Department of Health and Social Care

The Department is aware of the Taskforce for Lung Health’s report calling for a modern service framework for respiratory health, including the impact of respiratory conditions on mortality rates, emergency admissions, inequalities, and productivity.

Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.

The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is, first and foremost, a matter for Parliament. This is a Private Member’s Bill, and we cannot pre‑suppose the outcome of the legislative process.

Irrespective of whether the law changes on assisted dying, we must continue to work towards creating a society where every person who needs it receives high-quality, compassionate palliative care and end of life care.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement HLWS1086, which I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.

The Government is clear that the professions protected in law must be the right ones and that the level of regulatory oversight must be proportionate to the risks to the public.

There are no current plans to extend statutory regulation by the Health and Care Professions Council to clinical technologists or sonographers.

NHS England continues to regularly monitor trust performance.

We are tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting the quicker release of ambulances, helping them get back on the road to treat patients. These delays should be recognised as a system wide responsibility and effective collaboration between ambulance services, acute trusts, integrated care boards, and other providers is required.

Nationally, we have seen average handover delays fall to 31 minutes 19 seconds in October compared to 40 minutes 20 seconds in October 2024. This reflects the improvements in Category 2 response times to 32 minutes 37 seconds from 42 minutes 15 seconds over the same time period.

We are also committed to ending corridor care. When Release to Rescue is implemented, ambulance trusts must put in place robust patient protection measures. Patients should only be cared for in temporary escalation spaces when all other options are exhausted, and this must not become standard practice.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan set out steps we are taking to improve accident and emergency waiting times, including the commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and the information will be published shortly.

The Department has had and continues to have regular discussions regarding overseas visitors with NHS England to ensure that the system works as effectively and fairly as possible.

The Government is supportive of the National Health Service working with the charities sector to identify opportunities for philanthropic donations alongside match funding. We are aware of several successful examples of infrastructure projects either part or majority funded through such partnerships, including investment at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Moorfield Eye Hospital.

Ultimately, it is for local NHS organisations and trusts to identify and agree these arrangements with charitable partners.

More broadly, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan we are implementing several national reforms to the capital regime that should ultimately support the NHS’ ability to work effectively with charitable partners, including on options for securing match funding for projects. These include providing multi-year capital allocations, extending to 10 years of funding certainty for NHS maintenance budgets, and expanding capital flexibilities and autonomy for high-performing providers and integrated care boards. These reforms should enable systems to better plan longer term pipelines of investment, better facilitating and enabling philanthropic and charitable contributions.

The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.

We aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in early 2026 and to lay this legislation before Parliament in the same year. The Government will confirm a date for the public consultation in due course.

We also plan to update the governing legislation for the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council within the current parliamentary period.

NHS England funds the use of licensed medicines that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), or the off-label use of licensed indications that have been approved via the NHS England clinical policy process.

NICE has evaluated and recommended several CAR-T therapies for both high-grade and low-grade lymphomas, some of which are recommended for a period of managed access, for instance:

• Brexucabtagene autoleucel, for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MA rec) and/or relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in people aged 26 years old and over (managed access);
• Tisagenlecleucel for relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in people aged 25 years old and under;
• Brexucabtagene autoleucel for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (managed access) and/or relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in people aged 26 years old and over (managed access);
• Tisagenlecleucel for relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in people aged 25 years old and under;
• Axicabtagene ciloleucel for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma after two or more systemic therapies and/or relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after first-line chemoimmunotherapy;
• Lisocabtagene maraleucel for relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after first-line chemoimmunotherapy when a stem cell transplant is suitable; and
• Obecabtagene autoleucel for relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and/or relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

To support implementation of NICE recommendations, NHS England sets clinical treatment criteria to ensure that treatments are made available to those intended by the NICE Guidance. Clinical input helps set the clinical and patient treatment criteria based on the NICE committee deliberations, how the treatment will be used within the treatment pathway, and the evidence base considered by NICE and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

NHS England funds the use of licensed medicines that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), or the off-label use of licensed indications that have been approved via the NHS England clinical policy process.

