Written questions by Shannon.

What steps NHS England is taking to ensure that NHS trusts are prepared to deliver (a) timely and (b) equitable access to emerging treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, in the context of (i) challenges highlighted through recent early access programmes and (ii) the likelihood of these therapies entering routine commissioning.

The Department understands the impact that Duchenne muscular dystrophy has on those living with it and their families, and the urgent need for new treatment options. If new therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy are approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), then appropriate commissioning plans will be put in place to enable equitable access to treatment through Specialised Neurology Services.The delivery of timely and equitable access to new treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy under company-sponsored early access schemes is not the responsibility of NHS England. Individual pharmaceutical companies may put in place Early Access Programmes (EAPs) to allow early access to new medicines that do not yet have a marketing authorisation. Participation in EAPs is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level, and under these programmes, the cost of the drug is free to both patients taking part in it, and to the National Health Service, although NHS trusts must still cover administration costs and provide clinical resources to deliver the EAP.There are no common clinical, data, or regulatory standards for company-sponsored EAPs, meaning each one demands a new protocol to be devised and delivered by each participating trust, which can create significant pressures on clinical and financial resources. Companies providing a sponsored EAP also reserve the right to limit or to close registration of new patients at any time, meaning that any financial and clinical investment made by trusts to establish an EAP could be undermined by a commercial decision that would most likely happen in the event of the treatment not being recommended following an appraisal by NICE.NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge (FoC) medicine schemes, including EAPs, providing advice on potential financial, resourcing, and clinical risks.ICSs should use the guidance to help determine whether to implement any FoC scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/

What information his Department holds on whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence plans to improve the (a) transparency and (b) consistency of its guidance on the application of carer health-related quality of life in its single technology appraisal process.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) technology appraisal process allows its independent committees to take societal benefits, such as health-related quality-of-life for carers and the impact on personal social services, into account. NICE’s methods are set out in its published health technology evaluations manual, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/process/pmg36Evaluations should consider all health effects for patients, and, when relevant, carers. When presenting health effects for carers, evidence should show when the condition is associated with a substantial effect on a carer’s health-related quality of life and how the technology affects carers. This applies for all therapies, including therapies for rare diseases. NICE appraisals specifically consider health-related quality of life, for both patients and carers, rather than quality of life as a whole.

Whether his Department has made recent progress on making one-off payments to healthcare staff.

The most recent one-off payments for National Health Service staff in England were agreed as part of the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal. No future one-off payments are actively being considered.The Department provided funding to cover the cost of these payments to eligible staff. It is the responsibility of local employing organisations to ensure correct payments are made to eligible staff.

If he will (a) publish a strategy to help improve the (i) diagnosis and (ii) detection of less survivable cancers and (b) ensure comprehensive (A) commissioning and (B) diagnostic capacity in (1) non-specific symptoms pathways, (2) urgent suspected cancer pathways and (3) GP direct access.

The Department is working to develop a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve the diagnosis and detection of less survivable cancers.As set out in the new plan for reforming elective care, the Government is committed to improving diagnostic capacity for cancer patients. Providers have been asked to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the NHS Constitution standard for diagnostics and the cancer faster diagnosis standard, to reduce the number of patients waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer and to start treatment.The 2025/26 capital guidance confirmed that £1.65 billion of capital funding will be allocated to support National Health Service performance across secondary and emergency care across 2025/26 more broadly. This includes £0.6 billion which has been provisionally allocated for interventions to increase diagnostic capacity, including expanding existing CDCs, as well as building up to five new CDCs in 2025/26.To expand diagnostic capacity in the non-specific symptom pathway (NSS), the NHS is rolling out rapid diagnostic centres (RDC) as part of the NSS pathway, where patients suspected of having cancer can get the right tests at the right time in as few visits as possible. RDC pathways promote the continuous improvement of cancer diagnostics.The NHS is also expanding direct access to diagnostic scans across all general practices through the national roll out of fast track testing, helping to cut waiting times and speed up cancer diagnosis or cancer all-clear for patients, including developing and delivering at least 10 straight-to-test pathways by March 2026.

