Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid 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 value that NICE-recommended medicines bring to patient outcomes and the UK economy.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) plays a vital role in securing access for National Health Service patients to innovative new medicines in a way that represents value to the taxpayer and supports a thriving United Kingdom life sciences sector. NICE is able to recommend the vast majority of new medicines for use by the NHS at prices that reflect the benefits that they bring to NHS patients and that are fair to all parties. Many thousands of NHS patients have benefitted from access to innovative new medicines as a result of NICE’s important work. The measures that we have announced this year as part of the Life Sciences Sector Plan and Regulation Action Plan will further accelerate patient access to new medicines whilst reducing burdens to industry.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the data on incidence of corridor care to be published by NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to tackling the unacceptable practice of corridor care in our National Health Service. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, sets out steps we are taking, including the commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.
NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements related to the use of temporary escalation spaces, to drive improvement. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and the information will be published shortly.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid 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 support the production of a modern service framework to help (a) improve outcomes and (b) reduce health inequalities for respiratory care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone in the National Health Service is responsible for delivering high-quality care. As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, as well as an overall quality strategy, the National Quality Board will oversee the development of a new series of service frameworks to accelerate progress in conditions where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.
Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia. The Government will consider other long-term conditions with significant health and economic impacts for future waves of modern service frameworks.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to determine which conditions should receive a modern service framework.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone in the National Health Service is responsible for delivering high-quality care. As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, as well as an overall quality strategy, the National Quality Board will oversee the development of a new series of service frameworks.
Between 1997 and 2010, national service frameworks were a clinically led approach to developing guidance that supported sustained improvement in major condition outcomes, including by narrowing inequality and reducing unwarranted variation. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will reintroduce and modernise this approach. These modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and then identify the best evidenced interventions and support for delivery.
Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia. The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid 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 ensure equitable access to genetic testing for 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 disorders 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: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
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 reduce the potential impact of chronic respiratory conditions on the NHS in winter 2025-2026.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England, working with the Department, the UK Health Security Agency and other partners, is taking action to reduce the impact of respiratory conditions on the National Health Service this winter. This includes robust, consistent infection prevention and control measures, and the campaign to encourage eligible people to get their winter vaccinations.
Further details of the actions being taken to reduce demand on acute services during winter are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid 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 (a) increase capacity in and (b) reduce inequalities in levels of access to respiratory diagnoses.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to increasing the capacity of respiratory services and is improving access to these services through new community diagnostic centres (CDCs).
All standard and large CDCs are required to offer diagnostic respiratory tests, such as spirometry and full lung function tests, as part of their core testing offer.
The 2025/26 capital guidance confirmed that £1.65 billion of capital funding is being allocated to support National Health Service performance across secondary and emergency care across 2025/26 more broadly. This includes funding to enable the completion of 2024/25 CDC schemes, as well as to expand existing and build new CDCs.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid 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 support the creation of neighbourhood-level respiratory diagnostic hubs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Neighbourhood level respiratory diagnostic hubs support our vision of delivering more diagnostics and care outside of hospitals and in communities. Respiratory diagnostic hubs have been piloted and developed in many parts of England, and this learning will be informing the development of more neighbourhood health services.
Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are also supporting this vision, as 170 CDCs are now operational across England. All standard model CDCs are required to offer a range of diagnostic tests that support the diagnosis of respiratory conditions, including spirometry and lung function tests.
CDCs offer local populations a wide range of diagnostic tests, including respiratory diagnostic services, closer to home and with greater choice on where and how they are undertaken, reducing the need for hospital visits and speeding up diagnosis, whilst also reducing pressure on hospitals.
We are continuing to invest in expanding diagnostic capacity in the National Health Service, including through increasing CDC capacity. As set out in the Elective reform Plan, we plan to build up to five more CDCs in 2025/26, alongside increasing the operating hours of existing sites so that more offer services 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) play a vital role in commissioning and shaping diagnostic services to meet the needs of their local populations. Addressing the earlier diagnosis and treatment of their populations with respiratory conditions is a significant priority for ICBs.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning Local Enhanced Services, including respiratory diagnostics, which are not agreed nationally and can vary in scope and funding to fit local needs.
