Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the geographic differences in the cost of abiraterone for high-risk prostate cancer patients in England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The procurement of abiraterone for secondary care is currently part of NHS England’s generic wave tender structure. NHS England tenders two regions out of six at a time to encourage competition and to ensure supply chain resilience, awarding the top two compliant suppliers onto the framework each time. Prices may vary between regions, but within NHS England’s terms and conditions there is a price review mechanism whereby any price changes can be matched/applied in other regions. Also, within the tender there is a price limiter criterion which is applied so that only bids that are in line with market norms will be compliant.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
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 geographical cost differences for (a) abiraterone and (b) similar drugs in England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The procurement of abiraterone for secondary care is currently part of NHS England’s generic wave tender structure. NHS England tenders two regions out of six at a time to encourage competition and to ensure supply chain resilience, awarding the top two compliant suppliers onto the framework each time. Prices may vary between regions, but within NHS England’s terms and conditions there is a price review mechanism whereby any price changes can be matched/applied in other regions. Also, within the tender there is a price limiter criterion which is applied so that only bids that are in line with market norms will be compliant.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
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 veterans who leave the armed forces can access NHS dental care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working to improve access to National Health Service dentistry, which will also benefit our valued members of the Armed Forces community, including our respected veterans who have spent their careers defending our country.
We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists. The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament. Veterans will be able to benefit from the improved access these changes bring.
We are also supporting more than 1,500 children in British military families overseas through our supervised toothbrushing programme. Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of (a) treatment and (b) care for children and young adults with (i) PANS and (ii) PANDAS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on the number of children and young adults with paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus (PANDAS) is not collected at present as there are no internationally agreed criteria to identify these conditions. The PANS PANDAS Steering Group is currently working on a consensus for case identification to support a national survey.
Due to the emerging nature of the evidence base there is currently a lack of consensus on what good clinical practice and training on PANS and PANDAS may look like, and no assessments have therefore been made.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the the availability of training programmes on (a) PANS and (b) PANDAS for NHS staff.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on the number of children and young adults with paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus (PANDAS) is not collected at present as there are no internationally agreed criteria to identify these conditions. The PANS PANDAS Steering Group is currently working on a consensus for case identification to support a national survey.
Due to the emerging nature of the evidence base there is currently a lack of consensus on what good clinical practice and training on PANS and PANDAS may look like, and no assessments have therefore been made.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of children and young adults with (a) PANS and (b) PANDAS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on the number of children and young adults with paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcus (PANDAS) is not collected at present as there are no internationally agreed criteria to identify these conditions. The PANS PANDAS Steering Group is currently working on a consensus for case identification to support a national survey.
Due to the emerging nature of the evidence base there is currently a lack of consensus on what good clinical practice and training on PANS and PANDAS may look like, and no assessments have therefore been made.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to financially support parents of children who attend nursery.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
To support parents with the cost of childcare, the department offers:
More information can be found at the new Best Start in Life parent hub: https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
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 hold discussions with leaders of mental health services on meeting the requirements of the statutory duty of candour.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is supportive of the review it inherited into the effectiveness of the statutory duty of candour for health and social care providers. Our aim is to ensure that all providers, including mental health trusts, and their leaders act upon the duty consistently and effectively to improve openness, coupled with effective enforcement by the Care Quality Commission.
The review included a call for evidence, and the Government published its findings on 26 November 2024. These findings are available at the following link:
The Government also launched a public consultation on 26 November 2024, on proposals to regulate National Health Service managers. This sought views on making managers, including those in mental health providers, accountable for ensuring that the statutory duty is correctly followed in their organisation. In finalising the review on the statutory duty of candour, we are considering our proposals on candour set out in the Government’s response to the consultation, which was published on 21 July 2024, and other areas including recommendations made by the Infected Blood Inquiry. The consultation response is available at the following link:
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in nursery fees on the finances of families with nursery-age children.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
In 2025/26, the department plans to provide over £8 billion for the early years entitlements as we roll out their expansion. This represents an additional £2 billion compared to 2024/25.
The government’s roll out of an expansion to the funded hours of childcare working parents are entitled to began in April 2024, and parents have been accessing 30 hours per week from the term after their child turns nine months old since 1 September 2025. This marks the final stage of the rollout and will save eligible families who use their full entitlement £7,500 a year on average.
The government will provide an additional £1.6 billion per year by 2028/29, compared to 2025/26, to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents.
Additionally, the Universal Credit childcare offer supports claimants with the costs of childcare, no matter how many hours they work. Tax-Free Childcare remains available for working parents of children aged 0-11, or up to 17 for eligible disabled children.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of rates of sexual assault incidents perpetrated by mental health staff conducting Mental Health Act Section 17 escort duties or similar protective observations.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is wholly unacceptable for any patient or member of staff to experience violence or harassment of any kind in National Health Service settings, and all organisations must take robust and compassionate action to prevent it. The Government is committed to supporting and challenging the system to ensure a safe environment for our staff and patients.
Although no direct assessment of policy implications on rates of sexual assaults has been made, in September 2023, the Sexual Safety Charter was launched by NHS England with the aim of promoting a zero-tolerance approach towards sexual misconduct in the workplace. Every NHS trust and integrated care board (ICB) have since signed up to the Charter and are actively working to implement its ten principles to tackle unwanted, inappropriate or harmful sexual behaviour in the workplace.
In October 2024, NHS England launched a new national sexual misconduct people policy framework and training to help staff right across the NHS to ensure they are taking the right steps in recognising, reporting and acting on sexual misconduct at work. The new framework outlines how those working in the health service should recognise, report and act on sexual misconduct in the workplace, against staff or patients. The framework is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-people-sexual-misconduct-policy-framework/
NHS England is currently measuring the uptake of framework across all trusts and ICBs, including gathering key feedback about its impact and effectiveness so far. Feedback will be used to identify areas where organisations need support in implementing to achieve a sexual safety culture.
Several tools and resources have been developed by NHS England for trusts and ICBs to adopt and take further actions on sexual misconduct. This includes the first-ever NHS-wide training on sexual misconduct awareness, now available to the entire workforce, including mental health staff conducting Mental Health Act Section 17 escort duties.
NHS England has recently written to providers and asked them to take further steps to identify potential perpetrators of sexual misconduct and to redouble efforts to protect staff and patients.