Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has committed to meeting the cancer waiting time standards in England by the end of this Parliament, by modernising the whole cancer pathway so that patients are diagnosed and treated more quickly.
The National Cancer Plan for England was published in February 2026. Patients across England will benefit from faster and more convenient tests, checks, and scans. By expanding diagnostic capacity, using real‑time data to spot delays, and rolling out technologies like robotic surgery, genomic testing, and faster, less invasive diagnostics, this will benefit all patients, including prostate cancer patients.
The plan is backed by significant funding committed by the Government at the Spending Review, including £200 million next year for local Cancer Alliances. Alliances are encouraged to allocate a proportion of this funding to the delivery of local early diagnosis plans, to drive progress on data-led priorities. This can include work to support the diagnosis of prostate cancer, but it will vary by alliance depending on local need. In 2025/26, several alliances have undertaken work to support awareness and earlier diagnosis of prostate cancer.
To increase knowledge of cancer symptoms, and address barriers to acting on them, the National Health Service in England has run Help Us Help You campaigns. These campaigns focused on recognising a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers, including prostate cancer, at an earlier stage.
Through the Cancer Programme Innovation Open Call, the Department is piloting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist radiologists using magnetic resonance imaging to detect clinically significant prostate cancer.
Cancer will be a priority for NHS Online, which goes live in England from 2027, bringing the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS. Virtual cancer care will be a priority, beginning with virtual hospital pathways for men with raised prostate-specific antigen levels at risk of prostate cancer.
The Department continues to collaborate with Prostate Cancer UK on the TRANSFORM trial to answer the outstanding questions on screening effectiveness, particularly for black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer. 12,500 men are being recruited in phase 1 in sites across the UK, with inclusion into four groups looking at four different prostate health checks. Research phase 1 is expected to last between one to four years, and phase 2 is planned to be five to nine years. Currently, the Government, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, has agreed to contribute support to phases 1 and 2. Further details can be sought from Prostate Cancer UK who are running the trial. The UK National Screening Committee will be reviewing the evidence that is published by this study, and this will help to inform any future recommendation on creating a national screening programme for prostate cancer.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase public participation in the bowel cancer screening programme in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Bowel screening uptake in Berkhamsted and Harpenden is currently between 84% and 87%. The NHS Central East Integrated Care Board (ICB) works closely with general practices (GPs) to encourage promotion of bowel screening through a ‘making every contact count’ approach when they are informed which of their patients have not returned their faecal immunochemical test (FIT).
The ICB has also used regional innovation screening funding to support cancer screening projects in Hertfordshire, including some specifically for bowel cancer. In 2025/26, the programme included:
In England, coverage of bowel cancer screening has been increasing in recent years. In 2019, 60.5% of people took the offer up, while now it is 71.8%. To further increase coverage across England, NHS England is doing the following:
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people with myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the final delivery plan for myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), that was published in July 2025, the Government committed to supporting people with ME/CFS. The plan focuses on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.
We are developing a template service specification for mild and moderate ME/CFS, in conjunction with NHS England. The template will set out examples of best practice for the commissioning of services for ME/CFS to ensure consistent and high-quality care across integrated care boards. The Department, together with ForwardME, is developing a Language Matters Guide to accompany this to ensure that terminology is consistent and well understood.
To help support healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, the Department has worked with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme for healthcare professionals. All sessions of the e-learning programme, with sessions one, two, and three having universal access, whilst the final session on managing severe ME/CFS being only available to healthcare professionals, are now available at the following link:
https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to people living with Multiple Sclerosis in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the national level, initiatives such as NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme and the NHS RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions toolkit both aim to reduce unwarranted variation in services and improve equity of care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS).
At the local level, the West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s neurology department provides care to patients with MS in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. The team consists of consultant neurologists, a consultant neurophysiologist, and two specialist nurses. All consultants hold joint appointments with University College London Hospitals or the Royal Free Hospital, giving access to specialised neurological care.
The Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust provides the community neurological rehabilitation service for adults in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. The service provides specialist therapy to patients with long term neurological conditions, including those with MS. Specialist advice and oversight is available from a consultant neurologist where clinically appropriate. The service offers complex care, needs-led intervention, specialist equipment, and self-management support according to intensity of clinical needs.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to expand screening programmes for early detection of Cervical Cancer.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving cancer screening services in line with the National Cancer Plan and as part of the 10-Year Health Plan’s shift from sickness to prevention.
