Written questions by Robertson.

If his Department will maintain funding for specialist (a) clinical and (b) surveillance services for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Effective diagnostic and surveillance services for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are necessary to monitor public health protection measures and ensure that patients receive appropriate care and support.Currently, specialist diagnostic and surveillance services are provided by the National CJD Research and Surveillance Unit. From April 2025, funding for diagnostic and clinical services is transferring from the National Institute for Health and Care Research to NHS England. This includes funding for specialist testing, neuropathology services, and clinical support.Also from April 2025, the lead for CJD surveillance in England will be the UK Health Security Agency. CJD will be added to schedule 1 of the Health Protection (Notification) (Amendment) Regulations 2025. Subject to Parliamentary clearance, CJD notification in England will become a statutory duty from 6 April 2025.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) value-weighted activity appointments and (b) diagnostic NHS appointments that will take place in (i) 2024-25, (ii) 2025-26 and (iii) by the end of this Parliament.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015.Thanks to funding announced in the Autumn Budget 2024, we have delivered an additional two million operations, scans, and appointments between July and November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks.NHS Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 sets out that systems are expected to deliver activity consistent with the national value weighted activity target of 118%. Levels beyond this period will be agreed as part of the forthcoming Spending Review process.

How many NHS appointments were delivered in each month between July 2023 and June 2024.

Information related to the baseline and methodology for the additional appointments delivered is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/recovery-of-elective_activity-mi/

What estimate his Department has made of what the NHS waiting list will be in (a) 12 months, (b) two years, (c) three years and (d) by the end of the Parliament.

Projected estimates of National Health Service waiting list size are currently being refined. We have delivered a reduction in the list of 160,000 pathways, as well as provision of over two million extra appointments between July and November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests, and treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and endoscopy.As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029; and the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out an expectation that national performance will increase from 58% as of December 2024 to 65% by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5 percentage point improvement by March 2026.

Which office in his Department Alan Milburn sits in.

Alan Milburn was appointed as Lead Non-Executive Member to the board of the Department on 8 November 2024. Non-executive board members provide independent advice and expertise to inform the Department's strategy, performance, and governance, and the lead non-executive board member provides additional support to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in their role as Chair of the Board.Non-executive board members do not have a designated space within the Department’s office buildings. They may attend meetings in person or virtually as required.

Whether it remains his Department's policy that there should be no more than 30 adult inpatients with a learning disability and/or autism per million adult population in mental health inpatient units.

Our commitment remains, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, that there should be no more than 30 adults with a learning disability, autism or both in a mental health inpatient setting per million adults. As part of NHS Operational and Planning Guidance for 2025/26, integrated care boards are expected to set out plans for how they will continue to focus on making sure that people with a learning disability and autistic people are admitted into a mental health inpatient setting only for the purpose of care and treatment of a mental health condition. The aim is to achieve a further 10% reduction in the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in inpatient settings by March 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to monitor progress on reducing the number of people with a learning disability and autism in mental health hospitals.

The Mental Health Bill, introduced in the House of Lords on 6 November 2024, proposes a package of measures to ensure people with a learning disability and autistic people get the support they need in the community, improving care and keeping people out of hospitals.The Assuring Transformation data set is our primary source for people with a learning disability and autistic people who are in hospital for a mental health condition. This data is published monthly and shows the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people who are in mental health inpatient settings. We will continue to evaluate this data.National Health Service planning guidance, published on 30 January 2025, includes a focus on improving mental health and learning disability care and contains the objective to deliver a minimum 10% reduction in the use of mental health inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people in 2025/26. This supports the aim to reach a position of no more than 30 adults or between 12 and 15 children aged under 18 years old for every one million population.

How much funding his Department allocated to improve community support for people with a learning disability and autistic people in 2024-25.

