Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
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 trends in the level of regional inequalities of access to mental health services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Severe Mental Illness Profile, developed by the Department, aims to help develop an understanding of severe mental illness at a regional and local level. It provides a set of metrics that allow planners, providers, and stakeholders to profile their area and benchmark against similar populations. Further information is available at the following link:
https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile-group/mental-health/profile/severe-mental-illness
The profile shows that new referrals to secondary mental health services increased from 5,960 per 100,000 population in 2017/18, to 6,897 per 100,000 in 2019/20, an increase of 15.7%. In 2019/20, rates varied from 5,618 per 100,000 in the South East, to 8,429 per 100,000 in the West Midlands. Across the three-year period, the greatest increase was seen in the West Midlands, at 22.3%.
Attended contacts with community and outpatient mental health services increased from 26,899 per 100,000 in 2017/18, to 30,674 per 100,000 in 2019/20, an increase 14.1%. In 2019/20, rates varied from 24,950 per 100,000 in the South East, to 45,016 per 100,000 in the North East. Across the three-year period, the greatest increase was again seen in the West Midlands, at 19.9%. The East Midlands region had the lowest increase, of 4.6%.
Inpatient stays in secondary mental health services increased from 239 per 100,000 in 2017/18, to 241 per 100,000 in 2019/20, an increase of 1.2%. In 2019/20, rates varied from 186 per 100,000 for the South West, to 276 per 100,000 in the London region. Across the three-year period, the greatest increase was seen in the East Midlands, at 10.5%. The London region had a decrease of 3.5%. Data for the following years is expected to be published this year.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
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 patients received urgent cancer treatment within 62 days of a GP referral in Dorset integrated care board since October 2023.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There were 642 diagnoses of cancer within Bournemouth West constituency between January 2024 and December 2024. Between October 2023 and December 2024, within the Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB), there have been 7,157 patients treated. Across this time, 69.2% of those treated were within the 62-day target. Performance as of December 2024 for Dorset ICB is 73.2% and exceeding the 70% recovery target.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of cancer were diagnosed within Bournemouth West constituency in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There were 642 diagnoses of cancer within Bournemouth West constituency between January 2024 and December 2024. Between October 2023 and December 2024, within the Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB), there have been 7,157 patients treated. Across this time, 69.2% of those treated were within the 62-day target. Performance as of December 2024 for Dorset ICB is 73.2% and exceeding the 70% recovery target.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
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 increase the availability of GP appointments in the Bournemouth West constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to improving the capacity and access to general practice (GP) services across the country, including in the Bournemouth West constituency. Bournemouth West North sits within the NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board. Since June 2024, there has been an 8.5% increase in GP appointments delivered, higher than the national average increase of 7.1% in the same period
In October 2024, we put £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to enable the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified GPs across England, which will increase the number of appointments delivered, and care for thousands of patients
The Government has delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an £889 million uplift for 2025/26, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources. For the first time in four years, the General Practitioners Committee England backed the new contract, which includes key reforms to improve access, for instance by making sure patients can request appointments online throughout core hours.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many families are receiving Healthy Start in Bournemouth West constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/
The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start, or on local constituencies specifically. The number of people on the scheme in March 2025 for all ward areas within Birmingham, Christchurch, and Poole was 1,507.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
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 diagnosis times for young people with cancer in (a) England and (b) Dorset.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster, so that more patients survive this horrible set of diseases, including children and young people. To achieve this, the NHS has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.
On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with cancer.
The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including for children and young people with cancer, and will highlight how we aim to improve diagnosis rates for people in all parts of England, including Dorset.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
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 help safeguard young people from drug and alcohol addiction in (a) England and (b) Bournemouth West constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The most effective and sustainable approach to safeguarding children and young people from harm due to drugs and alcohol is by giving them the best start in life, and by keeping them safe, well, and happy. Our mission-based approach will ensure that every child has the best start in life, and that we create the healthiest generation of children ever.
Statutory guidance on relationships, sex, and health education requires all primary and secondary schools to ensure that pupils know the key facts and risks associated with alcohol and drug use, as well as how to manage influences and pressure, in order to keep themselves healthy and safe. The Department has worked with the Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education Association to develop lesson plans on alcohol and drugs and commissioned an update of the existing resources, which was published at the end of last year.
The Government also has an alcohol and drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce alcohol and drug use and their harms by providing awareness to young people, parents, and concerned others. Further information on Talk to FRANK is available at the following link:
Children and families affected by parental alcohol and/or drug use can experience adverse health, social, and economic outcomes, which can continue for generations without effective interventions to break the cycle. The Department is continuing to invest in improvements to local alcohol and drug treatment services, to ensure that those in need can access high quality help and support.
Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities. In addition to the Public Health Grant (PHG), in 2025/26, the Department is providing a total of £310 million in additional targeted grants to improve services and recovery support, which includes housing and employment. Further details are available at the following link:
In 2025/26, the Department is providing Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole with £3,023,086 through the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Recovery and Improvement Grant, which is on top of the amount the local authority invests in their drug and alcohol treatment and recovery system through the PHG. It is for the local authority to determine what proportion of that funding it spends on supporting children and young people. In 2023/24, there were 150 children and young people, those under 18 years old, who received support through specialist services in the area. In the year to January 2025, this had risen to 163.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service services for special educational needs and disabilities children in Bournemouth.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that too many children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are too long across England, including in Bournemouth. We are determined to change that.
As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school in England, introduce open access Young Futures hubs in communities, and recruit 8,500 mental health workers to cut wait times and provide faster treatment.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
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 the number of pharmacies in (a) Bournemouth West constituency, (b) Dorset, (c) the South West and (d) England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority publishes the consolidated pharmaceutical list every quarter, with further information available at the following link:
https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/consolidated-pharmaceutical-list
The following table shows the number of pharmacies, broken down by type, in Bournemouth West, Dorset, the South West, and England, as of 31 December 2024:
Pharmacy type | Bournemouth West | Dorset | South West | England |
Community pharmacies | 20 | 132 | 895 | 10,023 |
Distance selling pharmacies | 0 | 3 | 19 | 407 |
Locally commissioned pharmacies | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
Total | 20 | 135 | 917 | 10,443 |
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for (a) autism assessments and (b) SEND assessments in (i) Bournemouth West constituency, (b) Dorset and (c) the South West in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on autism assessments is not held centrally in the format requested, but may be held by individual providers or integrated care boards (ICBs). Some relevant information is available on autism assessment waiting times for the NHS Dorset ICB and the South West commissioning region.
In the NHS Dorset ICB, the Autism Waiting Time Statistics published by NHS England show that there were a total of 1,000 patients, of all ages, with an open suspected autism referral in December 2024, the latest available data. The median waiting time of all patients in this ICB with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 62 days in December 2024.
In the South West commissioning region, the Autism Waiting Time Statistics show that there were a total of 23,030 patients, of all-ages, with an open suspected autism referral in December 2024. The median waiting time of all patients in the South West commissioning region with an open suspected autism referral, where their first care contact was in the quarter, was 548 days in December 2024. Caution should be used when interpreting these statistics, since they are experimental rather than official statistics.
Schools decide whether a pupil has additional needs that warrant them being on the school's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) register. Some relevant information on waiting times for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for children with SEND is available from the GOV.UK website, with the latest data available being from 2023, at the following link:
In Dorset, 60.2% of EHCPs, including exceptions, were issued within 20 weeks, and in the South West, 33.0% of EHCPs, including exceptions, were issued within 20 weeks.