Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have received cochlear implants aged over 18 in each of the last 3 years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of people aged under or over 18 years old who have received cochlear implants in the last three years. However, the Hospital Episode Statistics provide a count of finished consultant episodes where there was any procedure of “cochlear implant”. The following table shows the count of finished consultant episodes where there was any procedure of “cochlear implant” for 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25, broken down by age group:
Age group | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Zero to 17 year olds | 444 | 455 | 469 |
18 and over | 767 | 923 | 889 |
Unknown | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Total | 1,216 | 1,383 | 1,363 |
This data reflects the number of procedures, as individuals may have multiple admissions for the same procedure within a given period.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with junior doctors on pay.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has met with the British Medical Association’s Resident, formerly Junior, Doctors Committee (BMA RDC) on several occasions to discuss a range of issues, including pay and working conditions. Most recently he met with the new BMA RDC leadership team on 13 October and subsequently has called the BMA RDC chair to try to avert strike action. Officials from the Department also maintain regular engagement with the BMA RDC.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care made a written offer on 5 November to the British Medical Association Resident Doctors Committee (BMA RDC) which included measures to tackle bottlenecks in training, put money back in resident doctors' pockets and ensure that there is consistent implementation of existing contractual entitlements. Unfortunately, the BMA RDC rejected this just hours after being set out in a letter to them, instead choosing to proceed with the damaging strike action taken between 14-19 November.
Resident doctors have received an average 28.9% pay increase since 2022/23, the highest public sector pay rise in the past two years. While the Government has been clear that there is no scope for further pay increases this year, we remain committed to working constructively with the BMA RDC to improve working conditions and support the long-term sustainability of the National Health Service’s workforce.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 raise awareness of the long term impact of prescription painkillers.
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, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of quality, efficacy, and safety.
Medicines authorised to treat pain fall with several different classes of medicine. Prescription medicines include opioids, gabapentinoids, namely pregabalin and gabapentin, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs). Other classes of medicine such as anti-epileptics or antidepressants may also be used for the treatment of neuropathic pain, a type of pain evolving from nerve damage, as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), with further information available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg173
New medicines are also available for the treatment of migraine. The MHRA monitors the safety of all these medicines and has issued warnings and updated product and patient information on the risk of addiction to opioids, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/opioids-risk-of-dependence-and-addiction
The MHRA is currently undertaking a review to improve the information supplied with dependency-forming medicines including gabapentinoids. If additional signals of risk arise, action will be taken to protect public health.
All medicines have side effects, although not everyone will experience them. The MHRA encourages anyone who suspects or experiences a side effect of their medicine to report it to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme.
NICE also provides clinical guidance called Medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: safe prescribing and withdrawal management for adults, code NG 215. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG215
Additionally, NHS England has an initiative to reduce long-term opioid use, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/reducing-long-term-opioid-use/
In March 2023, NHS England published Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: Framework for action for integrated care boards (ICBs) and primary care, which is available at the following link:
The framework includes five actions, resources and case studies to help systems develop plans that can support people who are taking medicines associated with dependence and withdrawal symptoms by:
- optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms;
- informing ICB improvement and delivery plans, when commissioning services and developing local policies that offer alternatives to medicines in the first place and/or support patients experiencing prescribed drugs dependence or withdrawal; and
- ensuring a whole system approach and pathways involving multiple interventions, to improve care for people prescribed medicines associated with dependence and withdrawal symptoms.
The commissioning of services to support people to safely withdraw from prescribed medicines that may cause dependence and withdrawal lies with ICBs. NHS England expects ICBs to commission appropriate services to meet the needs of the population that the ICB geographically covers. This includes taking due regard to any national commissioning and clinical guidance.
The National Health Service Business Services Authority provides data dashboards relating to painkiller prescribing, to help systems develop plans and to monitor improvement in line with the published Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms: Framework for action for integrated care boards (ICBs) and primary care guidance.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 raise awareness of the potential long term effects of melatonin usage.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the United Kingdom, melatonin must be prescribed by a healthcare professional. Melatonin is authorised for a number of indications which specify short term use. For indications that may require longer term use, such as insomnia in children and adolescents aged six to 17 years old with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, where sleep hygiene measures have been insufficient, there is advice to regularly review treatment, at least every six months, and that during treatment, especially if the treatment effect is uncertain, treatment should be interrupted, stopped briefly, once per year to check whether the treatment is still needed.
