Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of setting a two-year direct spending target with the HIV voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the development of the new HIV Action Plan, the Department, through its HIV Prevention England Programme (HPE), recently hosted engagement sessions with approximately 60 voluntary and community Sector (VCS) and external partners. Professor Kevin Fenton, the Government’s Chief Advisor on HIV, has also hosted a series of engagement workshops with approximately 250 system partners, including the VCS and people with lived experience. These discussions highlighted the impact of trends in the level of funding provided to HIV charities, and are being considered as we develop the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year.
In 2025/26, the Department is investing £1.5 million to fund HPE, which is being delivered by the Terrence Higgins Trust. Furthermore, a key component of the Government’s successful HIV emergency department opt-out testing programme includes a recommendation that 10% of the funding allocated to each site should be used to support community and peer support services for individuals diagnosed with a blood borne virus. The Department does not hold detailed financial information on locally commissioned HIV services.
Funding for future work will be determined by the Spending Review. Although we have reached an overall settlement for the Department, the details of the budget allocations are still being determined. The Department is working to provide the detail and certainty needed on future funding and spending plans as soon as possible.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is planning to take steps to the next HIV Action Plan for England with the principles of the forthcoming Civil Society Covenant.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of the Civil Society Covenant’s four key principles: recognition; partnership; participation; and transparency. These principles will be reflected in the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year.
These are already at the core of the new plan, and we are therefore engaging a wide range of system partners in its development, including the voluntary and community sector (VCS), and people with lived experience. In order to recognise our strong and experienced civil society and to ensure that communities and people can be heard, we recently hosted engagement sessions with approximately 60 VCS and external partners to discuss what the next action plan should look like. Professor Kevin Fenton, the Government’s Chief Advisor on HIV, has also hosted a series of engagement workshops with approximately 250 system partners, including the VCS, industry, primary care, and integrated care board colleagues, to inform our plan.
Department officials have also engaged with officials from across the Government to align resources and efforts in relation to the next HIV Action Plan for England, all of which is being considered in the new plan’s development.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Procurement Policy Statement, published 13 February 2025, if he will make it his policy to ensure (a) local authority and (b) NHS commissioners (i) set appropriate spending targets and (b) reserve contracts specifically for HIV voluntary sector providers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for commissioning comprehensive, open access sexual and reproductive health services through the Public Health Grant (PHG). Individual local authorities decide on spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, and commission the blend of services that best suit their population. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care does not have the statutory powers to direct local authorities or National Health Service HIV commissioners in relation to the allocation of the PHG, beyond what is in existing regulations, and therefore cannot compel local commissioners to set specific targets or implement particular service decisions. As such, no spending targets or specifically reserved contracts are being considered.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Integrated Care Boards are currently meeting the (a) NHS England service specification for adult specialised HIV services and (b) British HIV Association (BHIVA) Standards of Care for People Living with HIV.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In April 2024, NHS England published the updated national Service Specification for Adult HIV services, which sets out the mandatory standards of care that National Health Service providers are expected to meet.
It is for integrated care boards, as the responsible commissioners for adult specialised services for people living with HIV, to determine when and how to assess and monitor provider compliance with the service specification.
NHS England would not assess providers against British HIV Association guidelines, although the service specification includes a reference to these guidelines, and commissioners would expect providers to take the guidelines into account when delivering services.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 tackle inequalities in access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis among (a) the black community and (b) women.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030. The Department, NHS England, and the UK Health Security Agency are working together on the development of the new HIV Action Plan which we aim to publish this year. We continue to engage and consult with a range of system partners and stakeholders, including local authorities, as we develop the plan. The plan will consider ways to expand pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services and improve equity and access to PrEP for all communities, focusing on underserved groups such as the black African community and women.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) NHS England and (b) local authorities on expanding community-based PrEP services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030. The Department, NHS England, and the UK Health Security Agency are working together on the development of the new HIV Action Plan which we aim to publish this year. We continue to engage and consult with a range of system partners and stakeholders, including local authorities, as we develop the plan. The plan will consider ways to expand pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services and improve equity and access to PrEP for all communities, focusing on underserved groups such as the black African community and women.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to support colonoscopy services following the extension of the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to include people aged 50-74.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The age extension for bowel screening started in April 2021 with the 56 year old cohort and, based on modelling and clinical advice, has followed the planned gradual reduction to age 50 by 2025. This has been done to ensure that screening centres could manage the required increase in colonoscopy capacity.
