Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research showing that the rate of suicides among male prisoners is higher than that in the male general population, and what steps they are taking to reduce the rate of suicide of male prisoners.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting MP) and the Lord Chancellor (David Lammy MP) have jointly commissioned the Chief Medical Officer to produce a report into the health and health care for those in prisons and on probation. The report, which will include a chapter on custodial prison mental health services, the impact of imprisonment on mental wellbeing and the increased risk of suicide, is due to be published later this year. We will consider the recommendations and what further action may be needed.
We are committed to delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, which aims to reduce suicide rates and address the risk factors contributing to suicide. The Strategy highlights the need to provide tailored, targeted support to priority groups, including those at higher risk such as people in contact with the justice system.
NHS England strives to learn from preventable deaths in prisons through the NHS England Health and Justice Delivery Oversight Group, a senior leadership forum which holds responsibility for the oversight of delivery and continuous improvement in health and justice commissioned services. All health and justice-related Prevention of Future Deaths reports are shared and discussed at the Oversight Group and assurance is sought from regions where learning and action is identified. All reports received are also discussed by the Regulation 28 Working Group, comprising Regional Medical Directors and other clinical and quality colleagues from across the regions. This ensures key learning and insight around preventable deaths are shared across the National Health Service at both a national and regional level. This helps NHS England pay close attention to any emerging trends that may require further review and action.
This learning has led to the creation of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Case Management Training workstream where commissioners work with prison healthcare provider organisations and His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service. This ensures all staff have timely access to all joint training necessary for them to undertake their role effectively within the prison environment. Additionally, the Mental Health Triggers workstream, engages providers to ensure prisoners are asked about any significant/trigger dates at the initial healthcare screen when they arrive at prison and again at their seven-day health check.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review further the apprenticeship levy arrangements, particularly the requirement that funds can be split equally between (1) apprenticeships, and (2) other, flexible training opportunities.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will deliver greater flexibility to employers and learners in England and support the industrial strategy.
At this stage, the government has not put targets or limits on the level of flexibility in the growth and skills offer. This will be informed by the result of Skills England’s analysis and engagement, including on where flexibilities will be most helpful for employers.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to offer National Health Service patients the opportunity to participate in studies of novel treatments and interventions.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.
The Department is working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future.
The Department-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research.
The NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research', which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them. This is accessible through the NHS App and is currently highlighted on the home page for three months from 7 July 2025
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase (1) research investment, and (2) clinical trial opportunities, in areas where cancer survival rates are lower and research infrastructure is historically underfunded.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to funding health and care research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) across England, and to ensuring that the research we support is inclusive and representative of the populations we serve. We know that cancer survival rates are generally lower in people living in more deprived areas.
In 2024, the NIHR made equity, diversity, and inclusion a condition of funding for all domestic research awards. This means applicants must demonstrate how their research will contribute towards the NIHR’s mission to reduce health and care inequalities, with a focus on participant inclusion from the diverse populations of the United Kingdom.
NIHR research infrastructure has national coverage across the whole of England. Our infrastructure schemes aim to build research capacity and capability across the country across all geographies and settings. In line with prior commitments, the Department has increased funding for research infrastructure schemes delivering cancer research outside the Greater South East, including Biomedical Research Centres, Clinical Research Facilities, and HealthTech Research Centres.
Through the NIHR’s Research Delivery Network (RDN), the NIHR supports 100% of National Health Service trusts in England to deliver research, operating across 12 regions throughout the country. From 2026/27, the RDN will adopt a new national funding model for NHS support costs and research delivery. This will be a consistent, nationally agreed funding distribution model across all regions of England and will reduce regional variations of health research delivery investment, and will better enable clinical trial opportunities across all areas, including underserved areas and settings.
The NIHR also provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research' which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and to register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in streamlining and integrating the clinical trials environment in England and Wales to reduce siloisation.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to cutting the current time it takes to get a clinical trial set up to 150 days by March 2026. England and Wales are streamlining the set-up and delivery of clinical research through a four nation UK Clinical Research Delivery (UKCRD) programme.
The UKCRD programme brings together delivery partners and key stakeholders from across the clinical research sector to achieve the common aim of making the United Kingdom a world leader in clinical trials.
The UKCRD programme has implemented a Study Set-Up Plan, led by the Department on behalf of all four nations. The second and final phase Study Set-Up Plan delivered through the UKCRD was completed in June 2025.
The plan aims to rapidly address the delays affecting clinical research set-up through reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, by standardising commercial contracts, and by removing duplicative steps at sites to create a standardised pathway for pharmacy set-up, to free up workforce capacity.
The Study Set-Up Plan will be supported by a wider suite of complementary activities and designed to support longer-term developments to streamline and reform clinical trials.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce set-up times for delivery of clinical trials in England and Wales.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to cutting the current time it takes to get a clinical trial set up to 150 days by March 2026. England and Wales are streamlining the set-up and delivery of clinical research through a four nation UK Clinical Research Delivery (UKCRD) programme.
The UKCRD programme brings together delivery partners and key stakeholders from across the clinical research sector to achieve the common aim of making the United Kingdom a world leader in clinical trials.
The UKCRD programme has implemented a Study Set-Up Plan, led by the Department on behalf of all four nations. The second and final phase Study Set-Up Plan delivered through the UKCRD was completed in June 2025.
The plan aims to rapidly address the delays affecting clinical research set-up through reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, by standardising commercial contracts, and by removing duplicative steps at sites to create a standardised pathway for pharmacy set-up, to free up workforce capacity.
The Study Set-Up Plan will be supported by a wider suite of complementary activities and designed to support longer-term developments to streamline and reform clinical trials.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish a workforce research plan focused on the improvement of clinical research delivery in the National Health Service.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working with key stakeholders and devolved administrations to develop a UK Research Workforce Strategy to be published in the Autumn 2025. This strategy outlines a vision for embedding research and innovation in routine practice within the National Health Service, primary care, social care, and the public health system over the next 10 years. The strategy aims to build and sustain a strong research environment across all health and social care settings. This will be achieved through a diverse workforce, highly skilled in research and innovation, capable of producing and delivering high-quality research. Following the publication of the United Kingdom-wide strategy, nation-specific implementation plans will be developed. Work has started to develop the implementation plan for England, which will be underpinned by appropriate metrics and allocated to delivery partners.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many NHS staff they estimate will be treated at the staff treatment hubs announced in the 10 Year Health Plan for England in the first five years following their establishment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs that will ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health, including support for mental health and back conditions.
The commitment to staff treatment hubs draws on various evidence sources, including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our National Health Service staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.
Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan on 3 July 2025, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the staff treatment hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, and capacity.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria will be used to determine where to locate the staff treatment hubs announced in the 10 Year Health Plan for England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs that will ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health, including support for mental health and back conditions.
The commitment to staff treatment hubs draws on various evidence sources, including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our National Health Service staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.
Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan on 3 July 2025, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the staff treatment hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, and capacity.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timeframe for establishing the first staff treatment hubs under the 10 Year Health Plan for England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs that will ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health, including support for mental health and back conditions.
The commitment to staff treatment hubs draws on various evidence sources, including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review which demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our National Health Service staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.
Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan on 3 July 2025, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the staff treatment hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, and capacity.