Written questions by Dillon.

Whether his Department is considering commissioning MenB vaccination programmes through community pharmacies.

The Government is looking to expand the number of vaccines offered in community pharmacies across the country through local, targeted vaccination programmes. This has already started, with NHS England commissioning some community pharmacies in the Midlands, North-West, London, and East of England to help deliver the year-round respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programmes to eligible pregnant women, to protect newborns, and adults aged 75 to 79 years old as well as the year-round Pertussis vaccination programme to eligible pregnant women.NHS England also nationally commissioned community pharmacies to administer flu vaccines for two and three year olds for the first time in autumn 2025. An evaluation will assess whether this use of community pharmacies improves vaccine uptake and helps tackle regional health inequalities, in line with the NHS Vaccination Strategy.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an expert scientific advisory committee that advises the Government on eligibility for vaccination and immunisation programmes. The JCVI has been consulted on the immediate vaccine response to the outbreak and clinical effectiveness of potential future outbreak response vaccination strategies.On the 17 March, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, also announced to the House of Commons that he would ask the JCVI to review eligibility for meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination. The JCVI will conduct a full assessment of the cost-effectiveness of a routine adolescent MenB vaccination programme and provide a complete and formal response to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care as soon as practicable.The Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and NHS England will continue to ensure arrangements are place to ensure that everyone who is eligible for MenB vaccination can access vaccinations via appropriate care routes.

What assessment he has made of the potential role of community pharmacies in delivering a MenB vaccination catch-up programme for students and other at-risk groups.

The Government is looking to expand the number of vaccines offered in community pharmacies across the country through local, targeted vaccination programmes. This has already started, with NHS England commissioning some community pharmacies in the Midlands, North-West, London, and East of England to help deliver the year-round respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programmes to eligible pregnant women, to protect newborns, and adults aged 75 to 79 years old as well as the year-round Pertussis vaccination programme to eligible pregnant women.NHS England also nationally commissioned community pharmacies to administer flu vaccines for two and three year olds for the first time in autumn 2025. An evaluation will assess whether this use of community pharmacies improves vaccine uptake and helps tackle regional health inequalities, in line with the NHS Vaccination Strategy.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an expert scientific advisory committee that advises the Government on eligibility for vaccination and immunisation programmes. The JCVI has been consulted on the immediate vaccine response to the outbreak and clinical effectiveness of potential future outbreak response vaccination strategies.On the 17 March, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, also announced to the House of Commons that he would ask the JCVI to review eligibility for meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination. The JCVI will conduct a full assessment of the cost-effectiveness of a routine adolescent MenB vaccination programme and provide a complete and formal response to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care as soon as practicable.The Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and NHS England will continue to ensure arrangements are place to ensure that everyone who is eligible for MenB vaccination can access vaccinations via appropriate care routes.

What assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of commissioning MenB vaccination programmes through community pharmacies.

The Government is looking to expand the number of vaccines offered in community pharmacies across the country through local, targeted vaccination programmes. This has already started, with NHS England commissioning some community pharmacies in the Midlands, North-West, London, and East of England to help deliver the year-round respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programmes to eligible pregnant women, to protect newborns, and adults aged 75 to 79 years old as well as the year-round Pertussis vaccination programme to eligible pregnant women.NHS England also nationally commissioned community pharmacies to administer flu vaccines for two and three year olds for the first time in autumn 2025. An evaluation will assess whether this use of community pharmacies improves vaccine uptake and helps tackle regional health inequalities, in line with the NHS Vaccination Strategy.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an expert scientific advisory committee that advises the Government on eligibility for vaccination and immunisation programmes. The JCVI has been consulted on the immediate vaccine response to the outbreak and clinical effectiveness of potential future outbreak response vaccination strategies.On the 17 March, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, also announced to the House of Commons that he would ask the JCVI to review eligibility for meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination. The JCVI will conduct a full assessment of the cost-effectiveness of a routine adolescent MenB vaccination programme and provide a complete and formal response to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care as soon as practicable.The Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and NHS England will continue to ensure arrangements are place to ensure that everyone who is eligible for MenB vaccination can access vaccinations via appropriate care routes.