The product information provides information to support the use of melatonin, including warnings about possible interactions with other medication as well as details of possible side effects.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continuously monitors the safety of all medicines on the UK market, including melatonin, and will take appropriate regulatory action if new safety issues are identified.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many men between the age of 40 and 50 have been diagnosed with Prostrate cancer in England in each of the last 3 years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on the number of prostate cancer diagnoses is publicly accessible, and the most recently published data is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2023
The three most recently published years of data are 2021, 2022, and 2023. The number of men between the ages of 40 to 49 years old diagnosed with prostate cancer in each of those years is 401, 558, and 624 respectively.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 raise awareness of the health impact of the long term use of marijuana.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to reducing the harm from all illicit drugs. Any illegal drug use, including cannabis, can be harmful, due to both the immediate side-effects and long-term physical and mental health problems. Cannabis use can contribute to and exacerbate existing mental health problems or can accelerate their development in people predisposed to mental health problems.
Taking cannabis in any form is risky. For instance, vaping supposed tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may increase the risk of users unwittingly consuming more dangerous substances like synthetic cannabinoids. Where there are incidents of synthetic cannabinoids in THC vapes, the local authority public health team and the police force should take action with partners to warn and protect their communities. The Department is tracking reports nationally and its regional teams are providing localised warnings and support.
The Department has recently launched a media campaign to raise awareness of the risks posed by new drug trends and products, including the adulteration of ‘THC’ vapes with other drugs like synthetic cannabinoids.
Furthermore, 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, and 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 has commissioned an update of the resources to be published later this year.
The Government will continue to work with our partners to discourage drug use and to alert people, particularly young people, to the potential dangers of cannabis. The Government has a drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce drug misuse and its harms by increasing awareness, particularly for young people and parents. FRANK offers easy to read information on the risks of using cannabis and basic harm reduction advice. Information on cannabis is available at the following link:
https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/cannabis(opens%20in%20a%20new%20tab)
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 improve diagnosis for people with chronic throat issues.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practitioners (GPs) are usually the first point of contact for patients with persistent throat symptoms. They are expected to carry out an initial assessment, rule out common causes, and identify any “red flag” symptoms that require urgent referral to specialists.
We expect GPs to have regard to guidance published by the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) and others when diagnosing or referring patients with persistent throat problems, as these set out evidence-based standards and best practice for assessment and referral. Relevant advice appears in guideline NG84, titled Acute sore throat antimicrobial prescribing, and guideline NG12, titled Suspected cancer referral criteria, as well as Clinical Knowledge Summaries for related conditions. NICE recommendations do not override the individual responsibility of health professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of each patient, in consultation with the patient or their carer.
Healthcare professionals are expected to maintain their clinical knowledge as part of their continuing professional development. NICE guidance underpins this by providing evidence-based recommendations and structured learning resources that help them maintain up-to-date knowledge and improve the quality of patient care.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have had a kidney transplant on the NHS in the last 12 months.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Blood and Transplant is the organisation responsible for organ donation in the United Kingdom, and they manage the NHS Organ Donor Register and National Transplant Register.
Between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025, 3,381 individual patients received a kidney transplant from 3,385 donors. 2,373 were from deceased donors and 1,012 were from living donors. Of the 3,381 patients that received a kidney transplant, four received two transplants within this period.
This is a United Kingdom four nation service and I am proud of its achievements.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 improve mobile clinic provision in rural areas.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the planning and commissioning of health services, including mobile clinic services.
In doing so ICBs must take into account the needs of their local population, which includes meeting the healthcare needs of their rural populations.
The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan commits to three big shifts which includes increasingly moving services away from centralised hospitals into the wider community.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 his counterparts in Northern Ireland on the retention of district nurses.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Officials from the Department regularly meet with their counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss and update on the development of the 10-Year Health Plan in England.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.
NHS England is already leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.