Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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 funding for musculoskeletal conditions within the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Spending Review prioritised health, with record investment in the health and social care system. The Government is providing £29 billion more day-to-day funding for the National Health Service in real terms compared to 2023/24, which is the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate.
Investment must come with reform, and the 10-Year Health Plan details the change required to secure the financial sustainability of the NHS.
The 10-Year Health Plan will support people, including those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, to better manage their condition and access services and support through the three health shifts.
For example, as part of a major transformation of the NHS under the 10-Year Health Plan, patients with MSK conditions will also soon be able to bypass their general practitioners (GPs) and directly access community services, including physiotherapy, pain management, and orthopaedics, in the NHS App. The landmark change will deliver faster treatment for the flare up of existing conditions including arthritis, backpain, and joint pain, while enabling GPs to focus on more complex cases, reducing pressure on hospitals and freeing up GPs.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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 resolve the barrier whereby chiropractors cannot work within the NHS because they are not Allied Health Professionals, but Allied Health Professional status requires employment within the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans by either the Department or NHS England to review the list of health and care professions that are represented by the Chief Allied Health Professions officer.
Where there is demand for services, such as those provided by a chiropractor, integrated care boards are able to make independent decisions on which health professionals they employ and may commission a limited amount of such treatment.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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 potential role chiropractors could play in reducing the numbers of patients on waiting lists for treatment of musculoskeletal conditions.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for musculoskeletal treatment, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.
The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, set out the productivity and reform efforts we will undertake to return to the 18-week standard, and to ensure patients have the best possible experience while they wait.
NHS England does not nationally commission chiropractic care as it is a complementary and alternative medicine. Integrated care boards can make independent decisions on which health professionals they employ and may commission a limited amount of such treatment.
There are currently no plans to review the categorisation of chiropractic care as a complementary and alternative medicine. Where musculoskeletal treatment is required, referrals will be made to physiotherapists where appropriate.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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 utilise existing community-based musculoskeletal healthcare providers to reduce GP workload and NHS waiting lists.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To reduce the general practice workload and National Health Service waiting lists, we are working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Musculoskeletal Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with health system leaders to further reduce musculoskeletal community waiting times, which are the largest volume of all community waits, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services. This includes mapping and analysing the provision and role of physiotherapists as First Contact Practitioners in primary care.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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 introduce Lecanemab through the NHS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NHS in England is legally required to fund NICE-recommended medicines, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.
NICE is currently evaluating the disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s, lecanemab, but has been unable to recommend it in final draft guidance. NICE concluded that the relatively small benefits this medicine provides, balanced against the potential for serious side effects and the overall cost of providing it, means that it cannot currently be considered good value for the taxpayer. NICE has received one appeal against its draft recommendations for lecanemab and the appeal is due to be heard by NICE’s independent appeal panel in January 2026.
These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is right that they are taken independently and based on an assessment of the available evidence on the relative costs and benefits of a treatment.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
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 reintroduce improving dementia diagnosis times into NHS Operational Planning Guidance.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Planning Guidance is not an exhaustive list of everything the National Health Service does, and the absence of a target does not mean it is not an area of focus.
We recognise the importance of a timely diagnosis, and remain committed to increasing diagnosis rates and ensuring people can access any licensed and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended treatment and/or support they need.
We will deliver the first ever modern service framework for frailty and dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia, and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect NHS priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Local Authorities in Suffolk on taking steps to help increase the take up of NHS Health Checks in the county.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Regional cardiovascular disease leads and regional directors hold discussions with local authorities, including in Suffolk, regarding NHS Health Check performance and steps to increase uptake of the programme.
The Suffolk General Practice Federation and Public Health and Communities at Suffolk County Council work collaboratively to increase the uptake of the NHS Health Check programme in a range of ways, including delivering the programme at a variety of community venues, such as community libraries, and raising awareness through printed and social media activities. Further work includes participation in the recent Department-led pilot of heart health checks in workplaces.
Work to improve the impact of the NHS Health Check across England is ongoing and we are carefully considering the recommendations from the National Audit Office’s 2024 report, Progress in preventing cardiovascular disease.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to reduce the rates of cardiovascular disease in South Suffolk constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years. To accelerate progress on this mission and tackle unwarranted variation across the country, we will publish a cardiovascular disease (CVD) modern service framework in 2026. The framework will support consistent, high quality, and equitable care whilst fostering innovation across the CVD pathway.
The Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board has a number of initiatives to reduce the rates of CVD, including:
- having an integrated pathway for general practitioners and pharmacies to find and support the estimated 22,500 people with undiagnosed high blood pressure and 17,000 people who are not on the correct dose of cholesterol medication;
- identifying women at high risk of CVD through general practice records, enabling earlier detection and helping to address gender disparities in diagnosis and care; and
- helping increase the uptake of the NHS Health Check, including improving the invite process, offering a choice of venue to participants, and raising awareness through print and social media.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to digitise communications with NHS patients; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on vulnerable people in South Suffolk constituency who previously received communications by letter.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is taking steps to digitise communications with National Health Service patients through the NHS App. The app already allows patients to book, move and cancel their appointments, and communicate with their health team, as well as order repeat prescriptions.
Digital health tools should be part of a wider offering that includes face-to-face support with appropriate help for people who struggle to access digital services. Digital inclusion is a key priority for the NHS as it will support the shift from ‘analogue to digital’. It is one of the five national NHS England Health Inequalities Strategic Priorities, and they published a Digital Healthcare Framework which has guided the Integrated Care Board’s approach.
The NHS Digital Inclusion Framework ensures that considerations are made across all populations, including people who are vulnerable. Integrated care boards are responsible for local impact assessments, including engaging with affected populations, and ensuring no one is disadvantaged by digitisation plans. No assessment will be made on the impact of this on the population in South Suffolk by the Department.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on providing new breast cancer screening units.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since 2023, ten new mobile breast screening units and nine new static breast screening units have been provided, alongside 37 wider upgrades covering hardware, software and live remote access for existing units.
Breast screening services are commissioned regionally, against a national service specification. Local breast screening providers are responsible for managing their equipment replacement plans and planning for service delivery to ensure they have sufficient capacity to delivery timely breast screening to their eligible population. Alongside the estate and equipment investment, comprehensive data is being collected via a workforce survey for breast screening services to support workforce planning at a local, regional and national level.
Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will build on the shifts in care set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to diagnose cancers earlier. Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it easier for people to access cancer screening, diagnostic and treatment in patients’ local areas, backed by the latest technology to drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.