Every parliamentary written question tabled by Caroline Johnson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 343 · Department of Health and Social Care
How many students a) started and b) successfully completed a midwifery degree in i) 2025, ii) 2024, iii) 2023, iv) 2022, v) 2021, vi) 2020 and vii) 2019.
The number of starters on midwifery courses in England is collected and published by the Office for Students in its Higher Education Students Early Statistics survey. The data is available at the following link:https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-an...
If he expects NHS England’s review of the preference informed allocation method to be completed before the abolition of NHS England.
Awaiting answer.
When he plans to appoint the national specialty lead for rare cancers.
The Government will implement the Rare Cancers Act 2026 by ensuring that a National Specialty Lead for Rare Cancers is appointed by summer 2026. The National Specialty Lead will be based in the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Research De...
On which dates the maternity and neonatal task force (a) has met and (b) is due to meet.
The first taskforce meeting took place on the 24 March 2026. A record of this meeting is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/national-maternity-and-neonatal-taskforce#record-of-meetingsFuture records of meetings will be up...
When he plans to respond to the Hughes report.
The Government extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh, and recognises the profound, life‑changing impact these harms have had on individuals and their families. We know that for many, the consequences are ...
Whether he plans to set an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gap.
The Government is working closely with NHS England, and the wider sector, to identify the right actions and interventions to tackle the stark inequalities that exist for women and babies. Within this, we are committed to setting an explicit target to clos...
With reference to the Answers of 1 April 2026 to Question 122780 and 25 March 2026 to Question 120988 on General Practitioners: Contracts and with reference to the oral statement of 16 April 2026 o
As per long-standing practice, an Advice and Guidance (A&G) request itself does not begin the formal period of waiting. If a referral is then made, the waiting time is calculated from when the provider receives notice of that referral When providers m...
What steps he is taking to improve treatment for lobular breast cancer.
The Department is committed to ensuring that the National Health Service diagnoses cancer earlier and treats it faster so that more patients, including those with lobular breast cancer, survive.The National Cancer Plan strives to ensure that we are a world leader on cancer research and innovation, to help the health and care system to prevent, detect, and better treat and manage a wider range of cancers, contributing to survival rates.The Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) are committed to continuing to support the development of fundable research proposals into lobular breast cancer and to helping drive a stronger collective understanding of the biology behind lobular breast cancer, as well as the effective treatment and management of this disease.In order to further stimulate research in this area, and following a meeting between campaigners and my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the NIHR launched a highlight notice in late 2025, encouraging applications across its research programmes and training. The NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including lobular breast cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
Pursuant to the Answers of 1 April 2026 to Question 122780 and 25 March 2026 to Question 120988 on General Practitioners: Contracts and with reference to the oral statement of 16 April 2026 on the Women's Health Strategy, whether waiting times for patients who are offered secondary care following an Advice and Guidance (A&G) request in (a) March, (b) April, (c) May, (d) June, (e) July, (f) August, (g) September, (h) October and (i) November 2026.will be calculated from (i) the date the A&G request is received, (ii) the date the A&G request is accepted as referred and (iii) other dates on the pathway.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Whether he plans to respond to the Hughes report before prorogation.
The Government is carefully considering the work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out recommendations for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh.The Government has deep sympathy for all those affected and recognises the profound impact that these harms have had on individuals and their families.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been clear that he wants to make meaningful progress during this Parliament, although a decision to provide compensation has not yet been made. We recognise how difficult and disappointing this uncertainty is for those affected, and we will ensure that the public is kept informed as soon as any decision on redress is made.I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes since I have been in post, and had a very productive discussion about the ongoing health initiatives led by the Department regarding sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. Details of the Government’s work to date are set out in recent letters to the Dr Hughes, which are published on her website.
How many patients referred urgently with suspected cancer are (a) diagnosed and (b) reassured within (i) 28, (ii) 29, (iii) 30, (iv) 31, (v) 32 and (vi) 33 days of referral for which the latest data is available.
The table attached shows, in the period from October to December 2025, the number of patients referred urgently with suspected cancer who were either diagnosed with cancer or had cancer ruled out within the specified period between referral and the communication of their outcome.NHS England first published information on outcomes for patients referred urgently with suspected cancer under the Faster Diagnosis Standard in September 2025. This data covers all patients, irrespective of the number of days between referral and the communication of the outcome.The figures provided above represent a subset of this data, focusing on specific time bands requested, and are not routinely published. Each time band is cumulative and includes all patients who received their outcome within that period. Further information on Cancer Waiting Times statistics is available on the NHS England website, at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/
What assessment he has made of the potential risks of rejecting secondary care referrals that are currently accepted.