Whether he plans to increase funding for the research and development of diagnostic (a) tests and (b) tools to help support GPs to (i) diagnose and (ii) detect less survivable cancers (A) earlier and (B) faster.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.The level of funding for research and development generally depends on funding applications received. The NIHR continues to welcome high quality, high impact funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including less survivable cancers.In September 2024, the NIHR awarded £2.4 million to develop an artificial intelligence tool to support general practitioners (GPs) to identify suspected cancer faster and more effectively. It will use lung and pancreatic cancers as the first test cases. The NIHR also funded recently completed, January 2025, research into understanding how GPs use existing national guidance for urgent suspected cancer referral in primary care, with the findings expected to be published later this year.It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer earlier and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes for all patients across England. We are improving public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, streamlining referral routes, and increasing the availability of diagnostic capacity through the roll-out of more community diagnostic centres.We are also investing an additional £889 million in GPs to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. We are committed to ensuring that GPs have the right training and systems to identify cancer. The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients. It will aim to speed up diagnosis and treatment and ensure all patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.

How many children aged between six to 10 years of age have been prescribed Clenil in each of the last five years.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds patient identifiable data relating to drugs prescribed in England and dispensed within a community setting, and which are submitted to the NHSBSA for processing. The following table shows the total number of identified children in specific age bands that were prescribed Clenil Modulite for the financial years 2020/2021 to 2024/2025:Financial yearAge band one to five years oldAge band six to 10 years old2020/202184,498149,2962021/2022127,765160,1422022/2023138,224171,3232023/2024124,551179,8652024/2025105,336172,698Data Source: NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse.Please note that care should be taken when interpreting the patient counts as some patients could appear in the results for multiple time periods and age bands. For example, a single patient could appear in the results for multiple financial years, or at both ages five and six years old within the same year. Therefore, the patient numbers should not be combined and reported at any other levels other than as provided in the dataset.

How many children aged between five to 11 years of age have been prescribed Montelukast in each of the last five years.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds patient identifiable data relating to drugs prescribed in England and dispensed within a community setting, and which are submitted to the NHSBSA for processing.The following table shows the total number of identified children in the requested age bands that were prescribed Montelukast for the financial years 2020/2021 to 2024/2025:Financial yearAge band one to five years oldAge band five to 11 years old2020/202131,44857,0572021/202244,67562,5872022/202347,30169,8372023/202441,34674,8592024/202530,84970,903Data Source: NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse.It should be noted that the age ranges requested overlap for children aged five years old, so the given age bands should not be added or combined.Care should be taken when interpreting the patient counts, as some patients could appear in the results for multiple time periods. For example, a single patient could appear in the results for multiple financial years. Therefore, the patient numbers should not be combined and reported at any other levels other than as provided in the dataset.

How many children aged between one to five years of age have been prescribed Clenil in each of the last five years.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds patient identifiable data relating to drugs prescribed in England and dispensed within a community setting, and which are submitted to the NHSBSA for processing. The following table shows the total number of identified children in specific age bands that were prescribed Clenil Modulite for the financial years 2020/2021 to 2024/2025:Financial yearAge band one to five years oldAge band six to 10 years old2020/202184,498149,2962021/2022127,765160,1422022/2023138,224171,3232023/2024124,551179,8652024/2025105,336172,698Data Source: NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse.Please note that care should be taken when interpreting the patient counts as some patients could appear in the results for multiple time periods and age bands. For example, a single patient could appear in the results for multiple financial years, or at both ages five and six years old within the same year. Therefore, the patient numbers should not be combined and reported at any other levels other than as provided in the dataset.

How many children aged one to five have been prescribed montelukast in each of the last five years.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds patient identifiable data relating to drugs prescribed in England and dispensed within a community setting, and which are submitted to the NHSBSA for processing.The following table shows the total number of identified children in the requested age bands that were prescribed Montelukast for the financial years 2020/2021 to 2024/2025:Financial yearAge band one to five years oldAge band five to 11 years old2020/202131,44857,0572021/202244,67562,5872022/202347,30169,8372023/202441,34674,8592024/202530,84970,903Data Source: NHSBSA Information Services Data Warehouse.It should be noted that the age ranges requested overlap for children aged five years old, so the given age bands should not be added or combined.Care should be taken when interpreting the patient counts, as some patients could appear in the results for multiple time periods. For example, a single patient could appear in the results for multiple financial years. Therefore, the patient numbers should not be combined and reported at any other levels other than as provided in the dataset.

