Written questions by Hack.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that publicly accessible defibrillators are registered on The Circuit Database.

According to the British Heart Foundation, who operates The Circuit, there are now over 110,000 registered defibrillators in the United Kingdom. This is an increase of 30,000 since September 2023.Many charities which supply defibrillators through a fund require those defibrillators to be registered on The Circuit. Many defibrillator charities also promote The Circuit on their website.The Government considers introducing legislation to require publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be registered on The Circuit or other independently owned AED databases at this time to be disproportionate. Local communities obtaining AEDs do so on a voluntary basis and introducing legal requirements could disincentive this voluntary action. Therefore, there are currently no plans to bring forward such legislation.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on the mandatory registration of newly installed public-access defibrillators on The Circuit database.

According to the British Heart Foundation, who operates The Circuit, there are now over 110,000 registered defibrillators in the United Kingdom. This is an increase of 30,000 since September 2023.Many charities which supply defibrillators through a fund require those defibrillators to be registered on The Circuit. Many defibrillator charities also promote The Circuit on their website.The Government considers introducing legislation to require publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be registered on The Circuit or other independently owned AED databases at this time to be disproportionate. Local communities obtaining AEDs do so on a voluntary basis and introducing legal requirements could disincentive this voluntary action. Therefore, there are currently no plans to bring forward such legislation.

Whether his Department has any plans to make Defibrillators accessible with universal codes to maximise emergency availability.

There are no plans to introduce universal access codes for public-access automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Some charities which supply AEDs do so with cabinets that have a universal code, some communities choose to leave their cabinets unlocked, whereas others do not due to the risk of damage or theft. It is for local communities to determine what security arrangements are appropriate for their AEDs.However, phoning 999 in an emergency allows access to a defibrillator if it is registered on the Circuit. Over 110,000 AEDs are now registered on The Circuit, and the Department continues to encourage voluntary installation and registration.

What consideration he has made of research published by Cardiac Risk in the Young on the importance of cardiac screening in young people.

The Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. Where the committee is confident that offering screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.The UK NSC will open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death this spring.While the committee is aware of the research recently published by Cardiac Risk in the Young, any evidence published in February 2026 will not be included in the current UK NSC consultation document, as the literature review commissioned by the committee must be completed and analysed before a consultation is published. However, the public consultation provides an opportunity for members of the public and stakeholders to draw the committee’s attention to any relevant questions or evidence that may not have been captured by the review, and which could inform its recommendation.

What steps he is taking to (a) improve multi-disciplinary team care for people with Huntington’s disease and (b) encourage the use of specialist inpatient units, community multi-disciplinary teams and advisory services.

The 10-Year Health Plan for England sets out the Government’s ambition to establish Neighbourhood Health Centres in every community. Neighbourhood health will bring more care into local communities, tailoring services to meet those needs through local co-ordinated teams, addressing not just clinical needs but wider support needs, and ensuring that services can be accessed as easily as possible for each individual. The NHS England revised Specialised Neurology Services (Adults) – service specification is due to be implemented from 2026 onwards and also outlines a comprehensive model of care, detailing the requirements for specialised neurology services and outlining the expectations of a system-wide approach. This includes access to specialist inpatient units for those patients with the most complex presentations, as well as multi-disciplinary team working and advice and guidance. The document is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/specialised-neurology-services-adults-service-specification-august-2025.pdf NHS England Neurology Transformation Programme is developing a neurology transformation toolkit, including a document outlining a model of care for integrated neurology care. This document outlines the impact of care coordination and case management functions in supporting more equitable and efficient care for people with long-term neurological diseases, including Huntington’s disease.

