Written questions by Hayes.

Following the abolition of NHS England, where ultimate commissioning accountability will sit for (a) Cystic Fibrosis and (b) other specialised NHS services.

Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. Work has begun immediately to start bringing teams in NHS England and the Department together, and over the next two years, NHS England and the Department will combine to form a new joint centre.NHS England will continue to carry out its statutory duties until Parliamentary time allows for legislation to be brought forward to amend the Department’s responsibilities.The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. We will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up, and getting waiting times down.

What steps his Department is taking to improve care pathways for young people with ADHD in Lincolnshire.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected in the summer.In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.The Lincolnshire ICB advises that it has undertaken a clinical review of its ADHD and autism pathways to address increased demand for children and young people’s (CYP) neurodevelopment assessments. The ICB further advises that implementation of a number of the review’s recommendations has resulted in significantly reduced waiting times for CYP transitioning into adult services. The Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals Group has also invested in additional sleep support capacity as part of the post diagnostic support offer, and is developing proposals for increased specialist ADHD nursing capacity to be introduced in 2026.

What estimate he has made of the potential impact of abolishing NHS England on savings to the public purse.

The abolition of NHS England is expected to bring savings that would amount to hundreds of millions of pounds a year. While there will be some upfront costs, we are confident that the reform to wipe out duplication and drive a smaller centre, based in a single organisation, will generate significant savings in the long run allowing us to divert savings to the front line.

What the average waiting time is for dyslexia assessments in Lincolnshire.

Data on waiting times for dyslexia assessments is not held centrally. Assessments for dyslexia in children are provided by an educational psychologist or an appropriately qualified specialist dyslexia teacher. If a parent thinks their child may be dyslexic, as a first step they should speak to their child’s teacher or their school's special educational needs co-ordinator about their concerns. The school may be able to offer additional support to help the child if necessary. The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Education on policies relating to children with Special Educational Needs and Disability.Adults who wish to be assessed for dyslexia are advised to contact a local or national dyslexia association for advice. Further information on dyslexia assessments is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/diagnosis/

What proportion of food procured by his Department is sourced in the UK.

During 2023/24, 72% of the food procured by the Department was produced in the United Kingdom.

What steps he is taking to cut ophthalmology waiting lists in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) England.

Too many people are waiting too long for National Health Service treatment, with their personal and professional lives being put on hold. The current national waiting list for ophthalmology stands at 589,508, with 66.8% of those having waited 18 weeks or less. We have committed to ensuring that 92% of all patients, across specialties, wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT) by March 2029. As a first step, we have delivered a reduction in the waiting list of 160,000 pathways and provided over two million extra appointments, across all specialities, including ophthalmology.We are tackling waits nationally and in Lincolnshire. The Elective Reform Plan sets out actions to reform outpatient care which will significantly benefit ophthalmology, the largest outpatient specialty, with over 8.8 million outpatient attendances across 2023/24. We will improve the referral, triage, and management of patients between primary and secondary eyecare services to free up hospital appointments for those requiring specialist input. This includes delivering more care in the community.At the main hospital trust in Lincolnshire, the current wait in ophthalmology for a first appointment is 18 weeks, with the wait to first treatment at 19 weeks. This can be found on the national My Planned Care Portal, which is available at the following link: https://www.myplannedcare.nhs.uk/mids/united-lincs/specialty/?sname=Ophthalmology

What steps his Department is taking to help increase patients' survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Lincolnshire.

In a bid to improve patients' survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the Government has committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. Following the depletion of the existing AED Fund, launched in September 2023, the Government approved a further £500,000 in August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the fund.As part of the application process, the Department has set out requirements to ensure that resources are allocated to where there is the greatest need, for instance in remote communities with extended ambulance response times, places with high footfall and high population densities, hotspots for cardiac arrest, including sporting venues and venues with vulnerable people, and deprived areas. 21 AEDs have been distributed, through the AED Fund, to the Lincoln postcode area, from LN1 to LN13, which includes Alford, Lincoln, Woodhall Spa, Louth, Mablethorpe, and Horncastle.

What estimate his Department has made of the adequacy of waiting time for talking therapies in Lincolnshire.

Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England, to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also introduce access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.Despite the challenging fiscal environment, the Government has chosen to prioritise the funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support schemes, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the root cause of mental health issues and providing support for people with severe mental illness to contribute to the economy by remaining in or returning to work.We have committed £26 million in capital investment to open new mental health crisis centres, reducing the pressure on busy emergency mental health and accident and emergency services, and ensuring that people have the support they need when they need it. Waiting times statistics for talking therapies in Lincolnshire are available on the mental health dashboard, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-mental-health-dashboard/

How many dentists have been recruited through the dental recruitment incentive scheme in Lincolnshire.

The application process for the dental recruitment incentive scheme is in progress and remains open until the end of March 2025. The Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board continues to work with dental practices whose applications for funding have been successful and has provided funding locally for seven posts in addition to the four places available through the incentive scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists across England receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of school nursing services in Lincolnshire.

