Written questions by Leadbeater.

What steps his Department is taking to address the higher rates of (a) suicide, (b) intentional self-harm, (c) drug poisoning mortality, (d) depression and (e) anxiety among LGB+ women.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed neighbourhood health service on care coordination for people living with Huntington’s disease and other long-term neu

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, including Huntington’s Disease. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community. These include getting...

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the needs of people living with Huntington’s disease and other long-term neurological conditions are considered in the development of neighbourhoo

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, including Huntington’s Disease. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community. These include getting...

What steps his Department is taking to support sustainable working patterns for midwives in NHS maternity services.

We want to move the National Health Service toward a culture where flexible working opportunities are much more widely available and there is support for employees to be able to work more sustainably.A number of actions have already been taken to support flexible working in the NHS including changes to terms and conditions and training for staff and line managers to help drive culture change and support uptake. NHS England continues to support organisations in the implementation of effective use of e-rostering systems. E-rostering can allocate individuals to shifts based on their working patterns and preferences, supporting more predictable shift patterns, especially when paired with a team-based rostering approach.Additionally, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment this year which will aim to ensure NHS staff feel well supported in the workplace.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure the level of IVF funding is adjusted in line with inflation; and with reference to NICE's guidelines entitled Fertility problems: assessment and treatment, updated on 6 September 2017, what steps he is taking to ensure that local provision allows patients to access more than a single NHS-funded IVF cycle.

We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on revised guidelines was published on 10 September 2025.The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the NHS in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to improve NHS-funded fertility services.In light of broader pressures on the NHS and ongoing changes within NHS England, we are considering achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.

What discussions he has had with NHS England on ensuring that GP practices follow the NICE guideline entitled Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management, last updated on 13 September 2019, on Shared Care Agreements in cases where a patient has received a diagnosis from a qualified provider.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions on a wide range of matters with NHS England.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.It is for the responsible clinician to decide on the most appropriate treatment plan to manage ADHD in discussion with their patient. This decision is based on the clinician’s expertise regarding treatment options, evidence, risk and benefits and the patient’s personal circumstances as part of a shared decision-making process. The NICE guidelines on ADHD set out the considerations that healthcare professionals should take into account when considering treatment options.Shared care within the NHS refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s general practitioner (GP). The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines, which helps GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. The GMC has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. GP practices may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds. If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician. This applies to both NHS and private medical care.

If his Department will have discussions with the Nursing and Midwifery Council on streamlining the registration process for nurses who are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland but obtained their initial qualifications outside of the EEA.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England. The NMC sets the standards that must be met by domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to its registers, and the required routes to registration. Whilst we do discuss matters of registration with regulators, the UK's model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government, and as such decisions on registration processes remain their responsibility.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing subsidised dental care for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The Government recognises that patients with a cancer diagnosis can have specific dental needs. Free National Health Service dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:- under 18 years old, or under 19 years old and in full-time education;- pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months;- being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist, although patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges; and- receiving low-income benefits, or under 20 years old and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits.Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for exemption or full remission of dental patient charges. In 2023/24, 49% of NHS dentistry courses of treatment were delivered to children and adults exempt from paying patient charges. While there are no current plans to extend the list of people eligible for free NHS dental care, the Government is working across the system to ensure that patients who have a diagnosis of cancer receive timely, safe and effective dental care. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21525 on Influenza: Vaccination, whether he plans to expand the eligibility criteria for winter flu vaccinations in the context of trends in the number of people with flu in winter 2024-25.

Eligibility for the seasonal influenza vaccination programme is based on the advice and recommendations of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). This advice is kept under regular review.Trends in influenza activity varies across the season, and from season to season. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes weekly flu surveillance reports, which are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2024-to-2025-seasonThe UKHSA has confirmed that during this season so far, flu activity has been higher than in the winter of 2023/24, but similar to levels seen in the 2022/23 season.

Whether his Department plans to expand the eligibility criteria for winter flu vaccinations.

Eligibility for the seasonal influenza vaccination programme is based on the advice and recommendations of an independent expert committee, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The latest JCVI advice on seasonal influenza vaccines i...

What his planned timescale is to provide funding for newly opened dental practices in Spen Valley aiming to secure NHS contracts.

This Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentis...

What steps his Department is taking to help improve the process for families to obtain a diagnosis for foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

The Department asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to produce a quality standard in England for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), to help the health and care system improve both diagnosis and support for people affected by FA...

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including people with learning disabilities in the spring Covid-19 booster vaccination programme.

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). On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccinatio...

What steps he is taking to increase awareness of urinary tract infections (UTIs); and if he will (a) take steps to support research on the (i) diagnosis and (ii) treatment of UTIs and (b) have disc

The Department has a number of existing partnerships to help promote awareness of urology conditions. NHS England is partnering with P-Wave for a campaign targeted at men, specifically focussing on blood in urine as a possible symptom of cancer. The partn...

Whether he is taking to steps to protect soft facilities management employment in the NHS.

National Health Service trusts are independent employers who need to determine how best their services are delivered, which includes the provision of soft facilities management.

What the evidential basis is for not including household members of people who are clinically vulnerable within the eligibility criteria for covid-19 booster vaccinations.

As with all United Kingdom vaccination programmes, the decision of which groups are eligible for a particular part of the programme is made following careful consideration of the groups most at risk of illness, severe illness, or death, as a consequence of infection.As currently available COVID-19 vaccines provide limited protection against transmission and mild or asymptomatic disease, the focus of the programme is on offering vaccination to those most likely to directly benefit, particularly those with underlying health conditions that increase their risk of hospitalisation following infection.The benefit of vaccinating an individual to reduce the risk of severe disease in other people is much less evident now compared with previous years. For this reason, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation did not advise an offer of COVID-19 vaccinations in autumn 2024 for household contacts of people with immunosuppression.

Whether he plans to update the guidance on Use of e-cigarettes in public places and workplaces, published by Public Health England in July 2016; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of further restrictions on vaping in public spaces.

The Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children, and there are legitimate concerns about the unknown long-term harms from vaping. Whilst the evidence base on second-hand vaping is still developing, and is less strong than smoking, the degree of harm is unlikely to be 0%. There are no current plans to update the guidance on the use of e-cigarettes in public places and workplaces, published by Public Health England in July 2015.However, the Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which will reduce the appeal, access, and availability of vapes to children, including by banning vape advertising and branding. We will set out more details very soon.

What steps he is taking to support (a) children and (b) other people with long covid.

NHS England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist post-COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, developing digital self-management tools, and investing in ensuring general practice teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition. As of 1 April 2024, there were over 90 adult post-COVID services across England along with an additional 10 children and young people’s hubs.From April 2024, in line with the National Health Service’s operating framework and the establishment of integrated care systems, commissioning of post-COVID services has been the responsibility of integrated care boards. This is being supported by ongoing funding, and the expectation is that dedicated services should continue to be offered to support people with long COVID. The Government has also invested over £50 million in research through two specific funding calls to better understand long COVID and how to treat it.