Written questions by Cooper.

What assessment he has made of the reasons for the current waitlist for Cancer patients awaiting treatment.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the wait time for (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment for patients with cancer.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of specialist rehabilitation services and supported housing provision for people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia and schizoaffective d

Awaiting answer.

What discussions his Department has had with NICE and pharmaceutical manufacturers regarding the assessment and potential availability in England of xanomeline-trospium chloride (Cobenfy) for the t

Department ministers and officials regularly discuss a range of issues with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), including in relation to the development of guidance on individual products.Xanomeline-trospium chlorid...

Whether his Department has assessed the adequacy of health outcomes of adults with cerebral palsy following transition from paediatric to adult services.

We recognise that cerebral palsy is not just a childhood condition, and we are committed to ensuring that people living with cerebral palsy have access to appropriate support and services at all stages of their life, so they can fulfil their potential and...

Whether he plans to develop a national (a) pathway and (b) service specification for adults with cerebral palsy.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people living with cerebral palsy have access to appropriate support and services throughout their lives, enabling them to fulfil their potential and lead healthy, productive lives.The National Institute for He...

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of healthcare provision for adults with cerebral palsy.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people living with cerebral palsy have access to appropriate support and services throughout their lives, enabling them to fulfil their potential and lead healthy, productive lives.The National Institute for He...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing regular health reviews for adults with cerebral palsy.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people living with cerebral palsy have access to appropriate support and services throughout their lives, enabling them to fulfil their potential and lead healthy, productive lives.The National Institute for He...

Which professional groups are currently included in NHS clinical pathways for patients prescribed weight loss medications; and what guidance his Department has issued on clinical oversight for those pathways.

Weight loss medicines are available through National Health Service specialist weight management services and, from June 2025 tirzepatide, brand name Mounjaro, is being made available in primary care through a phased approach. In specialist services, patients receive wraparound care from a multidisciplinary team providing nutritional, psychological, and medical support, tailored to individual need. In primary care, clinical oversight is provided by general practitioners and other prescribing healthcare professionals, with behavioural support delivered through locally commissioned services or via the national Healthier You: NHS Behavioural Support for Obesity Prescribing service. NHS England does not routinely hold information on the specific professional groups included in local clinical pathways. National guidance to support prescribing and clinical oversight includes: the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal 1026 Tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity;NICE’s Practical guide to using medicines to manage overweight and obesity; andNHS England’s interim commissioning guidance. Integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring robust clinical governance of these pathways.

What estimate he has made of the number of dietitians required to adequately support obesity, diabetes and malnutrition services in community healthcare settings in England.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the 10 Year Workforce Plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups. The plan will be published in spring 2026.As of January 2026, there are 5,624 full time equivalent (FTE) dietitians in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is 220 (4.1%) more than last year, 1,040 (22.7%) than 2021, and 2,321 (70.3%) more than in 2010.

What steps he is taking to improve the (a) completeness and (b) quality of data collected on waiting times to access adult community eating disorder services.

Adult eating disorders are covered by the overall adult waiting time metrics developed through the Clinically Led Review of Standards. Work to implement adult community mental health time-based metrics therefore also applies to adult community eating disorder services. To improve completeness and quality of data submitted to the Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS), the Adult Mental Health team has developed SNOMED CT clinical coding guidance and national reference sets to support accurate recording of assessments, interventions, medications, and waiting time clock stops. Online training modules have been published to support providers with MHSDS submissions, with further pathway-specific modules and clinical descriptor guidance in development, alongside planned educational sessions for 2026/27. The national Data Collections Service provides proactive one-to-one data quality support to providers, and an experimental access and waiting times dashboard is available on NHS Futures. In addition, NHS England publishes data quality information on all MHSDS submissions and contacts providers monthly to address identified issues. Together, these measures are intended to strengthen the completeness and accuracy of waiting time data for adult community eating disorder services.

