Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 create a standardised pathway for the genetic testing of people with motor neurone disease.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS). Testing is directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, which sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing.
Genomic testing for adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder is included in the Test Directory under specific clinical scenarios including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the most common type of motor neurone disease. The Test Directory is routinely reviewed to ensure that genomic testing continues to be available for all patients for whom it would be of clinical benefit, while delivering value for money for the NHS. The directory and associated supporting material are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-genomic-test-directory-supporting-material/
The strategic and systematic embedding of genomic medicine in end-to-end clinical pathways and clinical specialities is supported by a network of seven regional NHS GMS Alliances, which play an important role in achieving equitable access to standardised end-to-end pathways of care, including genomic testing, clinical genetics and genetic counselling services.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 enable Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB to allow GP to make referrals to adult ADHD assessment waiting lists.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Due to the unprecedented demand for ADHD diagnosis and treatment nationally and locally across all age groups, the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB advises that it has implemented an interim measure which is intended to ensure that those patients most in need are prioritised and that those who can self-manage are supported to do so.
Under the interim measure, referrals for adult ADHD assessments are being triaged, and assessments are progressed only for people who also have co-occurring complex psychosocial co-morbidity and/or co-existing secondary care mental health needs, to ensure needs are assessed and resources are utilised on those who are most in need. General practitioners are still able to refer patients to Right to Choose providers if the need for an ADHD assessment is clinically indicated.
Nationally, NHS England has captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and to provide support to address people’s needs.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 merits of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's proposal for pharmacists to be granted additional powers to make minor substitutions to prescribed medications, such as substituting it for a different quantity, if there is a shortage of the medication in question and it is out-of-stock.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will consult on proposals enabling pharmacists working in a community pharmacy to be granted the flexibility to supply an alternative strength or formulation, and hence also quantity, against a prescription written by another prescriber, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. This will improve patient access to medicines and improve patient experience.
Alongside this, we have serious shortage protocols (SSPs), which are a tool to manage and mitigate medicine and medical device shortages. An SSP enables community pharmacists to supply a specified alternative in accordance with a protocol rather than a prescription.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care,with reference to the consultation entitled Proposals to extend medicines responsibilities for paramedics, physiotherapists, operating department practitioners and diagnostic radiographers published on 5 August 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of adding occupational therapists to the list of regulated healthcare professionals under consideration for being given responsibility to prescribe medicines.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department welcomes healthcare professionals exploring how they can extend their scope of practice safely and appropriately.
Non-medical prescribing remains a keen area of interest, and departmental officials are carefully considering proposals relating to the medicines responsibilities of a range of healthcare professionals, including those of occupational therapists, as part of a wider programme of work that is underway.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 the availability for patients to message their GP practice using the NHS app for medical and appointment enquiries over lunchtime periods.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want patients to be able to contact their general practice (GP) by phone, online, or by walking in, and for people to have an equitable experience across these access routes. This is a key intervention in the Government’s ambition to end the 8:00am scramble. From 1 October 2025, practices will be contractually required to keep their online consultation tool open for the duration of core hours, from 8:00am to 6:30pm, for non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries, and admin requests. This will be subject to the necessary safeguards that are in place to avoid urgent clinical requests being erroneously submitted online. These requirements are set out in ‘You and Your GP’, a new patient charter, which will come into effect from September. Practices must provide a link to ‘You and Your GP’ on their website.
Patients can currently access their practice’s online consultation tool through their practice’s website. For 74% of practices this is also available via the NHS App, and this is due to increase to 95% of practices by March 2026.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 19 May 2025 to Question 51941 on Paraneoplastic Encephalomyelitis: Diagnosis, how many laboratories in England provide testing for KLHL11 antibodies.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not collect data on KLHL11 antibody testing in England.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the letter of 9 June 2026 from the Minister of State for Health to the Hon Member of St Albans (ref PO-1608258), when the remediable service statement will be issued.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The production of remediable services statements is a challenging and complex work programme that the NHS Business Service Authority is working hard to deliver.
I will respond directly to the Hon. Member in a letter to update on the personal delivery status for her constituent.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 9 June 2025 to Question 56880 on Health Professions: Regulation, whether the consultation expected by the end of this year will be open to submissions from Members of Parliament and the public.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aiming to commence consultation on a draft legislative framework for the General Medical Council by the end of this year. This will be a statutory three-month public consultation which anyone will be able to respond to, including Members of Parliament and the public.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 ensure that Continuing Health Care services remain uninterrupted for patients when the services are being transitioned from Integrated Care Boards.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is responsible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) policy and legislation. We have provided statutory guidance, setting out clear processes for CHC, which all integrated care boards (ICBs) must follow. CHC is funded by ICBs, and it is for individual ICBs to make assessments and decisions in a consistent manner, in line with their statutory duties and guidance. This guidance has not changed and ICBs are expected to maintain CHC delivery in line with their statutory duties.
While the Model ICB Blueprint highlighted CHC as one of the functions that are subject to “review for transfer” to “test and explore options to streamline and transfer some activities out of ICBs”, a decision has not been made on this function being transferred out of ICBs. If the function were transferred out, it would require legislative change. The sender and receiver organisations would be responsible for safe transfer, enabling continuity of services and managing risk during any transition.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 18 February 2025 to Question 29926 on Health Professions: Regulation, what recent progress he has made on setting a timetable for announcing his priorities in relation to the applicability of the five year rule by professional regulators on fitness to practise in cases which involve allegations of historic sexual abuse.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has set out its intention to reform the legislative frameworks of all healthcare professional regulators, starting with the General Medical Council (GMC).
As part of this work, any legislative restrictions on regulators from being able to consider fitness to practise concerns that are more than five years old will be removed from legislation. Regulators such as the GMC will have the discretion to determine whether a concern should be investigated based on the specific details of a fitness to practise case, which may include reflections on the length of time that has elapsed since the concern was raised or occurred.
The Government is aiming to consult on a draft legislative framework for the GMC by the end of this year, and lay the legislation during this Parliament.