Every parliamentary written question tabled by Alex Brewer this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 117 · Department of Health and Social Care
What steps he is taking to reduce gynaecology waiting times in North East Hampshire constituency.
This Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, and cutting waiting times across all specialities, including gynaecology.Through the Elective Reform Plan, we are increasing the relative funding available specifically for gynaecology activity,...
Whether he plans to publish a publicly accessible list of the (a) location of and (b) services available in women’s health hubs.
Women's health hubs were established as a pilot model, supported by £25 million of funding across 2024/25. It was for integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission these services in the way that best met the needs of their local populations. To support eval...
What measures and timelines are in place to assess the effectiveness of Nutrient Profiling Model in encouraging healthy eating.
In the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government committed to updating the standards behind the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products by applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM). The Government published the ne...
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of plant rich diets on reducing the risk of non-communicable disease and health outcomes.
United Kingdom dietary recommendations are based on advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).UK dietary advice, as depicted in the UK’s Eatwell Guide and based on the SACN’s advice, indicates that a healthy balanced diet is one ba...
What timelines and safeguards are in place to ensure the £40 million funding allocated for brain cancer research is spent.
Government responsibility for delivering brain cancer 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 the Department for Science, Innovation an...
What the timelines and safeguards are for ensuring that the Brain Tumour Research consortium meets its goals of supporting new and effective treatments for brain tumours.
Government responsibility for delivering brain cancer 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 the Department for Science, Innovation an...
What steps he is taking to ensure national spending on brain tumour research is proportionate to the number of adults and children impacted by that disease.
Government responsibility for delivering brain cancer 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 the Department for Science, Innovation an...
What steps he is taking to help applicants for brain cancer research funding meet funding thresholds.
Government responsibility for delivering brain cancer 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 the Department for Science, Innovation an...
What steps he is taking to tackle health inequalities impacting women in North East Hampshire constituency.
The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain, to ensure people can live well for longer. Our reimagined National Health Service will tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as give everyone, no matter who they are or where the...
What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of The Eatwell Guide in (a) improving health outcomes and (b) supporting a healthier and sustainable food system.
Independent research shows that a dietary pattern in line with the Eatwell Guide is associated with improved health outcomes, and with an appreciably lower environmental impact than the current United Kingdom diet, including reduced CO2, water, and land u...
What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current (a) diagnostic pathways for brain tumours and (b) support systems for patients with brain tumours.
The Department has demonstrated our commitment to transforming diagnostic services through a £2.3 billion investment into diagnostic capacity, which will provide the National Health Service with the tools they need to deliver an additional 9.5 million tes...
What the average waiting time is for patients referred to specialist Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome services.
NHS England does not routinely collect or publish condition‑specific waiting time data for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).Patients with suspected or confirmed PoTS are typically referred into broader secondary care services, such as card...
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of NHS care pathways for patients diagnosed with (a) Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and (b) other autonomic nervous system
No formal assessment has been made of the adequacy of the availability of National Health Service care pathways for patients diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and other autonomic nervous system disorders.However, integrated care boa...
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of high strength retail sold magnets, including those imported outside of the UK and EU regulatory frameworks, on the safety and functioning of cerebrospinal fluid shunts.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring that medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusions on the market in the United Kingdom are safe, effective, and manufactured to the highest standards of quality. The Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (MDR 2002) established the statutory framework that medical devices, including cerebrospinal fluid shunts, must meet in order to comply with these standards.The manufacturer is legally responsible for obtaining the necessary certification, registering their medical devices with the MHRA, the UK Competent Authority, and undertaking post-market surveillance. Higher risk medical devices are assessed and approved by Approved Bodies, for UKCA marking, or Notified Bodies, for CE marking. Manufacturers consider anticipated conditions within intended environments of use, such as those with high magnet fields, for instance magnetic resonance imaging, when designing and manufacturing devices. As part of meeting the requirements of the MDR 2002, manufacturers must provide instructions for use, including implant cards and implant information, any special operating instructions, any warnings and/or precautions to take, and precautions to be taken as regards exposure, in reasonably foreseeable environmental conditions, to magnetic fields.The MHRA has published guidance on how electromagnetic interference can affect several types of medical devices that have electrical or electronic systems and mitigation steps. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electromagnetic-interference-sources/electromagnetic-interference-sources
What funding has been specifically allocated to the rollout of fracture liaison services beyond the investment in DEXA scanners announced in May 2025; and what assessment he has made of whether that funding is sufficient to meet the 2030 coverage target.
Awaiting answer.
What plans his Department has to ensure that charges for medical evidence letters, certificates, and reports are fair and proportionate for patients in financial hardship or vulnerable groups; and what assessment his Department has made of the impact of such charges on patient access to essential documentation.
