Written questions by Riddell-Carpenter.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that advances from dementia research programmes are adopted into frontline clinical practice.

Through partnerships with patients, researchers, funders, and charities we continue to play a significant role in global efforts against the disease. The United Kingdom has established a rich ecosystem for dementia research. The Government is investing in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis and prevention, to treatment, care, and support, including for carers.In developing the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, we are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with dementia. As part of this exercise, we will consider what advancements, if validated for clinical use, interventions, metrics and targets should be supported to improve care for those with dementia.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England are working to plan for the adoption of any new, licensed and NICE-recommended treatments. NICE is a world-renowned health technology assessment body, and the Government is confident in its methods and processes for ensuring that any new medicines that are recommended for use on the National Health Service provide the most health benefit at a cost-effective price to the taxpayer.

What role he intends for public awareness campaign to play in improving early dementia diagnosis.

We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care. The commission is underway and phase one will report this year.The Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia, as it will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.In developing the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, we are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with dementia.As part of this exercise, we will consider what interventions, such as public awareness campaigns, should be supported to improve early diagnosis for those with dementia.

What steps he is taking to improve dementia training for adult social care and primary care staff, particularly in relation to recognising early symptoms.

We want all relevant staff to have received appropriate training to provide high quality care to people with dementia, whether in primary or social care. The required training needs are set out in the Dementia training Standards Framework, which is available at the following link:https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/info-hub/dementia-2015-updated-2018/The framework was commissioned and funded by the Department and developed in collaboration with the sector. It sets out the essential knowledge and skills and expected learning outcomes applicable across the health and care spectrum.There are a variety of resources available on the NHS England E-learning for Health platform, including a programme on dementia care, designed to enhance the training and education of the health and social care workforce.The Department launched the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme in September 2024, providing funding for eligible care staff to undertake courses and qualifications, including the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate. The scheme is backed by up to £12 million this financial year.

What assessment he has made of the potential causes of dementia diagnosis rates on trends in the level of such diagnosis rates in rural constituencies; and what support is provided to improve access to diagnosis in those areas.

We remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%. To support recovery of the dementia diagnosis rates and implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, we have developed a memory service dashboard for management information purposes. The aim is to support commissioners and providers with appropriate data and enable targeted support where needed.To reduce variation in diagnosis rates, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Dementia Intelligence Network has developed a tool for local systems, which includes an assessment of population characteristics such as rurality and socio-economic deprivation. This enables systems to investigate local variation in diagnosis and take informed action to enhance their diagnosis rates. The tool has been released and is available via the NHS Futures Collaboration platform.We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care. The commission is underway and phase one will report this year.The Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia. It will set national standards for dementia care and redirect NHS priorities to provide the best possible care and support.

What steps his Department is taking to help address regional disparities in dementia diagnosis rates, including in rural and coastal areas like Suffolk Coastal.

To reduce variation in diagnosis rates, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Dementia Intelligence Network has developed a tool for local systems, which includes an assessment of population characteristics such as rurality and socio-economic deprivation. This enables systems to investigate local variation in diagnosis and take informed action to enhance their diagnosis rates. The tool has been released and is available via the NHS Futures Collaboration platform.We will also deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care. The commission is underway and phase one will report this year.The Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia. It will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.

If his Department will publish a dementia strategy within the current Parliament.

We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care. The commission is underway and phase one will report this year.The Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia, as it will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that NHS (a) policies and (b) guidance support unpaid family carers providing care in the home.

The Government recognises the vital role unpaid carers play in supporting those they care for and the National Health Service has clear duties to involve carers in care and discharge planning.NHS England has issued guidance on identifying and supporting carers, including through primary care, and general practices are encouraged to record carers on patient records and signpost them to appropriate support. Integrated care systems are responsible for ensuring local services work together effectively to support unpaid carers.The 10-Year Health Plan commits to enabling unpaid carers to have proxy access to medical records, test results and online prescriptions for the person they care for, with their consent, from 2026/27.Under the Care Act 2014, carers are entitled to an assessment of their needs and support where eligible. Work is underway to implement the strengthened duties in the Health and Care Act 2022, including requirements on integrated care boards to involve carers in commissioning decisions and on involving unpaid carers in hospital discharge, aligned with the new CQC assessment approach.The Government has also made funding available to local authorities, including through the Better Care Fund, to support carers’ services and promote joined-up working between health and social care.We will continue to work with NHS England, local authorities and partners to ensure unpaid carers are recognised, valued and supported.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of unpaid family carers on levels of demand for NHS services.

