Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any community pharmacists were consulted prior to the publication of the new Cardiovascular Disease Modern Framework Service.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Community pharmacy already plays an important role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention through the hypertension case finding service which offers free, walk-in blood pressure checks to over 40 year olds. Since October 2021, 40 pharmacies have delivered nearly 4.2 million blood pressure and ambulatory monitoring checks.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, working closely with other primary care providers at a neighbourhood level and delivering more clinical services.
NHS England continues to keep the clinical scope of pharmacy services under review. On Wednesday 25 February, the Department began the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework consultation with Community Pharmacy England, to consider any proposed changes to the reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors in 2026/27. This includes reimbursement and remuneration for any current or proposed clinical services.
To support the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) this spring.
The Department and NHS England are engaging widely with stakeholders to co-produce the CVD MSF, ensuring that experts, people, and communities are at the heart of its development, and this has included engagement with the pharmacy sector.
The CVD MSF will focus on the interventions that will have the greatest impact on reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke, whilst supporting consistent, high quality and equitable care across the CVD pathway.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if any community pharmacists assisted his Department in co-producing the upcoming Cardiovascular Disease Modern Framework.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Community pharmacy already plays an important role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention through the hypertension case finding service which offers free, walk-in blood pressure checks to over 40 year olds. Since October 2021, 40 pharmacies have delivered nearly 4.2 million blood pressure and ambulatory monitoring checks.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, working closely with other primary care providers at a neighbourhood level and delivering more clinical services.
NHS England continues to keep the clinical scope of pharmacy services under review. On Wednesday 25 February, the Department began the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework consultation with Community Pharmacy England, to consider any proposed changes to the reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors in 2026/27. This includes reimbursement and remuneration for any current or proposed clinical services.
To support the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) this spring.
The Department and NHS England are engaging widely with stakeholders to co-produce the CVD MSF, ensuring that experts, people, and communities are at the heart of its development, and this has included engagement with the pharmacy sector.
The CVD MSF will focus on the interventions that will have the greatest impact on reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke, whilst supporting consistent, high quality and equitable care across the CVD pathway.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if community pharmacy will play a role in cardiovascular disease prevention and case finding as part of the upcoming Cardiovascular Disease Modern Framework.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Community pharmacy already plays an important role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention through the hypertension case finding service which offers free, walk-in blood pressure checks to over 40 year olds. Since October 2021, 40 pharmacies have delivered nearly 4.2 million blood pressure and ambulatory monitoring checks.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, working closely with other primary care providers at a neighbourhood level and delivering more clinical services.
NHS England continues to keep the clinical scope of pharmacy services under review. On Wednesday 25 February, the Department began the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework consultation with Community Pharmacy England, to consider any proposed changes to the reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors in 2026/27. This includes reimbursement and remuneration for any current or proposed clinical services.
To support the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) this spring.
The Department and NHS England are engaging widely with stakeholders to co-produce the CVD MSF, ensuring that experts, people, and communities are at the heart of its development, and this has included engagement with the pharmacy sector.
The CVD MSF will focus on the interventions that will have the greatest impact on reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke, whilst supporting consistent, high quality and equitable care across the CVD pathway.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will consider commissioning a funded community pharmacy lipid service pathway.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Community pharmacy already plays an important role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention through the hypertension case finding service which offers free, walk-in blood pressure checks to over 40 year olds. Since October 2021, 40 pharmacies have delivered nearly 4.2 million blood pressure and ambulatory monitoring checks.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, working closely with other primary care providers at a neighbourhood level and delivering more clinical services.
NHS England continues to keep the clinical scope of pharmacy services under review. On Wednesday 25 February, the Department began the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework consultation with Community Pharmacy England, to consider any proposed changes to the reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors in 2026/27. This includes reimbursement and remuneration for any current or proposed clinical services.
To support the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) this spring.
The Department and NHS England are engaging widely with stakeholders to co-produce the CVD MSF, ensuring that experts, people, and communities are at the heart of its development, and this has included engagement with the pharmacy sector.
The CVD MSF will focus on the interventions that will have the greatest impact on reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke, whilst supporting consistent, high quality and equitable care across the CVD pathway.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what improvements he anticipates to stroke services as part of the forthcoming Modern Service Framework for cardiovascular disease.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (MSF) will prioritise ambitious, evidence-led and clinically informed approaches to reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% within the next decade. The MSF will be published in spring.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
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 ensure the newborn screening programme screens for all life-threatening conditions with approved treatments.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the devastating impact of life-threatening rare diseases on children, families, and communities. The NHS Newborn Blood Spot (NBS) screening programme screens newborn babies for 10 rare but serious conditions and consistently achieves very high coverage, with the most recent figure at 98% in Quarter two of 2025/26.
