Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
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 the 10 Year Health Plan on people experiencing multiple forms of (a) social and (b) economic exclusion.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Social justice runs through our 10-Year Health Plan, which sets out a reimagined service designed to tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as to give everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with it on their own terms. We know everyday life poses greater health risks to the most disadvantaged in society, and that the current model of care works least well for those who already experience disadvantage and are far more likely to have complex needs.
We have undertaken an impact statement and an equalities impact assessment for the 10-Year Health Plan and these will be published shortly.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of how many and what proportion of people waited less than 6 weeks for their first treatment for talking therapies in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne and (b) North Tyneside in May 2025; and if he will make an estimate of how many and what proportion of first treatments were (i) a session with a therapist and (ii) guided self-help.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of referrals to NHS Talking Therapies with their first treatment in May 2025, and the number and percentage of referrals with first treatment within six weeks of the referral being received, for Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside:
Local authority | All referrals with first treatment in May 2025 | Referrals with first treatment within six weeks of referral being received | |
Number of referrals | Number of referrals | Percentage of total | |
Newcastle upon Tyne | 555 | 515 | 93% |
North Tyneside | 320 | 305 | 95% |
Source: NHS Talking Therapies dataset, NHS England.
In addition, the following table shows a breakdown of these referrals by the specific therapy provided, in total and as a percentage of total referrals:
All referrals with first treatment in May 2025 | Referrals with first treatment with therapist | Referrals with first treatment of guided self help | |||
Local authority | Number of referrals | Number of referrals | Percentage of total | Number of referrals | Percentage of total |
Newcastle upon Tyne | 555 | 545 | 98% | 10 | 2% |
North Tyneside | 320 | 130 | 40% | 190 | 60% |
Source: NHS Talking Therapies dataset, NHS England
Notes:
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 62460 on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services, whether a date has been set for the showcase event for post-acute infection conditions.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A provisional date of 6 November 2025 has been set for the showcase event for post-acute infection conditions. The event looks to encourage researchers to join the myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and long COVID research field, to enable new collaborations across specialties and disciplines to stimulate further vital research.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
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 the 10 Year Health Plan on victims of (a) modern slavery and (b) human trafficking.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
When developing the 10-Year Health Plan, workshops were held for people experiencing multiple forms of social and economic exclusion played a large part in it, including victims of modern slavery.
As part of the recommendations from the review into modern slavery risk in NHS supply chains in December 2023, it was recommended to lay regulations with a view to eradicate modern slavery, supporting the amendment of Section 12zc in the NHS Act 2006.
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England in collaboration have developed detailed guidance to support the embedding of the regulations and policies throughout a procurement exercise. This ensures alignment of procurements conducted under all legal regimes including the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Procurement Act 2023 and the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
A public consultation for the content and approach of those regulations was launched in Autumn 2024. A Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) was laid in both Houses of Parliament on 21 November 2024 to launch the consultation, and is available at the following link:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-11-21/hcws245.
As set out in the WMS, the draft regulations and guidance were published alongside the consultation. The consultation closed in February 2025 and the Department published a consultation report in June, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tackling-modern-slavery-in-nhs-procurement-proposed-regulations-and-guidance/outcome/tackling-modern-slavery-in-nhs-procurement-government-response. It is planned to lay the regulations in the autumn, to come into force in the spring/summer of 2026.
The published guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tackling-modern-slavery-in-nhs-procurement-proposed-regulations-and-guidance. This refers to a risk assessment tool that NHS England have developed based on the six characteristics to help assess modern slavery risks as set out in the Public Procurement Policy Note on identifying and managing modern slavery risks. These are: industry type; nature of the workforce; supplier location; context in which the supplier operates; commodity type; and business/supply chain model.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
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 equitable (a) access to long covid services, (b) care outcomes and (c) patient experience for people with long covid.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since April 2024, the commissioning of post-COVID, or long COVID, services have been the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs), following the closure of the national post-COVID programme.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning specialist services for long COVID that meet the needs of their population, subject to local prioritisation and funding. In the commissioning of services, commissioners should take account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, commissioning guidance, and other best practice.
NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID services, which sets out the commissioning, service requirements, and oversight of post-COVID services by ICBs in England for adults, and children and young people. It outlines the elements that post-COVID services should include and the principles of care for long COVID. The guidance also sets out that a proportion of long COVID services funding should be allocated to tackling health inequalities. The commissioning guidance is available at the following link:
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings he has had with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to discuss the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill since 11 November 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care, has not had any meetings to discuss the Bill with any stakeholders, given the Government’s neutral position. The Bill, as it stands, contains various duties to consult relevant stakeholders, to consider how the operation of the Bill may impact different groups.
Should Parliament decide to pass the Bill, the Government recognises that the experience of key stakeholders will be integral to the design and delivery of an assisted dying service.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to engage with (a) disabled and (b) terminally ill children on the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on (i) their lives and (ii) sense of value.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care, has not had any meetings to discuss the Bill with any stakeholders, given the Government’s neutral position. The Bill, as it stands, contains various duties to consult relevant stakeholders, to consider how the operation of the Bill may impact different groups.
Should Parliament decide to pass the Bill, the Government recognises that the experience of key stakeholders will be integral to the design and delivery of an assisted dying service.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department considered the legal opinion by Tom Cross KC and Ruth Kennedy entitled In the Matter of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, published on 28 April 2025, during the development of the document entitled Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: ECHR memorandum, published on 2 May 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It was not possible to consider the legal opinion entitled In the Matter of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill during the development of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: ECHR memorandum, as the legal opinion was published after the European Convention on Human Rights Memorandum (ECHR) memorandum was finalised for publication.
The ECHR memorandum sets out the Government’s position on the bill’s compatibility with the Human Rights Act 1998.
The Government will keep the bill’s compatibility with the Human Rights Act 1998 under review as it progresses through Parliament, and issue a further ECHR memorandum if appropriate.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
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 the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on his Department’s suicide prevention strategy.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
The Government remains committed to tackling suicide as one the biggest killers in this country and preventing lives being lost.
The suicide prevention strategy identifies priority areas for action to reduce suicide and we will continue to explore opportunities to go further.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the ban on single-use vapes coming into force on 1 June 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) smokers and (b) ex-smokers are aware of the need to switch to reusable vapes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes protects the environment and removes products from the market that particularly appeal to children.
Adult smokers will still be able to access refillable and reusable vapes as well as other alternative methods to stop smoking. Sources of advice, including the Better Health Website, are being updated to reflect the ban to ensure smokers remain aware of reusable and refillable vapes to aid quitting.
Our national Swap to Stop scheme will continue to help adult smokers by offering a free reusable vape starter kit as part of a twelve-week programme of support.
Responsible local vape stores will also be able to direct both smokers and ex-smokers to a reusable device, and help them select one that is suitable for them.