Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
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 merits of an independent national review into the use and oversight of ventricular assist devices in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Guidance on the use of medical devices is a matter for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which has existing guidance on the use of left ventricular assistance devices available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ipg516
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many deaths have been recorded in inpatient mental health settings in each of the last five years.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held centrally. All deaths of children and young people under the care of Tier 4 inpatient children and young people’s mental health services are routinely reported to the Department via NHS England. Such deaths are also notified to the Care Quality Commission and the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health.
Since 2019, there have been a total of 23 deaths of young people aged under 18 years old in contact with Tier 4 services, including those on home leave, or who had absconded. We are unable to provide the information broken down by year, as the annual data held by NHS England includes a small patient count of fewer than five cases which could lead to the identification of individuals.
All providers are required to notify the Care Quality Commission of the deaths of patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. The following table shows the number of deaths of patients detained under the Mental Health Act notified to the Care Quality Commission in the last five years:
Year | Total |
2020 | 474 |
2021 | 405 |
2022 | 410 |
2023 | 335 |
2024 | 343 |
2025 | 311 |
Total | 2278 |
Source: the Care Quality Commission
Notes:
This data is counts of notifications to the Care Quality Commission under Regulation 17 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, Notification of death or unauthorised absence of a service user who is detained or liable to be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to reform the compensation formula for maternity negligence compensation.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office’s report.
The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps, in due course.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients who no longer meet the criteria to reside in hospital in the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of patients who no longer meet the criteria to reside at a hospital level. However, figures by trust are published monthly by NHS England, and are available at the following link:
For the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which includes the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, there were on average 159 adult patients, occupying 19.9% of adult acute beds, who had no criteria to reside but were not discharged by the end of the day in October 2025. This was 5.9% higher than the England average of 14% for October 2025.
To support trusts to tackle discharge delays, the Government published a new policy framework for the £9 billion Better Care Fund (BCF) in January 2025. This gives the National Health Service and local authorities accountability for setting and achieving joint goals for reducing discharge delays and preventing avoidable emergency admissions and care home admissions. Some areas are receiving targeted support from the BCF support programme.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
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 (a) support, (b) rollout and (c) ensure equality of regional access to whole Genome Sequencing for primary brain cancer patients; and what plans he has to review (i) refrigeration issues, (ii) access and (iii) speed of processing.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Genomic testing is delivered through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service via seven regional NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (NHS GLHs). Testing follows the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes whole genome sequencing (WGS) for neurological tumours, including primary brain cancers, for both diagnostic and treatment purposes. NHS England has produced national sample handling guidance for WGS of solid tumours, including brain tumours, to standardise collection, processing, and transport. This supports collaboration between neurosurgeons, pathologists, and NHS GLHs to maintain DNA quality and improve access to WGS. Approaches to the handling of fresh tissue have been reviewed, including the use of tissue stabilisers, to reduce some of the barriers of having to acquire, freeze, and transport the frozen tissue, which will speed up processes. These measures aim to address variability and ensure equitable regional access to WGS for brain tumour patients. NHS England monitors performance through Patient Level Contract Monitoring data and works with NHS GLHs to address variation and drive improvements.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will host the Global Ministerial Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance in 2028.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom is looking forward to participating actively in the fifth Ministerial High-Level Conference on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which will be held in Nigeria in 2026. The Government is considering how best to celebrate the 2028 centenary of the UK's discovery of penicillin. We will internally consider whether this will include bidding to host the sixth Ministerial High-Level Conference on AMR, which will take place in 2028.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of payouts from maternity services were rated by Care Quality Commission as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate on safety in 2025.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHSR has advised that the information is not held in the format requested.
NHSR does not hold data on the number or proportion of maternity service compensation payouts categorised by Care Quality Commission (CQC) safety ratings.
Clinical negligence payments often relate to incidents that happened many years ago. The legal test for negligence is completely separate from the criteria used by the CQC for safety ratings, which do not assess whether an incident meets the legal definition of negligence.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allocate funding to innovative diagnostics to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom’s 2024 to 2029 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national action plan (NAP) highlights the importance of accurate diagnostic testing to guide effective antibiotic use.
Outcome six of the NAP commits to cross-sector working to develop diagnostics as a tool to tackle AMR. The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has invested over £16 million into programme funding for AMR diagnostics research. The Department also funds the NIHR HealthTech Research Centres, which accelerate development of healthcare technologies, including diagnostics.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to include all low-grade (a) Astrocytomas and (b) gliomas that eventually become high-grade terminal cancers in its forthcoming cancer plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan is to be published this year and will include further details on how outcomes will be improved for all cancer patients, including those with astrocytoma and other brain tumours.
The plan will include further details on speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.
The Government recognises the significant impact of rare cancers, such as glioma brain tumours, on patients and on their families and carers, and has invested in new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours, and increasing life expectancy.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
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 improve support for family carers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our 10 Year Health Plan will boost support for family carers via digital tools like MyCarer, and include them in care planning and shared decision-making processes.
We have already taken action. We have raised the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit to £196 per week - the biggest increase since 1976. We have also launched an independent commission into adult social care, to shape adult social care and address unpaid carers’ needs.