For 2024/25, NHS England allocated £124 million of transformation funding for learning disability and autism services in local integrated care board (ICB) areas. This funding includes money for local systems to reduce reliance on mental health inpatient settings.In England, we continue to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilities Grant which helps eligible disabled people, including people with a learning disability and autistic people, on low incomes to adapt their homes to make them safe and suitable for their needs.We have provided an in-year uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) of £86 million in 2024/25. This increase will fund approximately 7,800 additional home adaptations. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. The Government has also announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for 2025/26 at the Budget, bringing total funding for 2025/26 to £711 million.

Whether he plans to undertake an impact assessment for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

An impact assessment is being developed, which will consider the relevant impacts of the bill as it stands at the end of Committee Stage, based on the available evidence.

Whether Baroness Casey of Blackstock will be paid for her review into social care; and how many civil servants have been assigned to support that review.

Baroness Casey of Blackstock will be paid for her role as Chair of the independent commission. We are currently in the process of recruiting the Commission Secretariat and therefore the number of civil servants supporting the commission is still to be confirmed.

Whether his Department has received representations on health warnings on bacon.

Department officials are not aware of any correspondence or meetings being held in relation to health warnings on bacon. Government advice is that people with relatively high intakes of red and processed meat, namely over 90 grams per day, should consider reducing their intakes. It was estimated that a reduction to the adult population average of 70 grams per day would not increase the proportion of the adult population with low iron intakes. Government recommendations on red and processed meat intake, including bacon, are based on advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), a committee of independent scientific experts. SACN reviewed the evidence on red and processed meat intake and the risk of bowel cancer as part of their report on Iron and Health, published in 2010. SACN concluded that red and processed meat is probably associated with increased bowel cancer risk.

Whether he has a policy on unconscious bias training in the NHS.

In June 2023, NHS England published an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Improvement Plan that sets out targeted actions to address prejudice and discrimination in the National Health Service workforce. It is right that the NHS takes proactive steps to addresses prejudice and discrimination where it exists across the NHS workforce.There is no national NHS-wide policy on unconscious bias training in the NHS. Individual NHS organisations have responsibility for training their own staff and provide relevant training where appropriate.Some elements of unconscious bias training are available to NHS staff at both a national and local level and includes access to e-learning resources. NHS Employers has published a good practice framework for the delivery of equality and diversity training in the NHS and which includes unconscious bias training. This is available at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/system/files/2021-10/NHS%20good%20practice%20guidance_Final.pdf

If he will publish the final report from the Funding Flows task and finish group.

The Building the Right Support Delivery Board, including the Funding Flows Task and Finish Group, was commissioned under the previous Government and has been paused. We do not plan to take decisions on the delivery board, including publishing the final report of the Funding Flows Task and Finish Group, whilst the Mental Health Bill is before Parliament. However, we recognise this is an important area and we are considering how to ensure that more people with a learning disability and autistic people are supported well in the community.

Who the members are of the assessment advisory panel for the Members of the NHS Pay Review Body.

When new members or chairs are recruited to pay review bodies, Ministers are assisted in their decision making by an Advisory Assessment Panel, set up for each individual recruitment. The Panel includes a departmental official and a member independent of the department and of the body concerned. For competitions recruiting non-chair members, the panel should also include a representative from the public body, normally the chair.Members of the assessment panel are made public on Cabinet Office’s digital platform for public appointments, through which all roles are advertised and candidates apply. For the NHS Pay Review Body and the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration, a listing of members of the assessment panel is available at the following link:https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles?titleSearch=&bodySearch=1355&regulated=&bodyJustice=&remunerated=&status=closed#search-resultsThe recruitment process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and is open and transparent, and appointments are made on merit.

Who the members of the assessment advisory panel are for the Members of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration.

