Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

With reference to Imkaan’s report entitled Why Should Our Rage be Tidy, published in November 2024, what steps his Department has taken to help tackle the mental health impacts of violence and abuse on Black and minoritised survivors of violence against women and girls.

Imkaan’s report reinforces the fact that too many people, including Black and minoritised survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence, are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are too long. We are determined to change that, which is why we have chosen to prioritise funding to expand NHS Talking Therapies. Survivors can access help and support through their general practitioner or by self-referring. Protecting and supporting victims and survivors of sexual abuse is a core priority for NHS England, delivered through a network of 48 specialist sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) across the country. NHS England commissions SARCs through a distinct national service specification including working with specialist support services, ensuring that children and young people up to the age of 18 years old receive trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate care and safeguarding support, and that adults receive tailored care that reflects their needs and rights, with clear referral pathways to health, justice, and specialist support services. This is in addition to support services commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.

What steps he is taking to ensure that women’s health is included in the Government's plans to reform the NHS.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future.Our focus is on turning the commitments in the Women's Health Strategy into tangible action, such as: providing emergency hormonal contraception free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS from October 2025; setting out how we will eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through the new cervical cancer plan; and taking urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan.Through our 10-Year Health Plan, we are delivering our commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected. The three shifts will improve the care women receive. Hospital to community will mean women can access convenient, coordinated care closer to home through Neighbourhood Health Centres, by building on best practice examples such as Tower Hamlets women’s health hub. Analogue to digital will put more power and data in women’s hands and will make it easier to get more personalised support, book appointments and stay healthy. Treatment to prevention will mean faster and fairer access to life-saving prevention through human papilloma virus (HPV) self-sampling kits, and access to the HPV vaccine through community pharmacies.

What steps he is taking to support the development and expansion of Women’s Health Hubs.

Women’s health hubs are an effective model for improving access to and experiences of care for women. The women’s health hub in Tower Hamlets was included in the 10-Year Health Plan as a best practice example to guide the shift to neighbourhood health.We are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs, in line with their responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes support through the Network of Women’s Health Champions to share learning from existing women’s health hubs.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve the quality of maternity care for women across the country.

An independent Investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services has been launched to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies and families experience unacceptable care. Baroness Amos has been appointed as Chair of the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation and will be supported by a team of esteemed expert advisers, who will be selected following further engagement with families. The Chair is working with families to finalise the terms of reference for the investigation, and these will be published shortly. The Investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025.The Government is also establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to be made up of a panel of experts and family, charity and staff representatives. The Taskforce will use the recommendations from the independent Investigation to develop a national plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care. The Taskforce will work closely with families in developing the action plan, ensuring their voices are central to this work.Immediate action is also being taken to improve accountability and better identify safety concerns within maternity services. This includes: measures to hold the system to account;  a system to better identify safety concerns; rolling out a programme to all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism; and new best practice standards in maternal mortality.

Whether it is NHS policy to carry out an inquest if a patient dies within 48 hours of being admitted to hospital.

Inquests are not NHS policy but are instead a matter for coroners. All deaths in England (and Wales) that are not referred to a coroner are considered by an independent Medical Examiner. Where there are any concerns about healthcare provided to the deceased in the run up to the death, Medical Examiners can refer the case for further consideration via local clinical governance processes. The NHS’ approach to Learning from Deaths is set out in the National Guidance on Learning from Deaths. This is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-guidance-on-learning-from-deaths/.

, how many sickle cell patients have developed haemolysis due to receiving a blood transfusion with unmatched blood during the last 12 months.

Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) is the United Kingdom’s independent, professionally led haemovigilance scheme. SHOT collects and analyses information on adverse events and reactions in blood transfusion from all healthcare organisations that are involved in the transfusion of blood components and specific blood products in the United Kingdom. Further information on SHOT is available at the following link:https://www.shotuk.org/The latest data available on haemolytic transfusion reactions was published in the Annual SHOT Report 2024. The report reviews reactions reported to SHOT from January to December 2024, and is available at the following link:https://www.shotuk.org/shot-reports/annual-shot-report-2024/#annual-shotOver the year, based on the available data, a total of 51 haemolytic transfusion reactions were reported. No errors were reported during the provision of blood components, meaning in all cases blood was appropriately matched, including safe substitutions where necessary, according to the patient requirements and clinical situation, as per British Society for Haematology’s guidelines, which are available at the following link:https://b-s-h.org.uk/guidelines/guidelines

How many patients with (a) leukaemia and lymphoma, (b) myeloma, (c) other cancers, (d) myelodysplastic syndromes, (e) aplastic anemia, (f) thalassemia, (g) bleeding disorders and (h) other conditions which require regular blood transfusions have developed haemolysis due to receiving a blood transfusion with unmatched blood in the last 12 months.

Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) is the United Kingdom’s independent, professionally led haemovigilance scheme. SHOT collects and analyses information on adverse events and reactions in blood transfusion from all healthcare organisations that are involved in the transfusion of blood components and specific blood products in the United Kingdom. Further information on SHOT is available at the following link:https://www.shotuk.org/The latest data available on haemolytic transfusion reactions was published in the Annual SHOT Report 2024. The report reviews reactions reported to SHOT from January to December 2024, and is available at the following link:https://www.shotuk.org/shot-reports/annual-shot-report-2024/#annual-shotOver the year, based on the available data, a total of 51 haemolytic transfusion reactions were reported. No errors were reported during the provision of blood components, meaning in all cases blood was appropriately matched, including safe substitutions where necessary, according to the patient requirements and clinical situation, as per British Society for Haematology’s guidelines, which are available at the following link:https://b-s-h.org.uk/guidelines/guidelines

If he will ensure that (a) prioritisation for medical evacuation and treatment of children from Gaza is based solely on clinical urgency and medical need and (b) it is not contingent on the availability of private funding or charitable sponsorship.

The Government is working urgently to get some of the critically ill and injured children medically evacuated from Gaza.The United Kingdom is partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO), which works on the ground and plays a critical role in supporting medical evacuations from Gaza. Clinical leaders in the NHS are working to match Gazan children to a priority list of those needing specialist medical care, provided by medical specialists in Gaza to the WHO, where there is capacity within the NHS to treat them.Children will only be transferred to the UK where it is clinically safe to do so and in the interests of each individual patient. As such, we will ensure medical assessments are undertaken before they travel.The UK Government will meet all the costs of those evacuated as part of this process.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the wholesale price increase of Mounjaro on patients managing (a) obesity and (b) type 2 diabetes.

As we shift the focus from treatment to prevention through our 10 Year Health Plan, we are determined to bring revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them, not just those who can afford to pay.NHS England has worked with Eli Lilly to ensure that the list price increase will not affect National Health Service commissioning of tirzepatide in England as a treatment for eligible patients, and we remain committed to the rollout of this medicine as a weight loss treatment based on clinical priority. This will enable 220,000 eligible people to access the medication over the first three years. Not everyone who wants tirzepatide will be able to access it at first, and the initial eligibility criteria will be for people with a body mass index of 40 or more in addition to four or more qualifying comorbidities.Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have also entered equivalent agreements to maintain their current commissioning approaches.Pricing in the private market is a matter for Eli Lilly and for private providers. Private patients who are impacted by price increases should discuss any concerns with their private provider. This includes their options regarding payment plans, alternative treatments, and/or stopping or tapering off their current medication. Eli Lilly is working with private providers to support continued patient access.

How many sickle cell patients have died due to complications due to sickle cell in the last 12 months.

