Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued guidance to GP practices on maintaining equitable access to care for patients who cannot use digital booking platforms in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Practice contract requires that all patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, so those without digital access are not disadvantaged.
In February 2025, the General Practice Committee England agreed to make it a contractual obligation for all GP practices to offer access to online services throughout core hours (8:00am–18:30pm, Monday to Friday) bringing online access in line with walk-in and phone access. This will ensure that patients will not have to wait in long phone queues to contact their practice and ensure that those that are not able to use digital booking platforms have an improved user-experience.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes have received home-based NHS care in each of the last three years.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England does not hold data on the number of patients in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes who have received home-based National Health Service care in each of the last three years.
The NHS provides a range of services in peoples’ homes such as community health services, virtual wards, community mental health support, and palliative care.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service.
The Neighbourhood Health Service will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to NHS trusts to increase (a) crisis support services in the local community (b) mental health inpatient beds in the West Midlands.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning National Health Service mental health crisis services and mental health inpatient beds to meet the needs of people across the West Midlands.
Nationally, progress has been achieved in building more robust crisis care pathways across all ages and in all regions, ensuring that people in a mental health crisis can receive the right care. This includes the introduction of the ‘mental health’ option for NHS 111 and the opening of new mental health crisis centres to provide accessible and responsive care for individuals in a mental health crisis.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our ambitions to go further by developing up to 85 dedicated mental health emergency departments so that patients get fast, same-day access to specialist support in an appropriate setting. This expansion builds on a number of early implementer sites that have been established in recent years by local health systems to provide a dedicated therapeutic alternative to emergency departments for individuals in a mental health crisis.
The plan also sets out our 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 neighbourhood mental health centres, and increasing access to talking therapies and evidence-based digital interventions.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of claims for clinical negligence in each NHS Trust in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. The table attached shows the number of clinical claims and incidents received in the 2024/25 financial year, broken down by NHS trust.
The table provided sets out the number of clinical negligence claims and incidents notified to NHSR by NHS trusts in the most recent period for which data is available. It should be noted that these figures are based on the financial year in which a claim or incident was notified to NHSR, however, the incident may have occurred in previous financial years.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 reduce waiting times for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in South East Cornwall constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Through our Plan for Change, we’re determined to give children and young people the best start in life, including in the South East Cornwall constituency.
The Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services.
More widely, we are investing £26 million in new crisis centres, rolling out young futures hubs, and hiring 8,500 more mental health staff to reduce waiting times.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
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 provide support for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to improve early intervention for children with emerging mental health difficulties.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Through our Plan for Change, we’re determined to give children and young people the best start in life.
The Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services.
More widely, we are investing £26 million in new crisis centres, rolling out young futures hubs, and hiring 8,500 more mental health staff.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
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 the potential impact of (a) trabecular bypass procedures and (b) other minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries on preventing glaucoma progression.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made.
The best treatment options for any individual patient will be decided by the treating clinician in discussion with the patient, taking into account relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance.
NICE guidance on trabecular stent bypass microsurgery for open-angle glaucoma sets out that trabecular bypass surgery can be combined with a cataract operation and has shown its ability to reduce intraocular pressure.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
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 support the use of medical technologies to prevent sight loss.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan, we want patients to have fast and safe access to the most innovative technology, wherever they live in the country. Improving the adoption and procurement of medical technology will help the National Health Service secure the best outcomes for patients, including patients with sight threatening conditions, whilst also delivering greater value-for-money for the NHS.
The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research, including on eye care, through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for evaluating new medicines, medical devices, and other technologies to determine their clinical and cost-effectiveness before recommending them for NHS use.
Where a NICE technology appraisal recommends a medicine or treatment, the NHS is legally required to fund them. Where NICE guidance is not available on a particular medical technology, we would expect commissioners to take funding decisions on the basis of the available evidence of the clinical benefits.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of the adequacy of funding for research and innovation for (a) less survivable cancers and (b) other cancer types.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - 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). Cancer is one of the largest areas of spend at over £141.6 million in 2024/25, reflecting its high priority.
These investments are pivotal to informing efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes. An example of this investment is the Imperial College London research on breath tests to detect less survivable cancers, with further information available at the following link:
https://imperialbrc.nihr.ac.uk/2023/06/05/imperial-led-uk-cancer-breath-tests-reach-final-stages/
Another example of Government investment was the launch of the NIHR’s national Brain Tumour Research Consortium in September 2024, which is bringing together researchers from a range of different disciplines and institutions with the aim of making scientific advances in how we prevent, detect, manage, and treat rare and less-survivable brain tumours in adults and children.
The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into less common cancers and other cancer types. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the National Health Service will improve diagnosis and outcomes for all cancer patients in England, including for less common cancers, and other cancer types.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 help increase the number of 16-30 year olds who are registered to donate stem cells.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom aligned stem cell registry, a national register managed collaboratively by Anthony Nolan, DKMS UK, NHS Blood and Transplant, and the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, has over 2.3 million potential stem cell donors registered. The Department is taking action to increase the number of 16 to 30 year olds on the UK aligned stem cell registry by funding the Department’s Stem Cell Programme, with £3.2 million invested for the period of 2022 to 2026. The programme, which is delivered by NHS Blood and Transplant and Anthony Nolan, aims to enhance the sustainability, resilience, and equity of the UK's stem cell supply through a targeted recruitment campaign focussed on male donors aged 16 to 30 years old, who are most likely to be recalled to donate, as well as donors from ethnic minorities.
By increasing the pool of potential donors, the programme seeks to improve the availability of matches in the UK, ultimately reducing waiting times and improving outcomes for patients in need of stem cell treatment.