Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data he holds on cancer (a) diagnosis wait times and (b) treatment commencement wait times in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment commencement are publicly available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/
The figures are broken down by NHS trust rather than by constituency.
The two main NHS trusts in Ely and East Cambridgeshire are the Cambridge University Hospitals Trust and the North West Anglia Trust.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of pharmaceutical pollution in waterways on public health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Environment Agency routinely monitors for a wide range of chemicals as part of their chemical surveillance of inland water bodies. In addition, the UK Health Security Agency assesses the potential public health impact of these.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 increase funding for research and innovation to improve cancer outcomes.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is one of the largest areas of spend at over £141.6 million in 2024/25, reflecting its high priority.
As well as funding cancer research, the Department also invests in centres of excellence, services and facilities to enable and delivery of cancer research in England. This includes NIHR funding for the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, a UK-wide network for delivery of early phase cancer trials, and NIHR’s Biomedical Research Centres, collaborations between world-leading universities and NHS organisations, bringing together academics and clinicians to do translational research, including for all cancer types. NIHR also works closely with industry to bring innovative research to the United Kingdom. This creates a strong portfolio of work reflecting the need for research and innovation to improve cancer outcomes.
Additionally, the Office for Life Sciences’ Cancer Healthcare Goals Programme have invested £21.5m to date for cancer research and innovation programmes, with their aim to maximise and direct global industrial investment for the development and acceleration of new cancer diagnostic and therapeutic technologies and devices in the UK through: providing research investments to support the development of innovations in the early stages of the development pathway; and supporting industry to accelerate cancer diagnostic and therapeutic technologies and devices in the latter stages of development into the National Health Service.
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.
The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including all cancer types.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 access to dentistry in the Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on dentistry is available in the Dental statistics – England 2023/24 dataset, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, and available at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324
The data for the NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board (ICB), which includes Ely and Cambridgeshire, shows that 27% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2025, compared to 40% in England, and that 55% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2025, compared to 57% in England.
We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from April 2025.
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 focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform by the end of this Parliament.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of dementia care provision in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is empowering local leaders with the autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including for those with dementia.
That is why we have published the D100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia. The tool is available at the following link:
We will also deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia, and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of removing the relevant target from the NHS Operational Planning Guidance 2025-6 on the dementia diagnosis rate.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Darzi Investigation found that there are too many targets set for the National Health Service, which made it hard for local systems to prioritise their actions or to be held properly accountable.
Our aim is to give more power to local systems and let them decide how they use local funding to best meet the needs of their local population.
NHS Planning Guidance is not an exhaustive list of everything the NHS does, and the absence of a target does not mean it is not an area of focus. We remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%.
We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework to deliver rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia, and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect NHS priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department measures the (a) accessibility of GPs and (b) GPs' workload.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Practice Patient Survey (GPPS) measures patient satisfaction and ease of access to general practice (GP) services. The Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency sits within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board, where 69% of respondents to the 2025 GPPS reported a good experience of contacting their GP and 74% of respondents reported a good overall experience with their practice.
It is challenging to accurately estimate GPs’ workload as much of their work is not reflected in published data, and in addition to delivering appointments, GPs will manage referrals, complete paperwork, and, in the case of GP partners, manage the practice itself.
We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether, impacting access to GPs. That’s why we are tackling morale through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge. Expanding capacity in GPs will improve access for patients, as well as alleviating high workloads, by making more appointments available.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 adequacy of access to GPs in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Practice Patient Survey (GPPS) measures patient satisfaction and ease of access to general practice (GP) services. The Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency sits within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board, where 69% of respondents to the 2025 GPPS reported a good experience of contacting their GP and 74% of respondents reported a good overall experience with their practice.
It is challenging to accurately estimate GPs’ workload as much of their work is not reflected in published data, and in addition to delivering appointments, GPs will manage referrals, complete paperwork, and, in the case of GP partners, manage the practice itself.
We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether, impacting access to GPs. That’s why we are tackling morale through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge. Expanding capacity in GPs will improve access for patients, as well as alleviating high workloads, by making more appointments available.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 online GP booking systems on people who are digitally excluded.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since 1 October, general practices (GP) have been required to keep their online consultations tools on throughout core hours, from 8:00am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday, for non-urgent and routine requests.
Patients are able to get in touch with their GP via an online form during these hours to request an appointment or to raise a query.
We understand that not all patients can or want to use online services. To ensure that patients are not digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. We have also committed to work with digital transformation teams in integrated care boards and with groups at risk of digital exclusion to ensure digital solutions are inclusive.
People unable to access online services, or visit their GP in person, can ask for a feature called proxy access available through the NHS App. This function allows a trusted relative or carer to act on the patient’s behalf and can be set up through the patient’s GP surgery, so that they can help them manage their health and care.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Question 74866 on Palliative Care: Children, when he discussed the potential merits of introducing multi-year NHS funding for the health elements of children's palliative care with integrated care boards.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Children and young people’s hospices do incredible work to support seriously ill children and their families and loved ones when they need it most, and we recognise the incredibly tough pressures they are facing.
We are providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which, until recently, was known as the Children’s Hospice Grant.
I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next spending review period, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children’s and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.
This revenue funding is intended to be spent by hospices to provide high-quality care and support for the children and the families they care for, either in the hospice or in the community, including in children's homes. They can, for example, use this funding for providing respite care for children who have high health needs, by providing physiotherapy or occupational therapy, or by providing 24/7 nursing support for a child at the end of their life.
We are also supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.