NICE has evaluated and recommended several CAR-T therapies for both high-grade and low-grade lymphomas, some of which are recommended for a period of managed access, for instance:

• Brexucabtagene autoleucel, for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MA rec) and/or relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in people aged 26 years old and over (managed access);
• Tisagenlecleucel for relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in people aged 25 years old and under;
• Brexucabtagene autoleucel for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (managed access) and/or relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in people aged 26 years old and over (managed access);
• Tisagenlecleucel for relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in people aged 25 years old and under;
• Axicabtagene ciloleucel for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma after two or more systemic therapies and/or relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after first-line chemoimmunotherapy;
• Lisocabtagene maraleucel for relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after first-line chemoimmunotherapy when a stem cell transplant is suitable; and
• Obecabtagene autoleucel for relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and/or relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

To support implementation of NICE recommendations, NHS England sets clinical treatment criteria to ensure that treatments are made available to those intended by the NICE Guidance. Clinical input helps set the clinical and patient treatment criteria based on the NICE committee deliberations, how the treatment will be used within the treatment pathway, and the evidence base considered by NICE and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and ensuring that all patients, including those with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

Decisions about whether a specific clinical trial should be paused are the responsibility of the study sponsor and research team, who closely monitor any reported patient safety concerns and other data that could impact a decision for an individual trial to be halted.

To support National Health Service trusts to deliver clinical trials, the Department funds research and research infrastructure across England through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including on CAR-T therapy.

The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and ensuring that all patients, including those with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department has not carried out an impact assessment on the effect of halted CAR-T clinical trials. This is because decisions about whether a specific clinical trial should progress or not are the responsibility of the study sponsor and research team involved, who closely monitor any reported patient safety concerns and other data that could impact this decision.

The Government is committed to ensuring that artificial intelligence (AI) tools used in mental health care within the National Health Service are clinically safe and deliver value for money. We are working with regulators such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and other partners to ensure all AI mental health tools deployed in the NHS meet the requirements of the United Kingdom’s regulatory system, to ensure these technologies are safe for use and cost-effective.

Additionally, NHS England applies the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria to evaluate the safety, security, and usability of digital health tools. Independent clinical evaluations and pilot studies are also undertaken prior to wider implementation of these technologies.

Through the AI in Health and Care Award, which ran from 2020 to 2024, the NHS AI Lab funded the testing and evaluation of two mental health technologies, Limbic Access and Wysa. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS is working towards rolling out digital mental health tools. As part of this process, each technology is assessed not only for clinical safety but also for cost-effectiveness, ensuring that these innovations deliver measurable benefits and represent good value for the NHS and taxpayers.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis to ease the strain on our National Health Service and create the healthiest generation of children ever. We are already delivering the biggest public health reforms in a generation, including implementing restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink before 9:00pm on television and at all times online from 5 January 2026.

Last year, the Government published the revised National Planning Policy Framework for local government, giving local authorities stronger, clearer powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools and where young people congregate. This will stop the relentless targeting of children and young people by the fast-food industry.

We also welcome the work by the metropolitan mayors to support the action to ban junk food marketing across public transport networks and public spaces that are controlled locally.

An impact assessment on the advertising restrictions was published on the GOV.UK website, which considered the impact of the restrictions on brand advertising and alternative media, including outdoor advertising, from the perspective of actions that advertisers of products that are high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) may take to mitigate the loss of revenue from the restrictions on television and online. The impact assessment made an assumption that approximately £14 million of lost revenue may be mitigated if HFSS advertisers took these actions.

We continue to review evidence of the impacts on children of advertising for less healthy food and drink products and will consider if and where further action is needed.

NHS England is actively considering the issues raised by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body regarding electronic patient records (EPRs).

EPRs are already improving safety and care to patients, helping to detect conditions such as sepsis more quickly and preventing medication errors. Analysis shows that highly digitised trusts have a 17.5% reduction in sepsis mortality.

The National Health Service has well-established systems in place for reporting, investigating, and learning from any patient safety incidents. We are working closely with NHS trusts to ensure EPRs are used to the highest quality and safety standards.

Community equipment, such as wheelchairs, hoists, and other specialist medical equipment, forms an important part of many people’s health and care support package. Such equipment can be critical in supporting better care outcomes, can enable people to remain in or return to their homes as the primary setting for care, and can avoid unnecessary stays in hospital or care homes.

Local authorities have statutory duties under the Care Act 2014 and the Children and Families Act 2014 to arrange for the provision of disability aids and community equipment to meet the assessed needs of individuals in their area. While some local authorities provide these services themselves, many have contracts with external suppliers, such as NRS Healthcare. The Department does not have a statutory role in the provision of community equipment.