We know how frightening it is for families to face the possibility of a serious condition in their newborn. Screening is an important tool, but it is only one of the ways we can reduce illness in babies. Some conditions can be prevented by supporting healthier pregnancies, for example by helping mothers to stop smoking, optimising management of diabetes and other long-term conditions, and ensuring timely antenatal care. For other conditions, there are not yet screening tests that are accurate enough, meaning some babies could undergo further tests and worry when the condition is unlikely to be present.
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises the Government on all screening matters, carefully weighs the likely benefits and possible harms of screening, and works with stakeholders through consultation, to ensure screening programmes are introduced only when they are the best way to support babies and their families.
The National Health Service is planning a large-scale in-service evaluation (ISE) of screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in newborn screening services. The ISE, which was due to start in January 2027, will now start three months earlier, in October 2026. The evidence from this ISE will inform a decision on whether to extend the NHS NBS screening programme and include screening for SMA.
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, (a) what the current level of the stockpile of MenB vaccine is and (b) whether her Department has assessed whether stockpiles are sufficient for the current meningitis B outbreak, including through modelling.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The risk of infection to the wider population remains low. A targeted vaccination programme has been extended to everyone who has been offered preventative antibiotic treatment as part of this outbreak. A single course of antibiotics is highly effective at reducing transmission. Immediately after the outbreak was identified, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) deployed 50,000 doses of stockpiled antibiotics to the local area to ensure rapid access for those at highest risk.
UKHSA stock levels for a meningitis B vaccine are the equivalent to eleven months of use in the continued national immunisation programme. 26,500 vaccine doses have been delivered specifically in response to the outbreak in Kent and a further 30,000 doses have been released from future deliveries into UKHSA back to GSK for supply through the standard wholesaler market.
UKHSA continues to work with local resilience partners to ensure effective distribution. We currently have limited data, and our understanding of the dynamics is still developing at pace, as this is an unprecedented situation.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 raise public awareness of bowel cancer in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Yeovil on 30 March 2026 to Question 122582.
Asked by: Kit Malthouse (Conservative - North West Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role animal blood-enriched agar plays in (a) bacterial culture, (b) antimicrobial susceptibility testing, (c) AMR surveillance and (d) the recent meningitis outbreak.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department supports the use of validated laboratory methods to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and robust surveillance, while encouraging the development and adoption of suitable alternatives where these can be used safely and effectively. These methods and alternatives include:
- bacterial culture, in which animal blood‑enriched agar is commonly used in clinical laboratories to help bacteria grow so that infections can be identified accurately. Some bacteria require enriched growth conditions, and the appearance of the growth on these media can help distinguish between different types of bacteria;
- antimicrobial susceptibility testing, where, in certain cases, blood‑enriched agar is required to test whether specific bacteria remain sensitive to particular antibiotics. This ensures that test results are reliable and supports clinicians in choosing the most effective treatment for patients;
- antimicrobial resistance surveillance, where laboratory results are generated using established culture and susceptibility testing methods, including blood‑enriched agar where clinically appropriate, contribute to national antimicrobial resistance surveillance. This information helps monitor resistance trends and informs public health policy and clinical guidance; and
- the recent meningitis outbreak, during which blood‑enriched agar was used, as a standard laboratory medium, in the identification of bacteria that can cause meningitis. It forms part of routine diagnostic and public health laboratory practice and supports the timely confirmation and investigation of cases during outbreaks. During the recent outbreak, such media formed part of the standard range of laboratory methods available to support diagnosis where clinically appropriate.
Asked by: Joani Reid (Independent - East Kilbride and Strathaven)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a statement on the availability of covid booster vaccinations to lung cancer patients receiving a targeted therapy.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.
The focus of the JCVI advised programme is targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are older adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed.
Health is largely devolved and decisions about the organisation and delivery of vaccination services, including who to vaccinate, are matters for each nation to decide. For England, the Government has accepted the JCVI advice for spring 2026 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups:
- adults aged 75 years old and over;
- residents in care homes for older adults; and
- individuals aged six months old and over who are immunosuppressed.
The COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book on vaccination and immunisation sets out details of who should be included in these categories. The eligibility criteria for immunosuppression include immunosuppression due to disease or treatment. This includes patients undergoing chemotherapy leading to immunosuppression and patients undergoing radical radiotherapy.
As with all vaccination programmes, the JCVI continues to keep the COVID-19 vaccination programme under review.