Whether the backlog and other impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the breast cancer screening programme has been completed.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) has returned to normal operation following disruption from COVID-19 and subsequent recovery measures.NHSBSP is seeing improvement in uptake nationally with annual data for 2023/24 showing the number of women who are up to date with their screening has increased to the highest on record, to 4.61 million.Breast screening uptake among those invited in 2023/24 improved to 70%, an increase from 64.6% in 2022/23, which is the first time the NHSBSP has hit its acceptable target for breast screening uptake since before the pandemic.In February 2025, NHS England launched the first ever National Health Service breast screening campaign nationally to widespread media attention. It ran across television, radio, social media, and outdoor advertising during February and March, targeting women of breast screening age, with a focus on those least likely to attend, including younger women, those in deprived areas, ethnic minorities, and disabled women.Specifically, regarding North West Leicestershire, measures to improve uptake include implementation of a timed appointment system which gives patients a specific date and time for their screening appointment, rather than asking them to contact the service to arrange one themselves. Evidence has shown that timed appointments improve participation and help reduce health inequalities. In addition, workforce structure is being reviewed to ensure a resilient staffing establishment capable of managing the higher demand from the timed appointment system.More broadly, the integrated care board works with NHS England to support an increase in breast screening across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rugby. This includes:video shared via a link in a text message outlining the benefits of breast screening, targeted at women who have not attended their previous screening appointmenta multidisciplinary project to address the requirements of women with a serious mental illness to attend for their breast screeningworking with primary care liaison nurses to support women with learning disabilities to attend for their breast screening

How he plans to support areas with lower than national average attendance to breast cancer screening appointments, such as North West Leicestershire.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) has returned to normal operation following disruption from COVID-19 and subsequent recovery measures.NHSBSP is seeing improvement in uptake nationally with annual data for 2023/24 showing the number of women who are up to date with their screening has increased to the highest on record, to 4.61 million.Breast screening uptake among those invited in 2023/24 improved to 70%, an increase from 64.6% in 2022/23, which is the first time the NHSBSP has hit its acceptable target for breast screening uptake since before the pandemic.In February 2025, NHS England launched the first ever National Health Service breast screening campaign nationally to widespread media attention. It ran across television, radio, social media, and outdoor advertising during February and March, targeting women of breast screening age, with a focus on those least likely to attend, including younger women, those in deprived areas, ethnic minorities, and disabled women.Specifically, regarding North West Leicestershire, measures to improve uptake include implementation of a timed appointment system which gives patients a specific date and time for their screening appointment, rather than asking them to contact the service to arrange one themselves. Evidence has shown that timed appointments improve participation and help reduce health inequalities. In addition, workforce structure is being reviewed to ensure a resilient staffing establishment capable of managing the higher demand from the timed appointment system.More broadly, the integrated care board works with NHS England to support an increase in breast screening across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rugby. This includes:video shared via a link in a text message outlining the benefits of breast screening, targeted at women who have not attended their previous screening appointmenta multidisciplinary project to address the requirements of women with a serious mental illness to attend for their breast screeningworking with primary care liaison nurses to support women with learning disabilities to attend for their breast screening

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of targeted interventions to improve breast cancer screening uptake among underserved groups.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) has returned to normal operation following disruption from COVID-19 and subsequent recovery measures.NHSBSP is seeing improvement in uptake nationally with annual data for 2023/24 showing the number of women who are up to date with their screening has increased to the highest on record, to 4.61 million.Breast screening uptake among those invited in 2023/24 improved to 70%, an increase from 64.6% in 2022/23, which is the first time the NHSBSP has hit its acceptable target for breast screening uptake since before the pandemic.In February 2025, NHS England launched the first ever National Health Service breast screening campaign nationally to widespread media attention. It ran across television, radio, social media, and outdoor advertising during February and March, targeting women of breast screening age, with a focus on those least likely to attend, including younger women, those in deprived areas, ethnic minorities, and disabled women.Specifically, regarding North West Leicestershire, measures to improve uptake include implementation of a timed appointment system which gives patients a specific date and time for their screening appointment, rather than asking them to contact the service to arrange one themselves. Evidence has shown that timed appointments improve participation and help reduce health inequalities. In addition, workforce structure is being reviewed to ensure a resilient staffing establishment capable of managing the higher demand from the timed appointment system.More broadly, the integrated care board works with NHS England to support an increase in breast screening across Leicester, Leicestershire, Rugby. This includes:video shared via a link in a text message outlining the benefits of breast screening, targeted at women who have not attended their previous screening appointmenta multidisciplinary project to address the requirements of women with a serious mental illness to attend for their breast screeningworking with primary care liaison nurses to support women with learning disabilities to attend for their breast screening

What discussions his Department has had with owners of defibrillators on encouraging them to register the defibrillators on The Circuit.

