Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the information noted in the Answer of 4 March 2022 to Question 131221 reaches patients through healthcare professionals.

The Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) is available to health care professionals, including general practitioners, maternity staff, health visitors, dispensers and parents. Healthcare professionals seeking to prescribe valproate to their female patients must ensure they are enrolled in the PPP. This includes the completion of a signed risk acknowledgement form when the treatment is reviewed annually by a specialist.

Healthcare professionals receive a printed copy of the updated educational materials annually from the PPP. These are used to inform patients of the risks associated with the use of valproate in pregnancy. The information is also available online for both healthcare professionals and patients. A statutory patient information leaflet should always be provided with a medicine containing valproate, even if dispensed in a pharmacy box.