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 conditions arising from sodium valproate exposure are consistently recognised and coded within NHS diagnostic systems.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service in England collects data on patients suffering adverse effects of medication and on drug poisoning. While adverse conditions arising from sodium valproate would be captured in this data, the data does not go to the level to identify sodium valproate and is not aligned to coding within NHS diagnostic systems.
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, what steps he is taking to provide emergency day-to-day funding to hospices; and whether he will commit to releasing (a) £100 million in emergency funding now and (b) a further £100 million in April 2026 to stabilise hospice services and protect patient care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Children and young people’s hospices have received £26 million of revenue funding for 2025/26 and we are also providing approximately £80 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, 2026/27 to 2028/29, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.
In December 2024, we announced that we were providing £100 million of capital funding for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England. This was split across two financial years, with hospices receiving £25 million to spend in 2024/25 and £75 million to spend in 2025/26.
We are pleased to say that we can now confirm we are providing a further £25 million in capital funding for hospices to spend in 2025/26.
We are in a challenging fiscal position across the board. At this time, we are not in a position to offer any additional funding beyond that outlined above. However, we are supporting the hospice sector in other ways.
The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. As part of the MSF, we will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting integrated care boards to commission more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.
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 medicine-induced harm from sodium valproate is systematically captured within NHS patient safety, incident and mortality data.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service in England operates a comprehensive central database, the Learn From Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) service, which is a national NHS system for the recording and analysis of patient safety events that occur in healthcare. It collates all records of patient safety incidents made by healthcare providers. Where local healthcare providers identify and record incidents related to sodium valproate, that information will be collated by the LFPSE.
On mortality data, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects and publishes mortality statistics for deaths registered in England and Wales. Deaths in which harm caused by sodium valproate exposure is a contributing factor are not captured as a distinct, searchable category in ONS mortality statistics. Further information on mortality statistics is available on the ONS website, at the following link:
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 the Government plans to mandate structured medication reviews for patients receiving long-term sodium valproate, particularly as part of antiepileptic polytherapy.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to mandate Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) specifically for patients receiving long-term sodium valproate. NHS England has, however, provided substantial funding to expand the number of clinical pharmacists working in primary care networks, with a key part of their role being to undertake SMRs for groups of patients who are most likely to benefit. Whilst treatment with sodium valproate does not, in itself, guarantee an SMR, an SMR might be triggered if a patient meets certain criteria, for example, if they are considered to have complex and problematic polypharmacy or if they are in a care home.
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, what steps he is taking with the Minister for the Cabinet Office to help tackle the harm caused by sodium valproate to (a) women with epilepsy and (b) their families.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies.
Action has been taken to minimise the risk associated with valproate to women with epilepsy, and their families. This includes the valproate Pregnancy Prevention Programme, which ensures that women and girls taking valproate understand the potential risks should they become pregnant, are using effective contraception, and are regularly monitored. Further measures introduced in 2024 mean valproate must not be started in new patients, either male or female, younger than 55 years old, unless two specialists independently consider and document that there is no other effective or tolerated treatment, or there are compelling reasons that the reproductive risks do not apply.
The Government is also carefully considering the Patient Safety Commissioner’s recommendations made in The Hughes Report, which includes proposed approaches to redress for those harmed by sodium valproate. This work requires coordinated input from several departments, and we will provide a further update in due course.
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, what steps are being taken to ensure cumulative drug toxicity and polypharmacy risks are actively monitored in people prescribed sodium valproate.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are established systems within the National Health Service to ensure that cumulative drug toxicity and polypharmacy risks are actively monitored in people prescribed sodium valproate. In practice, this involves establishing arrangements for assessing, reviewing, and monitoring the ongoing need for treatments, and, given that sodium valproate is almost invariably initiated in secondary care, clear shared-care arrangements between secondary and primary care clinicians, supported by the involvement of pharmacists, to minimise the risks associated with cumulative drug toxicity and polypharmacy.
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, what learning has been implemented following the coroner’s finding that harm from sodium valproate exposure contributed to the death of Jake Aldcroft.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies.