Whether he plans to commission national training to support the workforce delivering Children and Young People’s Eating Disorder Services.

NHS England already has comprehensive eating disorder training in place for staff across mental and physical health services, including those delivering Children and Young People’s Eating Disorder Services (CYP ED). This covers both awareness-raising and specialist up-skilling, with e-learning and simulation training available to doctors, general practitioners and primary care clinicians, nurses across all four branches, acute hospital staff, dietitians, and pharmacy teams. Following the 2017 Ombudsman report Ignoring the Alarms, NHS England worked with Beat and the Royal College of Psychiatrists to strengthen training on the safe medical management of eating disorders, which remains available. More recently, NHS England has commissioned further specialist training to support the CYP ED workforce, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Eating Disorders Credential, family-based therapies, cognitive behavioural therapy for eating disorders, and training on Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Together, this national programme of training ensures that the workforce is better equipped to identify risk early and provide safe, effective, evidence-based care for children and young people wherever they present.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access to multidisciplinary rehabilitation services for people with functional neurological disorder across Integrated Care Boards (a) in general and (b) for people under 18.

The National Institute for Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, including acquired brain injury, was published in October 2025 and with the code NG252, includes functional neurological disorder within its scope. The guideline, which covers rehabilitation in all settings for children, young people, and adults with a chronic neurological disorder, neurological impairment, or disabling neurological symptoms, recommends a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation. The guideline emphasises the need for personalised care plans that address physical, cognitive, and psychological needs.We expect integrated care boards to take NICE guidelines fully into account when designing and commissioning services to meet the needs of their local populations. NICE guidelines represent authoritative, evidence-based recommendations on best practice, including clinical and cost-effectiveness considerations. This approach ensures consistency, quality, and equity in service provision across the National Health Service. The guideline is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng252

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for covid-19 vaccinations to groups not included in the vaccination programme.

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness (hospitalisations and deaths) arising from COVID-19. Population immunity to COVID-19 has been increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.The focus of the JCVI advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed.On 13 November 2024, JCVI published advice on who should be offered vaccination in autumn 2025. On 26 June 2025, the Government accepted the JCVI’s advice that in autumn 2025, a COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to the following groups:adults aged 75 years and over;residents in care homes for older adults;individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed (as defined in the ‘immunosuppression’ sections of tables 3 or 4 in the COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book).The Government has no plans to change eligibility for autumn 2025. It has accepted the JCVI advice for this campaign in full. As for all vaccines, the JCVI keeps the evidence under regular review.

When he expects NICE to publish the updated fertility guidance.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the independent body responsible for translating evidence into authoritative guidance for the health and care system on best practice, is currently updating its guidance on the assessment and treatment of fertility problems. NICE’s consultation on its draft guidance will run from 10 September 2025 to 21 October 2025, and final guidance is expected to be published in March 2026.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of hydrotherapy services on people with learning disabilities.

NHS England advises that there is not a strong evidence base for the benefits of hydrotherapy for people with learning disabilities. As part of their duties under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are expected to ensure high quality services that put the wellbeing of people who draw on care at the centre of decisions and ensure positive outcomes. It is the role of local authorities to facilitate the personalisation of care and support services and encourage a variety of services for their population, such as community support options.As set out in NHS England’s Planning Guidance, integrated care boards (ICBs) are expected to work with local system colleagues to ensure that there is high quality and accessible community infrastructure in place for people with a learning disability and autistic people. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/ICBs are expected to assign an executive lead role for learning disability and autism to support planning to meet the needs of people with a learning disability and autistic people.

What his planned timeline is for the restoration of a (a) normal and (b) stable supply of Concerta XL; and what contingency measures his Department is putting in place until then.

