Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to increase funding for research on low‑grade gliomas and other rare brain tumours.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The NIHR is continuing to invest in brain tumour research. For example, in December 2025, the NIHR announced the pioneering Brain Tumour Research Consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments. NIHR is investing an initial £13.7 million in the consortium with significant further funding due to be awarded early in 2026. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.
Brain tumours are one of the toughest cancers to treat. This new NIHR investment will help researchers and clinicians understand the disease better, test new treatments earlier and make trials available to more adults and children closer to home.
The consortium brings together 48 organisations from across leading universities, National Health Service trusts, and charities, along with patients, to help deliver better research, faster. It is a coordinated national effort to improve the development and evaluation of treatments for brain tumours across adult and paediatric populations.
The NIHR continues to welcome high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including low-grade glioma and other rare brain tumours.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with UKRI and the National Institute for Health and Care Research on supporting new and emerging treatments for low‑grade gliomas.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Government responsibility for delivering cancer research is shared between Department for Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the NIHR, and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.
Department of Health and Social Care and Department of Science, Innovation and Technology officials meet regularly to discuss a range of research investments to drive the maximum collective research impact on policy, practice, and individual lives.
The NIHR is continuing to invest in brain tumour research. In December 2025, the NIHR announced the pioneering Brain Tumour Research Consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments. NIHR is investing an initial £13.7 million in the consortium, with significant further funding due to be awarded early in 2026. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.
The NIHR continues to welcome high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including low-grade glioma.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve (a) transparency and (b) reporting on corridor care incidents in NHS trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity. We are therefore doing everything we can as fast as we can to consign the delivery of care in temporary escalation spaces to the history books.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.
We have started collecting data on the prevalence of corridor care and we will look to publish it once data quality improves.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department collects on the number of patients receiving care in corridors in NHS hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity. We are therefore doing everything we can as fast as we can to consign the delivery of care in temporary escalation spaces to the history books.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.
We have started collecting data on the prevalence of corridor care and we will look to publish it once data quality improves.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 reduce the use of corridor care in NHS hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity. We are therefore doing everything we can as fast as we can to consign the delivery of care in temporary escalation spaces to the history books.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.
We have started collecting data on the prevalence of corridor care and we will look to publish it once data quality improves.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 increased availability of (a) Sleepio and (b) other clinically approved digital cognitive behavioural therapy programmes for people with insomnia.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not currently have plans to integrate Sleepio or other Digital Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (dCBT-I) solutions into primary care pathways or National Health Service app services but is committed to exploring options to make digital tools, supporting people living with insomnia, nationally available.
NHS England is currently running an open process to secure equitable national access to dCBT-I and has recently published a Request For Information and questionnaire. This creates an opportunity for all suppliers in this market to engage in a fair and transparent commercial process.
There is an ongoing programme of work within NHS England, exploring the feasibility of integrating Digital Therapeutics into the NHS app. This is in the early phases and will form the foundations of the HealthStore App Marketplace, which is a commitment in our10-Year Health Plan. The store will explore options to support the availability of digital health technologies across multiple condition areas.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to integrate (a) Sleepio and (b) other digital cognitive behavioural therapy solutions for insomnia into (i) standard primary care pathways and (ii) NHS app services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not currently have plans to integrate Sleepio or other Digital Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (dCBT-I) solutions into primary care pathways or National Health Service app services but is committed to exploring options to make digital tools, supporting people living with insomnia, nationally available.
NHS England is currently running an open process to secure equitable national access to dCBT-I and has recently published a Request For Information and questionnaire. This creates an opportunity for all suppliers in this market to engage in a fair and transparent commercial process.
There is an ongoing programme of work within NHS England, exploring the feasibility of integrating Digital Therapeutics into the NHS app. This is in the early phases and will form the foundations of the HealthStore App Marketplace, which is a commitment in our10-Year Health Plan. The store will explore options to support the availability of digital health technologies across multiple condition areas.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to review the (a) necessity and (b) frequency of annual reviews within NHS Continuing Health Care; and whether he plans to adjust those requirements.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care outlines the necessity and frequency of NHS Continuing Healthcare reviews. A review should be undertaken within three months of the eligibility decision being made, and then on at least an annual basis. Reviews should primarily focus on whether the care plan or arrangements remain appropriate to meet the individual’s needs. It is expected that, in the majority of cases, there will be no need to reassess for eligibility. The frequency, format and attendance at reviews should be proportionate to the situation in question.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 that referrals for ME/CFS are not rejected solely on the basis of a long covid diagnosis being mentioned in GP notes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We published the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Final Delivery Plan on 22 July 2025. The plan focuses on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.
Within the ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan’s actions, NHS England will co-design resources, including a template specification for systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS. Additionally, the Department of Health and Social Care, with NHS England, will explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for very severe ME/CFS.
The template specification for mild and moderate ME/CFS will be developed nationally through engagement with stakeholders, drawing on local expertise and models, and existing evidence.
In order to improve awareness and understanding of ME/CFS amongst healthcare professionals, the Department is working with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes.
Commissioning of post-viral services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs) and the output of the above engagement aims to support ICBs with their local commissioning decisions based on their local population needs.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
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 improve coordination of care for long covid patients who require multi-disciplinary support.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Across the NHS in England, there are services supporting people with post-COVID syndrome (long COVID). These services offer physical, cognitive and psychological assessment, and, where appropriate, refer patients onto existing services for treatment and rehabilitation. More information is available on the NHS England website at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/.
Since April 2024, the commissioning of post-COVID services has been the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs), following the closure of the national post-COVID programme.
NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID services, which sets out the commissioning, service requirements and oversight of post-COVID services by ICBs in England for adults and children and young people. It outlines the elements that post-COVID services should include and the principles of care for long COVID. The commissioning guidance is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-guidance-for-post-covid-services-for-adults-children-and-young-people/.
People with long COVID symptoms should see their GP, who will be able to refer them to services depending on their clinical needs.