Written questions by Mitchell.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve access to freezing and storage capacity for tumour tissues for oncology services in the West Midlands, in order to improve outcomes for hard-to-treat cancers.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of patients waiting for more than (a) 1 month, (b) 3 months (c) 6 months and (d) 12 months to receive cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia.

It is for local integrated care boards to decide whether cognitive behavioural therapy should be offered to their populations as a treatment for insomnia.NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression offer low-intensity therapy which may include interventions around sleep hygiene. Talking Therapies data do not record whether a patient has insomnia. Through the 10-Year Health Plan we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029.Individuals who are experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression can be referred by their general practitioner, or can self-refer, to NHS Talking Therapies. People can also access helpful resources on sleep problems on the Every Mind Matters website at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/sleep/In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Prioritisation Board has recently agreed to prioritise digital technologies that deliver cognitive behavioural therapy interventions for insomnia and insomnia symptoms as a topic for the development of HealthTech guidance.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of women dying during pregnancy or in the weeks after giving birth in the Midlands.

The NHS England Midlands region is implementing the Maternal Care Bundle. The bundle includes guidance to tackle the leading causes of maternal death including thrombosis, mental health, epilepsy, and haemorrhage. Maternal medicine networks have also been established across the Midlands, coordinating specialist care pathways for women with high-risk physical comorbidities, and delivering training and education.National Health Service providers are also implementing the Enhanced Continuity of Midwifery Carer Model, which provides women from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with support throughout pregnancy from the same midwifery team.Additionally, NHS providers in the region are increasing access to maternal mental health services, and select trusts are participating in a new programme to reduce inequality of outcome in maternity care for women from ethnic minority groups.

What assessment his Department has made of ambulance response times in the West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Ambulance response times data is collected and published monthly, including at a trust level, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/The most recent National Health Service performance figures for the West Midlands Ambulance service shows that on average in February 2026, Category 2 incidents were responded to in 20 minutes and 42 seconds.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to community dental services for care home residents in the West Midlands.

We recognise that certain groups of patients may be particularly vulnerable to oral health problems and may find it difficult to access dental care. Specialised dental services are in place to provide dental treatment in several settings, including care homes, and are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs), and for the Sutton Coldfield constituency this is the Birmingham and Solihull ICB.Domiciliary dental services are commissioned locally to support those who are unable to access high street dental practices due to medical, physical, or psychological conditions. This is largely through community dental services (CDS), which carry the required expertise and equipment to treat individuals who are housebound or living in care settings. The frequency of dental checks for those living in care homes will be determined by dentists on an individual basis according to need, and care homes can contact their local CDS directly to request a domiciliary visit. If the provider is unknown, the ICB or the relevant NHS England regional team can advise.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on oral health in care homes sets out a number of recommendations for care homes to help maintain and improve oral health and ensure timely access to dental treatment for their residents. The Government expects care homes to be following NICE guidance and recommendations in this area.

What steps his Department is taking to work with NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB to help reduce the number of patients that are waiting an extended period for podiatry services.

We have set a clear target for systems to work to reduce long waits in NHS England’s Medium Term Planning Framework. By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health service activity, including podiatry, should take place within 18 weeks. In addition, in 2025 we published Standardising Community Health Services, which provides an overview of the core community health services, with further detail published in February 2026.The NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for commissioning podiatry services across Birmingham and Solihull. Services are provided by the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and the Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.The Birmingham and Solihull ICB is working closely with both providers to address these challenges and reduce waiting times through a coordinated programme of improvements. Key actions across the system include:- improving access and pathways, by reviewing and refining referral pathways to ensure patients are directed to the most appropriate service first time, reducing unnecessary demand and delays;- service redesign, by developing more sustainable models of care that better reflect current demand and levels of clinical complexity, including opportunities to deliver care in alternative settings;- workforce development and productivity, by expanding workforce capacity through apprenticeships and upskilling, optimising skill mix, and improving productivity through better use of support roles and streamlined clinic processes; and- operational improvements, by reducing non-attendance rates, improving clinic utilisation, and strengthening performance monitoring to support timely intervention where pressures emerge.

What steps he is taking to improve the identification of mental health needs among young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time in the West Midlands.

