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 steps he is taking to ensure that every cancer patient who needs it has access to modern and timely radiotherapy cancer treatment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is taking decisive action to get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster.
We have invested £70 million in replacing outdated radiotherapy machines across the NHS with cutting-edge technology that will speed up treatment for thousands of patients. These new machines are being rolled out across the country.
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 her Department is taking to help encourage the take-up of disability nursing courses.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working closely with key partners, including higher education providers and employers, to promote learning disability nursing roles and attract people into the profession through various routes including apprenticeships.
We want to remove the barriers to training in clinical roles, which is why in addition to the support available from the Student Loans Company, eligible students studying for a nursing degree receive supplementary non-repayable funding via the Learning Support Fund. This comprises a training grant of £5,000 per academic year and a £1,000 per academic year grant for priority subjects such as learning disability nursing, with further support depending on individual circumstances.
We will publish a refreshed 10-year workforce plan later this year to ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much capital funding her Department has allocated for the rollout of neighbourhood health centres (a) in England and (b) for each eligible integrated care board.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and we recognise that delivering high quality NHS healthcare requires the right infrastructure in the right places.
That is why over the course of our 10-Year Health Plan, we aim to establish a neighbourhood health centre in every community, transforming healthcare access by bringing historically hospital-based services into communities and addressing wider determinants of health through services like debt advice, employment support, and obesity management programmes.
Nationwide coverage will take time, and we will start by using public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings, targeting places where healthy life expectancy is lowest and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.
Capital funding for neighbourhood health centres will become available from 2026/27, with detailed planning guidance for local systems to be communicated before the end of the year.
As outlined in the Government’s 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, a decision on whether to proceed with the use of Public Private Partnerships for neighbourhood health centres will be made by HM Treasury and relevant ministers by the 2025 Autumn Budget.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to update the NHS Car Parking Guidance 2022 for NHS Trusts and NHS Foundation Trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department currently has no plans to review National Health Service car parking guidance. Free hospital car parking is available to the groups that are most in-need, including disabled people, frequent outpatient attenders, the parents of sick children staying overnight, and staff working night shifts.
Asked by: James Wild (Conservative - North West Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 25328 on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn, whether he has received a copy of the report; and, with reference to his Department policy paper entitled New Hospital Programme; plan for implementation, published on 20 January 2025, what his planned timetable is for the publication of the site-by-site report of the RAAC hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The safety of staff and patients at the seven predominantly reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) hospitals remains our utmost priority.
The completion date for the report has been extended to ensure a detailed understanding of the complex data and issues considered, including the RAAC condition, planned and current mitigations, and the remaining expected life of the hospital sites. By building a better understanding, we can support each scheme to move forward more effectively. We expect the report will be complete this year. A decision has not yet been taken regarding the publication of the report.
In the interim, the seven predominantly RAAC hospitals continue their programme of RAAC mitigation works and the plans for the replacement hospitals continue at pace.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 ensure that patients experiencing mental health problems are provided with comprehensive information on (a) potential side effects, (b) interactions with other medications and (c) the long-term implications of any medication they are advised to take.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Any decision to prescribe a medicine should be made following a conversation between the prescriber and patient. This is known as shared decision making and should involve discussing with the patient the risks, benefits and possible consequences of different options, along with the prescriber’s clinical judgement.
NHS England has recently published decision support tools on depression and bipolar to help individuals to compare possible treatment options, and a leaflet on the safer use of valproate. Unless the information is on the pack, all dispensed medicines must include a patient information leaflet, which provides information on using the medicine safely. Specialist mental health pharmacists are available at the majority of mental health trusts to discuss medication options with patients, and the Medicines A-Z website and NHS App provide information about medicines and mental health.
The Mental Health Bill extends access to advocacy support, currently only available to patients detained under the Mental Health Act, to all patients in mental health inpatient settings. Advocates support patients to understand and exercise their rights. The bill also introduces measures to encourage people to create an Advance Choice Document while they are well. This is a written record of their wishes, including their preferences on medication, so that these can later inform decisions during a mental health crisis. The bill also raises the threshold on when compulsory medication can be administered to a patient, by requiring that there must be a compelling reason to override the patient’s refusal, whether made at the time or in advance. Urgent and compulsory medication and electroconvulsive therapy can also only be given under a more limited set of circumstances. These measures aim to better balance patient autonomy and the ability to administer treatment at a time of mental health crisis.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help support patients with mental health problems in exercising their right to refuse medication in NHS settings.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Any decision to prescribe a medicine should be made following a conversation between the prescriber and patient. This is known as shared decision making and should involve discussing with the patient the risks, benefits and possible consequences of different options, along with the prescriber’s clinical judgement.
NHS England has recently published decision support tools on depression and bipolar to help individuals to compare possible treatment options, and a leaflet on the safer use of valproate. Unless the information is on the pack, all dispensed medicines must include a patient information leaflet, which provides information on using the medicine safely. Specialist mental health pharmacists are available at the majority of mental health trusts to discuss medication options with patients, and the Medicines A-Z website and NHS App provide information about medicines and mental health.
The Mental Health Bill extends access to advocacy support, currently only available to patients detained under the Mental Health Act, to all patients in mental health inpatient settings. Advocates support patients to understand and exercise their rights. The bill also introduces measures to encourage people to create an Advance Choice Document while they are well. This is a written record of their wishes, including their preferences on medication, so that these can later inform decisions during a mental health crisis. The bill also raises the threshold on when compulsory medication can be administered to a patient, by requiring that there must be a compelling reason to override the patient’s refusal, whether made at the time or in advance. Urgent and compulsory medication and electroconvulsive therapy can also only be given under a more limited set of circumstances. These measures aim to better balance patient autonomy and the ability to administer treatment at a time of mental health crisis.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 adequacy of ambulance response times in Eastleigh constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that in recent years ambulance response times have not met the high standards that patients should expect.
We are determined to turn things around. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.
We have already seen improvements in ambulance response times for the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS), which serves Eastleigh. The latest NHS performance figures for SCAS show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 30 minutes 44 seconds on average, over eight minutes faster than the same period last year.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
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 improve ambulance response times for (a) strokes and (b) other category 2 calls.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Strokes can be potentially life-threatening and require a Category 2 response to ensure patients have access to timely care. The National Stroke Service Model and the National Service Model for an Integrated Community Stroke Service set out an evidence-based pathway for joined-up stroke care throughout the patient journey. The service models set out that high quality stroke care should include fast emergency response and better-informed ambulance service 999 calls, to reduce mortality and disability.
The Government is determined to improve response times. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan for 2025/26 commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, ensuring ambulances are released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 help tackle health tourism.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In relation to United Kingdom nationals travelling abroad for treatment, the Department has recently updated guidance that advises anyone considering a procedure abroad to carefully research the treatment in question, the qualifications of their clinician, and the regulations that apply in any specific country.
We also recently launched a communications campaign, in collaboration with TikTok, to encourage people to review the Government’s travel advice alongside relevant guidance from the National Health Service and other relevant professional bodies. By taking such steps before treatment, patients make are able to make more informed decisions about treatments abroad, to help protect themselves and the NHS from any potential negative consequences of medical tourism.