To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Sodium Valproate: Compensation
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that men who have taken Sodium Valproate receive compensation for (a) fertility and (b) other health effect.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Our sympathies remain with those affected by sodium valproate. The Government is carefully considering the Patient Safety Commissioner’s recommendations as set out in the Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024, and will respond substantively in due course.

As part of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s ongoing monitoring of valproate safety, we continue to rigorously review all emerging data on valproate.


Written Question
Hospitals: Construction
Friday 26th January 2024

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her planned timetable is for the commencement of outstanding building works on hospitals under the Hospitals Transformation Programme.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Full planning permission has recently been granted for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital development and enabling works have commenced on site. The full business case is expected in the coming months, in which the trust will set out the final delivery timetable for the building works for the Hospital Transformation Programme.


Written Question
Health Professions: Registration
Friday 19th January 2024

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential role of non-fungible tokens in the issuing of professional certificates on health and care professional registers.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No specific assessment has been made.


Written Question
Hospitals: Construction
Thursday 18th January 2024

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Hospitals Transformation Programme on the number of beds available for patients.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Expected capacity requirements and patient need was modelled and outlined in the recent Outline Business Case (OBC) for the Hospitals Transformation Programme in Shropshire. The OBC was reviewed and approved by the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, and HM Treasury in December 2023. The full business case is expected in the coming months.


Written Question
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments
Monday 8th January 2024

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Hospitals Transformation Programme will (a) increase capacity and (b) reduce delays at the Emergency Department at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Hospital Transformation Programme (HTP) should enable greater capacity for patients with immediate or very serious life-threatening illness or injury at the emergency department (ED) at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. There will be comprehensive support to the ED from all the medical and surgical specialists required. The new clinical model delivered through the HTP will improve the efficiency of the ED by ensuring patients are seen by the right teams at the right time. This means that the Department not only has the required capacity but also the systems to support immediate patient care and ensure a reduction in delays within the ED.

The Department has accepted the recommendations of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel that the HTP is the best way forward to improve acute hospital services for the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System.


Written Question
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Monday 18th December 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Hospitals Transformation Programme on the frequency of closure of wards at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has received further advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel on the Hospitals Transformation Programme. We will carefully consider all the evidence available on this matter and will make decision in due course.


Written Question
NHS: Staff
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

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 NHS staff workforce resilience.

Answered by Will Quince

No assessment has been made of the adequacy of staff workforce resilience in the National Health Service. The NHS People Plan and NHS People Promise published in July 2020 sets out a comprehensive range of actions that focusses on making the NHS a better place to work, helping increase staff resilience and improving retention.

Building on the work of the NHS People Plan and People Promise, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published in June 2023, sets out the importance of ensuring we keep more of the staff we have within the health service. This will be achieved by supporting people through their careers, boosting the flexibilities we offer staff to work in ways that suit them and work for patients and ensuring access to health and wellbeing support. We also need to continue to improve the culture and leadership across NHS organisations.

Investment in health and wellbeing is vitally important in helping staff resilience. NHS England has developed a range of health and wellbeing initiatives which include a health and wellbeing guardian role, a focus on healthy working environments, empowering line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their wellbeing, and a comprehensive emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support package.

NHS England has also published a ‘Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing Together’ strategy. This sets out a roadmap for the NHS and partner organisations to work together to develop and invest in occupational health and wellbeing services for NHS staff over the next five years.


Written Question
NHS: Staff
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

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 NHS staff workforce resilience.

Answered by Will Quince

No assessment has been made of the adequacy of staff workforce resilience in the National Health Service. The NHS People Plan and NHS People Promise published in July 2020 sets out a comprehensive range of actions that focusses on making the NHS a better place to work, helping increase staff resilience and improving retention.

Building on the work of the NHS People Plan and People Promise, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published in June 2023, sets out the importance of ensuring we keep more of the staff we have within the health service. This will be achieved by supporting people through their careers, boosting the flexibilities we offer staff to work in ways that suit them and work for patients and ensuring access to health and wellbeing support. We also need to continue to improve the culture and leadership across NHS organisations.

Investment in health and wellbeing is vitally important in helping staff resilience. NHS England has developed a range of health and wellbeing initiatives which include a health and wellbeing guardian role, a focus on healthy working environments, empowering line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their wellbeing, and a comprehensive emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support package.

NHS England has also published a ‘Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing Together’ strategy. This sets out a roadmap for the NHS and partner organisations to work together to develop and invest in occupational health and wellbeing services for NHS staff over the next five years.


Written Question
Menopause: Health Services
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

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 reasons for regional differences in waiting times for access to NHS specialist menopause services.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department does not hold data on waiting times for this specialist service, and has therefore not made an official assessment of the regional differences.

Most women can have their menopause treatment and support well-managed within primary care. The menopause is a core competency of all qualified general practitioners, as there is a specific section in the curricula on women's health, including the menopause.

However, some women may need to see a specialist.  It is not within the remit of central government to commission specialist health services. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services that meet the health needs of their local population.

Our £25 million investment over the next two years to accelerate the development of women’s health hubs will improve access and quality of care for services including menopause care.


Written Question
Abortion: Drugs
Tuesday 27th June 2023

Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)

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 how many providers of abortion medications have been prosecuted for sending abortion pills out past the 10-week limit in each of the last five years.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department does not hold this information. Decisions to bring a prosecution in relation to the law on abortion are for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.