Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme applies a currency model to commission (a) palliative and (b) end-of-life care services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. ICBs are responsible for commissioning palliative and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations.
Details of currency models for the last year of life and end of life care were published as supporting documents to the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme. This supporting document is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-nhs-payment-scheme/#heading-3
The currencies are not directly linked to payment for 2025/26, but providers and commissioners should ensure that all data items for the currency models are collected. The currencies should be used to inform ICB commissioning plans and to support service planning and local benchmarking, as well as evaluating service provision.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 help reduce the cost of dental care for (a) low income families and (b) pensioners.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most.
The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards across England. Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:
- under 18 years old, or under 19 years old and in full-time education;
- pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months;
- being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist, although patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges; or
- receiving low-income benefits, or under 20 years old and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits.
Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for an exemption or a full remission of dental patient charges. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 improve staffing levels at GP surgeries to ensure ring timely access to women's health services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified general practitioners (GPs) through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs. Since 1 October 2024, 851 full-time equivalent (FTE) GPs have been recruited through the scheme.
In addition, for GPs employed by practices directly, as of January 2025, there were 573 more fully qualified, FTE GPs working in practices in England compared to July 2024.
The recruitment boost, part of the Government’s Plan for Change, will help to end the scandal of patients struggling to see a doctor, easing pressure on GPs and cutting waiting times. Alongside changes to the GP Contract for 2025/26, these additional GPs will help end the 8:00am scramble for appointments which so many patients currently endure every day.
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service. Women's health is included the Royal College of General Practitioners’ curriculum for trainee GPs, including gynaecology, menopause, sexual health, and breast health.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 help prevent (a) staff shortages in and (b) the closure of local pharmacies.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Employers clearly have a key role in retaining staff and making jobs in community pharmacy attractive. To support employers, NHS England has provided a number of fully funded national training opportunities for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to help support private contractors to deliver quality National Health Services, including Pharmacy First.
We have now concluded the consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a commitment to rebuilding the sector.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 help increase the number of available NHS dental appointments in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 April 2025 to Question 44281.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 early diagnosis of endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, and we are making progress to ensure that women with endometriosis receive a timely diagnosis and effective treatment.
Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat conditions. In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated its guideline on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis. This includes updated recommendations that for women with symptoms of endometriosis, initial pharmacological treatment should take place in primary care, and that this can take place in parallel with additional investigations and referral to secondary care if needed. This will help women receive more timely treatment. The guideline is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73
We have taken urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan. In gynaecology, the plan supports innovative models offering patients care closer to home, and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres. Alongside the plan we published a new partnership agreement between the National Health Service and the independent sector, which will help cut gynaecology waiting lists faster.
Additionally, to provide quicker access for patients to common surgical hub procedures such as a laparoscopy, which can be used to diagnose and treat endometriosis, we have committed to opening 17 new and expanded surgical hubs by June 2025 and ramping up the number of hubs over the next three years.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 training of healthcare employees in recognising symptoms of endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions including endometriosis.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines support healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat conditions. In November 2024, NICE published updated recommendations on the diagnosis, management and treatment of endometriosis. This can be accessed through the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73
Endometriosis is included in the core curriculum for general practitioners, and for obstetricians and gynaecologists. The General Medical Council has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment for most incoming doctors, including all medical students graduating from academic year 2024/25 and onwards. Within this assessment are several topics relating to women’s health, including endometriosis. This will encourage a better understanding of endometriosis among doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the Women’s Health Strategy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future.
Our focus is on turning the commitments in the Women's Health Strategy into tangible actions, for instance by providing emergency hormonal contraception free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS from October 2025, taking urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan, and setting out how we will eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through the new cervical cancer plan.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 help tackle shortages of medication for (a) Parkinson's and (b) epilepsy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, most issues, including with carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and oxcarbazepine presentations, have been resolved.
We are currently aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets from one manufacturer. This supply issue is expected to resolve by the end of May 2025. We are also aware of a shortage of phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets from one manufacturer with the resupply date to be confirmed. In both cases, alternative suppliers are in stock with sufficient supply to support patients. These issues have been communicated to the National Health Service.
The Department is aware of supply constraints with one supplier of amantadine 100 milligram capsules used in the management of Parkinson’s disease, however stocks remain available from alternative suppliers to cover demand. The Department has also been notified of a discontinuation of apomorphine (APO-go PFS) 50 milligram/10 millilitre pre-filled syringes from April 2025. Alternative formulations of apomorphine remain available for patients, and management guidance has been issued to the NHS.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 provide additional support for families affected by members with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Under the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2025, we remain focused on delivering against the four key priorities set out in the UK Rare Diseases Framework. The 2025 England Rare Diseases Action Plan was published on 28 February 2025 and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-rare-diseases-action-plan-2025
We know that people living with rare conditions, and their families and carers, often struggle to access mental health and psychological support. Mental health services should be offered based on need and should not exclude anyone because of a particular physical health or neurological diagnosis. The NHS Genomics Education Programme has this year published new resources on rare diseases and mental health, aimed at healthcare professionals. It has also developed a communications tool to help healthcare professionals with sensitive conversations, to ensure that patients and families feel supported throughout the diagnosis of a rare condition.
Many people struggle to access reliable information on rare diseases, and we recognise the important role patient support groups can play in developing reliable and easy to access information. In this year’s action plan we have set out the steps we are taking to support organisations to get the information they produce accredited under the Patient Information Forum’s trusted information creator scheme.
To enhance specialist care, NHS England is supporting multi-system disorder clinics to reduce appointments and ease care coordination for families.