Within West Midlands police custody and court settings, Liaison and Diversion Teams, with consent, will assess a young person to identify their needs and vulnerabilities, and will provide information to the police and court to help inform criminal justice decision making. This assessment includes their mental health needs, sharing information with appropriate agencies and liaising with them to ensure the correct support is put in place as they pass through the system.Should a young person enter prison, the Healthcare Team completes a reception health screen on arrival, before the child or young person’s (CYP) first night and ideally within two hours, using the Comprehensive Health Assessment Tool (CHAT) which is a nationally recognised and reliable tool for use with CYP. The assessment identifies life threatening and immediate health needs, identifies prescribed medication and records visible injuries. Where needs are identified actions are taken and information shared. All CYP will then receive a full secure CHAT assessment, which includes assessment of physical health and mental health within three days. There are clear mental health pathways to manage referrals for the needs identified.On a monthly basis, commissioners monitor the prison healthcare services in relation to completion of CHATs including percentage of CYP receiving a CHAT reception health screening within two hours of admission and percentage of CYP with a CHAT mental health assessment completed within three days.The above is all delivered in accordance with national service specifications which set out the service to be delivered and associated timescales.

What assessment he has made of the trend in patients waiting over 4 hours for admission transfer and discharge in emergency departments in the NHS Birmingham And Solihull Integrated Care Board area.

No such assessment has been made.NHS England publishes data on the number of patients admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours in accident and emergency departments on a monthly basis. The information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2025-26/The following table shows the four-hour performance in each quarter since 2017 for the NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB):Financial yearPercentage of total accident and emergency attendances admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hoursEnglandNHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB2025/2674.8%72.2%2024/2573.9%73.2%2023/2472.1%69.9%2022/2370.8%69.2%2021/2276.7%71.5%2020/2186.8%84.4%2019/2084.2%80.1%2018/1988.0%86.2%Note: the provisional data for the financial year 2025/26 is not yet fully available and doesn’t include February and March data.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that eligible women take up breast cancer screening in Sutton Coldfield constituency.

Through our National Health Service screening programmes, we can reduce mortality and morbidity from cancer in the population who appear healthy and have no symptoms, by detecting conditions at an earlier, more treatable stage. Each year, over 15 million people are invited for screening, with over 10 million taking up the invitation.In Birmingham and Solihull, between 2022/23 and 2023/24 there has been an improvement of 4.93% in breast cancer screening uptake in 53 to 70 year old people.In Sutton Coldfield, the breast screening is offered to all eligible cohorts in line with service specifications of the NHS Breast Screening Programme. In this constituency, uptake and coverage are stable and constituents can access screening at both static and mobile facilities. There is a dedicated focus on reducing health inequalities, supporting access, and informing eligible patients to actively take up their screening appointment and offer.The breast screening service in Sutton Coldfield is currently undertaking a targeted text messaging initiative targeting eligible patients that have not attended their screening invitation. This includes the offer to rebook their screening appointment and a link to bilingual breast screening videos to support education and awareness. A follow-up text message survey is also being used to explore barriers to attendance and motivating factors, with insights informing ongoing service development.Other initiatives to increase uptake in the area include:a dedicated general practice toolkit to support and inform health promotion messaging;a breast screening resource pack for care homes to support staff in promoting screening awareness and facilitating uptake amongst eligible residents; anda cancer bus initiative promoting a range of services including breast cancer screening.

What steps he is taking to help ensure eligible men take up prostate cancer screening in Sutton Coldfield constituency.

There is currently no national prostate cancer screening programme. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and supports implementation. They recently closed a consultation on their draft recommendation to:offer a targeted national prostate cancer screening programme to men with confirmed BRCA1/2 gene variants every two years, from 45 years old to 61 years old;not recommend population screening;not recommend targeted screening of black men;not recommend targeted screening of men with family history; andcollaborate with the Transform trial team to answer outstanding questions on screening effectiveness for black men and men with a family history as soon as the trial data becomes available, and to await the results of the study to develop and trial a more accurate test than the prostate specific antigen test alone, to improve the balance of benefit and harm of screening.The evidence that supports this draft recommendation can be found on the UK NSC prostate cancer recommendation page, at the following link:https://nationalscreening.blog.gov.uk/2025/11/28/uk-nsc-opens-consultation-on-draft-prostate-cancer-screening-recommendation/

