Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress his Department has made on implementing the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, with up to £150 million expected to be allocated to, or aligned with it, aims to speed up the development of new treatments for dementia and neurodegenerative conditions by accelerating innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation. This is co-chaired by Hilary Evans-Newton CBE and Professor Nadeem Sarwar.
So far, the programme has invested approximately £100 million into biomarker innovation projects, experimental medicine studies, and clinical trial infrastructure. This covers a broad range of biomarker technologies and studies to help researchers, patients, and industry partners work together to better understand how dementia begins and progresses. This amount also supports the Medical Research Council’s Dementia Trials Accelerator which aims to embed more innovation in how clinical trials are designed and delivered in order to increase the speed and quality, while driving down the cost of large-scale trials, as well as the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s UK Dementia Trials Network which seeks to speed up early-stage clinical trials.
The programme is now setting up the Neurodegeneration Initiative, which will be a globally unique, not-for-profit, industry led, public-private partnership with charitable status, that will work together across the Government, industry, academia, the National Health Service, and third sector, and will deliver the programme’s remaining objectives.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 19 December 2025 (HL12718), whether they will ask the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to set up a subcommittee on dementia to assess the evidence regarding vaccination against various infections and reduced risk of dementia.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent departmental expert committee, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the Government on matters relating to vaccination and immunisation.
At this time, there are no plans to establish a JCVI sub-committee on dementia.
However, the JCVI continues to monitor emerging evidence relating to all immunisation programmes and, where appropriate, this can include evidence on a potential link between vaccination and reduced risk of dementia.
It is possible for evidence on the link between vaccination and the reduced risk of dementia to be assessed within the existing committee structure, as was the case when research studies suggesting a link between shingles vaccination and reduced dementia risk were considered by the committee last year.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of potential merits of establishing a single National Dementia Care Pathway supported by minimum service standards in the forthcoming Dementia and Frailty Modern Service Framework.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To develop the content for the modern service framework for dementia and frailty, we intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future.
We have already published the D100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool to help simplify best practice for system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool is available at the following link:
By helping places and systems identify where improvement needs to be targeted, the tool continues the work of the Dementia Care Pathway, covering all elements of the Well Pathway from Prevention through to Dying Well. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in the Westminster Hall debate on Parkinson's disease on 17 November 2025, col. 230WH, what steps he will take to encourage medical researchers to propose more projects for National Institute for Health and Care Research funding to help cure that disease.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In the 2024/25 financial year, the NIHR committed £6 million to Parkinson’s disease research through its research programmes and capacity building schemes.
As well as funding research itself, the NIHR invests significantly in research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, support services, and collaborations to support and deliver research in England. Collectively this forms NIHR infrastructure. NIHR infrastructure enables the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research into Parkinson’s disease.
In order to inform priorities and guide future research commissioning by funders of Parkinson’s research, the NIHR Dementia and Neurodegeneration Policy Research Unit at Exeter has undertaken a mapping exercise of the current evidence landscape.
The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including Parkinson’s disease. These 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.
Welcoming applications on Parkinson's disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether research is being conducted into the potential association between Gabapentin use and the development of attentional amnestic disorders or other cognitive impairments.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Gabapentin is authorised to treat epilepsy and peripheral neuropathic pain, or nerve pain. The known side effects of gabapentin are outlined in the product information, the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for healthcare professionals, and the Patient Information Leaflet which is provided in each pack of the medicine.
The SPC states that in the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain, such as painful diabetic neuropathy and post-herpetic neuralgia, efficacy and safety have not been examined in clinical studies for treatment periods longer than five months. If a patient requires the medication for longer than five months to treat peripheral neuropathic pain, the treating physician should assess the patient's clinical status and determine the need for additional therapy. Epilepsy normally requires long-term treatment and the SPC states that the dosage for gabapentin should be determined by the treating physician according to the clinical response and side effects experienced by the individual patient.
The product information for gabapentin lists amnesia as a common side effect and mental impairment as an uncommon side effect. Dementia is not a known side effect of gabapentin.
Gabapentin can cause drug dependence, and the product information includes warnings that patients treated with gabapentin should be monitored for symptoms of misuse, abuse, or dependence. After discontinuation of short- and long-term treatment with gabapentin, withdrawal symptoms have been observed, and gabapentin should be discontinued gradually over a minimum of one week.
As with all medicines, the safety of gabapentin is kept under continual review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using a number of data sources including reports of suspected side effects through the Yellow Card Scheme, data from marketing authorisation holders, and research published in the scientific literature.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of prolonged use of Gabapentin on long-term neurological risks, including dementia and brain damage.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Gabapentin is authorised to treat epilepsy and peripheral neuropathic pain, or nerve pain. The known side effects of gabapentin are outlined in the product information, the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for healthcare professionals, and the Patient Information Leaflet which is provided in each pack of the medicine.
The SPC states that in the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain, such as painful diabetic neuropathy and post-herpetic neuralgia, efficacy and safety have not been examined in clinical studies for treatment periods longer than five months. If a patient requires the medication for longer than five months to treat peripheral neuropathic pain, the treating physician should assess the patient's clinical status and determine the need for additional therapy. Epilepsy normally requires long-term treatment and the SPC states that the dosage for gabapentin should be determined by the treating physician according to the clinical response and side effects experienced by the individual patient.