Later this year, we will start to offer self-testing for human papilloma virus to women who have missed their cervical screening appointments by at least six months. This expansion aims to overcome barriers that stop women from taking up cervical screening which can both prevent and catch cervical cancer early.
Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department has plans to strengthen national policy recognition of migraine as a serious neurological condition.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that migraine is a serious and often debilitating neurological condition, with a wide range of symptoms that go far beyond a headache. Migraine attacks can be a whole-body experience that can make it very difficult to function normally.
At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraine such as the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit. NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme also 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 for those with migraine.
The GIRFT programme for Neurology published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving recognition and diagnosis of migraine. Additionally, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit set out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraine, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline, Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people who suffer from headaches, including migraine. It aims to improve the recognition and management of headaches and migraine.
In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including complex headache services.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of Hansen's Disease have been diagnosed in the last ten years; and what steps his Department is taking to support people infected by this disease.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Hansen's Disease, or leprosy, is a statutorily notifiable disease in England and Wales. Data supplied by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is published by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and is available at the following link:
https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/number-of-new-leprosy-cases.
There were 56 cases of Hansen's Disease diagnosed between 2015 and 2024 in the United Kingdom. Annual case numbers ranged from two to 12 cases per year. UK Data for 2025 is due to be published on the WHO website in the coming months. There has been no documented transmission of leprosy in the UK in the last 10 years.
Direct patient care is provided by the National Health Service, by specialist clinical leprosy advisors based in London, Liverpool, and Birmingham, and this is in line with UKHSA's Leprosy Memorandum, which covers diagnosis, treatment with multi-drug therapy, and long-term support for those living with disability caused by the disease. The memorandum is available at the following link:
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support patients with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (A1AT).
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (A1AT) is a rare inherited condition which can affect the lungs and liver. The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, including work to improve diagnosis and the use of genomics in rare disease care. NHS England’s National Genomic Test Directory includes testing for A1AT, where clinically appropriate.
The Government also supports patients with A1AT through wider action to improve care for people living with rare conditions and long-term respiratory disease.
NHS England’s respiratory disease programme is focused on earlier and more accurate diagnosis, reducing inequalities, and improving treatment and support. This includes support for diagnostic testing such as spirometry, expansion of pulmonary rehabilitation, and improvements in medicines optimisation and personalised care. NHS England has also published commissioning standards for spirometry, and community diagnostic centres are providing respiratory diagnostic tests to improve access closer to home.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of final-year students from (a) Queen Mary University of London Malta, (b) Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia and (c) the City St George’s, University of London medical degree programme delivered at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus who applied for the 2026 UK Foundation Programme; how many of those students were allocated an FY1 post in the primary allocation round; and how many were placed on the reserve list.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, which came into force on 6 March 2026, implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. Under the act, a UK medical graduate is defined as someone with a UK primary medical qualification who did not spend the majority of their time training for that qualification outside the British Islands.
In 2026, there were more applicants to foundation training than places available, and only prioritised applicants were allocated to a foundation school in the primary allocation. No applicants from the Queen Mary University of London Malta (QMUL Malta), the Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed Malaysia), and the City St George’s, University of London medical degree programme delivered at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus were allocated at primary allocation as they are not in a prioritised group.
The following table shows the number of applicants from these campuses that applied to the Foundation Programme in 2026, and that were placed on the reserve list on 12 March 2026:
| QMUL Malta | NUMed Malaysia | City St George’s, Cyprus |
Number of applicants that applied to the UK Foundation Programme in 2026 | 66 | 108 | 12 |
Number of applicants allocated a place on 12 March 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Number of applicants placed on the reserve list on 12 March 2026 | 66 | 107 | 11 |
Non-prioritised applicants who are on the reserve list may still be allocated a place on the Foundation Programme in later rounds, depending on available vacancies that arise.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for a routine GP appointment in Great Yarmouth constituency, and how this compares with the England average.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes monthly data on General Practice Appointments, including the approximate length of time between appointments being booked and taking place, but this is not a proxy for “waiting times”.
There are a number of factors which can influence the timing of appointments, and it is not possible to estimate the time between the patient’s first attempt to contact their surgery and an appointment.
In the year to February 2026, 263,000 appointments in the Great Yarmouth constituency took place on the same day as booking and 533,000 took place more than two weeks after booking, compared with 165 million and 306.2 million appointments respectively across England.