Services have increased screening capacity. Screening and symptomatic endoscopy services are working closely together as part of the ongoing endoscopy transformation of symptomatic pathways, which aims to release colonoscopy capacity through, for example:
Bowel cancer screening is a crucial aspect of prevention, helping identify apparently healthy people who may have an increased risk of a particular condition, preventing bowel cancer and promoting earlier diagnosis and detection. NHS England is committed to delivering bowel cancer screening uptake across the whole population and is working to reduce inequalities. As part of this, NHS England is developing public communications to increase awareness of screening amongst younger age groups, particularly in those 50 years old and over cohorts, who are newly eligible. This includes updating online and digital channels and working with key external stakeholders.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to encourage uptake of the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to people aged 50 following the reduction of age eligibility.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The age extension for bowel screening started in April 2021 with the 56 year old cohort and, based on modelling and clinical advice, has followed the planned gradual reduction to age 50 by 2025. This has been done to ensure that screening centres could manage the required increase in colonoscopy capacity.
Services have increased screening capacity. Screening and symptomatic endoscopy services are working closely together as part of the ongoing endoscopy transformation of symptomatic pathways, which aims to release colonoscopy capacity through, for example:
Bowel cancer screening is a crucial aspect of prevention, helping identify apparently healthy people who may have an increased risk of a particular condition, preventing bowel cancer and promoting earlier diagnosis and detection. NHS England is committed to delivering bowel cancer screening uptake across the whole population and is working to reduce inequalities. As part of this, NHS England is developing public communications to increase awareness of screening amongst younger age groups, particularly in those 50 years old and over cohorts, who are newly eligible. This includes updating online and digital channels and working with key external stakeholders.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 support research into Adrenal cancer through (a) funding, (b) clinical trials and (c) collaboration with academic institutions.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer as one of the largest areas of spend at over £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority. The NIHR funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research into adrenal cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
The NIHR also welcomes applications for training awards from the clinical and non-clinical academic workforce conducting research into any aspect of human health, including adrenal cancer. The Department is the United Kingdom’s largest funder of clinical academic training, working with academic institutions and the wider health and care system to deliver a comprehensive research career pathway for the full range of clinicians.
The Department is committed to working with delivery partners, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the pharmaceutical industry, and other key stakeholders, to achieve the common aim of creating a faster, more efficient, more accessible, and more innovative clinical research delivery system. We expect these efforts to attract more commercial investment in clinical research and yield a broad and diverse portfolio of clinical trials in the UK, so that we can provide innovative treatment options for patients, including those with adrenal cancer.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 (a) early diagnosis and (b) specialist treatment pathways for patients with Adrenal Cancer.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that diagnosing and treating rare cancers, including adrenal cancer, can be difficult due to their non-specific symptoms, which are often shared with other more common conditions.
To support earlier diagnosis, the National Health Service is improving referral and diagnostic pathways, including the use of non-specific symptom pathways for patients whose symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or abdominal discomfort, do not clearly align with a single cancer type, but which may indicate a rare cancer like adrenal cancer. NHS England has also expanded general practice direct access to diagnostic tests, enabling faster investigation of concerning symptoms.
We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. Community diagnostic centres will also help reduce the number of patients waiting too long for a confirmed cancer diagnosis, and will ensure capacity is available for both common and rare cancers.
To improve access to timely treatment, the NHS is delivering an additional 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further actions to improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with rare and less common cancers. It will focus on speeding up diagnosis and treatment, and ensuring access to the latest treatments and technologies for all.