Written questions by Bennett.

What plans he has to provide psychological support for patients with (a) sickle cell and (b) other non-malignant conditions considering stem cell transplants.

NHS England stipulates in the blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) service specification that BMT services, which include stem cell transplants, should ensure that there is a full range of psychological support, as well as support staff including social workers, physiotherapy, pharmacy, and radiology support for stem cell transplant recipients. BMT service providers are also expected to be accredited by the Joint Accreditation Committee of the International Society for Cellular Therapy and the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, known jointly as JACIE, and the requirement for psychology support staff is also reflected in the eighth edition of the JACIE standards.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the rollout of whole genome sequencing services is (a) efficient and (b) consistent between regions.

Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) and is delivered by a national network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, including both whole genome sequencing (WGS) and non-WGS testing, and sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing.NHS England, supported by a Genomics Clinical Reference Group and expert Test Evaluation Working Groups, review the test directory to keep pace with scientific and technological advances, while delivering value for money for the NHS. A robust and evidence-based process and policy is in place to ensure that genomic testing continues to be available for all patients for whom it would be of clinical benefit. As part of the NHS GMS testing strategy, there is increasing use of cutting edge, high throughput comprehensive sequencing technologies to ensure efficiency.

Whether he plans to ensure that (a) families and (b) carers of cell therapy patients can access (i) mental health and wellbeing and (ii) bereavement support.

The Government is committed to ensuring that families and carers have the support they need.Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including mental health and wellbeing support for families and carers.The Government also recognises how important it is for grieving families and friends who have lost loved ones to have access to the support they need, when they need it. Bereavement support is commissioned locally, to meet the needs of the local population. NHS England has developed guidance for integrated care boards which requires local commissioners to ensure there is sufficient access to bereavement support services.

How many people in (a) his Department and (b) NHS England worked on the 10 year plan.

66 people from the Department and NHS England were solely employed on the development of the 10-Year Health Plan. In addition, a wide range of people across both organisations have been involved as part of their regular work.

Whether his Department plans to introduce legislation to facilitate a right to a Care Supporter for people in care settings.

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Fundamental Standard on Visiting and Accompanying (Regulation 9A) came into force on 6 April 2024 to strengthen requirements for CQC registered care homes, hospitals, and hospices to facilitate visiting, unless there are exceptional circumstances which mean that it is not safe to do so. This can be a visit from a family member, a friend, or a person visiting to provide companionship or support, for example, a care supporter.In April 2025, we launched a review of the CQC’s Regulation 9A to assess whether the legislation has been effective in addressing concerns about visiting in health and care settings. Depending on the outcome of the review, we will consider whether further action is needed.

How many people in (a) his Department and (b) NHS England work in communications.

At the end of June 2025, the Department had 90 full-time equivalent staff working in the Communications Directorate.In NHS England, there are 328.8 full-time equivalent staff sitting under Communications in the Strategy Directorate. These individuals cover a wide range of communication roles and support functions, including business operations, system and stakeholder engagement, events and visit teams, and Parliamentary briefing and Freedom of Information management. There are a further six members of staff, who work in ‘Communications’ or ‘Comms’ teams in the wider business, which includes individuals working in Freedom of Information management and Parliamentary business.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of podiatrists; and if he will (a) reinstate full student bursaries and (b) introduce incentives to encourage recruitment and retention in (i) underserved areas and (ii) general.

The Department has no plans to reinstate the bursary for podiatry students, however the Government keeps funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review.Supplementary financial support is available to podiatry students through the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF). The LSF offers non-repayable funding, in addition to maintenance and tuition fee loans provided by the Student Loans Company. This includes a non-repayable training grant of £5,000 per academic year plus an additional specialist subject payment of £1,000 a year for podiatry students, and where eligible, £2,000 per year for students with childcare responsibilities.We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

What steps he is taking to ensure that NHS podiatry services in Mid Sussex constituency are adequately resourced.