What steps his Department is taking to work with NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB to reduce the number of patients that are waiting an extended period for a wheelchair.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services, based on the needs of their local population.NHS England supports ICBs to reduce variation in the quality and provision of National Health Service wheelchairs, and to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from ICBs on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required. The latest figures from the Quarter 2 2025/26 National Wheelchair Data Collection showed that 84% of adults and 78% of children received their equipment within 18 weeks. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhse-national-wheelchair-data-collection/q2-2025-26The Community Health Services Situation Report, which will be used to monitor ICB performance against waiting time targets in 2026/27, currently monitors waiting times for both children and young people and adult waiting times under the ‘Wheelchair, Orthotics, Prosthetics and Equipment’ line. The Community Health Services Situation Report is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/community-health-services-waiting-lists/The NHS Medium-Term Planning Framework, published October 2025, requires that, from 2026/27, all ICBs and Community Health Services must actively manage and reduce the proportion of waits across all community health services over 18 weeks and develop a plan to eliminate all 52-week waits.Birmingham and Solihull ICB providers are working towards reducing waiting times in line with the NHS 10-Year Health Plan. In Birmingham in December 2025, equipment handovers were completed within the 18-week target for 42.9% of children and 71.9% of adults.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve the availability of clinical trials for dementia patients.

Government responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.DHSC is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with dementia, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.DHSC funds research and research infrastructure through the NIHR which supports National Health Service patients, the public, and NHS organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials into dementiaAs an example, DHSC, via the NIHR, is investing nearly £50 million into the Dementia Trials Network, a coordinated network of trial sites across the United Kingdom, which will offer people with dementia the opportunity to take part in early phase clinical trials irrespective of where they live. This is complemented by the £20 million Dementia Trials Accelerator, designed to position the United Kingdom as the destination of choice for late phase clinical trials in dementia and neurodegenerative diseases.The NIHR also funds research infrastructure which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including research on dementia. For example, the aim of the University College London Hospitals’ Biomedical Research Centre’s dementia theme is to develop novel treatments through precision medicine.In partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, and Alzheimer Scotland, the NIHR also delivers Join Dementia Research, an online platform which enables the involvement of people with and without a dementia diagnosis, as well as carers, to take part in a range of important research, including studies evaluating potential treatments for dementia.The NIHR also provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research', which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies, including those with dementia, and register their interest.The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, with up to £150 million expected to be allocated to, or aligned with it, aims to speed up the development of new treatments for dementia and neurodegenerative conditions by accelerating innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation.

What steps he is taking to help tackle inequalities in (a) waiting times and (b) access to treatment for diabetes in the West Midlands.

Action is being taken across the West Midland integrated care boards (ICBs) to address inequalities in waiting times and access to treatment for diabetesThis action includes strengthening monitoring of data and to identify delays and variation, improving general practice (GP) engagement through Protected Learning Time sessions, streamlining referral pathways and supporting GPs to proactively identify and engage patients using improved data and low-literacy-friendly approachesICBs are also take actions to identify groups at greatest risk of poor outcomes who face barriers in accessing services. The aim of these actions is to deliver fairer waiting times, more consistent access to treatment, and equitable, high‑quality diabetes care for all communities.

What steps he is taking to improve breastfeeding support in the West Midlands.

The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for breastfeeding plays an important role in achieving this.Most families will receive breastfeeding information and support from midwives and health visitors. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme to strengthen the quality of services, including health visiting. We have increased the number of midwives, with 1,056 more full time equivalent midwives working in the National Health Service in September 2025 compared to September 2024.Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, we are investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding support in 75 local authorities. This includes Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Telford and Wrekin, and Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands. Our investment has also increased the capacity of the National Breastfeeding Helpline so that families across the United Kingdom can access breastfeeding support 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

What steps his Department is taking to help support community-based preventative services for older people in Sutton Coldfield constituency.

