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 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 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.
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 the potential implications for his policies of rates of sexual assault incidents at inpatient mental health hospitals.
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.
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 potential implications for his policies of recent incidents involving known risk items being accessed by mental health patients with the knowledge of NHS staff.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 4 April 2025, NHS England published its ‘Staying Safe from Suicide: Best Practice Guidance for Safety Assessment, Formulation and Management'. This promotes a shift towards a more holistic, person-centred approach rather than relying on risk prediction, which is unreliable because suicidal thoughts can change quickly. Instead, it recommends using a method based on understanding each person’s situation and managing their safety.
The purpose of this guidance is to enable mental health practitioners to adopt best practice principles in working with people of all ages to stay safe from suicide. This guidance also has a section covering confidentiality and the law and refers to the consensus statement for information sharing and suicide prevention. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/staying-safe-from-suicide/
Work is also underway to make training available to all mental health practitioners to incorporate the principles of this guidance into their practice. This training was recently launched and is available via an e-learning module. This complements existing local training on suicide prevention, and a number of other national e-learning products that are already available.
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health has been commissioned through the NHS England Culture of Care programme to support every provider of National Health Service commissioned inpatient services to move to personalised safety planning in line with evidence.
In addition to this, the Health Services Safety Investigations Body’s (HSSIB) investigation into mental health inpatient settings identified important concerns and safety recommendations that can help us to improve mental health care, protect patients and the public and create a safe working environment for staff. We are in the process of formally responding to all the recommendations for the Department made within these reports. NHS England will be publishing guidance in response to the HSSIB’s recommendations defining the therapeutic relationship and guidance on responding to the use of non-anchored ligature points.
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 elderly people have reliable access to dental care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. This includes considering the needs of elderly populations. The ICB for the Tewkesbury constituency is Gloucestershire ICB.
We know that as people age, they tend to move to rural and coastal areas where the challenges in accessing NHS dentistry are exacerbated. We have introduced the Golden Hellos scheme which will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
ICBs may commission specialised dental services including domiciliary care for elderly people living in care homes. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on oral health in care homes sets out several recommendations for care homes to help maintain and improve oral health and ensure timely access to dental treatment for their residents. The Government expects care homes to be following NICE guidance and recommendations in this area.
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 expand dental services in rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural areas.
The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.
ICBs are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
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.