Written questions by Gardner.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the NHS app for visually impaired users.

We are working to improve access to digital services, outcomes, and experiences for all. Patients unable to use digital channels can continue to access services via telephone and through traditional face-to-face services.We conduct user research on an ongoing basis with users from diverse backgrounds to ensure our service works for everyone. This includes patients with a range of access needs and diverse groups, such as ethnic minority groups, those with visual impairments, neurodiversity, and/or physical impairments. We have recruited users who are blind or partially sighted in community-based research, research with local National Health Service teams, and in remote research, either one to one or in groups. We use the findings of user research to plan and prioritise new work to improve accessibility.Centrally built services, such as the NHS App and NHS website, are designed to meet international accessibility standards. We are modernising the mobile patient experience within the NHS App, ensuring information is clearly structured and easy to find and understand.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve the supply of liquid potassium chloride.

The Department is aware of supply issues affecting potassium chloride 375mg/5ml syrup (Kay-Cee-L® syrup). We issued comprehensive communications to healthcare professionals which includes guidance on how to manage affected patients during the shortage.Alternative formulations of potassium effervescent tablets remain available, and the Department has reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed potassium chloride oral solution for patients.The Department is aware that this product has been divested to another manufacturer. We are working closely with the new manufacturer and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to expedite regulatory procedures where possible to ensure that supplies of licensed potassium chloride syrup are made available as soon as possible.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) help tackle illegal sales of semaglutide and (b) regulate unlicensed pharmacists.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the regulation of all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. This also includes applying the legal controls on the retail sale, supply and advertising of medicines which are set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.Public safety is the number one priority for the MHRA and its Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) works hard to prevent, detect and investigate illegal activity involving medicines and medical devices. This year, the CEU and its partners have seized millions of doses of illegally traded medicines, including weight loss products.The MHRA also works closely with web-based sales platforms and the internet industry to identify and remove non-compliant medicines and medical devices where possible. This has included the suspension of hundreds of websites and social media listings linked to the sale of weight loss products over the last two years.The MHRA works tirelessly to develop new and innovative ways to tackle the trade in illegal medicines. This includes:- enhanced collaboration with search engine and UK internet service providers aimed at blocking harmful online content;- boosted collaboration with Home Office Border Force allowing the MHRA to grow its operational footprint at the border and increase the interdiction rates of illegally trafficked medicines;- the launch of an online checker that allows users to search if a website offering medicines has been deemed fraudulent by the MHRA;- implementation of a web-based reporting scheme allowing users to report suspicious websites, online marketplace listings and social media channels directly to the MHRA; and- the use of cutting-edge technology to identify, track and seize the proceeds of crime, including cryptocurrency. The MHRA’s FakeMeds campaign provides advice to people in the UK who are considering buying medication online, outlining how products can be accessed from safe and legitimate sources.Anyone who believes they have had a side effect from a medicine, or think they’ve received falsified stock, can report it to the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme.Most legitimate weight loss products are prescription-only medicines, meaning that a consultation with a doctor or qualified healthcare professional is needed to assess the patient's suitability for the treatment and consider any potential risks. Usually, they should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy against a valid prescription. The General Pharmaceutical Council is responsible for the regulation of pharmacies and pharmacists licensed to practice in Great Britain.

How many families are receiving support from Healthy Start in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Stafford.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start. The number of people receiving support from the Healthy Start scheme in March 2025 in Stoke-on-Trent was 2,592, and in Stafford was 566.

What progress his Department has made on tackling the shortage of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy drugs.

The Department is continuing to engage with all suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to boost production to mitigate the supply issue. Increased volumes of PERT are expected for 2025, and specialist importers have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the gap in the market. In December, the Department issued further management advice to healthcare professionals. This directs clinicians to unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable, and includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a public facing page to include the latest updates on PERT availability and easily accessible prescribing advice.

What steps his Department is taking to end the difference between the treatment of military and civil compensation payments in means tests for disabled facilities grants.

We are giving older and disabled people more independence in their own homes through an immediate in-year uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) of £86 million in 2024/25. This increase will provide approximately 7,800 additional home adaptations. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. The Government also announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for the 2025/26 financial year at the Budget, bringing total funding for 2025/26 to £711 million. To ensure the DFG is as effective as possible, we will continue to keep different aspects of the grant, including the means test, under consideration.

What steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for patients with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in Stoke-on-Trent.

The Department is working with NHS England to deliver interventions to improve outcomes for those with pancreatic cancer across England, including Stoke-on-Trent.As the first step to ensure faster diagnosis and treatment, we will deliver an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week.Early diagnosis is imperative to improving outcomes for all types of cancer, especially pancreatic cancer due to the non-specific nature of its symptoms. NHS England is providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at inherited high-risk to identify lesions before they develop into cancer. NHS England is additionally creating pathways to support faster referral routes for people with non-specific symptoms and is increasing direct access for general practitioners to diagnostic tests.NHS England is also funding a new audit into pancreatic cancer, aiming to provide regular and timely evidence to cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, to increase the consistency of access to treatments and to stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce ambulance waiting times in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.