How many children are on the waiting list for tonsillectomy; and how many of those have been waiting for (a) under one year, (b) two years, (c) three years, (d) four years and (e) over five years.

The Government has committed to returning to the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of all patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment for consultant-led care, including children who require a tonsillectomy. As a first step towards this, we have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments across elective services, having now delivered over three million more.There were 11,091 cases where a child was waiting for tonsillectomy as of 11 May 2025. Of those, in 9,205 cases the child had been waiting under one year and in 1,886 cases the child had been waiting between one and two years. There were no cases where a child had been waiting more than two years.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of Early Access Programmes on equity of access to (a) tofersen and (b) other innovative treatments.

Early access schemes for unlicenced medicines, where approval may be obtained in other markets, including where a licence exists but a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence decision is not available, are managed by companies to benefit patients.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) provides a route for the supply of new medicines to United Kingdom patients on an unlicensed basis, prior to receiving a marketing authorisation. The EAMS aims to give patients with life threatening or seriously debilitating conditions early access to medicines that show early signs of having a major advantage over existing therapeutics.The EAMS is a two-step process, with the first step being a Positive Innovative Medicine designation, and the second step being the publishing of a Scientific Opinion. Medicines have to be successful at both of these stages to have access to patients through this scheme.We are currently reviewing the recently submitted Torfersen, but cannot comment on its progress. The MHRA recognises the importance of rapid assessment, and is committed to doing so in a timely manner.

What steps he is taking to support mothers with post-partum depression.

We are committed to ensuring that all women and babies receive the safe, personalised, and compassionate care they need, at all stages of pregnancy and post-partum.A range of specialist mental health services have been made available to women during the perinatal period. For women with, or at risk of, mental health problems, who are planning a pregnancy, who are pregnant, or who have a baby up to two years old, specialist perinatal mental health services provide care in all 42 integrated care system (ICS) areas of England. For women experiencing mental health difficulties directly arising from, or related to, their maternity or neonatal experience, Maternal Mental Health Services are operational in 41 of the 42 ICS areas in England, with the final ICS in England due to launch their service by the end of Quarter 1 of 2025/26. Additionally, 165 Mother and Baby Unit beds have now been commissioned, with 153 currently operational. These units provide inpatient care to women who experience severe mental health difficulties during and after pregnancy.NHS England’s guidance sets out that all women who have given birth should be offered a postnatal check-up with their general practitioner (GP) after six to eight weeks. This check-up provides an important opportunity for women to be listened to by their GP in a discreet, supportive environment, and for women to be assessed and supported not just in their physical recovery post-birth but also their mental health.

How many people have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in the past 12 months.

This information is not held in the format requested. The Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), published by NHS England, includes a count of the total number of admissions with a primary diagnosis of multiple sclerosis between April 2024 and February 2025, by the age and sex of the patient. However, this data is not a count of patients, as an individual may be admitted on more than one occasion in any given period with the same diagnosis. The following table shows a count of finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis of multiple sclerosis by age and sex in 2024/25, with provisional data to February 2025:Age group in yearsFemaleMaleUnknownTotal5 to 9 1 110 to 145228 8015 to 194561561462620 to 241,316482 1,79825 to 293,5261,177564,75930 to 345,9741,7971597,93035 to 396,5082,1621568,82640 to 446,4012,3211758,89745 - 495,3881,955667,40950 to 545,0302,027947,15155 to 593,9241,580565,56060 to 642,313999523,36465 to 69971491151,47770 to 74341262360675 to 7919072626880 to 84492417485 to 8913712190 and over22 4unknown7240 112All ages42,52615,58385458,963Source: HES, NHS England.

What steps he is taking to help improve the mental health of young people.

We know children and young people 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.Nationally, the Government is providing £7 million of funding to extend support for 24 early support hubs that have a track record of helping thousands of young people in their community. We will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school in England and roll out Young Futures hubs to provide open access mental health support for children and young people.In addition, we are recruiting 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to ease pressure on busy mental health services.

How many people with measles have been admitted to hospital in the last 12 months.

