Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 NHS England on ensuring adequate numbers of NHS employees are available to administer Tofersen.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I have had no such discussions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has selected tofersen for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by SOD1 gene mutations as a topic for guidance development through its Highly Specialised Technology (HST) programme. The HST programme appraises medicines for the treatment of very rare, and often very severe diseases, and evaluates whether they can be considered a clinically and cost-effective use of National Health Service resources. If a positive recommendation is made, then NHS commissioners will be under a legal duty to fund the treatment for all eligible patients in England.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 merits of creating a national framework that includes risk screening tools for use in clinical practice to help prevent Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders (T1DE).
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is currently funding five Type 1 Disordered Eating (T1DE) pilots, with the aim of increasing understanding of the characteristics and care needs of people with T1DE, assessing the feasibility of the service delivery model and build the evidence base for an integrated diabetes and mental health pathway.
Pilot sites are delivering a national high level service specification alongside testing local novel approaches to improving care including to awareness raising of the condition amongst both diabetes and eating disorder health care professionals.
A national evaluation is currently underway to assess the impact of the five current pilot services. NHS England will review the evaluation findings to understand further opportunities to promote awareness of T1DE amongst healthcare professionals.
NHS England works alongside its partners to support the delivery of key messages around diabetes education and awareness. This includes through a digital diabetes platform which is developing educational resources for T1DE.
No assessment has been made of the merits of creating a national framework.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 social media companies on moderating (a) pro–eating disorder material and (b) misinformation relating to (i) diabetes and (ii) body image.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No discussions have been held with social media companies by the Department.
Under the Government’s Online Safety Act, all in-scope services are now required to protect their users from illegal content, and platforms likely to be accessed by children need to prevent their users from accessing eating disorder content.
We are working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Ofcom and others as the Online Safety Act takes effect. This includes exploring further opportunities to address harmful pro-eating disorder material and misinformation shared on social media and websites.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 impact of the planned termination of the Minor Eye Conditions Service in Coventry and Warwickshire from 1 November 2025 on (a) GP workloads, (b) A&E workloads, (c) patient outcomes and (d) meeting the objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan to (i) expand community-based care and (ii) reduce unnecessary hospital attendances.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The responsibility for the delivery, implementation and funding decisions for services ultimately rests with the appropriate National Health Service commissioner. All service changes should be based on clear evidence that they will deliver better outcomes for patients.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 ensure that people over 25 with suspected ADHD in Coventry and Warwickshire have timely access to (a) assessment and (b) treatment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England, not my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, engage directly with Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), on this matter.
It is the responsibility of ICBs in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local populations, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
The ICB advises that in March 2025, it introduced a new interim policy under which the ICB will only fund new ADHD referrals for people aged under 25 years old at the point of referral. The ICB advises that this is due to concerns about the effectiveness of the current system locally, particularly for children and young people, and this policy will free up clinical time and funding to be reinvested in children’s ADHD services. The ICB has committed to undertake a comprehensive review of the entire ADHD assessment pathway, working with children, young people, and adults with ADHD, to ensure it meets their needs.
Nationally, NHS England has captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board on suspending ADHD referrals for people over 25.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England, not my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, engage directly with Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), on this matter.
It is the responsibility of ICBs in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local populations, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
The ICB advises that in March 2025, it introduced a new interim policy under which the ICB will only fund new ADHD referrals for people aged under 25 years old at the point of referral. The ICB advises that this is due to concerns about the effectiveness of the current system locally, particularly for children and young people, and this policy will free up clinical time and funding to be reinvested in children’s ADHD services. The ICB has committed to undertake a comprehensive review of the entire ADHD assessment pathway, working with children, young people, and adults with ADHD, to ensure it meets their needs.
Nationally, NHS England has captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS Workforce Plan will include measures to (a) recruit, (b) train, and (c) retain mental health professionals with specialism in Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders (T1DE).
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. To support this, the Department and NHS England will be engaging with key stakeholders to ensure that the needs of different patient groups and relevant health professionals are reflected in this work.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 raise awareness of Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders among healthcare professionals in diabetes and eating disorder services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is currently funding five Type 1 Disordered Eating (T1DE) pilots, with the aim of increasing understanding of the characteristics and care needs of people with T1DE, assessing the feasibility of the service delivery model and build the evidence base for an integrated diabetes and mental health pathway.
Pilot sites are delivering a national high level service specification alongside testing local novel approaches to improving care including to awareness raising of the condition amongst both diabetes and eating disorder health care professionals. A national evaluation is currently underway to assess the impact of the five current pilot services. NHS England will review the evaluation findings to understand further opportunities to promote awareness of T1DE amongst healthcare professionals beyond the five pilot areas.
NHS England works alongside its partners to support the delivery of key messages around diabetes education and awareness. This includes through a digital diabetes platform which is developing educational resources for T1DE.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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) scope and (b) support the development of (i) moderated online, (ii) in-person and (iii) other models of peer support networks for people with Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders (T1DE).
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England works in close partnership with national charities and organisations that support people living with type 1 diabetes, including by facilitating and supporting peer support opportunities.
For example, NHS England has collaborated with Diabetes UK, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes and people with lived experience, to produce The Six Principles of Good Peer Support for People Living with Type 1 Diabetes statement which aims to promote the standards required for peer support to both clinicians and those who are looking to access peer support opportunities. These are available at the following link:
Diabetes UK also runs the Together Type 1 Programme which aims to create a supportive environment where young people can connect with others who understand the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes UK also has a network of regional teams that facilitate local peer support groups and activities. More information on the programme is available at the following link:
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/support-for-you/community-support-and-forums/type-1-youth-programme
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps with (a) diabetes and (b) eating disorder charities to support national campaigns tackling (i) stigma and (ii) media representation of Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The national diabetes programme works closely with charity partners including Diabetes UK who take a multi-pronged approach to reducing stigma experienced by those with all types of diabetes. This includes raising awareness of the complex and serious nature of type 1 diabetes, including type 1 disordered eating (T1DE), providing support to those that experience stigma, and supporting research into stigma and how it can be reduced or prevented.
NHS England is partnering with the National Institute for Health and Care Research to deliver a qualitative evaluation of the five current T1DE pilot sites. A core element of this approach has been engagement with service users to understand their experiences of having the condition, both before and during their involvement with the T1DE service.
The National Diabetes Experience Survey led by NHS England is a further mechanism for understanding the experiences of those living with type 1 diabetes, including T1DE, to inform national and local approaches to improvement.
In response to feedback on the experiences of people of all ages who live with diabetes, NHS England published the guide, Language Matters: language and diabetes, for health care professionals which sets out the good practice principles for interactions with people living with diabetes including around reducing stigma. The guide is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/language-matters-language-and-diabetes/