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, how many specialist Parkinson’s nurses are currently employed within the NHS in (a) England and (b) Coventry and Warwickshire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold a central count of the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses employed across the National Health Service, either in England as a whole or in Coventry and Warwickshire specifically.
Specialist Parkinson’s nurses play a vital role in supporting people with Parkinson’s disease through personalised care, medicines management, and advice on self‑management. However, these posts are not recorded as a discrete workforce category in national workforce datasets. Workforce planning, including decisions about the number and type of specialist nurses needed locally, is the responsibility of individual employers and their integrated care boards (ICBs), which are best placed to assess the needs of their populations.
The Department does not hold data on the number of neurologists with specialist training in Parkinson’s disease, either nationally in England or within Coventry and Warwickshire. National workforce datasets do not record condition‑specific sub‑specialisms within neurology, and responsibility for determining local specialist workforce configurations rests with individual employers and ICBs.
As of October 2025, there are 51 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology within the Coventry and Warwickshire ICB area. This is a decrease of one, or 2.2%, compared to last year and an increase of 23, or 79.3%, compared to five years ago. This includes 21 FTE consultants. This is an increase of two, or 9.9%, compared to last year and six, or 41.5%, compared to five years ago.
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 he is taking to help address Creon shortages in the NHS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is aware of ongoing intermittent supply issues with pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), including Creon capsules. Supplies of Creon and other licensed alternatives have improved in the past year, and specialist importers have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market. We continue to work closely with the manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to medicines.
We have widely disseminated comprehensive guidance to healthcare professionals about these supply issues, which provide advice on how to manage patients whilst there is disruption to supply. This includes serious shortage protocols to limit prescriptions to one month’s supply to ensure equitable distribution of available supplies and that Creon remains available for those patients who need it. The Department has issued additional management advice to healthcare professionals which directs clinicians to consider the unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable and includes actions for integrated care boards to have local mitigation plans in place and implemented to ensure that no patient is left without PERT.
The Department also routinely engages with the affected patient advocacy groups and charities, clinicians, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure they are kept informed on the latest supply picture and any communications issued.
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 he is taking to prevent experienced women with non-linear NHS careers from being disproportionately excluded from leadership development opportunities during periods of (a) workforce restructuring and (b) redundancy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England actively promotes inclusion and accessibility in its formal leadership development programmes, including for experienced women with non-linear careers. Diversity data is monitored at every stage of selection to identify and address any risk of disproportionate exclusion.
National leadership development programmes offered by NHS England are designed to assess potential, skills, and experience rather than continuous career progression. Entry routes are flexible and inclusive, enabling participation from colleagues working part-time, returning from career breaks, or with varied professional backgrounds.
A wider programme of work is underway to support and develop National Health Service leaders including the commitment to establish a College of Executive and Clinical Leadership for the NHS. The college will provide access to development for all levels of managers and leaders, including those with non-linear career paths, to support them to succeed and progress in their NHS careers.
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 continuous NHS service is recognised across (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) community care settings for the purposes of (i) redundancy pay and (ii) employment protections.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department understands the significance of recognising continuous service across different parts of the health system. Sections 12 and 16 of the National Health Service terms and conditions of service (Agenda for Change) handbook establish redundancy entitlements and employment protections for staff directly employed on Agenda for Change contracts in England, as well as employees whose contracts refer to Section 16. These arrangements are collectively agreed with NHS trade unions.
Employers such as general practices within primary care operate as independent entities rather than NHS employers. Nevertheless, employers retain discretion to consider non-NHS service when calculating redundancy benefits, where this experience is relevant to NHS employment. NHS policy indicates that it may be reasonable, but is not obligatory, for employers to consider this previous service in the redundancy. These decisions should be mutually agreed upon by both the employer and employee at the point of joining or returning to the NHS.
Collectively, sections 12 and 16 ensure that staff retain redundancy protections when moving between NHS organisations, while affording employers the flexibility to acknowledge any relevant external experience, which supports fairness and consistency in redundancy outcomes across the NHS. NHS Employers provides guidance to support the consistent implementation of NHS redundancy provisions across all settings. Ultimately, NHS organisations are responsible for administering the nationally agreed redundancy terms.
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 he has made of the potential impact of fragmented recognition of service across different NHS sectors on long-serving NHS staff during redundancy processes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made an assessment of how fragmented recognition of service across different National Health Service sectors might affect long-serving NHS staff who face redundancy.
Redundancy entitlements for NHS staff are determined by Section 16 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service (Agenda for Change) handbook, which covers employees directly employed on Agenda for Change contracts in England and those whose contracts refer to Section 16. These arrangements are collectively agreed with NHS trade unions and also specify how previous NHS employment is defined and counted when determining redundancy pay.
Local employers are responsible for confirming entitlement to a redundancy payment, and these terms will be stipulated in an employee’s contract of employment. The redundancy rules as described above apply to those employed by NHS employers in England as listed in Annex 1 of the Agenda for Change handbook. Employers must determine an individual’s redundancy entitlement in accordance with Section 16 as nationally agreed between employers and NHS trade unions. If someone has worked outside the NHS but in a role relevant to NHS employment, NHS policy recommends that it would be reasonable, but not a requirement, for employers to consider this service in any redundancy calculation. This consideration should be agreed between the employer and employee either upon joining or returning to the NHS.
