Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to help ensure that individuals who commit assaults and may require mental health assessment are managed safely; and how the Department is working to prevent them returning to commit further assaults.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Where, due to someone’s mental disorder, an individual poses a risk to others, mental health services have a role to play in identifying and managing that risk, including treating the person’s disorder, maintaining safety whilst the treatment starts to work, for however long this may take, engaging in safeguarding, and multi-agency liaison as required.
Mental health services can only treat individuals who have a diagnosable mental disorder. Where an individual does not have a diagnosable mental health need, mental health services will discharge the individual to their general practice and if other needs are identified, the appropriate multi-agency referrals should be made.
The police have powers under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act to remove someone from, or keep them at, a “place of safety” for the purpose of enabling them to be examined by a registered medical practitioner and to be interviewed by an Approved Mental Health Professional and of making any necessary arrangements for the person’s treatment or care. Police can use this power if a person appears to a constable to be suffering from mental disorder and to be in immediate need of care or control, and if they think it is necessary in the interests of that person or for the protection of others. Arrangements for the person's treatment of care can include an application to detain for assessment or treatment under the Mental Health Act, or for ongoing community mental health support.
People in prison and on remand may be also detained under Part 3 of the Mental Health Act where they meet the relevant threshold for detention, which allows them to be diverted to hospital for treatment instead of prison.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with IBD.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government currently has no plans to review or amend the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with inflammatory bowel disease.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the medical exemption list for prescription charges.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government currently has no plans to review or amend the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with inflammatory bowel disease.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of funding allocated through the New Hospital Programme for the replacement of Frimley Park Hospital will be dedicated to infrastructure upgrades.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
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.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Question 118267 answered on 13 March on General Practitioners: Contracts, who is clinically responsible for the patient while advice and guidance is being sought; and at what point does that responsibility transfer to secondary care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
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.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Question118267 answered on 13 March on General Practitioners: Contracts, what evidence is there to support the statement that the changes made to advice and guidance will reduce the number of unnecessary appointments.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
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.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the exemption for temporary cultural and sporting events from laws mandating that medical providers be CQC registered for sporting events on the finances of that organisation.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
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.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his department has made on improving support for patients with bulimia.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the devastating impact an eating disorder such as bulimia can have on someone’s life, and the earlier treatment is provided, the greater the chance of recovery. NHS England continues to work with clinical experts, provider collaboratives, and patient groups to strengthen pathways for eating disorder care, including ensuring that specialised services remain accessible to those with the most severe presentations across the full spectrum of eating disorders.
On 20 January 2026, NHS England published its refreshed Eating Disorder Services for Children and Young People national guidance for integrated care boards and providers, setting out how to design collaborative, integrated services that support all children, young people, and their families and carers. Whilst the guidance focuses on improving community pathways for children and young people, the national specialised adult service model continues to provide access to highly specialist inpatient treatment for adults with complex eating disorders, including bulimia, through the Specialised Adult Eating Disorder Units network. These units deliver multidisciplinary care that typically includes psychiatric assessment and treatment, psychological therapies, medical monitoring, dietetic support and structured rehabilitation, and can provide inpatient care for adults with severe and enduring eating disorders, including bulimia, where required.
We have also commissioned an evaluation of the care pathway for children and young people with bulimia, binge eating disorder, and anorexia, in England, including a subsequent economic evaluation. The overall aim is to map out what eating disorder care pathways look like for children and young people and to develop an economic model of resource use, to quantify the relative value for money of each of the pathway elements.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the waiting times for the provision of disability equipment, such as a) wheelchairs, b) hoists and c) grab rails.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Not all of the data requested is held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, and responsibility for providing equipment and wheelchairs to disabled people typically falls to local authorities and the National Health Service.
Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to make arrangements for the provision of community equipment for disabled people in their area. Responsibility for managing the market for these services, including commissioning and oversight of delivery, rests with local authorities. The NHS is responsible for providing wheelchairs for people with longer-term, complex needs.
The Medium Term Planning Framework, published in October 2025, requires that from 2026/27 all ICBs and community health services must actively manage and reduce the proportion of waits across all community health services over 18 weeks and develop a plan to eliminate all 52-week waits. These targets will guide systems to reduce longest waits.
NHS England is supporting ICBs to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs, and to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025, which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets.
Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required.
In Quarter 3 of 2025/26, the proportion of patients whose episode of care was closed in the reporting period and prescribed equipment was delivered within 18 weeks or less was 79% for children, up from 77.7% in Quarter 2, and 83.1% for adults, down from 84.1% in Quarter 2.
The following publications and data sources provide some relevant information about disability equipment, but this is not a complete picture.
Firstly, the Acute discharge situation report: technical specification, regarding equipment and associated training not yet delivered, for pathways one to three. The patient requires equipment in order to allow them to be discharged. This has been requested by the care transfer hub but not yet provided, or further training for formal or informal carers is required before it can be safely used. This publication is available at the following link:
Secondly, the Intermediate care data collection – technical guidance, where intermediate care is a collective term for short-term interventions that aim to maximise people’s independence and quality of life following or during a period of illness. It includes ‘step-down’ services after discharge from an episode of acute care to support recovery and ‘step-up’ services to avoid admission to hospital. Intermediate care commonly involves rehabilitation, reablement, and recovery support, and can be provided in a person’s home or in a community bedded setting. This publication is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/intermediate-care-data-collection-technical-guidance/
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of people currently waiting for disability equipment through a) local authority or b) NHS community services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Not all of the data requested is held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, and responsibility for providing equipment and wheelchairs to disabled people typically falls to local authorities and the National Health Service.
Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to make arrangements for the provision of community equipment for disabled people in their area. Responsibility for managing the market for these services, including commissioning and oversight of delivery, rests with local authorities. The NHS is responsible for providing wheelchairs for people with longer-term, complex needs.
The Medium Term Planning Framework, published in October 2025, requires that from 2026/27 all ICBs and community health services must actively manage and reduce the proportion of waits across all community health services over 18 weeks and develop a plan to eliminate all 52-week waits. These targets will guide systems to reduce longest waits.
NHS England is supporting ICBs to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs, and to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025, which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets.
Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required.
In Quarter 3 of 2025/26, the proportion of patients whose episode of care was closed in the reporting period and prescribed equipment was delivered within 18 weeks or less was 79% for children, up from 77.7% in Quarter 2, and 83.1% for adults, down from 84.1% in Quarter 2.
The following publications and data sources provide some relevant information about disability equipment, but this is not a complete picture.
Firstly, the Acute discharge situation report: technical specification, regarding equipment and associated training not yet delivered, for pathways one to three. The patient requires equipment in order to allow them to be discharged. This has been requested by the care transfer hub but not yet provided, or further training for formal or informal carers is required before it can be safely used. This publication is available at the following link:
Secondly, the Intermediate care data collection – technical guidance, where intermediate care is a collective term for short-term interventions that aim to maximise people’s independence and quality of life following or during a period of illness. It includes ‘step-down’ services after discharge from an episode of acute care to support recovery and ‘step-up’ services to avoid admission to hospital. Intermediate care commonly involves rehabilitation, reablement, and recovery support, and can be provided in a person’s home or in a community bedded setting. This publication is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/intermediate-care-data-collection-technical-guidance/