The Government recognises the pressures on the National Health Service during the winter period and the impact this is having on ambulance response times, including in Stoke-on-Trent.We are committed to supporting the National Health Service to improve performance and achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution but must be clear that there are no quick fixes.However, we are determined to turn things around through investment and reform. The Chancellor announced £25.6 billion of additional healthcare funding over the next two years, and we will set out a 10-Year Health Plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) provide support for and (b) increase capacity of drug and alcohol recovery services in Stoke-on-Trent.

The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for evidenced-based, high-quality treatment. In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department provides additional funding to support drug and alcohol services. In 2024/25, a total of £4,670,913 was allocated to Stoke-on-Trent. This included £2,906,020 for the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant, £939,906 for the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant, £589,429 for the Housing Support Grant, £165,719 for the Individual Placement and Support Grant (employment support), and £69,839 for the Inpatient Detoxification Grant. Future targeted funding for drug and alcohol treatment services beyond 2025 will be announced very shortly.The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) provides monitoring, data, guidance, and targeted support to help local authorities, such as Stoke-on-Trent, to support improvement of drug and alcohol treatment. For Stoke-on-Trent, this support includes regular meetings with the Director of Public Health, commissioners, and providers to discuss treatment and recovery delivery, site visits by OHID, and engagement in improvement support programmes, for example introducing innovation into treatment services to improve access and retention for people who use opiates.Additionally, OHID has published guidance for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services in their areas, with more information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-quality-standard-alcohol-and-drug-services The Department continues to work with all local areas to address unmet need and drug misuse deaths and to drive improvements in continuity of care. This includes the Unmet Need Toolkit which can be used by local areas to assess gaps in referral pathways. The toolkit also contains guidance on good practice to reduce the level of unmet need and target priority or underserved groups.

What steps his Department is taking to improve provision of post-natal mental health care in Stoke-on-Trent.

Stoke-on-Trent is one of 75 local authorities that is receiving funding to provide bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.However, more is needed. Access to these services varies across the country and too many people with mental health issues, including mothers in the 24 months postpartum, are not getting the support or care they need. NHS England is working to ensure that services are accessible to all women who need them.

What steps he is taking through the implementation of an alcohol strategy to tackle problem drinking.

Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. The Department will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms.

What steps he is taking to fund improved provisions for addiction support services in Stoke-on-Trent South.

In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department provides additional funding to support drug and alcohol services. In 2024/25 a total of £4,670,913 was allocated to Stoke-on-Trent. This included £2,906,020 for the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery grant, £939,906 for the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant, £589,429 for the Housing Support Grant, £165,719 for the Individual Placement and Support Grant (employment support), and £69,839 for the Inpatient Detoxification Grant. This funding is provided at a local authority level and information on funding at a constituency level is not available. Future targeted funding for drug and alcohol treatment services beyond 2025 will be announced very shortly.The Government is providing £70 million of additional funding for local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England in 2024/25, building on existing funding made available via the Public Health Grant. The Government will also provide a further £70 million funding for Stop Smoking Services in 2025/26. As part of this additional funding Stoke-on-Trent has been allocated £381,688 for Stop Smoking Services in 2025/26.The Department remains focused on ensuring those experiencing gambling-related harm can access the right care at the right time. The introduction of a new statutory levy on gambling operators will provide increased, independent funding to support the improvement and expansion of treatment and support services, with NHS England acting as the main treatment commissioner.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce waiting lists and (b) expand provision for pain management services in Stoke-on-Trent.

Tackling waiting lists and expanding provision is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government. We have committed to getting back to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients should be seen within 18 weeks of referral to treatment by the end of this Parliament.On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, part of the Government’s Plan for Change, which sets out a whole system approach to reducing waiting lists and hitting the 18-week target by the end of this Parliament. The plan sets out the efforts needed to ensure that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care, including those using the National Health Service in Stoke-on-Trent.We have set an ambition to make progress on the 18-week standard in 2025/26 so that 65% of patients nationally wait no longer than 18 weeks and set a target for all Trusts to improve on their current performance on this standard by a minimum of five percentage points by March 2026.Currently, the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, on average, runs 11 clinics each week in the main outpatient department at Royal Stoke University Hospital for pain management. The trust also host the Stoke-on-Trent Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC). The CDC is open and delivering more timely, accessible, and additional diagnostic tests for patients in Stoke-on-Trent. Under our plan, we expect all CDCs to open 12 hours per day, seven days a week, to deliver additional diagnostic capacity for local populations.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of trainee GPs who undertake specialist training in mental health.

The standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is an independent statutory body. The GMC has the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for professional practice.   The curriculum for general practitioner (GP) specialty training is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners and must meet the standards set by the GMC and be formally approved by them.  Whilst the curriculum may not necessarily highlight a specific condition, it instead emphasises the skills and approaches a GP must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients. This is assessed by the MRCGP Examination.   Health Education England, now part of NHS England, published a reform of GP Specialty Training, and this includes enhancing mental health training for all.

What steps he has taken to improve mental health provision for young people in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.

Too many young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, including in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency, and we know that waits for mental health services are too long. As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also provide access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures Hubs in every community.There are currently approximately 65 locally funded early support hubs in England offering early easy access mental health interventions to thousands of children and young people aged between 11 and 25 years old including those from low-income families.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled New reforms and independent commission to transform social care, published on 3 January 2025, how these reforms will improve service provision in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.

In January 2025, we announced that we will be taking forward a range of initiatives, including funding more home adaptations, promoting better use of care technologies, and further professionalising the adult social care workforce.On top of the Budget making £3.7 billion of additional funding available to social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant, this announcement included an immediate £86 million uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant. Local authority funding allocations will be announced shortly.We also announced that in April 2025 we will be launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. This will start a national conversation about what care and support working age adults, older people, and their families expect. The commission will identify the biggest challenges in adult social care and recommend practical changes to best meet the current and future needs of the population across England.

What steps his Department is taking to increase recruitment of (a) healthcare and (b) dentistry professionals in rural areas.

We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. A central part of the plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to ensure the NHS has the right people across healthcare and dentistry, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.To tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care, the Government has launched a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most.Integrated care boards have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

Whether his Department plans to improve access to adrenaline pens (a) for first aid organisations and (b) in schools.

Since October 2017, the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017 have allowed all schools to buy adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) devices without a prescription, for emergency use. The Department has published non-statutory guidance to accompany this legislative change, with the guidance being available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/using-emergency-adrenaline-auto-injectors-in-schoolsThis guidance advises schools on the recognition and management of an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis, and outlines when and how an AAI should be administered for pupils. The guidance makes clear that any AAIs held by a school should be considered a spare device and not a replacement for a pupil’s own AAIs. It also states that children at risk of anaphylaxis should have their own prescribed AAIs at school for use in an emergency, and that they should always carry two devices.In November 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Commission on Human Medicine’s Adrenaline Auto-injector Expert Working Group, with wide-ranging input from patient groups, leading allergy experts and healthcare professionals, published a report which outlined recommendations for the safe and effective use of AAIs, including quicker treatment, to help save lives. The MHRA has worked alongside the Department and wider health system to take forward these recommendations, some of which are already in place.In June 2023, the MHRA, with the support of allergy awareness advocates, launched a safety campaign to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and provide advice on the use of AAIs.The MHRA produced a toolkit of resources for health and social care professionals to support the safe and effective use of AAIs. Alongside this, the MHRA produced guidance, which states that prescribers should prescribe two AAIs to make sure patients always have the second dose and that those who are prescribed AAIs should always carry two of them.A public consultation will be needed before a decision can be made on the wider availability of AAIs in public places, including with first aid organisations, together with legislative change.The Community First Responder (CFR) programme enables volunteers trained by the ambulance service to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work. CFRs have had first aid training but are not medically trained. CFRs are trained in the administration of a patient’s own AAI, which would ensure the correct medication and dose for that patient. In general, CFRs do not carry medication.

What progress his Department has made on the creation of a National Care Service.

The Government is committed to building consensus on the long-term reform needed to create a National Care Service, including by engaging cross-party and with people who draw on care and support.Alongside our plan for health, we will create a 10-year plan for social care which recognises the importance of social care in its own right, as well as its role in the success of the National Health Service. On 10 October, we took a critical step by introducing legislation to establish the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for care professionals to ensure care workers are recognised and fairly rewarded for the important work they do.To stabilise the system in the short term, we are providing at least £600 million of new grant funding for social care to support local authorities. This is part of a broader real-terms uplift to core local government spending power of approximately 3.2%.

Whether his Department plans to widen bariatric patient access to (a) Wegovy, (b) Mounjaro and (c) other weight management drugs.

Obesity medicines can be effective for some patients living with obesity when prescribed alongside diet, physical activity, and behavioural support. Exactly what is most appropriate for an individual is down to health care professionals to advise, in discussion with patients, and considering relevant clinical guidance.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources, and for providing guidance for the health and care system on best practice.The NICE has recommended orlistat, liraglutide (Saxenda), and semaglutide (Wegovy) as clinically and cost-effective drugs for weight management in adults in the NHS in England. NICE guidance includes eligibility criteria and, for some products like Saxenda and Wegovy, a restriction that these treatments should be used within specialist weight management services. The NICE is in the process of finalising its guidance on tirzepatide, also known as Mounjaro, and recently consulted on its draft recommendations.Integrated care boards are responsible for arranging the provision of health services within their area in line with local priorities, considering population need and relevant guidance. This includes the commissioning of NHS specialist weight management services.