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 National Cancer Plan will address (a) access to and (b) capacity for radiotherapy services for cancer patients.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as how we will reduce waiting times for diagnosis and treatment.
Improving access to all treatment services, including radiotherapy, remains a key priority for the Government. Our commitment to radiotherapy services is demonstrated by our £70 million investment in new LINAC radiotherapy machines to replace older, less efficient equipment. This crucial investment will boost treatment efficiency and productivity, freeing up capacity and reduce waiting times for patients. These new machines are currently being rolled out and have already started treating cancer patients across the country.
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 National Cancer Plan will address access to, and capacity for, radiotherapy services for cancer patients.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as how we will reduce waiting times for diagnosis and treatment.
Improving access to all treatment services, including radiotherapy, remains a key priority for the Government. Our commitment to radiotherapy services is demonstrated by our £70 million investment in new LINAC radiotherapy machines to replace older, less efficient equipment. This crucial investment will boost treatment efficiency and productivity, freeing up capacity and reduce waiting times for patients. These new machines are currently being rolled out and have already started treating cancer patients across the country.
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 he plans to take to increase (a) capacity of and (b) access to radiotherapy cancer treatment in (i) England and (ii) Stratford-upon-Avon.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Radiotherapy is crucial to cancer treatment, and it remains a key priority for the Government to reduce radiotherapy waiting times and provide high quality treatment for all patients, including those in Stratford-upon-Avon. This is why the Government has invested £70 million of central funding on 28 new LINAC radiotherapy machines across the country to replace older, less efficient radiotherapy machines. This crucial investment will boost treatment efficiency and productivity, freeing up capacity and reduce waiting times for patients. These new machines are currently being rolled out and have already started treating cancer patients across the country.
The Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust received £2.3 million to replace ageing radiotherapy equipment from an underspend in the National Health Service’s capital settlement for 2024/25.
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 utilise electronic health records indicating familial genetic predisposition to improve risk identification for men at increased risk of prostate cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Retrospective Genetic Testing Programme is using electronic health records to identify people who have had a cancer diagnosis, between 2008 and 2018, making them eligible for inherited breast and ovarian cancer genetic testing on R208/R207 panels in line with the criteria set out in the National Genomic Test Directory, but who have not received testing. This will identify more people and their family members who have cancer susceptibility genes, including BRCA1/2 variants, enabling them to access relevant National Health Service screening and care pathways as appropriate.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will consider the final recommendation of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) on screening for prostate cancer when it is received. He will make a decision on implementation, including any changes to the identification of men at risk of prostate cancer at that point.
It is anticipated that the final recommendation will be provided in early 2026 after the conclusion of a 12 week consultation which opened on 28 November 2025. This seeks views on an evidence review and a draft recommendation to:
- offer a targeted national prostate cancer screening programme to men with confirmed BRCA1/2 gene variants every two years, from 45 years old to 61 years old;
- not recommend population screening;
- not recommend targeted screening of black men;
- not recommend targeted screening of men with family history; and
- collaborate with the Transform trial team to answer outstanding questions on screening effectiveness for black men and men with a family history as soon as the trial data becomes available, and to await the results of the study to develop and trial a more accurate test than the prostate specific antigen test alone, to improve the balance of benefit and harm of screening.
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 recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of improving systems to identify men with (a) BRCA1 and (b) BRCA2 gene variations who may be eligible for prostate cancer screening.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Register (NICPR), launched 1 July 2025, captures data on all individuals with a likely pathogenic/pathogenic variant in a cancer susceptibility gene in England. This world-first national dataset of individuals at increased cancer risk provides significant opportunities for improved clinical care, audit, and research.
The NICPR is part of the National Disease Registration Service and is a new initiative for NHS England. In view of the UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) draft recommendations on screening men for prostate cancer, NHS England is working closely with colleagues in regional clinical genetics services to ensure that accurate data is gathered and can be applied effectively to inform future work.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will consider the final recommendation of the UK NSC on screening for prostate cancer when it is received. He will make a decision on implementation, including any changes to BRCA testing eligibility, at that point.
It is anticipated that the final recommendation will be provided in early 2026 after the conclusion of a 12 week consultation which opened on 28 November 2025. This seeks views on an evidence review and a draft recommendation to:
- offer a targeted national prostate cancer screening programme to men with confirmed BRCA1/2 gene variants every two years, from 45 years old to 61 years old;
- not recommend population screening;
- not recommend targeted screening of black men;
- not recommend targeted screening of men with family history; and
- collaborate with the Transform trial team to answer outstanding questions on screening effectiveness for black men and men with a family history as soon as the trial data becomes available, and to await the results of the study to develop and trial a more accurate test than the prostate specific antigen test alone, to improve the balance of benefit and harm of screening.