As part of a broader strategy to improve quality of care and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, the National Health Service is implementing various preventative services to support older people in maintaining their health and independence. For example, support for frailty through the NHS Toolkit, that helps general practitioners (GPs) identify and manage frailty in patients aged 65 years old and over, and preventative primary care interventions are being evaluated to improve functional ability and self-rated health for older people. The NHS 10 Year Plan aims to move care from hospitals into communities, bringing together health and care professionals to provide proactive care and prevention.The Community Care Collaborative in Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System (ICS) has rolled out six new neighbourhood health hubs to date. These will bring together multi-disciplinary health and care professionals in each locality across Birmingham to provide easily accessible community-based care for individuals with frailty and long-term conditions.The neighbourhood health hubs will host 11 new integrated neighbourhood teams (INTs) in Birmingham and Solihull ICS, with an aim to have teams across all 35 of its neighbourhoods by the end of 2026. The INTs provide a holistic response to an individual's care.A recent evaluation of the first INT pilot teams to go live across the ICS shows a 31% reduction in GP appointments and fewer inpatient stays at acute hospitals.The NHS offers several vaccinations for older adults to protect them from disease. This includes vaccination for flu, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), shingles and pneumonia. These are delivered in the community primarily through general practice, with flu and COVID-19 vaccinations also available at community pharmacies across England, and RSV vaccinations available at select community pharmacies in some areas including Sutton Coldfield and the wider Birmingham and Solihull region.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of neonatal nurses in University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the minimum wage rise on the cost of care home places for (a) those that are self funding and (b) local authorities that fund residents in care homes.

The Department regularly makes assessments of the cost pressures facing adult social care. These assessments take into account a wide range of factors, including changes to the National Minimum Wage and the impact that may have on local authorities funding residents in care homes.The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements.

How many of the neighbourhood health centres announced in the Autumn Budget 2025 will be based in the West Midlands.

At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 neighbourhood health centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments to expand and improve sites over the next three years, along with new-build sites opening in the medium term. The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030 and will be delivered through public private partnerships and public capital.Stockland Green Primary Care Centre and Summerfield Primary Care Centre, located in the West Midlands, are some of the first sites that have been chosen to be upgraded as part of the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme.Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including rural towns and communities with higher deprivation levels, targeting places where healthy life expectancy is lowest and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. Both ICBs and local health systems will be responsible for determining the most appropriate locations for NHCs.

What support his Department is providing to NHS trusts to increase (a) crisis support services in the local community (b) mental health inpatient beds in the West Midlands.

Local integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning National Health Service mental health crisis services and mental health inpatient beds to meet the needs of people across the West Midlands. Nationally, progress has been achieved in building more robust crisis care pathways across all ages and in all regions, ensuring that people in a mental health crisis can receive the right care. This includes the introduction of the ‘mental health’ option for NHS 111 and the opening of new mental health crisis centres to provide accessible and responsive care for individuals in a mental health crisis. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our ambitions to go further by developing up to 85 dedicated mental health emergency departments so that patients get fast, same-day access to specialist support in an appropriate setting. This expansion builds on a number of early implementer sites that have been established in recent years by local health systems to provide a dedicated therapeutic alternative to emergency departments for individuals in a mental health crisis. The plan also sets out our plans to transform mental health services to improve access and treatment, and to promote good mental health and wellbeing for the nation. This includes improving assertive outreach, investing in neighbourhood mental health centres, and increasing access to talking therapies and evidence-based digital interventions.

What steps he is taking to improve the health outcomes of veterans in the West Midlands.

As well as being able to access all National Health Services across the United Kingdom, NHS England has introduced several bespoke services to improve the healthcare support available to veterans. These are: Op RESTORE which supports veterans with service-related physical health problems; Op COURAGE which supports veterans with a mental health pathway; and Op NOVA which supports veterans in the justice system.In addition, the veteran-aware trust and the veteran-friendly accreditation schemes raise awareness amongst healthcare professionals of the specific needs of veterans. These schemes provide support to ensure appropriate signposting and referrals to relevant veteran and wider services within the NHS. All trusts in the West Midlands have been accredited as veteran aware and all primary care networks in the West Midlands have at least one accredited practice.In May 2025, a national training and education plan was announced to help veterans benefit from improved and targeted healthcare. NHS staff across England will receive dedicated training to help them identify and support patients with military backgrounds. This will be rolled out across the NHS from November 2025.