Activity and waiting times for the main respiratory tests are not included in the National Diagnostic Activity and Waiting Times Collection. However, NHS England’s National Diagnostic Programme undertakes an annual snap-shop data collection in respiratory diagnostics to understand levels of activity and waiting times for a range of respiratory tests within trusts across England.
NHS England’s Respiratory Programme, in collaboration with national stakeholders, has also developed a standardised spirometry data capture template. This tool is designed to support ICBs in consistently recording and reporting spirometry activity, enabling improved oversight, service planning, and equitable access to respiratory diagnostics.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
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 ensure that (a) ICBs and (b) NHS Trusts provide a (i) Locally Enhanced Service or (ii) similar arrangement to support the establishment of respiratory diagnostic hubs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Neighbourhood level respiratory diagnostic hubs support our vision of delivering more diagnostics and care outside of hospitals and in communities. Respiratory diagnostic hubs have been piloted and developed in many parts of England, and this learning will be informing the development of more neighbourhood health services.
Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are also supporting this vision, as 170 CDCs are now operational across England. All standard model CDCs are required to offer a range of diagnostic tests that support the diagnosis of respiratory conditions, including spirometry and lung function tests.
CDCs offer local populations a wide range of diagnostic tests, including respiratory diagnostic services, closer to home and with greater choice on where and how they are undertaken, reducing the need for hospital visits and speeding up diagnosis, whilst also reducing pressure on hospitals.
We are continuing to invest in expanding diagnostic capacity in the National Health Service, including through increasing CDC capacity. As set out in the Elective reform Plan, we plan to build up to five more CDCs in 2025/26, alongside increasing the operating hours of existing sites so that more offer services 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) play a vital role in commissioning and shaping diagnostic services to meet the needs of their local populations. Addressing the earlier diagnosis and treatment of their populations with respiratory conditions is a significant priority for ICBs.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning Local Enhanced Services, including respiratory diagnostics, which are not agreed nationally and can vary in scope and funding to fit local needs.
Activity and waiting times for the main respiratory tests are not included in the National Diagnostic Activity and Waiting Times Collection. However, NHS England’s National Diagnostic Programme undertakes an annual snap-shop data collection in respiratory diagnostics to understand levels of activity and waiting times for a range of respiratory tests within trusts across England.
NHS England’s Respiratory Programme, in collaboration with national stakeholders, has also developed a standardised spirometry data capture template. This tool is designed to support ICBs in consistently recording and reporting spirometry activity, enabling improved oversight, service planning, and equitable access to respiratory diagnostics.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take direct (a) ICBs and (b) NHS Trusts to (i) collect and (ii) publish data on their respiratory diagnostics provision.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Neighbourhood level respiratory diagnostic hubs support our vision of delivering more diagnostics and care outside of hospitals and in communities. Respiratory diagnostic hubs have been piloted and developed in many parts of England, and this learning will be informing the development of more neighbourhood health services.
Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are also supporting this vision, as 170 CDCs are now operational across England. All standard model CDCs are required to offer a range of diagnostic tests that support the diagnosis of respiratory conditions, including spirometry and lung function tests.
CDCs offer local populations a wide range of diagnostic tests, including respiratory diagnostic services, closer to home and with greater choice on where and how they are undertaken, reducing the need for hospital visits and speeding up diagnosis, whilst also reducing pressure on hospitals.
We are continuing to invest in expanding diagnostic capacity in the National Health Service, including through increasing CDC capacity. As set out in the Elective reform Plan, we plan to build up to five more CDCs in 2025/26, alongside increasing the operating hours of existing sites so that more offer services 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) play a vital role in commissioning and shaping diagnostic services to meet the needs of their local populations. Addressing the earlier diagnosis and treatment of their populations with respiratory conditions is a significant priority for ICBs.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning Local Enhanced Services, including respiratory diagnostics, which are not agreed nationally and can vary in scope and funding to fit local needs.
Activity and waiting times for the main respiratory tests are not included in the National Diagnostic Activity and Waiting Times Collection. However, NHS England’s National Diagnostic Programme undertakes an annual snap-shop data collection in respiratory diagnostics to understand levels of activity and waiting times for a range of respiratory tests within trusts across England.
NHS England’s Respiratory Programme, in collaboration with national stakeholders, has also developed a standardised spirometry data capture template. This tool is designed to support ICBs in consistently recording and reporting spirometry activity, enabling improved oversight, service planning, and equitable access to respiratory diagnostics.