Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 raise awareness of (a) endometriosis and (b) other women's health issues; and what steps he is taking to help (i) reduce waiting times for diagnosis, (ii) increase access to treatment and (iii) improve treatment of chronic symptoms.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the care received by those suffering from gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis.
The Department and the National Health Service created a women’s health area on the NHS website to improve awareness of women’s health and brings together over 100 health topics including endometriosis. In 2024, the Department and national media titles ran an information campaign across England, encouraging women not to suffer in silence with periods or menopause symptoms. The NHS has also published two video series on endometriosis and heavy periods on its YouTube channel, providing evidence-based information for women and girls, as well as some short videos filmed with NHS doctors.
We have taken urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan. In gynaecology, the plan supports innovative models offering patients care closer to home, and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres. Women’s health hubs also have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and reducing gynaecology waiting lists.
Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat conditions. In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published updated recommendations on the diagnosis, management and treatment of endometriosis. This is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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) improve early diagnosis and (b) access to effective treatments for people with brain tumours.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer, including cancerous brain tumours, earlier, and treating it faster, so more patients survive, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system. To do this, we will address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits. We have also delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, during our first year in Government as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.
We realise that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours. The Government is invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.
In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) directly invested £11.3 million in brain cancer research projects plus an estimated £31.5 million to enable brain tumour research to take place in NIHR research infrastructure, namely facilities, services and the research workforce, enabling delivery of 227 studies involving 8,500 people.
In September 2024, the NIHR announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients and a new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed within Eastbourne constituency in the most recent year that data are available.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on cancer incidence, including for prostate cancer, are available at the level of England, former Government office regions, Cancer Alliances and integrated care boards, rather than by constituency. The data, which also provides an interactive tool for exploring incidence with data available up to 2022, is available at the following link:
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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) improve early diagnosis rates and (b) support the (i) development and (ii) availability of treatments for dementia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.
The Department of Health and Social Care funds research into dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Alongside Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and the People’s Postcode Lottery, the NIHR is funding the Blood Biomarker Challenge which seeks to produce the clinical and economic data that could make the case for the use of a blood test in the NHS to support diagnosis of dementia. The NIHR has also invested nearly £50 million over five years into the Dementia Trials Network, which seeks to significantly expand the United Kingdom’s early phase clinical trial capabilities in dementia which will support the development of treatments.
To prepare for the new generation of dementia treatments in development, we are working to ensure the diagnostic and treatment capacity, clinical pathway redesign and investment are in place to support the adoption of any new licensed and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-recommended treatments as soon as possible.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 consistency of waiting times for pessary ring treatment for prolapsed bladders in (a) East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, (b) Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust and (c) other NHS Trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have committed to return to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for pessary ring treatment for bladder prolapse, wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT) by March 2029. As a first step, we have delivered early an additional two million operations, scans, and appointments across elective services.
There are a range of efforts underway, nationally and in East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, to reduce the time patients are waiting for care. The Elective Reform Plan sets out actions to reform outpatient care, which is a key part of the National Health Service’s approach to cutting waiting times for patients, including in high volume specialisms such as gynaecology.
Women’s health hubs have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and reducing gynaecology waiting lists. NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board, which covers East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, has launched Women’s Health Hubs in five locations, namely Hastings, Eastbourne, Brighton and Hove, Worthing, and Horsham. Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust is hosting a new Women’s Health Hub model, as part of a new South West London initiative to improve care and reduce waiting times for women. Suggested core services for hubs include pessary fitting and removal, including for pelvic organ prolapse.
The Government remains committed to improving women’s health and we are working with NHS England on how we take forward the women’s health strategy by aligning it to the Missions and forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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) improve the accessibility of NHS hospital services for the elderly and (b) reduce the social stigma associated with seeking medical help.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the Government’s Health Mission, our goal is to create a more equitable healthcare system that leaves no person or community behind. The Government has introduced ambitious reforms aimed at enhancing patient access to services, such as the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025. We will set out further reforms to improve the National Health Service in the upcoming 10-Year Health Plan. Further information on the Elective Reform Plan is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/reforming-elective-care-for-patients/
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 access to Automated External Defibrillators in residential areas.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED fund, launched in in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the fund.
The Department selected a joint bid from Smarter Society as its independent partners to manage grant applications. Smarter Society has reviewed funding applications against requirements specified by the Department. Although no decision has been made to develop a national strategy to place defibrillators in high need areas, these requirements are to ensure that resources are allocated to where there is the greatest need, for instance remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance has been issued on the use of inclusive language by NHS staff with respect to the LGBTQ+ community.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No guidance has been issued to National Health Service staff about the use of inclusive language. The Government expects the NHS to deliver services in line with the Equality Act 2010, having appropriate regard to protected characteristics as defined in the act.
NHS England has the document, A national framework for NHS – action on inclusion health, which defines inclusion health as an umbrella term used to describe people who are socially excluded, who typically experience multiple interacting risk factors for poor health, such as stigma, discrimination, poverty, violence, and complex trauma, which includes ensuring the needs of LGBT+ people are considered. The framework is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/a-national-framework-for-nhs-action-on-inclusion-health/
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (b) other lung health issues feature in the 10-year NHS plan.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The 10-Year Health Plan will consider the change needed to meet the three health mission goals, which are: a fairer system where everyone lives well for longer; a National Health Service that is there when people need it; and fewer lives lost to the biggest killers.
We will carefully be considering policies with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders as we develop the plan.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 reduce waiting times for children from Eastbourne constituency to access support from Sussex CAMHS.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long, including in areas such as the Eastbourne constituency. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across both adult, and children and young people’s mental health services.
The Department for Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Education to consider how to deliver our commitment of providing access to a specialist mental health professional in every school. Alongside this, we are working towards rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.