How many new Fracture Liaison Services have been established since July 2024.

Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services (FLSs) across every part of the country by 2030. The Department does not routinely collect data on the number of FLSs. The Falls and Fragility Fracture Audit Programme, which includes a dedicated FLS database, is a clinical audit of fracture prevention care, delivered by the Royal College of Physicians. The FLS database collects, measures, and reports on the care provided by FLSs in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It does not include opening and closing dates of FLSs but provides an annual snapshot of the number of FLSs that have submitted data. The database is available at the following link: https://www.fffap.org.uk/FLS/charts.nsf/benchmarks?ReadForm&yr=2025&vw=BALL&org1= The Royal College of Physicians publishes an annual report on FLSs in England and Wales, which is available at the following link: https://www.rcp.ac.uk/95436

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS trusts collect complete data on the diagnosis, treatment and care of people with secondary breast cancer.

The Government recognises the importance of robust, comprehensive data on secondary, or metastatic, breast cancer to improve patient outcomes, inform research, and support effective workforce and service planning.Through the National Cancer Plan, for the first time, we have committed to delivering the systemic definition, identification, and counting of recurrent and metastatic cancers, starting with metastatic breast cancer, addressing longstanding gaps in national data on secondary disease.To improve data collection, the National Disease Registration Service’s Get Data Out programme is strengthening the scope, quality, and accessibility of cancer data. This includes expanding the data made available to the public, clinicians, and researchers on incidence, routes to diagnosis, treatments, and survival.This data is used to support cancer research and outcomes analysis, to inform service and workforce planning, including understanding demand for specialist roles such as breast cancer clinical nurse specialists, and to provide real‑world evidence to support assessments of clinical and cost effectiveness used in commissioning and appraisal processes. NHS England is also taking action to improve the completeness and consistency of data collected by National Health Service trusts. This includes funding national audits for primary and metastatic breast cancer using routinely collected NHS data. These audits assess diagnosis, treatment, and care pathways, identify variation in practice, and highlight areas where data quality or service delivery can be improved.On 11 September 2025, the second State of the Nation report for primary and metastatic breast cancer was published by the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre, and officials in the Department and NHS England are acting on the findings where appropriate, including to strengthen data quality across trusts.

What timetable his Department has set for decisions on a second wave of National Service Frameworks; and whether respiratory conditions are under consideration.

The Government will consider the long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. In relation to timing, after the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

Whether his Department plans to conduct a review of NHS weight management services, including their eligibility criteria.

The National Health Service and local government provide a range of weight management services. Commissioning and funding decisions for obesity services are made locally. NHS integrated care boards, local authorities, and NHS England are expected to take National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance into account when designing services.NICE guidance on overweight and obesity management sets out the core components, standards, and eligibility criteria for weight management programmes.In this context, the Department has no current plans to review NHS weight management services, or their eligibility criteria. The Department and NHS England continue to provide national policy direction, including by providing commissioning guidance for local systems. We are committed to expanding access to obesity medicines and expanding the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme to support an additional 125,000 people over the next three years.

When his Department plans to publish guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans.

No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish guidance on community health services. We are developing guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans to provide greater clarity and consistency for systems in developing and scaling neighbourhood health. We expect this to be available soon.Our upcoming guidance will build on and complement our existing set of publications that set out the actions needed to lay the groundwork for a Neighbourhood Health Service. This suite of guidance, which includes the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, the strategic commissioning framework for integrated care boards (ICBs), and the Model Region and ICB blueprints, supports National Health Service operational planning and joined-up partnership work between local government and ICBs.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans on community health services.

No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish guidance on community health services. We are developing guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans to provide greater clarity and consistency for systems in developing and scaling neighbourhood health. We expect this to be available soon.Our upcoming guidance will build on and complement our existing set of publications that set out the actions needed to lay the groundwork for a Neighbourhood Health Service. This suite of guidance, which includes the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, the strategic commissioning framework for integrated care boards (ICBs), and the Model Region and ICB blueprints, supports National Health Service operational planning and joined-up partnership work between local government and ICBs.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on providers of council-commissioned adult social care services.