There are some medical evidence letters, certificates, or reports that general practices (GPs) may charge for, and others that they must not charge patients for. The legislation that sets this out is the General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services Regulations, which form the basis of the GP Contract with the National Health Service. There is no statutory limit to the level of such fees as this is outside of core NHS work.The Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association (BMA) suggests guideline fees for such services to help doctors to set their own professional fees.We recognise that there are concerns about some fees GPs charge for letters and the consistency of those charges, as well as the additional burden these requests can place on GPs. Where GPs charge for that evidence, these charges should be clear, fair, and consistent. Where possible and appropriate, we would encourage people to use alternative evidence.We are continuing to work across the Government to cut red tape and improve ways of working, including work to improve the patient experience, such as removing the need to request unnecessary medical evidence where possible.
What assessment his Department has made of the availability of learning‑disability nursing training places in regions where provision is determined solely by university education providers; and what assessment he has made of the impact of learner demand and provider capacity on access to such training in areas including North East Hampshire.
No assessment has been made. Undergraduate training places for nurses, including learning disability nurses, are not centrally commissioned by the Government. Instead, they are determined by local employers and education providers who decide the number of learners they admit based on learner demand and provider capacity.In Spring 2026, NHS England will convene a national Learning Disability Nursing Education and Training Steering Group, bringing together a range of stakeholders to oversee key strategic priorities for the Learning Disability Nursing profession. These priorities include stabilising and growing education provision and fostering collaboration across higher education institutions.
What steps his Department is taking to improve national awareness, research, and coordination of work relating to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC).
We recognise the devastating impact of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities. I addressed this issue during a recent Westminster Hall Debate, underlining the Government’s commitment to strengthening pathology services, ensuring high-quality bereavement support, and growing the evidence base.To help reduce waitlists for death certification and access to screening, in 2022 NHS England launched a national programme to strengthen National Health Service perinatal and paediatric pathology services.SUDC is an under-researched area. Through the National Child Mortality Database, we have a growing body of data on child deaths to support high‑quality research that can improve understanding. The Government welcomes research applications on any aspect of child health, including SUDC, through the National Institute of Health and Care Research.Parents who have lost a child to SUDC should be able to access the advice and support that they need. Bereavement support can be found on the NHS help page, Get help with grief after bereavement or loss, and the GOV.UK page, What to do after someone dies: Bereavement help and support, which are available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/grief-bereavement-loss/https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/bereavement-help-and-supportNHS Bereavement support is commissioned locally, allowing services to be shaped around the needs of local communities. For anyone seeking help after a bereavement, we encourage them to speak to their general practitioners, who can advise on and refer into local bereavement support services. Department officials are also exploring opportunities to include signposting on the NHS website to SUDC UK, to ensure families have access to information when they need it most.
What further steps his Department plans to take to reduce waiting times for people seeking psychological therapy to support their employment efforts; and what assessment his Department has made of whether additional measures are required to further reduce waiting times for psychological therapy services.
We recognise that some people experience long waits to access National Health Service mental health support, including psychological therapies that help people stay in, or return to, work. NHS Talking Therapies are the main national psychological therapy service for people with common mental health conditions. While the NHS is meeting the national access and waiting time standards of at least 75% of people starting treatment within six weeks of referral and at least 95% within 18 weeks, we know that waits within pathways, including between the first and second appointment, can be significant in some areas.Meeting national access standards is important, but we recognise that this alone will not address all delays experienced within psychological therapy pathways. Reducing waiting times requires a sustained and more systematic approach that focuses on increasing capacity, improving flow through services, and better integration with wider support, such as for people whose mental health is affecting their ability to work. That is why, for example, we have recruited over 8,000 additional mental health workers since July 2024.We are also strengthening NHS Talking Therapies with a greater focus on reducing waits within pathways, improving completion rates, and supporting better mental health and employment outcomes. This is supported by enhanced NHS England oversight to ensure funding is used to increase capacity and reduce waiting times.Progress on access and waiting times is monitored through existing NHS Talking Therapies national access standards and routine performance management. We have no plans to set additional targets specifically for employment related access to psychological therapies beyond the existing standards.
What action his Department plans to take to reduce waiting times for psychological therapy to support employment, and what targets or timetable have been set for improving access.
We recognise that some people experience long waits to access National Health Service mental health support, including psychological therapies that help people stay in, or return to, work. NHS Talking Therapies are the main national psychological therapy service for people with common mental health conditions. While the NHS is meeting the national access and waiting time standards of at least 75% of people starting treatment within six weeks of referral and at least 95% within 18 weeks, we know that waits within pathways, including between the first and second appointment, can be significant in some areas.Meeting national access standards is important, but we recognise that this alone will not address all delays experienced within psychological therapy pathways. Reducing waiting times requires a sustained and more systematic approach that focuses on increasing capacity, improving flow through services, and better integration with wider support, such as for people whose mental health is affecting their ability to work. That is why, for example, we have recruited over 8,000 additional mental health workers since July 2024.We are also strengthening NHS Talking Therapies with a greater focus on reducing waits within pathways, improving completion rates, and supporting better mental health and employment outcomes. This is supported by enhanced NHS England oversight to ensure funding is used to increase capacity and reduce waiting times.Progress on access and waiting times is monitored through existing NHS Talking Therapies national access standards and routine performance management. We have no plans to set additional targets specifically for employment related access to psychological therapies beyond the existing standards.