Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of vitamin D guidelines on maternal and infant health outcomes in Black and South Asian communities.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of the enhanced pre-donation testing process pilot on reducing the number of deferrals for low haemoglobin levels.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England. NHSBT tests donors’ haemoglobin (Hb) to ensure they are at sufficient levels to safely donate.NHSBT rolled out a second line of Hb testing, venous HemoCue, between April and September 2025. This is undertaken if the first line finger prick and blood drop test using copper sulphate is failed. This is a more accurate test that is not subject to environmental effects, like the weather, or operator error. If passed, a donor can donate. If failed, a donor is deferred to ensure they can replenish low iron stores to allow their Hb to improve back to safe donation thresholds.Since roll out, low Hb deferrals fell from more than 12% to 4.1% in the six weeks prior to full roll out, up to January 2026, and levels have remained stable since, resulting in improved collections. Low Hb deferrals are higher in Black Heritage donors and have fallen from more than 24% to 15.3% for the same period. The reasons for the difference between donor groups are not fully understood but are likely to be multifactorial; NHSBT continues to assess the factors that may contribute to the differences.

How many completed blood donation appointments took place in past 12 months; and if he will provide the ethnic and gender breakdown of donors.

Awaiting answer.

How many blood donors with the Ro subtype completed blood donations in the last 12 months.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for collecting blood donations across England, in order to fulfil hospital requests to meet patient need.27,984 donors with Ro subtype blood completed at least one blood donation between 1 May 2025 and 30 April 2026. This data is from NHSBT’s Monthly Collections Dashboard, and was extracted on 20 May 2026.

What information his Department holds on the number of blood donors deferred due to (a) low haemoglobin levels and (b) travel to and from other countries in the last 12 months; and if he will provide the ethnic and gender breakdown of donors.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for collecting blood donations across England, in order to fulfil hospital requests to meet patient need. NHSBT collects donors’ sex assigned at birth and gender identity; a donor’s sex is recorded as the ways in which blood products are donated and processed differ between those assigned male and female at birth.Blood donor selection guidelines are in place to ensure donors can donate blood safely and includes minimum haemoglobin (Hb) levels and travel-related restrictions. Where a potential donor does not meet these guidelines, they may be turned away or ‘deferred’.The attached tables show information on deferrals by ethnicity and sex assigned at birth.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the trial of the Post Donation Testing for advance haemoglobin assessments.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England. NHSBT test donors’ haemoglobin levels to ensure they are at sufficient levels to safely donate.NHSBT is currently undertaking a feasibility assessment of post-donation testing for haemoglobin. This involves sending a sample taken after donation for laboratory testing, which is the gold standard for measuring haemoglobin levels. Donors are then advised whether they need further testing before their next donation or can donate as normal. It is hoped that this will enable more personalised donor care and improved on session experience.Data collection began in October 2025 and is due to continue until at least July 2026. As the assessment is ongoing, the data is not yet complete, and no final assessment of its effectiveness has been made.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission's regulatory oversight of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust's adult community mental health services in Lambeth.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an independent regulator, responsible for assessing and monitoring providers in line with its statutory remit. The Department holds the CQC to account for its overall performance and delivery of its regulatory functions.The CQC is undertaking a programme of improvement, and the Department continues to engage closely with CQC leadership to monitor progress through regular sponsorship and accountability meetings.The CQC has maintained ongoing regulatory engagement with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust following its 2025 inspections, using a combination of continuous monitoring, engagement with the trust and system partners, and targeted follow-up activity to ensure risks are managed and improvements are supported and sustained.

What discussions he has had with the Care Quality Commission on its decision not to exercise urgent powers under section 31 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust following the inspections of 2025.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of Care Quality Commission processes to record, retrieve and act upon safety intelligence submitted by members of the public about NHS trust services previously rated as requires improvement.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has established systems and processes to receive, record, assess, and act on safety intelligence about providers submitted by members of the public, employees of registered providers, people using services and their family members and carers, and partner organisations.All information of concern is reviewed and triangulated with inspection findings, provider-submitted data, and partner information. Where necessary, concerns are followed up directly with National Health Service trusts and incorporated into the CQC’s assessment of risk, informing decisions about further regulatory action.The Department holds regular accountability meetings with the CQC to assess the CQC’s performance, including clearing a backlog of information of concern cases following technical issues.