The Government recognises the significant contribution unpaid family carers make to supporting individuals to remain independent and well at home.The Department continues to consider the impact of unpaid carers on levels of demand for National Health Service services as part of its broader assessment of health and social care system pressures. The contribution that unpaid family carers make in providing care can help to prevent avoidable hospital admissions and reduce pressure on NHS services.Work is underway to support the strengthened duties and responsibilities of the NHS towards carers, set out in the Health & Care Act 2022 (in Section 46 around Integrated Care Boards involving carers in commissioning decisions and in section 91 around involvement of unpaid carers in hospital discharge), in a way that aligns with the new Care Quality Commission assessment approach.We continue to work with NHS England and local authorities to ensure carers are identified, supported and involved in care planning to promote sustainable care arrangements and manage demand across the system.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing unpaid family carers to receive Covid-19 booster vaccinations alongside the person they care for where a home vaccination visit is already taking place.

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, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.The JCVI advised in its autumn 2024 advice that, in the current era of high population immunity to COVID-19 and with all cases due to Omicron sub-lineages of COVID-19, currently available COVID-19 vaccines provide limited protection against transmission and mild or asymptomatic disease. The JCVI therefore advised that the focus of the programme should be on offering vaccination where it directly protects an individual at higher risk. In line with this advice, unpaid carers as well as household contacts of the immunosuppressed ceased to be offered COVID-19 vaccination from autumn 2024.In line with the advice the JCVI gave for 2025 and spring 2026, a COVID-19 vaccination will be offered this spring to the following groups:adults aged 75 years old and over;residents in care homes for older adults; andindividuals aged six months old and over who are immunosuppressed.The JCVI keeps all vaccination programmes under review.

What guidance his Department has issued on whether frontline staff are able to provide covid-19 vaccinations to unpaid carers who are present during home vaccination visits.

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, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.The JCVI advised in its autumn 2024 advice that, in the current era of high population immunity to COVID-19 and with all cases due to Omicron sub-lineages of COVID-19, currently available COVID-19 vaccines provide limited protection against transmission and mild or asymptomatic disease. The JCVI therefore advised that the focus of the programme should be on offering vaccination where it directly protects an individual at higher risk. In line with this advice, unpaid carers as well as household contacts of the immunosuppressed ceased to be offered COVID-19 vaccination from autumn 2024.In line with the advice the JCVI gave for 2025 and spring 2026, a COVID-19 vaccination will be offered this spring to the following groups:adults aged 75 years old and over;residents in care homes for older adults; andindividuals aged six months old and over who are immunosuppressed.The JCVI keeps all vaccination programmes under review.

What recent assessment he has made of the impact of underage access to vape products on young people’s health.

The health advice is clear, that whilst vapes can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, children and young people should never vape. The leading health risk to children and young people from vaping is nicotine addiction, and evidence suggests that young people may be more susceptible to the effects of nicotine. There are also potential health risks associated with the other ingredients in vapes which when overheated may produce toxic compounds. Vaping is associated with health problems such as asthma, coughing, and poor mental health, and is linked to other risky behaviours, such as drug use. Evidence on the longer-term health effects of vaping are still emerging. To address this, the Government is progressing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill through Parliament, which includes a package of measures that will protect young people from the known and emerging harms of nicotine and vaping products. To better understand the longer-term effects of vaping on young people, the Government has commissioned a significant package of research including a £62 million research project funded by UK Research and Innovation.

What specialist mental health support is available to children experiencing parental alienation.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country and deliver timely, efficient care for children and young people, including children affected by parental alienation.As prioritised in our Medium-Term Planning Framework, we are taking action to reduce the longest waits for specialist mental health support, tackling regional disparities, and expanding access, thereby making services more productive so children and young people spend less time waiting for the treatment they need.We are also accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029. As part of this, we are investing an additional £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff so that they can offer more effective support to young people with complex needs, such as trauma, neurodivergence, and disordered eating.

What steps he is taking to improve the identification of mental health needs among people entering the criminal justice system.

We are committed to diverting offenders with mental health, substance misuse, and other vulnerabilities away from prison or out of the criminal justice system altogether, where appropriate.NHS Liaison and Diversion services identify people who have mental health, learning disability, substance misuse or other vulnerabilities when they first come into contact with the criminal justice system as suspects, defendants or offenders.Mental health screening also takes place when someone is detained in prison, as set out in the National Health Service service specification for health care in prisons. As part of the formal prisoner induction process, all prisoners must undergo health screening that incorporates a mental health assessment. This is an essential standard under the specification.