However, as part of NRS Healthcare’s liquidation process, the Government made available short-term funding to the Official Receiver to cover the essential operating costs of NRS Healthcare and its affiliated companies. This funding ensured that trading was able to continue for a limited time, minimising disruption by providing crucial time for local authorities to put alternative supply in place. The Department continues to monitor the situation in affected local authorities through Partners in Care and Health, a Department funded programme run in partnership with the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.

NHS England’s guidance states that there are a few absolute contraindications, that being, conditions that mean a certain treatment should not be used, to aspirin therapy. Pregnant women with a history of aspirin allergy, for example urticaria, or hypersensitivity to other salicylates are at risk of anaphylaxis and should not receive aspirin. Clinicians should undertake a personalised risk assessment and agree appropriate care and surveillance of maternal and foetal health in line with national guidance, local protocols, and the woman’s circumstances. NHS England’s guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/saving-babies-lives-version-3-2/#appendix-b-medication-to-reduce-the-risk-of-pregnancy-complications:~:text=There%20are%20a%20few,case%2Dby%2Dcase%20basis

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning decisions and for ensuring that those decisions are supported by a clear evidence base, appropriate engagement, and the necessary impact assessments.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning decisions and for ensuring that those decisions are supported by a clear evidence base, appropriate engagement, and the necessary impact assessments.

We recognise the importance of practical and emotional support for people living with long term eye conditions. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. This includes the legal duty for local authorities to support people with sight loss.

NHS England has published a patient support toolkit for eye care commissioners and providers which aims to ensure that patients with ophthalmic conditions are supported throughout their care journey. It sets out that whilst receiving care provided by the hospital, patients need information and support through diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. Individuals can also refer themselves into talking therapies, which are widely available.

We are also taking steps to revise the certificate of visual impairment to improve signposting to local support for newly certified patients with a sight impairment or severe sight impairment.

NHS England is responsible for determining allocations of financial resources to integrated care boards. The dental ringfenced budget is set net of patient charge revenue. It is the total spend for dental, with less expected revenue from patients, and includes primary, secondary, and community dentistry.

In 2024/25, the National Health Service dental ringfenced budget was £3.97 billion, and the population of England was assumed to be 62.1 million as per published NHS Technical Guidance. Therefore, the spend per capita was £63.93.

In 2025/26, the NHS dental ringfenced budget increased to £4.13 billion. The population of England is assumed to be 63.8 million, as per published NHS Technical Guidance. Therefore, the spend per capita is £64.78.

NHS England is responsible for determining allocations of financial resources to integrated care boards. The dental ringfenced budget is set net of patient charge revenue. It is the total spend for dental, with less expected revenue from patients, and includes primary, secondary, and community dentistry.

In 2024/25, the National Health Service dental ringfenced budget was £3.97 billion, and the population of England was assumed to be 62.1 million as per published NHS Technical Guidance. Therefore, the spend per capita was £63.93.

In 2025/26, the NHS dental ringfenced budget increased to £4.13 billion. The population of England is assumed to be 63.8 million, as per published NHS Technical Guidance. Therefore, the spend per capita is £64.78.

The NHS.UK website sets out the importance of regular sight tests whilst also providing information about entitlement to free National Health Service sight tests. The Department also looks for opportunities to promote the importance of NHS sight tests, such as through National Eye Health Week.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office’s report.

The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps, in due course.

At the national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with Parkinson’s and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), including the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care for neurology services, to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including those with Parkinson’s and MSA. NICE has also published guidelines on Parkinson’s disease, namely NG71, covering the diagnosis and management in people aged 18 years old and over.

Under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is working to improve access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs across all rare conditions such as MSA. In February 2025, we published the fourth England action plan reporting on progress.

The Department is taking steps to digitise communications with National Health Service patients through the NHS App. The app already allows patients to book, move and cancel their appointments, and communicate with their health team, as well as order repeat prescriptions.

Digital health tools should be part of a wider offering that includes face-to-face support with appropriate help for people who struggle to access digital services. Digital inclusion is a key priority for the NHS as it will support the shift from ‘analogue to digital’. It is one of the five national NHS England Health Inequalities Strategic Priorities, and they published a Digital Healthcare Framework which has guided the Integrated Care Board’s approach.