Whether he has considered the potential merits of reviewing the training framework for NHS administrative staff.

The Department is not currently planning a review of the training framework for National Health Service administrative staff. In most cases, training arrangements for these staff, particularly non-clinical training, are determined by local NHS employers, which are responsible for ensuring staff are appropriately supported and developed for their roles, and may vary between organisations.

How many NHS patients have waited longer for elective procedures in the last 12 months due to administrative issues.

Data is not held in the format requested.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of administrative issues within the NHS on patients.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

How many NHS appointments have been missed in the last 12 months due to administrative issues.

Data is not held in the format requested.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) training, (b) hiring, (c) management and (d) performance of NHS administrative staff.

The Department does not centrally oversee the training, recruitment, management, and performance of National Health Service administrative staff in individual organisations. These matters are primarily the responsibility of local NHS organisations, which are best placed to determine the administrative roles they require and to ensure staff are recruited, trained, and managed appropriately to support the delivery of services.

With reference to Imkaan’s research paper, Out of Sight Out Of Mind, published in March 2026, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that Integrated Care Boards tackle health inequalities faced by Black and minoritised survivors of VAWG through commissioning by and for services.

Awaiting answer.

Whether he has considered the merits of increasing funding for training of NHS administrative staff.

The responsibility for the training of National Health Service administrative staff generally sits with local NHS employers. In most cases, training arrangements for these staff, particularly non-clinical training, are determined locally by NHS employers and may vary between organisations.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Mental Health Act 2025 and accompanying statutory guidance adequately address disparities in access, quality of care, and outcomes in commissioned mental health services for Black and minoritised women who are survivors of VAWG.

We recognise that there are significant and concerning racial disparities in the rates of detention under the previous Mental Health Act and driving reductions in inequalities is a guiding principle for the Mental Health Act 2025. The Government will be working very carefully with the wider mental health system to support the effective implementation of the provisions in the 2025 act, to reduce racial disparities in decision making under the act. The updating of the Code of Practice will be a key way in which we achieve this, and we will be formally consulting on the updated code.We also recognise that some of the disparities arise from social, economic, and environmental factors outside the scope of the act, and these are being addressed separately. For example, earlier access to mental health support prior to mental health crisis is being driven through improved community-based mental health services and NHS England’s Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework is looking at transforming culture in wider mental health services, not just under the Mental Health Act.Domestic abuse, sexual violence, and other forms of trauma are known risk factors for mental ill health, and we are committed to improving our national response to trauma through cross-Government action. The Department is taking specific steps to improve trauma-informed support for victims and survivors of abuse. This includes implementing the “Steps to Safety” referral service for domestic abuse and sexual violence across all integrated care boards, and investing £5 million each year for the next three years to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.

When his Department intends to publish the draft statutory guidance for the Mental Health Act 2025 for consultation; and if he will commit to consulting by and for specialist VAWG organisations in the development of that guidance.

Following Royal Assent of the Mental Health Act 2025, our priority for 2026 is to update the revised Code of Practice. We will engage extensively, including with people with lived experience and their families and carers, staff, and professional groups, commissioners, providers, voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations, and others to do this. There will also be a formal public consultation in early 2027, where we will encourage responses from anyone who wishes to input, including specialist violence against women and girls organisations.We will be updating the Code of Practice, not just to reflect the new primary legislation, but to provide further guidance and clarity on non-legislative aspects relevant to the reforms, as well as more broadly to make general improvements and updates.

With reference to Imkaan’s research paper, Out of Sight Out Of Mind, published in March 2026, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) are tacking health inequalities for Black and minoritised survivors of VAWG through commissioning by and for services.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of barriers preventing women from accessing the full range of contraceptive methods, including long-acting reversible contraception, and what steps he is taking to address those barriers.

The Government is committed to ensuring equitable access to a range of contraceptive methods including long-acting reversible contraception.The renewed women’s health strategy will set out how the Government will take the next steps to improve women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women, including consideration of barriers to access. Steps to improve access to contraception are being considered as part of the renewal.