The Government took the cost pressures facing adult social care, including changes to employer National Insurance contributions and increases to the National Living Wage, into account as part of the wider consideration of local government spending.To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26. The Government also made an extra £502 million of support for local authorities in England to manage the impact of changes to employer National Insurance Contributions announced at the Autumn Budget for 2025/26.In addition, the final Local Government Finance Settlement has confirmed an increase of over £4.6 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are responsible for shaping their care markets to meet local needs. In doing so, they should have an understanding of the local market, work effectively with local providers, and maintain oversight of local workforce pressures. It is for them to determine what is a sustainable rate, suitable to their local circumstances.

What plans he has to review the NHS dental banding system to reflect the treatment of patients with complex needs.

We are introducing three new care pathways for patients with significant dental decay and gum disease, with payments to dentists ranging from £248 to £709.Under the new care pathways, patients will agree a single care plan with their dentist, setting out the prevention, treatment, and appointments they need. Patients will pay one charge for the whole course of care, normally a Band 2 charge. This approach benefits patients by reducing the need for repeated visits and avoiding multiple charges, while supporting more effective, joined‑up care.By incentivising complex treatments, we’re encouraging dentists to undertake vital National Health Service work, benefiting patients across the country who will pay one charge for the whole course of treatment.We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available from the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

What steps he is taking to improve child dental health in Newbury constituency.

The 10-Year Health Plan confirms that child dental health is a priority. We are introducing changes to dental access that will benefit children. Following public consultation, from April 2026 we will introduce a new course of treatment for fluoride varnish for children to be applied by suitably trained dental nurses in between regular check-ups. We will also increase remuneration for dentists for fissure sealants, to support increased use of this effective treatment for primary prevention purposes.In the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board, 26,221, or 12%, more NHS dental treatments were delivered to children in April to October 2025 compared to the same period before the election.The Government is also prioritising the prevention of poor dental health in children. Through the national supervised toothbrushing programme, the West Berkshire Council has been allocated approximately £33,000 over the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years to target three- to five-year-olds in deprived areas. The West Berkshire Council has also received approximately 700 free toothbrushes and toothpastes through our five year collaboration with Colgate-Palmolive.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of local authority funding pressures on recruitment and retention in the adult social care workforce.

No specific assessment has been made on the potential impact of local authority funding pressures on recruitment and retention in the adult social care workforce.English local authorities have a responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care. The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the retention of the domestic workforce.The Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. This includes £500 million to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028 to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce.

What assessment his Department has made of whether current local authority funding for adult social care will be sufficient for projected demand over the next three years.

The Department regularly assesses the demand and cost pressures facing adult social care. These pressures were taken into account as part of the wider consideration of spending within the Spending Review process.The Government is making additional funding available for adult social care to support the sector in making improvements. The total additional funding available for adult social care in 2026/27 compared to 2025/26 is over £1.6 billion, rising to over £4.6 billion in 2028/29.This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the National Health Service contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with the Department’s Spending Review settlement.

What assessment his Department has made of the (a) prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Newbury constituency compared with the national average; and what steps he is taking to prioritise respiratory health nationally.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for the Newbury constituency, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26: Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025)Newbury895695England612,855511,558Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England. Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Newbury can be found under the West Berkshire county at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E06000037/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending business rates relief o community pharmacies providing NHS services.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon on 23 February 2026 to Question 113205.

