Asked by: Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
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 ability of the ophthalmology sector to deliver timely care in (a) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB and (b) in England in the context of the proposed changes to the 2025/26 NHS Standard Contract and Payment Scheme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the proposed 2025/26 NHS Standard Contract and Payment Scheme for ophthalmology services in England, or specifically for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board, we are committed to ensuring that timely treatment is available across all specialties and all areas. As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure a return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, by March 2029. We have already made progress, delivering on our commitment to provide two million extra appointments as a first step to achieving this.
We have also published our Elective Reform Plan, which sets out an expectation that performance against the 18 week standard will increase from 58% in December 2024 to 65% by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement by March 2026.
Planning guidance for 2025/26 also sets clear targets, including reducing the elective waiting list, but gives local systems greater control and flexibility over how local funding is deployed to best meet the needs of the people they serve.
Asked by: Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of challenges of accessing mental health provision in rural communities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Waiting lists for those wanting to access mental health provisions are too high across England, in areas with fewer mental health services and including those in rural communities.
People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve or need, which is why we will fix the system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health and that people can be confident of accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.
Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also introduce access to a specialist mental health professional in every school.
In addition, people of all ages who are in crisis or who are concerned about a family or loved one can now call 111, select the mental health option, and speak to a trained mental health professional. National Health Service staff can guide callers with next steps such as organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternative services, like crisis cafés or safe havens, which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or a hospital admission. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to commission care to meet the needs of their local population.
Asked by: Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the minimum age of mammograms for breast cancer checks.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
We currently do not screen those younger than 50 years old for breast cancer due to the lower risk of women under this age developing breast cancer, and the fact that women below 50 years old tend to have denser breast tissue, which reduces the ability of getting an accurate mammogram. It may also increase the risk of overtreatment and distress for women who do not have breast cancer, but who would be subject to invasive and painful medical treatments and diagnostic tests.
United Kingdom guidelines recommend that women with a moderate or high risk of breast cancer, because of their family history, should start having screening mammograms every year in their forties. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the management of people with a family history of breast cancer was introduced in 2004, and has changed over time. The current version of this guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg164
There is a large trial, Age Extension, which is exploring whether an additional screen before 50 years old would meet the UK National Screening Committee’s criteria. Results are expected in 2026.