The National Health Service podiatry and orthotics service provided by the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust is made up of registered podiatrists, orthotists, nurses, and health care assistants who provide a comprehensive foot health service to adults and children across West Sussex and Brighton and Hove.The service works with general practice (GP) services if prescriptions are required, and with local hospital trusts to provide treatment for patients who need specialist support.To access the service an individual will need to be referred by their GP, a nurse, or an allied health professional. Children also need to be referred by a healthcare professional which may be a GP, a dentist, a school nurse, or community and specialist nurse. All referrals are assessed on the day of receipt and if a case is urgent, the service will contact the person within 48 hours to book an appointment.Most appointments are face to face but they do offer home visits if a patient is housebound and meets set criteria. Some appointments can be performed via a telephone consultation. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning the majority of health and care services, including podiatry services in England. ICBs arrange healthcare services to meet the needs of their local population within the available resources, and to reduce inequalities in access to, and outcomes from, healthcare services.

If he will make an estimate of the number of hours spent by (a) his Department and (b) Baroness Casey’s review team on the review since (a) 5 July 2024 and (b) 3 January 2025.

This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

How many times he has met Baroness Casey since (a) 5 July 2024 and (b) 3 January 2025.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, engages with Baroness Louise Casey regularly on a number of issues, including adult social care.The commission is independent, and Baroness Casey has the autonomy to define her own engagement plans, including with ministers, based on what she believes is most appropriate for the commission’s work.

How many meetings officials in his Department have had with (a) Baroness Casey and (b) her team (i) before and (ii) after 2 January 2025.

This information is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

How many people are in Baroness Casey’s review team.

There are 10 officials currently assigned to work in the secretariat of the independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. We expect that the secretariat will expand as the commission carries out its work, and as Baroness Casey considers what further skills and expertise she needs.In addition to this, there is a small sponsorship function of four officials based in the Department.

What steps he is taking to ensure the availability of givinostat to patients eligible through early access programmes.

The Department understands the impact that Duchenne muscular dystrophy has on those living with it, and their families, and the urgent need for new treatment options. If new therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy are approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), then appropriate commissioning plans will be put in place to enable equitable access to treatment through Specialised Neurology Services.The delivery of timely and equitable access to new treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy under company-sponsored early access schemes (EAPs) is not the responsibility of NHS England. Participation in company-led schemes is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level and under these programmes, the cost of the drug is free to both the patients taking part in it, and to the NHS, although NHS trusts must still cover the administration costs and provide the clinical resources to deliver the EAP.NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes, providing advice on potential financial, resourcing, and clinical risks.ICSs should use the guidance to help determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/

Whether his Department plans to include Chronic UTIs in the (a) 10-year Health Strategy and (b) next iteration of the Women’s Health Strategy.

The 10-Year Plan will set out how we tackle the inequities that lead to poor health. This will include how we will improve access to, and the experience of care for, conditions such as chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs). More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support people to manage their conditions, including chronic UTIs, closer to home.We are aware that recurrent UTIs are more prevalent in women. The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future, and our focus is on turning the commitments in the Women's Health Strategy into tangible actions to improve health for women.

What recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that patients receiving (a) stem cell transplants and (b) other cell therapies have access to specialist psychological support (i) before, (ii) during and (iii) after treatment.

As stipulated by NHS England in the blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) service specification, BMT services, which include stem cell transplants, should ensure that a full range of support staff is available, including social workers, and psychological, physiotherapy, pharmacy, and radiology support, for stem cell transplant recipients. BMT service providers are also expected to be accredited by the Joint Accreditation Committee of the International Society for Cellular Therapy and the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (JACIE), and the requirement for psychology support staff is also reflected in the eighth edition of the JACIE standards. For wider cell therapies, psychological support has been a requirement as part of any CAR-T core multidisciplinary team since 2018. It is also an important component for any commissioned advanced therapy medicinal product.

Whether the NHS Workforce Plan will include measures to encourage the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of clinical psychologists with a specialism in stem cell transplant and cell therapies.

Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment, including recruitment of clinical psychologists, at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place and with the right skills mix, to deliver safe and effective care.The Government is committed to publishing a refreshed NHS Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.NHS England is leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.

Whether UK Health Security Agency microbiology laboratories have the capability to carry out group B Streptococcus-specific enriched culture medium testing in accordance with the Public Health England guidance on Standards for Microbial Investigations B 58.

