Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will support the aims of Age Without Limits Day.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Age Without Limits Day is the Centre for Healthy Aging’s event which aims to challenge ageism across the country through community and workplace activities. More information is available at the following link:
https://www.agewithoutlimits.org/about-the-campaign
The Department is committed to improving outcomes for older people through a range of cross-cutting strategies and initiatives. It is embedding a focus on health inequalities across its work, including through the Core20PLUS5 approach in the National Health Service, which includes older age-related conditions such as dementia. It is also supporting improvements in adult social care to promote choice and to help people live as independent and fulfilling lives as possible.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 potential impact of levels of deprivation on lung health in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.
More tests and scans delivered in the community will allow for earlier diagnosis, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates.
The prevalence of smoking in adults, current smokers who are 18 years old and over, in Newcastle under Lyme and Staffordshire is lower than the overall England average, at 8.8% and 9.0% respectively, compared to the overall England average of 12.4%.
Urgent cancer referrals for suspected lung cancer in the Staffordshire and Stoke Integrated Care Board are much higher than the England average. However, the mortality rate from lung cancer, chronic obstructive airways disease, heart disease, and stroke associated with smoking in Staffordshire is similar to the England average.
We are taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, for instance by enabling a smoke free generation to further help prevent lung conditions.
It is the most disadvantaged who suffer the most from the financial and health burden of smoking, with 230,000 households living in smoking induced poverty and with smoking being the number one preventable cause of death, disability, and ill health, claiming the lives of approximately 80,000 people a year in the United Kingdom, and being the leading cause of lung cancer. The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will create the first smoke-free generation, ending the cycle of addiction and disadvantage and putting us on track to a smoke-free UK.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 streamline diagnostics pathways for (a) companion and (b) other diagnostics.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, announced that the integrated care boards (ICBs) will make optimal use of the new diagnostic capacity by implementing the new standards for community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and hospital-based diagnostic services, in particular increasing direct referrals and rolling out at least 10 straight-to-test pathways by March 2026.
To date, NHS England has agreed three national CDC diagnostic pathways which ICBs will be expected to implement by March 2026. These are: breathlessness; children and young people’s asthma; and unscheduled bleeding on hormone replacement therapy.
NHS England is working with clinicians to best determine other priority straight to test pathways, including in CDCs. Implementation of these pathways will deliver the expectations in the Elective Reform Plan for significant elective care reform to be delivered in at least five specialties, those being: ear nose and throat; gastroenterology; respiratory; urology; and cardiology. Wider clinical pathway optimisation work will also centre around these specialities.
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world. The plan will also look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. It will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the national cancer plan will include policies on equitable access to companion diagnostics for all (a) regions and (b) patient groups.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.
The plan will look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. It will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. The plan will also consider mechanisms to accelerate the adoption of innovative diagnostics and treatments into the National Health Service, and will seek to ensure that high quality care is available to patients across the country.
Furthermore, reducing barriers of entry to care and improving the efficiency of patient pathways are essential to improving cancer outcomes and experiences. The plan will explore how we can improve data collection, sharing, and analysis, to help identify variation and blockages in the pathway and develop solutions with the NHS.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the national cancer plan will include mechanisms for supporting the NHS to adopt upcoming innovations in cancer treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.
The plan will look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. It will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. The plan will also consider mechanisms to accelerate the adoption of innovative diagnostics and treatments into the National Health Service, and will seek to ensure that high quality care is available to patients across the country.
Furthermore, reducing barriers of entry to care and improving the efficiency of patient pathways are essential to improving cancer outcomes and experiences. The plan will explore how we can improve data collection, sharing, and analysis, to help identify variation and blockages in the pathway and develop solutions with the NHS.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the national cancer plan will include policies on improving the (a) collection, (b) sharing and (c) analysis of data for all cancer types to help (i) identify (A) variation and (B) blockages in the pathway and (ii) develop solutions with the NHS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.
The plan will look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. It will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. The plan will also consider mechanisms to accelerate the adoption of innovative diagnostics and treatments into the National Health Service, and will seek to ensure that high quality care is available to patients across the country.
Furthermore, reducing barriers of entry to care and improving the efficiency of patient pathways are essential to improving cancer outcomes and experiences. The plan will explore how we can improve data collection, sharing, and analysis, to help identify variation and blockages in the pathway and develop solutions with the NHS.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 reduce musculoskeletal condition waiting times in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using chiropractors as regulated and qualified healthcare professionals already embedded in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) other constituencies to help reduce reduce those waiting times.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to have discussions with my Rt Hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the research specified, or for the Department for Health and Social Care to assess the use of chiropractors to reduce waiting times in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Cutting waiting lists forms a key part of the Government’s mission to reform the National Health Service.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the research entitled The Impact of Chiropractors on Workplace Productivity in NHS MSK Pathways, published on 19 March 2025, on the potential impact of the use of chiropractors on waiting lists for musculoskeletal conditions, in the context of increasing levels of people in employment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to have discussions with my Rt Hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the research specified, or for the Department for Health and Social Care to assess the use of chiropractors to reduce waiting times in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Cutting waiting lists forms a key part of the Government’s mission to reform the National Health Service.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to make the morning-after pill free at pharmacies in (a) Staffordshire and (b) England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is currently planning to expand the Pharmacy Contraception Service to include the supply of emergency hormonal contraception from October 2025. This means women will have access to the ‘morning-after pill’ free of charge at pharmacies on the National Health Service, which will ensure a consistent offer across the country.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 early (a) detection and (b) diagnosis of (ii) high blood pressure and (ii) raised cholesterol levels in (A) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (B) Staffordshire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Health check, England’s cardiovascular disease prevention programme, engages over 1.3 million people a year, and through behavioural and clinical interventions, such as managing patients’ elevated cholesterol levels, prevents approximately 500 heart attacks or strokes a year.
In addition to this, the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) is investing £100,000 into Newcastle-under-Lyme through a Locality Improvement Framework that brings together partners from primary care, Newcastle Borough Council, and the voluntary sector to encourage healthy lifestyle choices, to prevent cardiovascular disease. The framework will adopt a CORE20 approach, targeting the 20% most deprived communities.
The ICB is also rolling out BEAT networking events that will encourage people to come forward for the early detection and diagnosis of heart disease. BEAT aims to raise awareness of common early warning signs of potential heart disease and what to do, namely Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, and Time to tell your general practitioner or nurse.
National Health Service community pharmacy teams across the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB, including those in Newcastle-under-Lyme, have measured the blood pressure of 61,798 citizens between April and December 2024. They have confirmed high blood pressure using ambulatory monitoring in 3,895 of these patients, so their high blood pressure can be managed. Assuming these patients comply with management for the next five years, data averages suggest that approximately 31 deaths, 58 strokes, and 39 myocardial infarctions would be prevented.