What steps he is taking to ensure timely access to mental health support for children and parents affected by family breakdown and parental alienation.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country, including for children and parents affected by family breakdown and parental alienation. This includes transforming mental health services into 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres, improving assertive outreach, expanding talking therapies, and giving patients better access to 24/7 support directly through the NHS App. The 10-Year Health Plan will build on the work that has already begun to bring down waiting lists. This includes providing mental health support for almost one million more young people in school this year and an extra £688 million in Government funding this year to transform mental health services, specifically to hire more staff, deliver more early interventions, and get waiting lists down. This plan sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by continuing to roll out mental health support teams in schools and colleges, to reach full national coverage by 2029. We are also expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029, with improved effectiveness and quality of services. We will also expand Individual Placement and Support for severe mental illness so that 73,500 people receive access by March 2028.

What funding his Department has allocated to mental health services for people in the criminal justice system in the current financial year and the previous five financial years; and how that funding has been distributed in (a) England and (b) Suffolk and Norfolk.

The information requested is not held centrally. NHS England commissions healthcare services in every prison in England, and funding for mental health services for individuals within the criminal justice system is embedded within wider service contracts. These include services such as RECONNECT and Liaison and Diversion, and the specific expenditure on mental health within these services is not collected.

What steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities are able to act swiftly where there is evidence of illegal tobacco or vaping products being sold on high streets.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen enforcement and crack down on rogue retailers selling illegal tobacco and vaping products. The bill enables ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vapes, and nicotine products, and enables the introduction of a new registration system for tobacco, vape, and nicotine products that are sold on the United Kingdom’s market. This will help ensure products are compliant with product safety and standards requirements and enable Trading Standards to remove non-compliant products from the market quickly and efficiently.Alongside the bill, the Government has announced £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 to Trading Standards, to support the enforcement of illicit and underage tobacco and vape sales in England, and the implementation of the measures in the bill. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by recruiting 94 new apprentices. This will provide greater workforce capacity, enabling swifter enforcement action against illicit activity.

What steps he is taking to ensure continuity of mental health care for people leaving prison.

The Chief Medical Officer’s report on the health of people in prison, on probation and in the secure National Health Service estate in England was published on 6 November 2025 and we are carefully considering its findings and recommendations. The Department is committed to working with health and justice partners to support the continuity of mental health care for people leaving prison. This includes supporting prison leavers who have engaged in treatment while in custody to continue to access services in the community.One service available is RECONNECT, which provides a care after custody service designed to improve the continuity of care for people leaving prison or an immigration removal centre who have an identified health need. The service works with individuals before release to support their transition to community-based services, helping to safeguard health gains made while in custody.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of mental health provision for people in prisons.

The Chief Medical Officer’s report on the health of people in prison, on probation and in the secure National Health Service estate in England was published on 6 November 2025 and we are carefully considering its findings and recommendations.Healthcare services in the prison estate are commissioned by NHS England. All prison healthcare providers are commissioned and contracted to use National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.Every prison in England has onsite healthcare teams providing primary care, mental health, dentistry, and substance misuse services. As part of the formal prisoner induction process, all prisoners undergo health screening that incorporates a mental health assessment. The secondary care mental health assessment is carried out by a mental health professional. Routine assessments are carried out within five working days. Where an individual is in a state of mental health crisis, presents with rapidly escalating needs, or is at risk of immediate harm to themselves or others, an urgent assessment should be undertaken within 48 hours.NHS England commissions health needs assessments across the prison estate to determine the needs of the prison population and is updating all 19 health and justice service specifications by March 2026 to ensure it continues to meet those needs while assessing opportunities to improve healthcare in prisons.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of NHS England’s recent guidance on physician associates on patient services.

In response to the Independent Review of Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates (the Leng Review), NHS England wrote a letter and published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide guidance and support to the system on the implementation of the recommendations. The FAQs are available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/leng-review-nhs-england-faqs-on-actions-for-nhs-organisations.pdfWhilst individual primary and secondary care providers are responsible for making decisions regarding their workforce, NHS England is actively engaging employers to understand the impact of the Leng Review recommendations. This will inform how we steward and guide the system to further support employers as implementation continues.As further information to support implementation of the recommendations is available, it will be published at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/response-to-recommendations-from-the-independent-review-of-physician-associates-and-anaesthesia-associates/.

How many job vacancies there were for (a) Foundation Year 1 doctors, (b) Foundation Year 2 doctors and (c) specialty training posts in (i) England and (ii) Suffolk NHS region at the most recent date for which data is available.

The Department does not hold information on the number of vacancies for Foundation Year 1, Foundation Year 2, or specialty training posts in England or in the Suffolk National Health Service region.NHS England collects and publishes data relating to the fill rates for training places in medical specialties. These are for the entry point of the initial recruitment processes for the specific training programme, rather than a measure of total vacancies at a given point in time. This information is available at the following link:https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/fill-rates