The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold this information. NHS England does not hold or have access to data that would accurately represent the number of sickle cell patients that have died due to complications due to sickle cell disorder (SCD) in the last 12 monthsThe National Disease Registration Service, part of NHS England, is expanding its rare disease collection to include patients with SCD in England. This will form a comprehensive national dataset to enable improved understanding of patient pathways for SCD, support planning and commissioning of services and improve patient outcomes.

What recent discussions he has had with the NHS on its policy of informing Sickle Cell patients when they are not given Ro matched blood.

DHSC are working in partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant, NHS England and the National Blood Transfusion Committee to deliver on the recommendations detailed in the infected blood inquiry, which includes improving digital patient records and communications for patients receiving transfusions. A blood genotyping programme has also been introduced, enabling detection of previously undetectable antibodies that could cause complications. To meet the clinical need to provide better matched blood for patients with conditions like sickle cell disorder, NHS Blood and Transplant is actively recruiting donors from Black heritage backgrounds.

How many sickle cell patients who had complications due to sickle cell listed as their cause of death experienced haemolysis in the period before their death in the last 12 months.

The Department does not hold this information. NHS England does not hold or have access to data that would accurately represent the number of sickle cell patients that have died due to complications due to sickle cell in the last 12 months, or how many of those patients experienced haemolysis in the period before their death in the last 12 months.The National Disease Registration Service, part of NHS England, is expanding its rare disease collection to include patients with sickle cell disorder (SCD) in England. This will form a comprehensive national dataset to enable improved understanding of patient pathways for SCD, support planning and commissioning of services and improve patient outcomes.

How many sickle cell patients whose cause of death was listed as complications due to sickle cell have had an inquest into their death.

The Department does not hold this information as we would only be made aware of inquests that result in the Department receiving a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) Report. Not all inquests result in a PFD report, only where the coroner believes that action should be taken to prevent future deaths.The National Disease Registration Service, part of NHS England, is expanding its rare disease collection to include patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) in England. This will form a comprehensive national dataset to enable improved understanding of patient pathways for SCD, support planning and commissioning of services and improve patient outcomes.

If he will consider increasing the value of Healthy Start vouchers for children from birth to one year old to meet the average cost of baby formula.

Healthy Start is a demand-led, statutory scheme and aims to support those in greatest need. An assessment was recently made of the adequacy of the value of Healthy Start funding and it was announced in Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan that we will uplift the value of weekly payments by 10%, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most. From April 2026, pregnant women and children aged over one and under four years old will each receive £4.65 per week, up from £4.25, and children under one years old will receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50.The funding for Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, and tinned pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries are also eligible for free Healthy Start Vitamins.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the value of Healthy Start vouchers.

Healthy Start is a demand-led, statutory scheme and aims to support those in greatest need. An assessment was recently made of the adequacy of the value of Healthy Start funding and it was announced in Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan that we will uplift the value of weekly payments by 10%, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most. From April 2026, pregnant women and children aged over one and under four years old will each receive £4.65 per week, up from £4.25, and children under one years old will receive £9.30 per week, up from £8.50.The funding for Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, and tinned pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries are also eligible for free Healthy Start Vitamins.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure patients receive timely updates about the status of their NHS operations through (a) the NHS App, (b) other digital platforms and (c) other means.

The National Health Service continues to invest heavily in the NHS App, and in the past two years we have been implementing digital integration between acute hospitals and the NHS App, meaning that patients can now view their clinical pathway and appointments via the NHS App. We continue to work with hospital trusts to maximise the opportunities available to update patients via the NHS App, which is a key part of the 10-year plan to reform the NHS.The NHS App has now been adopted by 88% of acute trusts, up nearly 20% since July 2024, which enables patients to view and manage their hospital appointments.Analysis shows that hospitals that make the changes to plug their systems and processes into the NHS App key app features have improved elective care waiting times.