What steps he is taking to improve out-of-hours support for people at the end of life.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people approaching the end of life receive high-quality, compassionate care whenever it is needed.Urgent community response (UCR) services play a key role in this. UCR provides a two-hour community-based response to adults experiencing a sudden deterioration in their health and helps avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. People at the end of life are among those who can be referred into UCR services for urgent crisis, for symptom control and/or pain relief, in line with a person’s wishes.We are committed to improving the consistency, capacity, and availability of UCR services across England. The Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan 2025/26 includes actions to expand urgent care delivered in the community, including UCR, and the National Health Service 10-Year Health Plan further commits to increasing access to urgent care at home and in the community as part of the new Neighbourhood Health model.Additionally, NHS England’s published statutory guidance on palliative care and end-of-life care states that integrated care boards, as commissioning authorities, must define how their local service providers meet population needs on a 24/7 basis.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline, NG142: End of life care for adults: service delivery, also recommends that adults nearing the end of life have access to a healthcare professional 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as an out-of-hours advice line and access to essential medicines for symptom management.Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.Furthermore, to strengthen provision for people at the end of life, we will publish a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) later this year. Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end-of-life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, including strengthening out-of-hours community health support, dedicated telephone advice, and overall consideration of 24/7 provision.

What plans he has to make training in palliative and end-of-life care mandatory for health and care professionals.

There are no current plans to make training in palliative care and end-of-life care mandatory for health and care professionals.We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. To ensure the health and social care workforce is equipped and well supported to deliver personalised care to people at the end of life, Health Education England, now part of NHS England, hosts the End of Life Care for All e-learning training programme, which includes nine modules on improving care for people at the end of life.Independent statutory regulatory bodies such as the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council have the general function of promoting high standards of education and coordinating all stages of education to ensure that health and care students and newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for professional practice.The training curricula for postgraduate specialty training, including palliative care and end-of-life care, is set by the relevant royal college and have to meet the standards set by the GMC.For general practitioners (GPs), the Royal College for General Practice has established the GP with Extended Roles (GPwER) in Palliative and End of Life Care Framework. The GpwER framework sets out standards, capabilities, training requirements, supervision and governance for GPs working beyond core practice, including in palliative and end-of-life care.

What steps he is taking to improve out-of-hours access to medicines for people at the end of life.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people at the end of life can access the medicines they need, including outside of normal pharmacy opening hours.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end-of-life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.NHS England’s statutory guidance states that ICBs work with community pharmacies, out-of-hours providers and palliative care teams to ensure timely access to medicines, including through locally commissioned services that make end of life medicines available on a 24/7 basis.Additionally, those nearing the end of life who are likely to need symptom control can be prescribed anticipatory medicines with written instructions for how to use or administer treatment. These medicines are often called 'just in case' medicines and may be provided in a specially marked container called a 'just in case' box. The medicines are prescribed in advance so that they can be obtained during local pharmacy opening hours and kept safely at home, or at a care home, so that the person or their carer has access to them if they develop symptoms. Providing medicines in advance means that there is no delay in getting medicines that might be needed quickly to help with symptoms. The use of anticipatory prescribing is recommended in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline, Care of dying adults in the last days of life.Furthermore, the Government will publish a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England later this year. The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and enable ICBs to address challenges in access, quality and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care.

What steps he is taking to improve 24-hour Urgent Community Response services for people at the end of life.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people approaching the end of life receive high-quality, compassionate care whenever it is needed.Urgent community response (UCR) services play a key role in this. UCR provides a two-hour community-based response to adults experiencing a sudden deterioration in their health and helps avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. People at the end of life are among those who can be referred into UCR services for urgent crisis, for symptom control and/or pain relief, in line with a person’s wishes.We are committed to improving the consistency, capacity, and availability of UCR services across England. The Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan 2025/26 includes actions to expand urgent care delivered in the community, including UCR, and the National Health Service 10-Year Health Plan further commits to increasing access to urgent care at home and in the community as part of the new Neighbourhood Health model.Additionally, NHS England’s published statutory guidance on palliative care and end-of-life care states that integrated care boards, as commissioning authorities, must define how their local service providers meet population needs on a 24/7 basis.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline, NG142: End of life care for adults: service delivery, also recommends that adults nearing the end of life have access to a healthcare professional 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as an out-of-hours advice line and access to essential medicines for symptom management.Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.Furthermore, to strengthen provision for people at the end of life, we will publish a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) later this year. Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end-of-life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, including strengthening out-of-hours community health support, dedicated telephone advice, and overall consideration of 24/7 provision.