When new members or chairs are recruited to pay review bodies, Ministers are assisted in their decision making by an Advisory Assessment Panel, set up for each individual recruitment. The Panel includes a departmental official and a member independent of the department and of the body concerned. For competitions recruiting non-chair members, the panel should also include a representative from the public body, normally the chair.Members of the assessment panel is made public on Cabinet Office’s digital platform for public appointments, through which all roles are advertised and candidates apply. For the NHS Pay Review Body and the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration, a listing of members of the assessment panel is available at the following link:https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles?titleSearch=&bodySearch=1355&regulated=&bodyJustice=&remunerated=&status=closed#search-resultsThe recruitment process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and is open and transparent, and appointments are made on merit.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of NHS staff pay increases on the (a) availability and (b) quality of patient services.

The Government values the expertise of the independent Pay Review Bodies (PRBs) who, as part of their Terms of Reference, make pay recommendations based on a range of factors, including recruitment, retention, motivation, morale, and the Government's affordability figure. National Health Service pay is a decision for the Government, and ministers consider the PRB’s recommendations carefully. In 2024/25, the Government accepted the recommendations in full.

What steps the Government is taking to support the voluntary health sector community on the Isle of Wight.

The Department recognises the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector as a valuable partner in improving people’s health and wellbeing. The Government is committed to resetting the relationship with civil society and unlocking its potential. We want civil society to be an equal, expert partner, integral to the delivery of the Government’s plan for a decade of national renewal, including for health and social care.NHS England supports the voluntary sector on the Isle of Wight through investment from the Better Care Fund, alongside the Isle of Wight Council. Two substantial areas of investment are for preventative community services and support for carers.

What steps his Department is taking to work with (a) Integrated Care Boards and (b) housing providers to provide support for people leaving hospital.

On 30 January 2025, the Government published the policy framework for the Better Care Fund (BCF) for 2025/26, which will take effect on 1 April. The framework requires National Health Service integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities to agree to a joint plan to deliver the objectives of the BCF. The objectives include that local areas must agree to plans that achieve more timely and effective discharge from hospital. It is a national condition of the BCF that the development of joint plans must involve joint working with local housing authorities.Housing adaptations, including those delivered through the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), support the BCF’s objectives by helping towards the costs of making changes to people’s homes to enable them to stay well, safe, and independent at home for longer.We have provided an immediate in-year uplift to the DFG of £86 million in 2024/25. This increase will provide approximately 7,800 additional home adaptations. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. This uplift to the DFG will be maintained for 2025/26, so central funding for the DFG in 2025/26 will be £711 million.

Whether his Department plans to develop a national strategy to integrate health and housing services; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such a strategy on delays in hospital discharges.

The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act will require local authorities to produce supported housing strategies, which will assist local authorities and partner organisations to deliver supported housing, including for people being discharged from hospital.The Better Care Fund (BCF) policy framework for 2025/26 requires National Health Service integrated care boards and local authorities to agree to a joint plan to deliver the objectives of the BCF. The objectives include that local areas must agree to plans that achieve more timely and effective discharge from hospital. It is a national condition of the BCF that the development of joint plans must involve joint working with local housing authorities.

What steps his Department is taking to improve discharge rates from mental health hospitals.

The Discharge from Mental Health Inpatient Settings statutory guidance, published in January 2024, provides clarity in relation to how health and care systems can work together to support safe and timely discharge from all mental health inpatient settings and ensure the right support in the community. It includes best practice on how patients and their carers should be involved in discharge planning. The Discharge from Mental Health Inpatient Settings statutory guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discharge-from-mental-health-inpatient-settings/discharge-from-mental-health-inpatient-settings Under the 2025/26 Planning Guidance, there has been a refocusing of mental health priorities into key areas, which includes improved patient flow through mental health crisis and acute pathways, thereby reducing the average length of stay in adult acute mental health beds. Systems have been asked to prioritise work on the 10 High Impact Actions to improve discharge. This includes a follow up to be carried out with the person by the Community Mental Health Team or Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team at the earliest opportunity and within a maximum of 72 hours of discharge, to ensure the right discharge support is in place.