NHS England publishes annual data on Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity in England. The latest data covers activity from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, during which 428 hospital admissions were reported where measles was recorded as the main reason for admission.The United Kingdom relies on laboratory testing to confirm or exclude measles infection. This means the admission figures above will include suspected measles cases which are later discarded after testing, and may also not capture some true measles.A more accurate method for identifying measles-related hospitalisations links laboratory confirmed measles case data to hospital admission data. The UK Health Security Agency undertakes this analysis and plans to publish hospitalisation data in the quarterly Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Health Protection Report. The first inclusion of these figures in the report will be published by the end of June 2025. The current reports are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-mumps-and-rubella-lab-confirmed-cases-in-england-2024

How many people under the age of 21 have been diagnosed with brain tumours in the last 12 months.

In England, the total number of brain tumour diagnoses in the zero to 19 year old age group in 2022 was 579. In the same period, for the 20 to 24 year old age group, the total number of brain tumour diagnoses was 154.The most recent data available is from the 2022 Cancer Registrations Statistics for England. Data is not held for the specific age group of under 21 years old, but it is held for the zero to 19 and 20 to 24 year old age groups.It is important to note that the statistics are presented as numbers of diagnoses, and not numbers of people. This is due to the possibility of one person receiving more than one diagnosis.

How many people have been prescribed (a) Ozempic and (b) other weight loss medication in the last 12 months.

Ozempic is only licenced for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and can only be prescribed off-label for use in weight management. The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) collects data on the number of prescriptions dispensed in England. Between March 2024 and February 2025, 83,286 unique identified patients were dispensed Ozempic in England. The data does not specify the purpose for which it was prescribed.The NHSBSA also holds data on the number of prescription items dispensed of weight-loss medication. Between March 2024 and February 2025, 344,927 unique identified patients in England were dispensed medicines licensed for weight loss management.The following have been included as they are licenced for weight management: Biolide; Nevolat; Saxenda; Wegovy; Orlistat (chemical substance) (Xenical, Alli, Orlos); and Tirzepatide (chemical substance) (Mounjaro). These have also been listed in the National Health Service’s obesity treatment information page, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/treatment/There may be other medicines that may be prescribed for weight loss treatment that are not included in this data. As above, the NHSBSA does not collect data on the clinical condition for which medicines have been prescribed, so this data does not specify whether patients were prescribed medicines for weight-loss or another condition.

Whether his Department is aware of Blenrep; and when it will be available to NHS patients.

The Department is aware of the medicine belantamab mafodotin (Blenrep). In the United Kingdom, medicines need to have a licence before they can be marketed, granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Licences confirm the health condition the medicine should be used for and the recommended dosage. To get a licence, the manufacturer of the medicine is required to provide evidence that shows that the medicine is safe and effective enough to be used for a specific condition and for a specific group of patients, and that they can manufacture the medicine to the required quality.After a review of the safety, quality, and efficacy of Blenrep, it was approved for a marketing authorisation on 17 April, in combination with other products for use in the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma.Newly licensed medicines are appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. Following receipt of the marketing authorisation, the NICE will progress its appraisals of Blenrep as soon as possible.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of AI on detecting cancer.

The Department is testing artificial intelligence (AI) in areas that cause the most harm to health and to our economy. Through the £113 million AI award, a number of technologies that support with cancer diagnosis have been tested.In addition, the £21 million AI diagnostic fund is focused on technologies that support with lung cancer diagnosis, such as chest x-rays and chest computed tomography scans.On top of this, on 4 February 2025, the Department announced that nearly 700,000 women across the country will take part in a world-leading trial to test how cutting-edge AI tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases earlier. The Early Detection using Information Technology in Health, or EDITH, trial is backed by £11 million of Government support via the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

What assessment his Department has made of hearing loss causing dementia.

The 2024 update of the Lancet Commission suggests that approximately 45% of global dementia cases are estimated to be potentially preventable or delayable. One of the 14 risk factors identified by the Lancet Commission for dementia is hearing loss.The Department delivers a range of research into dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). For example, the NIHR is currently funding the ENHANCE research programme, which is developing and testing an intervention app to see its effects on cognition, risk, quality of life, and affordability. The ENHANCE app seeks to address ten risk factors for dementia, including hearing loss. In the long-term, the researchers will examine health records to see if the app can reduce dementia rates.The Lancet Commission 2024 and further research will help inform Government action on dementia going forward.