Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department have made of potential (a) savings to the NHS and (b) improved or increased quality of life for patients from the early diagnosing of people with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has not made a specific assessment of the potential savings to the National Health Service or the improvements in quality of life arising from the early diagnosis of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
However, early identification and intervention are recognised as key to improving outcomes for people with eating disorders, reducing the risk of deterioration and the need for more intensive treatment later on. NHS England continues to work with commissioners and providers to ensure timely access to assessment and treatment for all individuals with suspected eating disorders, including ARFID.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 the number of practicing clinicians who have received specialist training in (a) diagnosing and (b) treating Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2021, NHS England commissioned training for staff delivering treatment in inpatient children and young people’s mental health services to improve the understanding and management of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
NHS England does not hold centralised data on the number of clinicians who have received specialist ARFID training. Training is commissioned and delivered locally to meet the needs of local populations.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 to improve the assessment and diagnosis for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in (i) Teesside and (ii) the North East of England.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is working with eating disorder services and local commissioners to improve access to assessment and treatment for all children and young people with a suspected eating disorder, including those presenting with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
In 2019/20, NHS England funded seven community eating disorder teams, one in each region in England, as part of a pilot programme to improve access, assessment, and treatment for children and young people with ARFID. The training from these pilots is now available for local areas to commission for their community children and young people’s eating disorder services.
The NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) has prioritised work to improve ARFID pathways. The ICB’s specialist provider collaborative appointed a dedicated ARFID project lead to develop and share best practice across the region. This work has supported improved clinical networking, supervision, and training materials, and resulted in the development of information and resources for families and service users.
Within the Tees Valley, eating disorder services provide assessment and treatment for patients with moderate to severe ARFID, and they have developed a specific ARFID pathway. Support for people with mild to moderate ARFID presentations is also available through local voluntary sector organisations such as Eating Distress North East.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance and information his Department issues to clinicians to assist in early diagnosis of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is working with eating disorder services and local commissioners to improve access to assessment and treatment for all children and young people with a suspected eating disorder, including those presenting with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
In 2019/20, NHS England funded seven community eating disorder teams, one in each region in England, as part of a pilot programme to improve access, assessment, and treatment for children and young people with ARFID. The training from these pilots is now available for local areas to commission for their community children and young people’s eating disorder services.
The NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) has prioritised work to improve ARFID pathways. The ICB’s specialist provider collaborative appointed a dedicated ARFID project lead to develop and share best practice across the region. This work has supported improved clinical networking, supervision, and training materials, and resulted in the development of information and resources for families and service users.
Within the Tees Valley, eating disorder services provide assessment and treatment for patients with moderate to severe ARFID, and they have developed a specific ARFID pathway. Support for people with mild to moderate ARFID presentations is also available through local voluntary sector organisations such as Eating Distress North East.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 improve the provision of (a) counselling and (b) other psychological support for victims of crime.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that too many victims and survivors of crime are not getting the mental health support or care they need.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to transform mental health services to improve access and treatment, and to promote good mental health and wellbeing for the nation. This includes improving assertive outreach, investing in mental health emergency departments and neighbourhood mental health centres, and increasing access to talking therapies and evidence-based digital interventions.
The recently published Medium Term Planning Framework sets targets for integrated care boards to expand coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges and expand NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement Support schemes by 2029.
We continue to work with all parts of the system, including the National Health Service, policing, and justice services, to support and protect victims of crime.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he made of the adequacy of NHS provision for young people with (a) complex comorbidities, (b) Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, (c) epilepsy, (d) autism and (e) juvenile systemic lupus.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local populations. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.
Supporting children and young people as they transition into adulthood, especially those with long-term or complex conditions, including those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), is a priority for the Government, and we are committed to ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.
Our 10-Year Health Plan for England commits to establishing a new radical approach through neighbourhood health services, shifting from sickness to prevention and ensuring that support for children’s health and development is locally accessible. It ensures the support for children and young people as they navigate the National Health Service, and ensures that they feel confident in managing their own health and care from age 16 years old, where appropriate. This will include supporting young people, including those with EDS, as they move from child to adolescent and adult services, ensuring that care is developmentally appropriate throughout.
In addition, a national transition framework is currently awaiting publication. This is to help local areas set up this model or to strengthen an existing one, and the principles of age- appropriate services set out in this document apply to both young people receiving care for the first time and those already on a transition pathway. While the framework focuses on broad principles of transition, future work will focus on specific considerations and conditions.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 adequacy of the availability of transition support for young people with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome who are moving from paediatric to adult NHS services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local populations. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.