The Department can confirm that the supply disruptions affecting various strengths of Concerta XL, generic name methylphenidate, tablets have now been fully resolved. We continue to support the NHS England’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taskforce, which brings together expertise from the National Health Service, education, and justice sectors to coordinate a system-wide response to rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we are developing future growth forecasts to support improved demand planning. These forecasts will be shared with industry to help ensure a more responsive and sustainable supply of ADHD medicines. We continue to work closely with the supplier of Concerta XL tablets to help ensure a stable and increased supply for the United Kingdom’s market. To further strengthen supply chain resilience, we are also engaging with new suppliers to expand the UK supplier base for generic bioequivalents of Concerta XL. This approach will help improve the availability and reduce the risk of future shortages for patients across the UK. The Department also maintains and regularly updates a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website. This resource supports prescribers and dispensers in making informed decisions with patients. The list is available at the following link: www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd

What steps her Department is taking to work with manufacturers of Concerta XL to (a) resolve the ongoing supply shortages and (b) prevent disruption for patients reliant on this medication.

The Department can confirm that the supply disruptions affecting various strengths of Concerta XL, generic name methylphenidate, tablets have now been fully resolved. We continue to support the NHS England’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taskforce, which brings together expertise from the National Health Service, education, and justice sectors to coordinate a system-wide response to rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we are developing future growth forecasts to support improved demand planning. These forecasts will be shared with industry to help ensure a more responsive and sustainable supply of ADHD medicines. We continue to work closely with the supplier of Concerta XL tablets to help ensure a stable and increased supply for the United Kingdom’s market. To further strengthen supply chain resilience, we are also engaging with new suppliers to expand the UK supplier base for generic bioequivalents of Concerta XL. This approach will help improve the availability and reduce the risk of future shortages for patients across the UK. The Department also maintains and regularly updates a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website. This resource supports prescribers and dispensers in making informed decisions with patients. The list is available at the following link: www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd

Whether his Department has considered (a) alternative and (b) long-term funding models for supporting people affected by thalidomide after the current health grant period has ended.

The Thalidomide Health Grant exists to meet the health and wellbeing needs, present and future, of thalidomide survivors living in England.In 2023, the Department put in place a new four-year grant agreement with the Thalidomide Trust, to administer the grant of approximately £40 million over four years. The agreement was made in recognition of the complex and highly specialised needs of people affected by thalidomide in England, particularly as they approach old age. The funding helps beneficiaries to maintain control over their own health, enabling them to personalise the way their health and care needs are met, maintain independence, and minimise any further deterioration in their health.To understand how well the current grant agreement operates, the Department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the Thalidomide Health Grant through the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The evaluation began in October 2024 and aims to understand the health and care needs of people affected by thalidomide, particularly as they age, what funded resources produce the most tangible benefits to this group, how best to distribute financial support to them, and the extent to which their needs are met by the current grant.This independent, external research will help us to ensure that the Government supports the needs of people affected by thalidomide as they age. Funding beyond the current grant agreement will be subject to the outcome of future spending reviews.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning a formal review into the historical handling of (a) thalidomide and (b) the long-term support provided to people affected by thalidomide.

The Thalidomide Health Grant exists to meet the health and wellbeing needs, present and future, of thalidomide survivors living in England.In 2023, the Department put in place a new four-year grant agreement with the Thalidomide Trust, to administer the grant of approximately £40 million over four years. The agreement was made in recognition of the complex and highly specialised needs of people affected by thalidomide in England, particularly as they approach old age. The funding helps beneficiaries to maintain control over their own health, enabling them to personalise the way their health and care needs are met, maintain independence, and minimise any further deterioration in their health.To understand how well the current grant agreement operates, the Department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the Thalidomide Health Grant through the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The evaluation began in October 2024 and aims to understand the health and care needs of people affected by thalidomide, particularly as they age, what funded resources produce the most tangible benefits to this group, how best to distribute financial support to them, and the extent to which their needs are met by the current grant.This independent, external research will help us to ensure that the Government supports the needs of people affected by thalidomide as they age. Funding beyond the current grant agreement will be subject to the outcome of future spending reviews.