Action has been taken to minimise the risk of foetal harm associated with valproate, and to ensure that healthcare professionals are also able to support any babies and families that are affected. The valproate Pregnancy Prevention Programme ensures that women and girls taking valproate understand the potential risks should they become pregnant, are using effective contraception, and are regularly monitored. It is supported by educational materials for healthcare professionals and patients.
The programme was updated in January 2024 to reflect updated Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency advice that valproate must not be started in new patients, either male or female, younger than 55 years old, unless two specialists independently consider and document that there is no other effective or tolerated treatment, or there are compelling reasons that the reproductive risks do not apply.
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 NHS England plans to commission specialist multidisciplinary services for people affected by sodium valproate exposure, including care coordination, to help reduce emergency admissions and diagnostic times.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, First Do No Harm, identified significant shortcomings in National Health Service care pathways for people harmed by sodium valproate, including fragmented services, limited diagnostic expertise, delays in diagnosis, and inequitable access to multidisciplinary care. NHS England has acknowledged variation in the availability and adequacy of care pathways, the impact of delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis on long-term outcomes, and the need for improved care coordination for those requiring lifelong support.
In response, NHS England has commissioned a Fetal Exposure to Medicines Services Pilot, being delivered by the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The pilot provides multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and is informing the development of improved care pathways, including consideration of specialist multidisciplinary services to support earlier diagnosis, better coordination of care, and reduced reliance on emergency care. Initial learning was shared with NHS England in September 2025, with final recommendations expected this summer to inform decisions on any national commissioning, subject to funding.
Finally, whilst integrated care boards (ICBs) are the responsible commissioners of the majority of health services, including services related to medically induced disabilities, no specific guidance has been issued to ICBs in relation to supporting individuals with complex, medicine-induced disabilities arising from sodium valproate.
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, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the diagnostic time taken and levels of misdiagnosis among individuals harmed by sodium valproate, and its impact on long-term outcomes.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, First Do No Harm, identified significant shortcomings in National Health Service care pathways for people harmed by sodium valproate, including fragmented services, limited diagnostic expertise, delays in diagnosis, and inequitable access to multidisciplinary care. NHS England has acknowledged variation in the availability and adequacy of care pathways, the impact of delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis on long-term outcomes, and the need for improved care coordination for those requiring lifelong support.
In response, NHS England has commissioned a Fetal Exposure to Medicines Services Pilot, being delivered by the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The pilot provides multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and is informing the development of improved care pathways, including consideration of specialist multidisciplinary services to support earlier diagnosis, better coordination of care, and reduced reliance on emergency care. Initial learning was shared with NHS England in September 2025, with final recommendations expected this summer to inform decisions on any national commissioning, subject to funding.
Finally, whilst integrated care boards (ICBs) are the responsible commissioners of the majority of health services, including services related to medically induced disabilities, no specific guidance has been issued to ICBs in relation to supporting individuals with complex, medicine-induced disabilities arising from sodium valproate.
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, what assessment has been made of whether NHS care pathways are adequate for individuals harmed by sodium valproate that require lifelong, multidisciplinary care.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, First Do No Harm, identified significant shortcomings in National Health Service care pathways for people harmed by sodium valproate, including fragmented services, limited diagnostic expertise, delays in diagnosis, and inequitable access to multidisciplinary care. NHS England has acknowledged variation in the availability and adequacy of care pathways, the impact of delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis on long-term outcomes, and the need for improved care coordination for those requiring lifelong support.
In response, NHS England has commissioned a Fetal Exposure to Medicines Services Pilot, being delivered by the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The pilot provides multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and is informing the development of improved care pathways, including consideration of specialist multidisciplinary services to support earlier diagnosis, better coordination of care, and reduced reliance on emergency care. Initial learning was shared with NHS England in September 2025, with final recommendations expected this summer to inform decisions on any national commissioning, subject to funding.
Finally, whilst integrated care boards (ICBs) are the responsible commissioners of the majority of health services, including services related to medically induced disabilities, no specific guidance has been issued to ICBs in relation to supporting individuals with complex, medicine-induced disabilities arising from sodium valproate.