Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle regional variation in access to genomic testing for patients with pancreatic cancer.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS) and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory (NGTD), which includes tests for over 7,000 rare diseases and over 200 cancer clinical indications, including both whole genome sequencing (WGS) and non-WGS testing.

Genomic testing is available for all eligible patients across the whole of England. The NGTD sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing as well as the genomic targets to be tested and the method that should be used. Genomic testing for pancreatic cancer is available under the M219 clinical indication code and delivered by all seven NHS GLHs.

NHS England captures Patient Level Contract Monitoring data across the NHS GMS to facilitate a national approach to reporting and validating activity data and turnaround times for the genomics element of the pathway. This national approach enables NHS England to understand activity volumes, detect any backlogs, and work with the NHS GLHs to implement improvement activities.

NHS England has been undertaking a procurement of NHS GMS Lead Providers to embed a new operating model for delivery of the NHS GMS from 2026. This includes a cancer genomics clinical function, which will bring together multi profession leadership to work with partners to embed and develop cancer genomics pathways.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for NHS capacity of the increase in the ophthalmology waiting list since July 2024 despite reductions in waiting lists across 20 of the NHS's 23 outpatient specialties; and what plans they have to increase capacity in hospital eye services by expanding the use of optometry-led diagnostic and treatment pathways.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

While ophthalmology waiting lists have increased since July 2024, waiting times for these services have improved. The proportion of waits below 18 weeks has increased from 65.7% in July 2024 to 74.1% in May 2026, an 8.4 percentage point improvement.

This Government is committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment across all specialties, including in ophthalmology services.

We are taking specific steps to improve services like ophthalmology. NHS England accelerator pilots have demonstrated that improved IT connectivity and a single point of access can significantly speed up eye care referrals and support more patients to be managed in the community, in line with the ambitions in the 10-Year Health Plan.

In May 2026, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme released a best practice guidance for the care of patients with glaucoma, and this will be the first in a series of best practice documents for ophthalmology conditions. The aim of this series is to standardise the patient pathways in use across England in line with best practice, which will enable the most complex and most at risk to be seen more quickly by specialist ophthalmology teams.

We are also committed to expanding the number of surgical hubs, which provide dedicated and protected elective capacity to drive improvement in six specialities, including ophthalmology.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the ophthalmology waiting list, including through expanding the use of optometry-led diagnostic and treatment pathways.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

While ophthalmology waiting lists have increased since July 2024, waiting times for these services have improved. The proportion of waits below 18 weeks has increased from 65.7% in July 2024 to 74.1% in May 2026, an 8.4 percentage point improvement.

This Government is committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment across all specialties, including in ophthalmology services.

We are taking specific steps to improve services like ophthalmology. NHS England accelerator pilots have demonstrated that improved IT connectivity and a single point of access can significantly speed up eye care referrals and support more patients to be managed in the community, in line with the ambitions in the 10-Year Health Plan.

In May 2026, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme released a best practice guidance for the care of patients with glaucoma, and this will be the first in a series of best practice documents for ophthalmology conditions. The aim of this series is to standardise the patient pathways in use across England in line with best practice, which will enable the most complex and most at risk to be seen more quickly by specialist ophthalmology teams.

We are also committed to expanding the number of surgical hubs, which provide dedicated and protected elective capacity to drive improvement in six specialities, including ophthalmology.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the planned scope and timeline for their review into Rare Disease Collaborative Networks announced in the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2026.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In 2025, NHS England initiated a review of the rare disease collaborative networks (RDCNs) in order to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the networks and inform future strategy. In the coming weeks, NHS England will update RDCNs, and other interested groups, on the outcome of the review, including a range of proposed actions to support the ongoing and important role that the networks play.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop a national policy framework for hospital helipads, including measures to ensure that Major Trauma Centres and specialist hospitals have continuous access to on-site helipads for air ambulance operations where demand is high, and to embed such requirements within relevant NHS standards and commissioning arrangements.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 16 July 2026 to Question 16317, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below.

Hospital helipads play an important role in supporting the transfer of critically ill patients and access to specialist services. Responsibility for the provision and management of hospital helipads rests with local NHS organisations, working with relevant planning, aviation and local authority bodies. Decisions on investment in hospital helicopter landing sites, including any upgrades required to support night-time operations, are primarily a matter for local NHS organisations. Organisations may consider such improvements as part of their wider estate planning and capital investment priorities, subject to the availability of funding and any relevant local planning, environmental and operational requirements.

The Department continues to work with NHS England, the Civil Aviation Authority and other partners to consider issues relating to hospital helipad access and resilience.

Found: Apologies and notices Apologies were received from Lord Barber of Chittlehampton, Lord Mott and Baroness Pidgeon

Found: Faulkner of Worcester Baroness Hollins Lord Johnson of Marylebone Lord Mohammed of Tinsley Baroness Pidgeon

The Inquiry will be looking into a broad range of issues regarding children’s social care, including the changing demand for care and local authority funding, the supply of residential placements and the impact of market management measures within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act. Additionally, the inquiry will seek evidence on fostering, workforce, and regulations, and finally the outcomes for care-experienced children.