Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 help reduce elective care waiting times (a) in general and (b) for joint replacement surgery.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to putting patients first and tackling waiting lists as part of our Health Mission. We exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, tests, and operations in our first year of Government, delivering 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025. This marks a vital first step to delivering on our commitment to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029.
The Department is taking a range of steps to reduce waiting times for surgery, including joint replacement surgery. There are currently 123 surgical hubs operational across England, and we are committed to expanding the number of hubs over the next three years to increase surgical capacity and deliver faster access to common procedures. Surgical hubs have been shown to deliver approximately 20% increased productivity in the hubs compared to trusts without a dedicated elective hub on site.
The Getting it Right First time (GIRFT) programme published detailed guidance for hip and knee replacements in July 2023 and has been supporting trusts through a multidisciplinary team made up of anaesthetic, surgical, and allied health professional colleagues. Additionally, GIRFT is leading a community musculoskeletal programme, supporting improvements in the early stages of the pathway, to ensure that only those patients who require surgery are referred into secondary care, and that their condition is optimised for surgery as far as possible at the point of referral. Further information on the GIRFT programme is available at the following link:
https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 access to weight loss injections for long-term conditions.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Weight loss injections are currently recommended for use on the National Health Service for the treatment of obesity and/or type 2 diabetes. To be routinely used in the NHS in England, a medicine normally needs a marketing authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that shows it is safe and efficacious, and then a positive National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) appraisal to show if it is a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NICE is currently developing guidance on the use of semaglutide for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and, subject to licensing, liver fibrosis, without cirrhosis, caused by metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
Most recently, NICE recommended semaglutide, brand name Wegovy, and tirzepatide, brand name Mounjaro, as treatments for obesity, in adults with a high body mass index and at least one weight-related comorbidity such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and/or cardiovascular disease.
Until recently, these medicines were only available in specialist weight management services. From 23 June tirzepatide started to become available in primary care. This will help to increase access. Access is being prioritised for those with the highest clinical need first. The NHS will look at different service models including digital and community options and the roll out will be sped up if possible. As set out in the Government’s new 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to expanding access to these medicines and will work closely with industry and local systems to test new models of care and identify innovative ways to do this.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 (a) research the causes of ankyloglossia and (b) improve early diagnosis of that condition.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds clinical, public health, and social care research and works in partnership with the National Health Service, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes proposals for research into a range of conditions, including ankyloglossia, at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will ensure that people with (a) severe multiple disadvantage and (b) other rare conditions are included in the (i) design and (ii) delivery of services after the proposed abolition of local Healthwatch organisations.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Dr Dash’s report on patient safety across the health and care landscape was published in July 2025. The review recommends bringing together the work of local Healthwatch organisations with the engagement functions of integrated care boards and providers to ensure patient and wider community input into the planning and design of services.
These changes will improve quality, including safety, by making it clear where responsibility and accountability sit at all levels of the system. The changes will make it easier for staff, patients and service users, including those with severe multiple disadvantage and other rare conditions, to feed directly into the system to improve quality of care. We believe that patients and users will have a stronger voice once it is heard inside the system.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether funding will be ringfenced for independent patient advocacy and engagement services at local level after the proposed abolition of local Healthwatch.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding for independent patient advocacy and funding for local Healthwatch is currently not ring-fenced, and the Department has no plans to introduce a ring fence in future years.
The abolition of local Healthwatch arrangements, and transfer of their functions to integrated care boards for health, and local authorities for social care, will require primary legislation. The timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when Parliamentary time allows.
Funding considerations will be undertaken after legislation has received parliamentary approval.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to ensure that patients have access to independent statutory mechanisms for raising concerns about health and care services following the proposed abolition of local Healthwatch organisations.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The report by Dr Penny Dash, published in July, recommended bringing together the work of local Healthwatch organisations, and the engagement functions of integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers, to ensure patient and wider community input into the planning and design of services. The recommendations in the report were accepted, in full, by the Government.
The abolition of local Healthwatch arrangements, and the transfer of their functions to ICBs and local authorities will require primary legislation. The timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to approve the use of sepiapterin for people with phenylketonuria.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department and regulates medicine, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.
The MHRA has several licensing routes that are available to companies to support access of innovative medicines or medicines with unmet need to patients. Sepiapterin is currently not approved by the MHRA, however, it will assess any market authorisation applications for sepiapterin against the high standards of quality, safety and efficacy should an application be received.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 ensure that vulnerable patients receive appropriate NHS transport services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) are designed to provide transport for patients who have particular clinical or mobility needs that necessitate such support, which may include elderly or vulnerable patients. The eligibility criteria for NEPTS have been set nationally by NHS England, and the details are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/B1244-nepts-eligibility-criteria.pdf
The Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme (HTCS) is available for eligible patients and provides financial support to facilitate journeys to and from National Health Service funded secondary care. Details on the eligibility for HTCS is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/.
Local integrated care boards (ICBs) hold responsibility for the implementation of patient transport services at a local level, including monitoring and improving against performance targets. ICBs are best placed to work and consult with their local stakeholders, health and care organisations, and local authorities to decide how to best meet and deliver for the needs of their local population.
NHS England is funding and co-ordinating a range of Patient Transport Pathfinder projects to explore more effective approaches to supporting patients with their NHS travel needs.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 monitor NHS transport service performance standards.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) are designed to provide transport for patients who have particular clinical or mobility needs that necessitate such support, which may include elderly or vulnerable patients. The eligibility criteria for NEPTS have been set nationally by NHS England, and the details are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/B1244-nepts-eligibility-criteria.pdf
The Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme (HTCS) is available for eligible patients and provides financial support to facilitate journeys to and from National Health Service funded secondary care. Details on the eligibility for HTCS is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/.
Local integrated care boards (ICBs) hold responsibility for the implementation of patient transport services at a local level, including monitoring and improving against performance targets. ICBs are best placed to work and consult with their local stakeholders, health and care organisations, and local authorities to decide how to best meet and deliver for the needs of their local population.
NHS England is funding and co-ordinating a range of Patient Transport Pathfinder projects to explore more effective approaches to supporting patients with their NHS travel needs.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
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 NHS hospital transport provision.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services (NEPTS) are designed to provide transport for patients who have particular clinical or mobility needs that necessitate such support, which may include elderly or vulnerable patients. The eligibility criteria for NEPTS have been set nationally by NHS England, and the details are available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/B1244-nepts-eligibility-criteria.pdf
The Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme (HTCS) is available for eligible patients and provides financial support to facilitate journeys to and from National Health Service funded secondary care. Details on the eligibility for HTCS is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/.
Local integrated care boards (ICBs) hold responsibility for the implementation of patient transport services at a local level, including monitoring and improving against performance targets. ICBs are best placed to work and consult with their local stakeholders, health and care organisations, and local authorities to decide how to best meet and deliver for the needs of their local population.
NHS England is funding and co-ordinating a range of Patient Transport Pathfinder projects to explore more effective approaches to supporting patients with their NHS travel needs.