What plans his Department has to increase the availability of (a) daily and (b) weekly surgical appointments for operations in NHS hospitals.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for surgical appointments, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget that has enabled us to fulfil our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments early. More than double that number, 4.9 million more appointments, have now been delivered.We are also continuing to deliver dedicated and protected surgical hubs to deliver high volume low complexity (HVLC) surgery more efficiently. Surgical hubs help to create additional capacity for surgical appointments, whilst improving outcomes for patients. Health Foundation analysis found that HVLC activity was on average 21.9% higher in a trust with a new hub in the first year of opening, with effects seen within three months of opening.We have committed to increase the number of surgical hubs over the next three years on top of the 120 currently operational. At the Autumn Budget 2024, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an additional £1.65 billion in funding to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care, including for surgical hubs.

Whether he plans to allow patients to (a) view and (b) choose from available operation appointments across different hospitals within the same region.

Patients in England can choose the hospital for their first outpatient appointments via the NHS e-Referral Service and the NHS App, allowing them to view and choose from available appointments across different hospitals within the same region.The National Health Service is a large, decentralized system, and individual NHS hospital trusts are responsible for managing their own patient portals, resulting in different systems and features. Each trust may set its own policies and internal delays before results are displayed in the portal, rather than linking them directly to the patient. A delay in displaying results is a common practice for sensitive test results linked to conditions such as cancer, to give doctors an opportunity to review them with the patient first.The NHS ensures adequate data for My Planned Care by employing a multi-faceted approach, including centralised data collection and curation, implementing shared records for better data integration across systems, establishing robust data quality checks and reporting, adhering to strict information governance and security standards, and actively working to link diverse data sources. These processes support the provision of timely and accurate information on the My Planned Care website to help patients and healthcare professionals.The NHS continues to invest heavily in the NHS App and in the past two years we have been implementing digital integration between acute hospitals and the NHS App, meaning that patients can now view their clinical pathway and appointments via the NHS App. We continue to work with hospital trusts to maximise the opportunities available to update patients via the NHS App, which is a key part of the 10-year plan to reform the NHS.The NHS App has now been adopted by 88% of acute trusts, up nearly 20% since July 2024, which enables patients to view and manage their hospital appointments.Analysis shows that hospitals that make the changes to plug their systems and processes into the NHS App key app features have improved elective care waiting times.

Whether his Department plans to increase the use of capacity in local private hospitals to reduce NHS waiting times for surgical procedures.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.Independent sector providers have a role to play in supporting the NHS as trusted partners to deliver elective services by using additional capacity to tackle the backlog whilst delivering value for money, delivering more than 100,000 elective appointment and procedures every week for the NHS.Patients have a legal right to choose where they go for their first appointment when referred to consultant-led care as an outpatient. This includes the independent sector who hold contracts with integrated care boards across the country to deliver services for the NHS.The NHS and the independent sector have established a partnership agreement, the first of its kind for 25 years, setting out how we will work together to reduce the elective care waiting list (including that for surgical procedures). This will see more NHS patients able to choose to be treated in a private hospital where there is capacity, at no cost to patients.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for urgent NHS operations in cases where patients are waiting significantly beyond the clinically recommended timeframe.

It is unacceptable that patients continue to wait lengthy periods for treatment, especially where waits are for high priority surgical procedures.We are committed to driving down waiting times. In January, we published our Elective Reform Plan, which sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to support our commitment to return to the NHS Constitutional Standard that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, by March 2029.We have already improved performance against this standard by 2.7% compared to last year, with performance increasing from 58.9% in June 2024 to 61.5% in June 2025. In the Operational Planning Guidance, we set a national target to reach 65% for Referral to Treatment performance by March 2026. The waiting list has reduced by over 252,000 in the past year, and we have exceeded our pledge to deliver an additional two million appointments, tests, and operations, having delivered 4.9 million more since July 2024.There is a clear clinical prioritisation process, including for the cancer standards, where our expectation is that patients are seen very rapidly. All waiting lists are rightly subject to clinical prioritisation at a local level, ensuring that patients are prioritised in line with clinical need, while considering overall wait time.