA-licensed clinics are published by the HFEA.

Following each inspection, a report identifying both areas of good practice and those that require improvement is presented to a separate licensing committee, to review and make a final decision. The report and committee decision is then published on the HFEA website, on the clinic’s individual Choose a Fertility Clinic webpage, available at the following link:

https://www.hfea.gov.uk/choose-a-clinic/clinic-search/

The HFEA publishes an annual snapshot of regulatory work for the year. The most recent report is available at the following link:

https://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/publications/research-and-data/state-of-the-fertility-sector-2023-2024/
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Josh Newbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to mental health support for people undergoing fertility treatment. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to putting patients first. This means making sure that patients are seen on time and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care. We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services.

The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion in additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of routine sperm health testing as an indicator of wider physiological health conditions.

All people undergoing fertility treatment in a United Kingdom licenced fertility clinic must, by law, be offered a suitable opportunity for counselling before they begin treatment. Further information can be found on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology website, at the following link:

https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/explore-all-treatments/getting-emotional-support/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the personal expenses allowance for residents in care homes to meet the cost of (a) transport, (b) health-related services and (c) social participation. \p Stephen Kinnock: The rates of the personal expenses allowance (PEA) are reviewed annually, and local authorities also have the discretion to set higher rates for the PEA if they so choose.

To allow people receiving means-tested support to keep more of their own income, the PEA was increased in line with consumer price index inflation for the present financial year, 2025/26.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish details of what the deliverables were for the contract awarded to Thinks Insight, Kaleidoscope Health and Care and the Institute for Public Policy Research in relation to the engagement exercise for the 10 Year Health Plan. \p Karin Smyth: To develop the 10-Year Health Plan, we had the biggest ever conversation on the future of the National Health Service with over a quarter of a million contributions from the public, staff, and partners including charities and patient groups.

Full information on the deliverables of the initial contract is available at the following link, on pages 172-174:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/80963989-c4d6-4a16-8e12-c31b43a81dda

In summary, the deliverables were to:

We committed to co-designing the engagement exercise with our delivery partners following the awarding of the contract, therefore, the scope and requirements were reviewed and adjusted during the contract.

A detailed 10-Year Health Plan engagement report will be published shortly, which will set out the methodology and results of this engagement exercise.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average income is of care and support workers; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of that income. \p Stephen Kinnock: Adult social care is a historically low paid sector. In 2024/25, 22% of care workers in the independent sector were paid the National Living Wage (NLW). The median hourly pay rate for care workers was £12.00 in March 2025, 56p higher than the NLW. Some studies have found the median household income for residential care workers was lower than the national average.

We aim to transform adult social care and support adult social care workers, turning the page on decades of low pay and insecurity. That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028, backed by £500 million of funding.

Fair Pay Agreements will empower worker representatives, employers and others to negotiate pay and terms and conditions in a responsible manner. This will help to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the sector; in turn supporting the delivery of high-quality care. Negotiations between employee and employer representatives will shape how this funding will be used to enhance pay, terms and conditions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of 3-5 year olds who will join the supervised toothbrushing scheme in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency in each of the next five years. \p Stephen Kinnock: The requested information is held at upper tier local authority rather than at constituency level. The national supervised toothbrushing programme targets 1,830 people aged between three- and five- years old living in the 20% most deprived Lower Super Output Areas of Buckinghamshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council (ONS Indices of Multiple Deprivation mid-2020 population estimates). The final number of children participating in schemes will be determined by rates of local participation at individual settings.
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of sexual violence were referred to the NHS by (a) charities and (b) local support organisations in 2024. \p Karin Smyth: The National Health Service provides support for victims and survivors of sexual violence through a range of services which can be accessed via self-referral or referral from other organisations. This includes mental health services and sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) which provide crisis care, medical and forensic examinations and onward referral to other support services. SARCs had a total of 27,738 referrals in the year 2024/25 and of those, 65 came via the voluntary sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support (a) schools, (b) sports clubs and (c) community groups with the cost of purchasing defibrillators. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department of Health and Social Care’s Community AED Fund delivered 3,080 new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to local communities between September 2023 and February 2025.