The provision of group B streptococcal microbiological laboratory testing is under review with clinical stakeholders. At present, this service, with respect to enriched culture medium testing, in accordance with Public Health England’s guidance on Standards for Microbial Investigations B 58, is not offered within regional UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) microbiology laboratories. The Bacteria Reference Department in UKHSA Colindale had specific accreditation under the United Kingdom Accreditation Service for group B Streptococci testing, which provides confirmation of group B Streptococci status and typing, based on the identification of 10 polysaccharide antigens.

What information his Department holds on regional variations in access to group B Streptococcus testing; and what steps are being taken to reduce those variations.

The UK National External Quality Assessment Service’s (NEQAS) microbiology service, hosted by The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has introduced a group B Streptococcus Screening External Quality Assessment scheme as of April 2025. The UKHSA does not currently collect regional variations in the provision of group B testing services.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle disparities in the incidence of group B Streptococcal infections among different (a) ethnic and (b) socioeconomic groups.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has co-ordinated periods of enhanced surveillance of invasive group B Streptococcal (GBS) in infants younger than 90 days, allowing for a greater understanding of the risk factors and outcomes of infection, which is vital in identifying opportunities for prevention. For example, a population-wide data analysis on race and ethnicity in neonatal GBS in England between 2016 and 2020 revealed marked differences in invasive GBS rates among black and minority ethnic infants. Further details of this study are available at the following link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35979728/ The UKHSA is working to identify target groups for future GBS vaccination through epidemiological analysis of invasive and non-invasive disease phenotypes in adults and children, and to identify ethnic disparities in rates of infant and maternal GBS. The UKHSA has also been progressing the development of maternal carriage studies to investigate differential rates of carriage according to ethnicity and other characteristics, including socioeconomic factors.

What steps he is taking to ensure that future changes to the (a) soft drinks industry levy and (b) other measures relating to sugar are responsive to the needs of people with Type 1 Diabetes who require continued access to affordable high sugar foods.

The prevention of ill health is a priority for the Government. We are committed to tackling obesity as a core part of our health mission, to support people to live longer, healthier lives and raise the healthiest generation of children.Most of the population are consuming double the free sugar recommendations of 5% total daily calorie intake. Diets high in sugar increase the risk of tooth decay and weight gain. Being overweight or living with obesity is associated with a range of negative health impacts such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some kinds of cancers.People with type 1 diabetes should only consume high sugar drinks in the event of hypoglycaemia, because of not eating enough carbohydrates or taking too much insulin. With proper management, hypoglycaemia should be a rare event, and the consumption of high sugar drinks kept to a minimum. In addition, high sugar drinks are available at a variety of price points.Diabetes UK has provided an online summary of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) and put this in the context of diabetes and its management. It includes advice on the use of drinks to treat hypoglycaemia and highlights that other products can also be used for this purpose e.g. glucose tablets, sweets such as jelly babies, pure fruit juice or glucose gels. It also highlights that some treatments may be prescribed for free for people with diabetes. Further information can be found at the following link:https://www.diabetes.org.uk/living-with-diabetes/eating/sugar-reduction-hypo-treatment-sugar-taxNHS England is supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to improve treatment and care for their populations and reduce variation of diabetes care, with NHS England supporting systems to be aware of the national data and insights through benchmarking and promoting good practice. NHS England has provided £3 million of funding to systems to provide clinical leadership to ensure that clinical diabetes metrics, such as care processes and treatment targets, are reviewed at ICB level and unwarranted variation identified. A resource hub of materials has been set up on Future NHS, including examples of innovation and best practice for improvement of care process delivery, and achievement of treatment targets.The SDIL came into force in 2018 and applies to producers and importers of added sugar soft drinks that contain 5 grams total sugar or more per 100 millilitres. If the currently proposed change to the lower sugar threshold comes into force, it will only impact around 17% of additional sales volumes for products containing between 4 and 4.9 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres. The only change impacting high sugar drinks is the uprating of the tax rate, and with both these changes it is up to businesses to decide whether to pass through to consumers any additional costs associated with paying the tax.