The Department has not held any discussions with the owners or guardians of defibrillators. Publicly accessible defibrillators owned by local community organisations are acquired through a variety of means. This can include applying for one from a charity operated fund, purchasing one directly from a charity, or purchasing one as a private purchase. It is not uncommon for charities supplying defibrillators through a fund to require those defibrillators to be registered on The Circuit. Defibrillator charities also promote The Circuit on their website.There is no registry or database of defibrillator purchases in England, and it would not be appropriate for the Department to have access to the personal information of the people who purchase these devices. Therefore, it is not possible for the Department to contact people who have purchased a defibrillator privately, be it through a charity or from a private company.

Whether his Department has considered prioritising the integration of PCOS care into Women's Health Hubs.

Women’s health hubs bring together healthcare professionals and existing services to provide integrated women’s health services in the community, centred on meeting women’s needs across their life course.As set out in the core specification on the GOV.UK website, women’s health hubs should provide assessment and treatment for menstrual problems, including but not limited to care for heavy, painful, or irregular menstrual bleeding, and care for conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome.We are looking to integrated care boards to further expand their coverage of women’s health hubs to improve local delivery of services to women. We will support them in doing so, drawing on the learning from the existing women’s health hubs.

What steps he is taking to ensure that new NICE guidelines on PCOS are embedded in a nationally commissioned diagnostic pathway to reduce diagnostic delays.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not yet published its clinical guideline on the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. The guideline is currently in development and NICE expects to publish the final guideline in November 2026. Once published, National Health Service commissioners will be expected to take the guideline fully into account in designing services that meet the needs of their local populations.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding investment in mental health support and screening within PCOS treatment plans.

While we have no plans at present to make such an assessment, we know that more needs to be done to support women with gynaecological conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support and to provide the right support at the right time to the right people, including women with PCOS. We are transforming mental health services into 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres, expanding talking therapies, and giving patients better access to 24/7 support directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies.For 2025/26, mental health spending is forecast to amount to £15.6 billion. This represents a significant uplift of £688 million in real terms spending on mental health compared to the previous financial year.In the Spending Review announcement, we have confirmed that we will fulfil our commitment to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers for children and adults by the end of this Parliament. 6,700 of these workers have been recruited since July, meaning we are more than halfway towards our target.

If his Department will (a) collect and (b) publish data on the (i) prevalence, (ii) diagnosis and (iii) treatment of PCOS in England.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that can be diagnosed in multiple different ways, including without a diagnosis code and in primary care settings, and therefore it is very difficult to identify the number of specific diagnostic tests carried out overall.However, the diagnosis code for PCOS is recorded in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) dataset. The number of patients treated in secondary care where the primary diagnosis is PCOS is as follows:in 2023/24, there were 2,226 outpatient attendances for patients with a recorded primary diagnosis of PCOS; andin 2023/24, there were 1,169 admitted treatment episodes for patients with a recorded primary diagnosis of PCOS.The most recent publications for outpatient and admitted activity in 2023/24, namely the Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity Diagnosis 2023 to 2024 table and the Outpatient Primary Diagnosis by Attendance Type 2023 to 2024 table, have been placed in the Library due to the size of the data.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that patients have timely access to pharmacy services in areas where community pharmacies have closed.

The Government has been clear that community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, bringing healthcare to the heart of the high street, as set out in our 10-Year Health Plan.There are over 10,400 pharmacies in England. Despite a reduction in the number of pharmacies, access to pharmacies remains good. Over 80% of the population live within one mile of a pharmacy and there are twice as many pharmacies in the most deprived areas. In some rural areas where there is no pharmacy, general practitioners are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the over 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver medicines they dispense free of charge to patients.For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. There is also additional funding available, for example for pharmacies delivering Pharmacy First consultations and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the rate of community pharmacy closures in England.

The Government has been clear that community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, bringing healthcare to the heart of the high street, as set out in our 10-Year Health Plan.There are over 10,400 pharmacies in England. Despite a reduction in the number of pharmacies, access to pharmacies remains good. Over 80% of the population live within one mile of a pharmacy and there are twice as many pharmacies in the most deprived areas. In some rural areas where there is no pharmacy, general practitioners are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the over 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver medicines they dispense free of charge to patients.For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. There is also additional funding available, for example for pharmacies delivering Pharmacy First consultations and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

What steps his Department is taking to help support the long-term (a) financial and (b) operational sustainability of community pharmacies.