The NHS Digital Inclusion Framework ensures that considerations are made across all populations, including people who are vulnerable. Integrated care boards are responsible for local impact assessments, including engaging with affected populations, and ensuring no one is disadvantaged by digitisation plans. No assessment will be made on the impact of this on the population in South Suffolk by the Department.

The Department has accepted the recommendation of the Dash review of patient safety across the health and care landscape, to abolish Local Healthwatch.

In future, integrated care boards will be responsible for seeking patient, user and wider community input for health along with their existing duties of patient involvement, and local authorities for social care, where it can feed directly into overall strategic planning and be more closely aligned with the commissioning and provision of care.

The Dash review recommends that the strategic functions of Healthwatch England are transferred into a new patient experience directorate of the Department.

The abolition of Healthwatch England and the transfer of its functions and the changes to Local Healthwatch will require primary legislation. Timing of this is subject to the will of parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows.

The Department has made no assessment.

The exemption certificate provides the patient with evidence to demonstrate to dispensers that they are entitled to have the National Health Service cover the cost of their prescriptions. The exemption certificate requirement also allows for the verification of claims for exemption, and for fraud to be identified and pursued.

It is straightforward to apply for a medical exemption certificate; the patient should ask their doctor for form FP92A. The form includes guidance on how to complete it and who can authorise it. A healthcare professional (HCP), e.g. a hospital doctor or general practitioner (GP), or at the GP’s discretion a member of the GP’s practice who can access medical records, must authorise the application to confirm the patient has the qualifying condition. If a patient is unable to complete the form themselves then a relative or HCP can complete it on their behalf and insert their name in the signature box.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

NICE has selected tofersen for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by SOD1 gene mutations as a topic for guidance development through its Highly Specialised Technology (HST) programme. The HST programme appraises medicines for the treatment of very rare, and often very severe diseases and evaluates whether they can be considered a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NICE is working with the company to confirm timelines for this evaluation. If NICE is able to recommend tofersen in draft guidance, NHS England is committed to exploring an interim funding agreement with Biogen to use the Innovative Medicines Fund to expedite NHS commissioning of the treatment as soon as a positive recommendation is made by NICE.

No assessment has been made of the extent of regional inequities in the provision of early access programmes for innovative treatments and people living with SOD1 motor neurone disease. Participation in company-led early access schemes is decided at an individual NHS trust level, and under these programmes, the cost of the drug is free to both the patients taking part in it, and to the NHS, although NHS trusts must still cover administration costs and provide clinical resources to deliver the EAP. NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes, providing advice on potential financial, resourcing, and clinical risks. ICSs should use the guidance to help determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 December 2025 to Question 90914.

The pharmaceutical sector and the innovative medicines it produces are critical to our national interest, helping people access life changing treatments, reducing pressure on the health service over the longer-term, and ensuring we have a National Health Service that is fit for the future.

Tens of thousands of NHS patients will benefit from a landmark trade deal between the United Kingdom and the United States, which will secure and expand access to vital drugs, safeguard our medicines supply chain, and drive crucial investment while supporting UK patients and industries. This agreement will increase the amount which the United Kingdom pays for life-changing medicines by 25%, ensuring faster patient access for vital medicines for cancer, rare diseases, and other conditions.

A 25% increase in medicine pricing corresponds to two changes to the way the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence evaluates medicines, specifically a change to the standard cost effectiveness threshold and the introduction of a new value set for judging health states.

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.

We are clear that the extent of waits for treatment is unacceptable, and cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment.

Waiting list data is not available by town. At the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which covers Oldham, the waiting list size has fallen by over 3,000 since the Government took office in July 2024. Patients here are also facing shorter waiting times, with 53.6% of waits within 18 weeks as of September 2025, compared to 52.7% in July 2024.

We are committed to transforming elective services to ensure patients get timely access to the care they need. This includes investing £6 billion additional capital investment over five years for diagnostic, elective, urgent, and emergency capacity in the NHS.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered 5.2 million additional appointments compared to the previous year, more than double our pledge of two million. This marks a vital first step towards delivering the constitutional standard.

We promised change, and we have made good progress. As of the end of September 2025, 61.8% of pathways on the waiting list are within 18 weeks, an improvement of 3.3% since September 2024, and the number of waits over 18 weeks has reduced by almost 320,000 over the same period.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Department is committed to supporting an innovative clinical research ecosystem in the United Kingdom so that patients in this country can be among the first to benefit as we make the National Health Service fit for the future.