It is not Government policy for referrals to secondary care to be rejected. General practitioners (GPs) are encouraged to seek specialist advice ahead of making a referral where it is clinically appropriate to do so. Patients benefit from earlier specialist input and are more likely to receive the right care in the right place, first time.A GP’s right to refer is unchanged. If a patient needs a hospital referral, they will get one.
If he intends outpatient referrals to (a) hospitals and (b) secondary care providers to be managed by people other than consultants.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What proportion of referrals to (a) hospital outpatient care and (b) secondary care are (i) accepted to be seen and (ii) rejected and provided with advice and guidance instead for which the latest data is available.
The Department does not hold data in the format requested.
What information he holds on the number of data breaches of patient information in the NHS in the last year.
This information is not collected centrally. There is no requirement for National Health Service organisations to report patient data breaches to the Department.Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, if a personal data breach occurs, the responsible body must establish if there is a risk to people’s rights and freedoms, and if so, notify the Information Commissioner’s Office.
When he plans to publish the renewed Women's Health Strategy.
Work is ongoing to renew the Women’s Health Strategy, which we aim to publish this Spring. In the meantime, we are committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service, and strong progress has already been made in turning the commitments in the 2022 Women's Health Strategy into tangible action. 5.2 million extra appointments were delivered in the Government’s first year, we are tackling gynaecology waiting lists using the private sector, and we have made emergency hormonal contraception free in pharmacies across England.
What assessment he has made of the potential of (a) vaping and (b) passive vaping on the risk of invasive meningococcal disease.
There is established evidence that exposure to tobacco smoke increases the risk of meningococcal disease. Tobacco smoking increases the risk of meningococcal carriage and meningococcal disease by damaging the nasopharyngeal mucosa and suppressing immune responses.Vaping could plausibly carry similar risks for carriage but the association with increased risk of disease is unknown.When either active or passive smoking occurs in an enclosed and intimate setting over a prolonged period, the risk of transmission is increased.The highest risk of transmission is associated with prolonged exposure to droplets of saliva.Where there has been repeated or prolonged salivary exposure in an enclosed and intimate venue such as a nightclub, the risk is higher.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) smoking and (b) passive smoking on the risk of invasive meningococcal disease.
There is established evidence that exposure to tobacco smoke increases the risk of meningococcal disease. Tobacco smoking increases the risk of meningococcal carriage and meningococcal disease by damaging the nasopharyngeal mucosa and suppressing immune responses.Vaping could plausibly carry similar risks for carriage but the association with increased risk of disease is unknown.When either active or passive smoking occurs in an enclosed and intimate setting over a prolonged period, the risk of transmission is increased.The highest risk of transmission is associated with prolonged exposure to droplets of saliva.Where there has been repeated or prolonged salivary exposure in an enclosed and intimate venue such as a nightclub, the risk is higher.
How many overseas prescriptions are dispensed in a) the UK and b) England i) in total, ii) by medicines dispensed and iii) by origin country.
The United Kingdom only recognises overseas prescriptions from European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland. Most medicines, with the exception of schedule 1 to 3 controlled drugs and specials, prescribed in these countries can be dispensed by United Kingdom pharmacies, so long as the prescriber is from a profession recognised by the statutory guidance that is legally entitled to issue a prescription of that kind in the country in which the prescription is issued.As they are dispensed as private, or non-National Health Service, prescriptions, we do not have any data for the number of EEA/Swiss prescriptions that have been dispensed in the UK.
Whether the current Chair of the adult clinical reference group for adult gender dysphoria services refused to comply with requests for data for the date linkage study which was recommended by the Cass review.
It is well documented that a number of adult gender clinics were unwilling to collaborate with data sharing requests made of them previously, in respect of the data linkage study, and that this meant that the data linkage study was unable to proceed at the time. Further engagement with a range of stakeholders has since led to small but important proposed improvements in study design. These have been subject to positive feedback from representatives of commissioned adult gender clinics and should support collaboration on data sharing once the necessary research approvals are in place to enable the study to begin. Given the importance of this study as part of the wider national gender research programme, the Department will continue to closely monitor progress in partnership with NHS England and consider whether any further support is required to enable study delivery.