Supporting children and young people as they transition into adulthood, especially those with long-term or complex conditions, including those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), is a priority for the Government, and we are committed to ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.
Our 10-Year Health Plan for England commits to establishing a new radical approach through neighbourhood health services, shifting from sickness to prevention and ensuring that support for children’s health and development is locally accessible. It ensures the support for children and young people as they navigate the National Health Service, and ensures that they feel confident in managing their own health and care from age 16 years old, where appropriate. This will include supporting young people, including those with EDS, as they move from child to adolescent and adult services, ensuring that care is developmentally appropriate throughout.
In addition, a national transition framework is currently awaiting publication. This is to help local areas set up this model or to strengthen an existing one, and the principles of age- appropriate services set out in this document apply to both young people receiving care for the first time and those already on a transition pathway. While the framework focuses on broad principles of transition, future work will focus on specific considerations and conditions.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 recent trends in the length of NHS waiting lists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are clear that the extent of waits for vital treatment is unacceptable, and cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029.
We are making good progress. As of August 2025, there has been a reduction in the waiting list of over 206,000 since the Government came into office, despite over 24.5 million referrals onto the list in that period.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered 5.2 million additional appointments compared to the previous year, more than double our pledge of two million. This marks a vital first step towards delivering the constitutional standard.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 healthcare professionals receive appropriate training on (a) identifying and (b) managing postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome effectively.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of people diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) in England in 2020 and 2025. There are no relevant codes in the Hospital Episode Statistics database that identify PoTS.
PoTS UK, however, estimates that 0.2% of the United Kingdom population has PoTS, which would equate to approximately 130,000 people.
In our recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we announced that we will introduce a new Single Patient Record across the National Health Service. The Single Patient Record will bring together a patient’s medical records all into one place. It will mean that no matter where a patient is accessing care, in the community or in a hospital, the care provider will have a comprehensive understanding of their medical history, including for many patients with PoTS.
To improve awareness of PoTS amongst healthcare professionals, and specifically general practitioners (GPs), the Royal College of General Practitioners provides training on PoTS as part of its Syncope toolkit, which is available at the following link:
https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/view.php?id=500
The Syncope toolkit includes an e-learning module, a podcast, and a webinar, and provides GPs with information about the diagnosis and management of PoTS. The webinar gives GPs the opportunity to hear the lived experience perspective of a patient representative from PoTS UK.
The National Institute for Care Excellence has also published a clinical knowledge summary on the clinical management of blackouts and syncope, that provides advice for clinicians in the United Kingdom on best practice in the assessment and diagnosis of PoTS. This was last updated in November 2023, and is available at the following link:
https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/blackouts-syncope/diagnosis/assessment/
It is the responsibility of local integrated care boards to work with clinicians, service users, and patient groups to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet the needs of patients with PoTS.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of people diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome in England in (a) 2020 and (b) 2025.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of people diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) in England in 2020 and 2025. There are no relevant codes in the Hospital Episode Statistics database that identify PoTS.
PoTS UK, however, estimates that 0.2% of the United Kingdom population has PoTS, which would equate to approximately 130,000 people.
In our recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we announced that we will introduce a new Single Patient Record across the National Health Service. The Single Patient Record will bring together a patient’s medical records all into one place. It will mean that no matter where a patient is accessing care, in the community or in a hospital, the care provider will have a comprehensive understanding of their medical history, including for many patients with PoTS.
To improve awareness of PoTS amongst healthcare professionals, and specifically general practitioners (GPs), the Royal College of General Practitioners provides training on PoTS as part of its Syncope toolkit, which is available at the following link:
https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/view.php?id=500
The Syncope toolkit includes an e-learning module, a podcast, and a webinar, and provides GPs with information about the diagnosis and management of PoTS. The webinar gives GPs the opportunity to hear the lived experience perspective of a patient representative from PoTS UK.
The National Institute for Care Excellence has also published a clinical knowledge summary on the clinical management of blackouts and syncope, that provides advice for clinicians in the United Kingdom on best practice in the assessment and diagnosis of PoTS. This was last updated in November 2023, and is available at the following link:
https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/blackouts-syncope/diagnosis/assessment/
It is the responsibility of local integrated care boards to work with clinicians, service users, and patient groups to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet the needs of patients with PoTS.