The Government supports Scott Arthur’s Private Members Bill on rare cancers which will make it easier for clinical trials into rare cancers, such as glioblastomas, to take place in England by ensuring the patient population can be easily contacted by researchers. This will ensure that the NHS will remain at the forefront of medical innovation and is able to provide patients with the newest, most effective treatment options, and ultimately boost survival rates.

Early next year, the Government will publish a National Cancer Plan which will set out targeted actions to reduce the lives lost to cancers and improve the experience of patients, including rarer cancers such as glioblastomas.

The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) is administered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). It would not be appropriate to comment on the status of an individual claim to the VDPS, which is a matter for NHSBSA

The Technical Regulatory Information System (TRIS) notification is a routine procedure required under the Windsor Framework. It is not an approval process.

Receiving detailed opinions are a part of the TRIS process. The Government’s position remains that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will apply in Northern Ireland and is consistent with both our domestic and international obligations.

Following consultation, NHS England publishes the NHS Standard Contract annually for use by commissioners in contracting for National Health Service-funded healthcare services. The Department is involved in the consultation process on the Standard Contract. Technical guidance is published for information alongside the Standard Contract consultation. Its purpose is to advise commissioners and providers on how to apply the contract.

NHS England develops the standard contract technical guidance in collaboration with the system to ensure it provides the support required for both commissioners and providers to apply the contract requirements and to deliver on Operational Planning Guidance.

The Department has ongoing discussions with NHS England on waiting times. As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. Planning Guidance for 2025/26 sets a target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement on current performance over that period.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are required to hit those targets and providers are working hard to deliver this commitment.

Following consultation, NHS England publishes the NHS Standard Contract annually for use by commissioners in contracting for National Health Service-funded healthcare services. The Department is involved in the consultation process on the Standard Contract. Technical guidance is published for information alongside the Standard Contract consultation. Its purpose is to advise commissioners and providers on how to apply the contract.

NHS England develops the standard contract technical guidance in collaboration with the system to ensure it provides the support required for both commissioners and providers to apply the contract requirements and to deliver on Operational Planning Guidance.

The Department has ongoing discussions with NHS England on waiting times. As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. Planning Guidance for 2025/26 sets a target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement on current performance over that period.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are required to hit those targets and providers are working hard to deliver this commitment.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists or ‘puberty blockers’ are used to treat several medical conditions in children and young people. These can include precocious puberty, some forms of cancer, and endometriosis. They have been used outside of their licenced indication to treat gender dysphoria.

The following table shows the National Health Service prescriptions of puberty blockers for children aged 15 years old and under that were prescribed in England and dispensed in a community pharmacy or general practice in each year from 2020/21 to September 2025:

Source: ePACT2, which is sourced from the NHS Business Services Authority’s Information Services Data Warehouse

Note: figures are unrounded.

The NHS does not centrally collect data on secondary care prescribing. Information on the clinical indication for which these medications have been prescribed is not held. The Government does not hold data that shows how many children under 16 years old were administered puberty blockers through clinical trials or private routes.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has not previously funded trials specifically giving puberty suppressing hormones to children and information on non-NIHR funded trials is not held.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has received three United Kingdom based suspected adverse drug reaction reports in which a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists analogue has been reported as being used in a child or young person for the purpose of puberty suppression in gender dysphoria.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 October 2025 to Question 77507.

Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led. That’s why we are following expert, independent advice from the Cass Review to implement a package of research to find out how the National Health Service can best support children and young people with gender incongruence.

This includes the PATHWAYS trial, a carefully designed clinical trial to assess the relative benefits and harms of puberty-suppressing hormones as a treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence.

The trial has received independent scientific, ethical, and regulatory approvals as well as a comprehensive review. The study design, including inclusion criteria and safety protocols, has been thoroughly scrutinised to protect young people's wellbeing. The process has included consideration of robust procedures relating to consent and eligibility.

The trial was designed and will be delivered by an independent research team. This was in conjunction with patient and public involvement as well as clinical and legal experts, including those who specialise on medical ethics. The Department has not conducted its own parallel engagement with advocacy organisations on trial development but is represented, alongside patient and parent representatives, on the National Research Oversight Board to which the research team regularly reports.