The product information for gabapentin lists amnesia as a common side effect and mental impairment as an uncommon side effect. Dementia is not a known side effect of gabapentin.
Gabapentin can cause drug dependence, and the product information includes warnings that patients treated with gabapentin should be monitored for symptoms of misuse, abuse, or dependence. After discontinuation of short- and long-term treatment with gabapentin, withdrawal symptoms have been observed, and gabapentin should be discontinued gradually over a minimum of one week.
As with all medicines, the safety of gabapentin is kept under continual review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using a number of data sources including reports of suspected side effects through the Yellow Card Scheme, data from marketing authorisation holders, and research published in the scientific literature.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to inform patients and healthcare professionals about the potential long-term risks of Gabapentin use.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Gabapentin is authorised to treat epilepsy and peripheral neuropathic pain, or nerve pain. The known side effects of gabapentin are outlined in the product information, the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for healthcare professionals, and the Patient Information Leaflet which is provided in each pack of the medicine.
The SPC states that in the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain, such as painful diabetic neuropathy and post-herpetic neuralgia, efficacy and safety have not been examined in clinical studies for treatment periods longer than five months. If a patient requires the medication for longer than five months to treat peripheral neuropathic pain, the treating physician should assess the patient's clinical status and determine the need for additional therapy. Epilepsy normally requires long-term treatment and the SPC states that the dosage for gabapentin should be determined by the treating physician according to the clinical response and side effects experienced by the individual patient.
The product information for gabapentin lists amnesia as a common side effect and mental impairment as an uncommon side effect. Dementia is not a known side effect of gabapentin.
Gabapentin can cause drug dependence, and the product information includes warnings that patients treated with gabapentin should be monitored for symptoms of misuse, abuse, or dependence. After discontinuation of short- and long-term treatment with gabapentin, withdrawal symptoms have been observed, and gabapentin should be discontinued gradually over a minimum of one week.
As with all medicines, the safety of gabapentin is kept under continual review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using a number of data sources including reports of suspected side effects through the Yellow Card Scheme, data from marketing authorisation holders, and research published in the scientific literature.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures are in place to monitor patients on Gabapentin for signs of neurological or cognitive decline during treatment.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Gabapentin is authorised to treat epilepsy and peripheral neuropathic pain, or nerve pain. The known side effects of gabapentin are outlined in the product information, the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for healthcare professionals, and the Patient Information Leaflet which is provided in each pack of the medicine.
The SPC states that in the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain, such as painful diabetic neuropathy and post-herpetic neuralgia, efficacy and safety have not been examined in clinical studies for treatment periods longer than five months. If a patient requires the medication for longer than five months to treat peripheral neuropathic pain, the treating physician should assess the patient's clinical status and determine the need for additional therapy. Epilepsy normally requires long-term treatment and the SPC states that the dosage for gabapentin should be determined by the treating physician according to the clinical response and side effects experienced by the individual patient.
The product information for gabapentin lists amnesia as a common side effect and mental impairment as an uncommon side effect. Dementia is not a known side effect of gabapentin.
Gabapentin can cause drug dependence, and the product information includes warnings that patients treated with gabapentin should be monitored for symptoms of misuse, abuse, or dependence. After discontinuation of short- and long-term treatment with gabapentin, withdrawal symptoms have been observed, and gabapentin should be discontinued gradually over a minimum of one week.
As with all medicines, the safety of gabapentin is kept under continual review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using a number of data sources including reports of suspected side effects through the Yellow Card Scheme, data from marketing authorisation holders, and research published in the scientific literature.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide an update into his Department's research efforts into Motor Neurone Disease.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Government responsibility for delivering motor neurone disease (MND) research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), primarily through the Medical Research Council for MND.
The Government is investing in MND research across a range of areas, including an £8 million investment via the NIHR into the EXPERTS-ALS, a pre-clinical study which is designed to accelerate the identification and testing of the most promising treatment candidates for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of MND.
The MND Translational Accelerator, supported by £6 million of Government funding, is connecting the UK Dementia Research Institute, the UK MND Research Institute, and Dementias Platform UK. Twelve projects have been funded through the Accelerator, and all are aimed at speeding up the development of treatments for MND.
In August 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approved Tofersen to treat SOD1-ALS, a rare form of MND. Research into Tofersen was supported by NIHR’s Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, and all three trial phases were delivered by the NIHR’s Research Delivery Network, demonstrating tangible impact of NIHR funded research into MND.
The NIHR and UKRI continue to welcome funding applications for research into MND. These 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.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
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 adequacy of joined up working between local authority social services and the NHS in dementia cases where a patient and their carer live in different local authority areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Carer support where a carer lives in a different local authority or National Health Service integrated care board area is not specifically detailed in the dementia guidance documents. However, all core dementia guidance, including The Dementia 100, The Dementia Care Pathway, and The Dementia RightCare scenario, signal the expectation to provide person-centred, integrated pathways across health and social care. This principle is intended to support carers irrespective of location.
We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
Those with dementia will also benefit from more joined-up care through co-created care plans, as by 2027, 95% of those with complex needs will have an agreed care plan.
The My Carer tool will give family, friends, and carers, including those looking after someone with dementia, access to the NHS App. This will ensure decisions are agreed and taken by those who best know the patient, who may not be able to make those decisions independently, whilst making it easier for unpaid carers to manage their care and access professionals whenever they need them.