The Government has been clear that community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service, bringing healthcare to the heart of the high street, as set out in our 10-Year Health Plan.There are over 10,400 pharmacies in England. Despite a reduction in the number of pharmacies, access to pharmacies remains good. Over 80% of the population live within one mile of a pharmacy and there are twice as many pharmacies in the most deprived areas. In some rural areas where there is no pharmacy, general practitioners are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the over 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver medicines they dispense free of charge to patients.For 2025/26, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework has been increased to £3.073 billion. This represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. There is also additional funding available, for example for pharmacies delivering Pharmacy First consultations and flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that the potential impact on carers is taken into account in NICE’s health technology appraisal decisions.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) technology appraisal process allows its independent committees to take societal benefits, such as health-related quality-of-life for carers and impacts on personal social services, into account. NICE’s methods are set out in its published health technology evaluations manual, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/process/pmg36Evaluations should consider all health effects for patients, and, when relevant, carers. When presenting health effects for carers, evidence should show when the condition is associated with a substantial effect on a carer’s health-related quality of life and how the technology affects carers. This applies for all therapies, including therapies for rare diseases. NICE appraisals specifically consider health-related quality of life, for both patients and carers, rather than quality of life as a whole.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that NICE appraisal decisions for (a) progressive and (b) degenerative diseases are taken in a timely manner. .

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. To enable rapid access for NHS patients to effective new treatments, NICE aims, wherever possible, to issue recommendations on new medicines close to the point of licensing. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.In line with commitments set out in the Regulation Action Plan, NICE is continuing to transform its technology appraisal process and is aiming for 60% of technology appraisals to be completed in 240 working days after the start of the appraisal. NICE is also working to align its processes with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, supported by information sharing and joint scientific advice, to speed up decision making and reduce the administrative burden for the system and industry, allowing new and innovative technologies to get to patients faster.

Whether his Department plans to review the manner in which NICE considers carer-related quality of life in its assessments of treatments for (a) rare, (b) progressive and (c) paediatric diseases.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) technology appraisal process allows its independent committees to take societal benefits, such as health-related quality-of-life for carers and impacts on personal social services, into account. NICE’s methods are set out in its published health technology evaluations manual, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/process/pmg36Evaluations should consider all health effects for patients, and, when relevant, carers. When presenting health effects for carers, evidence should show when the condition is associated with a substantial effect on a carer’s health-related quality of life and how the technology affects carers. This applies for all therapies, including therapies for rare diseases. NICE appraisals specifically consider health-related quality of life, for both patients and carers, rather than quality of life as a whole.

Whether he has had discussions with NHS England on the potential merits of funding research on using AI based on the knowledge of expert cardiologists to help interpret ECGs for the diagnosis of young people with cardiac conditions in (a) primary and (b) secondary care.

The National Health Service has set an ambitious goal in its new 10-Year Plan that by 2035, artificial intelligence (AI) should be seamlessly integrated into most clinical pathways, with tools like generative AI being widely adopted and continuously improved. The aim is for the NHS to become a global leader in the ethical use of AI.One promising area is the use of AI to interpret electrocardiograms (ECGs). While AI is not yet routinely used for ECG interpretation in NHS practice, it is being actively developed and tested in research and pilot settings. Major funders such as the British Heart Foundation, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and the Medical Research Council are supporting this work to improve the speed, accuracy, and accessibility of ECG analysis.However, there are still important challenges to overcome. Different studies use different types of ECG recordings and data preparation methods, making it difficult to compare results or identify best practices. AI models also need further refinement to ensure they work well across diverse patient groups, including young people. Importantly, these tools must be thoroughly validated, clinicians must be trained to use them, and appropriate legal and ethical frameworks must be in place before they can be safely adopted into routine care.Research teams are working to address these barriers. For example, NHS trials are planned to begin in late 2025 at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. These trials will test whether an AI model can accurately predict long-term health risks from routine ECGs.At the same time, United Kingdom health regulators are developing the rules and safety checks needed to ensure that AI tools are accurate, fair, and safe for patients.