Local authorities receive funding to provide school nursing through the Public Health Grant. It is local authorities’ responsibility to commission school nursing around the needs of their respective populations according to their local health plan. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities provides both commissioning guidance and a service framework through the Healthy Child Programme. School nursing is a clinical service, and providers must be registered with the Care Quality Commission who assure quality through their inspection regime.We will ensure we have the staff we need so that children and their families are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This will take time, but we are committed to building a health service fit for the future with the workforce it needs.

How many closure orders were issued to retail outlets in England for the selling of illegal cigarettes in the last three years.

Where a retailer is found to be engaged in serious criminal behaviour, local authorities can apply to the courts for a closure order, which can close the business for up to three months. The number of closure orders issued against businesses, including those in which the sale of illicit cigarettes is a factor, is not held centrally by the Department. Local authorities and National Trading Standards collate information regarding the enforcement action taken against retailers in relation to illicit tobacco.

What steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer diagnosis in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

We have delivered two million extra appointments and are ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care, including those in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency.NHS England is providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at inherited high-risk to identify lesions before they develop into cancer. NHS England is also funding a new audit into pancreatic cancer, aiming to provide regular and timely evidence to cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, to increase the consistency of access to treatments and to stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients.Additionally, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms which do not clearly align to a tumour type. This includes symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

How many illegal (a) cigarettes and (b) vapes have been seized from retail outlets in England in (i) 2022, (ii) 2023 and (ii) 2024.

HM Revenue and Customs, Border Force, and Trading Standards are responsible for detaining and seizing illicit tobacco and vapes, including at ports and in-land from retailers. Information about seizures of illicit tobacco and vapes is collated in reports published by HM Revenue and Customs and National Trading Standards.The latest figures show that 1.36 billion cigarettes, with a revenue value of £678.5 million, were seized by HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force in the United Kingdom in 2023/24, and 19.1 million cigarettes, worth £9.5 million, were seized by Trading Standards in England and Wales in 2023/24. 92.4 tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco, worth £41.9 million, was seized by HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force in the UK in 2023/24, and 5.2 tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco, worth over £2.3 million, was seized by Trading Standards in England and Wales in 2023/24.1.2 million illicit vapes, worth £13.2 million, were seized inland by Trading Standards in England in 2023/24, and 1.1 million illicit vapes, worth £12.4 million, were detained at ports by Trading Standards in England, in the first half of 2024/25

What steps he is taking to improve access to NHS audiology services in rural areas.

Since June 2022, 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) across England have been responsible for arranging National Health Service healthcare services, including audiology, which meet the needs of their respective populations.ICBs are responsible for developing a joint plan with its members and partner local authorities, arranging the provision of health services in the integrated care system area and managing the NHS budget.

Whether NHS Resolution has used artificial intelligence to assist with casework in the last 12 months.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHSR has advised that it does not currently use artificial intelligence (AI), in the broadest definitions, for casework processing purposes. The only AI in use currently for casework at NHSR is a document search tool which is used to rapidly locate documents.

For what purposes NHS Blood and Transplant has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.Over the last 12 months NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has used AI as part of a number of proof of concepts to explore how AI could benefit NHSBT, however none of these are live. This includes an AI agent to answer online donor questions about donating, models to forecast donor attendance at blood collection sessions, and models to help staff collecting blood answer questions on the policy and standard operating procedures.NHSBT can draw on a range of resources, published on the GOV.UK website, to inform AI usage. For example, the AI Playbook for the UK Government, with which NHSBT are aligning work.

How much of the £70 million investment for replacing older radiotherapy machines will be allocated to United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The funding for new radiotherapy machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments. Those trusts which have been allocated funding for a new machine from this £70 million central fund will be informed soon.The £70 million of central funding is not intended to replace every machine aged 10 years and older, and replacement of radiotherapy machines remains the responsibility of local systems.

For what purposes the Health Services Safety Investigations Body has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.The Health Services Safety Investigations Body has not used AI in the last 12 months. They have set up an internal group to look at both the use of AI internally and to consider how they investigate emerging patient safety risks associated with AI. This work is at an early stage.

How many people have been referred by the NHS’s Gender Dysphoria National Referral Support Services for masculinising chest surgery in the last five years.

Referrals for masculinising chest surgery are made by the specialist clinical teams in the NHS Gender Dysphoria Clinics, not by the NHS Gender Dysphoria National Referral Support Service (GDNRSS). The non-clinical role of the GDNRSS is to process the referrals on behalf of the providers.Between 1 April 2020 and 31 December 2024, the GDNRSS received 5,463 requests for masculinising chest surgery.

For what purposes the NHS Business Services Authority has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has identified opportunities for the utilisation of AI tools and services and has categorised those into three areas of opportunity: personal efficiency and productivity; applying Generative AI (GenAI) at a professional level; and GenAI at an organisational or service level.The NHSBSA has therefore used AI in a number of proof of concept pieces over the past 12 months to test its fit for purposefulness in these environments. These include drafting meeting minutes, customer insights and data extraction, job specifications, supporting coding, and chatbot development. The NHSBSA is in enabling discussions with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to work in step with other departmental Arm’s Length Bodies in GenAI development in health and social care, and can draw on a range of resources, published on the GOV.UK website, to inform AI usage.