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, whether his Department has undertaken research on the potential impact of the the introduction of multi-year NHS funding for the health elements of children's palliative care on (a) fiscal and (b) health outcomes.
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.
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 support research into (a) treatments and (b) a cure for postural tachycardia syndrome.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds clinical, public health, and social care research and works in partnership with the National Health Service, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes proposals for research into a range of conditions, including postural tachycardia syndrome, at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic
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 disparities between (a) regions and (b) urban and rural areas in the level of mental health among young people.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department routinely monitors mental health inequalities through robust population-based prevalence surveys. The National Health Service Mental Health of Children and Young People Survey (MHCYPS) provides critical insights into youth mental health prevalence and associated risk factors. The 2020 survey found significant regional variation in the prevalence of probable mental disorders in children aged between five and 16 in England, ranging from 10.0% in London to 20.5% in the West Midlands.
For adults, the 2023/24 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, which covers people aged 16 and over, also found regional differences in common mental health conditions. People in the North East (24.6%) and East Midlands (24.6%) were more likely to have a common mental health condition than those in the South East (16.3%) and South West (18.7%).
Narrowing mental health inequalities is a key commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan. We are piloting neighbourhood mental health centres around the country, in both rural and urban areas, and making it easier than ever before to receive mental health support via the NHS app.
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, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that communities have access to local pharmacies.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that pharmacies, including in Ely and East Cambridgeshire, are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.
Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies and must keep these assessments under review. Integrated care boards (ICBs) give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from the new contractors. Contractors can also apply to open a new pharmacy to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA. If there is a need for a new local pharmacy to open and no contractors apply to open a pharmacy and fill the gap, ICBs can commission a new pharmacy to open outside of the market entry processes and can fund the contract from the ICBs’ budgets. In some rural areas where a pharmacy may not be viable, local general practices are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. In addition, patients can choose to access medicines through any of the distance selling pharmacies that are required to deliver the medicines they dispense free of charge, and which also provide other pharmaceutical services remotely.
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 pharmacy provision in rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that pharmacies, including in Ely and East Cambridgeshire, are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.
Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies and must keep these assessments under review. Integrated care boards (ICBs) give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from the new contractors. Contractors can also apply to open a new pharmacy to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA. If there is a need for a new local pharmacy to open and no contractors apply to open a pharmacy and fill the gap, ICBs can commission a new pharmacy to open outside of the market entry processes and can fund the contract from the ICBs’ budgets. In some rural areas where a pharmacy may not be viable, local general practices are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. In addition, patients can choose to access medicines through any of the distance selling pharmacies that are required to deliver the medicines they dispense free of charge, and which also provide other pharmaceutical services remotely.
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 plans to take to improve cancer waiting times in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving outcomes for cancer patients across England, including in Ely and East Cambridgeshire.
The Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a strong track record in delivering the cancer performance standards over the years. There is a comprehensive action plan to address the recent deterioration in the waiting times that patients are experiencing for cancer diagnostics and treatment. This includes the provision of additional consultant appointments and theatre lists, as well as recruitment to expand capacity across a number of treatment pathways, with breast, urology, and skin cancer services identified as specific priorities to meet local needs.
A new Cancer Operational Taskforce has been launched to drive the delivery of the actions required to improve cancer waiting times for patients, including those who reside within the Ely constituency area.
The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across England, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.
Reducing inequalities is also a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at the targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival and will develop interventions to tackle these. This includes looking at protected characteristics, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic location. We know that people living in deprived areas are less likely to have their cancers diagnosed at an early stage, when treatment can be more effective, and we want to reduce the gap in early diagnosis between those living in the richest and poorest areas through the National Cancer Plan.
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 trends in the level of inequalities in cancer treatment access in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving outcomes for cancer patients across England, including in Ely and East Cambridgeshire.
The Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a strong track record in delivering the cancer performance standards over the years. There is a comprehensive action plan to address the recent deterioration in the waiting times that patients are experiencing for cancer diagnostics and treatment. This includes the provision of additional consultant appointments and theatre lists, as well as recruitment to expand capacity across a number of treatment pathways, with breast, urology, and skin cancer services identified as specific priorities to meet local needs.
A new Cancer Operational Taskforce has been launched to drive the delivery of the actions required to improve cancer waiting times for patients, including those who reside within the Ely constituency area.
The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across England, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.
Reducing inequalities is also a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at the targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival and will develop interventions to tackle these. This includes looking at protected characteristics, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic location. We know that people living in deprived areas are less likely to have their cancers diagnosed at an early stage, when treatment can be more effective, and we want to reduce the gap in early diagnosis between those living in the richest and poorest areas through the National Cancer Plan.
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, whether he has considered introducing multi-year NHS funding for the health elements of children's palliative care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Palliative care services, including for children, are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.
The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan. The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
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, if he will take further steps to support children's hospices with their energy costs.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While most palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life and their loved ones.
Most children’s hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between integrated care board (ICB) areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.
We are 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. We know that many hospices have chosen to use this funding on energy efficiency measures, such as boiler upgrades or solar panel installation, to reduce energy costs and improve efficiency in the longer term.
We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.
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, if he will take steps to ensure that aplastic anaemia is (a) recognised and (b) included on the NHS England website; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing accessible information on this condition for (i) patients and (ii) healthcare professionals.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as aplastic anaemia.
There are over 7,000 rare diseases often needing highly specialised input, and so the National Health Service website is not always the most appropriate platform to disseminate such information. We receive many requests for new topics, including aplastic anaemia, and each one is assessed and prioritised according to a set of criteria. The factors considered when making these decisions include demand for the topic, how well it aligns to achieving strategic priorities, whether it will provide a cost saving for the NHS, suitability for a national audience, prevalence of the condition/symptom and whether other healthcare information providers are better placed to host the information than us, for example, charities. At this stage there are no plans to add aplastic anaemia to the NHS website.
However, we continue to add further information on rare diseases to the resources provided by the NHS Genomics Education Programme (GEP). These resources are designed for all healthcare professionals and include information on rare diseases for non-specialists through ‘bitesize’ genomics content. The GEP has a ‘just in time’ resource called ‘GeNotes’ and has developed a two-week Massive Open Online Course to support clinicians in a general approach to rare disease. NHS England has an established patient advisory group for genomics education to ensure lived experience and patient voices are an integral part of the GEP resources and to determine the direction of travel for the programme aligned to their priorities. Additionally, work continues in partnership with Medics For Rare Disease to expand the programme’s remit into non-genetic rare disease.