The Department for Education has published specific guidance on the provision of AEDs in schools. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67936b102de28ea2d392f35b/Automated_External_Defibrillators__AEDs__guidance_for_schools.pdf
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of gender disparities in the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of chronic urinary tract infections. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance on prevalence suggests urinary tract infections are more common in women than in men, with men estimated to account for around 20% of all occurrences. Further information on factors related to incidence including those specific to gender is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/urinary-tract-infection-lower-men/background-information/prevalence/
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made in delivering the NHS Digital Transformation of Screening programme. \p Ashley Dalton: The Digital Transformation of Screening programme is leading an ambitious, end-to-end transformation of screening services, rolling out in a test and learn way. New digital services will support screening participants to manage their screening appointments via the National Health Service App as well as delivering new, AI-ready services for staff, freeing up their time to focus on care.

Digital invitations along with some results and other routine communications, via the NHS App, have already been rolled out in cervical screening, with bowel cancer and breast screening invitations due to follow.

This winter, NHS England will begin rolling out a replacement digital service for the existing breast screening system (a legacy system called ‘the National Breast Screening Service’), which will provide an end-to-end service for frontline staff to manage breast screening in an easier, more efficient way. This follows the rollout of an improved IT system to support management of cervical screening, which went live last summer.

Work is also under way to put the IT and digital infrastructure in place to support the effective rollout of HPV self-testing for women and people with a cervix who have not come forward for their cervical screening appointments, due to go live in 2026.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome have access to appropriate pain management services. \p Ashley Dalton: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population, including for those with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.

When commissioning services, ICBs should take into account best practice guidance, such as that published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The NICE guideline Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s provides a framework for healthcare professionals to consistently and effectively assess and manage chronic pain in people aged 16 years old and over.

The 10-Year Health Plan will improve services for people with EDS and other long-term conditions across England by shifting care to the community with neighbourhood teams, expanding access to physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and using digital innovation to help patients self-manage and receive more integrated, personalised care. This approach aims to provide more proactive and accessible support by bringing services closer to home and making it easier for patients to access the help they need.

We will also publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, and with the right skills, to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it, including those with EDS. We have recently published a call for evidence to gather views from stakeholders on the specific professions, roles, skills, and training needed to implement the reforms outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan for England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_46

Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve childhood vaccination coverage rates in (a) Bedfordshire, (b) the East of England and (c) the UK. \p Ashley Dalton: Together with the National Health Service and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), we are taking action to improve uptake of childhood immunisation rates in Bedfordshire, the East of England and across England.

We have set out actions to improve uptake across England in our 10-Year Health Plan as well as our strategy for Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life. Putting these plans into action, we have recently launched a campaign to promote awareness and confidence in vaccination. This will run throughout the year. We are also exploring new ways of delivering vaccinations including health visits and community pharmacy, with pilots for administering vaccinations as part of health visits starting from January 2026. We are also working with families and schools to improve the consent process to help children get vaccines at school and, during 2026-27, we will give parents access to their child’s vaccination health record via the My Vaccines hub on the NHS App.

Regions and local areas are taking tailored and targeted action to improve immunisation rates and ensure that vaccination services best meet the diverse needs of their local populations.

In the East of England, further measures include a trailblazing community and school age immunisation service in which the school vaccination provider also delivers catch-up in community clinics for all childhood vaccines; a dedicated call / recall telephone call centre focussed on measles, mumps and rubella vaccines; and regular training sessions for primary care nurses as well as a local enquiries inbox.

In Bedford and Central Bedfordshire, more local activity includes a new community vaccinations hub at Bury Park, Luton; a new initiative at Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trusts to invite children attending hospital appointments for vaccination if needed; work with specialist health inclusion health visitor teams to improve uptake in the Gypsy Roma Traveller community; home visits for some families who require vaccines delivered at home; work with SEND schools where pupils may have missed childhood vaccinations; and monthly monitoring of individual GP practice uptake rate with targeted support to practices with lower uptake.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_47

Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure children presenting with obsessive compulsive disorder receive timely assessment and treatment within CAMHS. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: We are transforming children and young people's mental health services to improve access to treatment for children with mental health needs, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). In the 12 months to July 2025, over 846,000 children and young people accessed National Health Service funded mental health support, a 65% increase compared to 2019. We are also expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in schools to reach full national coverage by 2029/30, and May 2025 data shows that over five million, or 52% of, pupils and learners are covered by an MHST. Systems should ensure that there are mental health services accessible to all children and young people with a mental health need in their area, including those with OCD.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_48

Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on the provision of (a) peer-support and (b) community-based networks for parents and carers of children with obsessive compulsive disorder. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Decisions about service provision are made locally, determined by locally identified need. Whilst service configurations and offers will differ across the country, local provision may include peer support or community-based networks for parents and carers, although NHS England does not hold this information.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_49

Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce specific waiting time targets for the assessment and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: NHS England has been publishing data on children and young people’s community mental health waiting times since April 2024. These metrics measure the time taken for a child or young person who is starting to receive help in the form of assessments, co-produced care plans, and clinical and social interventions, as well as measuring baseline outcomes. These metrics cover a broad range of referrals to community children and young people’s mental health services. But there are no targets or standards set for specific mental health conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, at this time.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_50

Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the medicines margin and clawback system in accounting for local variations in prescribing habits. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: In reaching a settlement for the 2025/26 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF), detailed discussions were had with Community Pharmacy England (CPE), the representative body of pharmacy contractors, which included the medicine margin arrangements and the long-term financial sustainability of community pharmacies.

The CPCF settlement for 2025/26, which was agreed with CPE, increased the allowed medicine margin to £900 million and included writing off £193 million of historic over delivered medicine margin. It was also agreed that should there continue to be further over delivery of medicine margin, requiring downward adjustments to reimbursement, consideration will be given to further strategies to stabilise category M.

No assessment has been made specifically on the effectiveness of the medicine margin and clawback system in accounting for local variation in prescribing habits. However, as part of the CPCF settlement for 2025/26, we committed to pursuing a number of reimbursement arrangement developments to support fairer access to medicine margin regardless of local prescribing habits.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_51

Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent on providing dental care for asylum seekers in hotels in the last year. \p Stephen Kinnock: The overall management of asylum seekers is a matter for the Home Office.

The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold data on the expenditure on dental care provided to asylum seekers in hotels in the last year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_52

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration he has given to introducing an innovation incentive payment to facilitate the adoption of innovative treatments by NHS trusts. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: No consideration has been given to introducing an innovation incentive payment to National Health Service trusts to facilitate the adoption of innovative treatments. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the NHS on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NHS in England is legally required to fund NICE-recommended medicines, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. The 2025/26 NHS Standard Contract, which applies to all contracts between NHS commissioners and providers, stipulates that, where any service involves or may involve the prescribing of medicines, the provider must ensure that its formulary reflects all relevant positive NICE technology appraisals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_53

Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications for hormone replacement therapy implant licenses were received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the last six months; and what steps he is taking to help ensure an ongoing supply of hormone replacement therapy implant products. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department and regulates medicine, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring that medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.

The MHRA has not received any licence applications in the last six months for a new hormone replacement therapy (HRT) implant product. The MHRA has been working closely with the current importers of the product and is also looking to encourage other applications for a licenced medicinal product. The importer Smartway has assured that there are over 13 months of product in the UK based on the currently available stocks and usage rates.

Oestrogen and testosterone HRT implants are not licenced in the UK. The Department is working closely with the MHRA to ensure safe access to these products. The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who can source unlicensed medicines in order to find alternative sources of both HRT implants for UK patients. The Department will continue to work closely with the MHRA and the National Health Service to ensure suitable alternatives are available for patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_54

Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what medicines procured by NHS England are imported from Israel. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Whilst NHS England does put in place procurement frameworks for trusts to procure medicines, NHS England itself does not procure any medicines.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-20 conversation_55

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help raise awareness among (a) general practitioners and (b) the public on the (i) signs and (ii) symptoms of aplastic anaemia. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, which includes increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals. With over 7,000 rare diseases, it is not possible for healthcare professionals to receive comprehensive training on every condition. It is therefore important that they are aware of rare diseases more broadly and are alert to considering them. The 2025 England Rare Diseases Action Plan updates on progress to increase awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals. This includes launching new resources on the innovative digital educational resource GeNotes and developing a range of training and educational resources on rare diseases to include rare diseases in UK health professional education and training frameworks.