Written questions by Dillon.

What plans his Department has to provide support services for autistic adults in West Berkshire who are not supported (a) existing services and (b) charitable organisations.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to support for autistic adults, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism based on the available evidence. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.The Department has launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. Chaired by Baroness Louise Casey and reporting to the Prime Minister, the commission will work with people who draw on care and their families, staff, Parliamentarians, local government, and the public, private, and third sector to make clear recommendations for how to rebuild the adult social care system to meet the current and future needs of the population. The Government has also made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes a £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

What plans his Department has to improve NHS dental service provision in Newbury.

The 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 the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Newbury constituency, this is the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB is expected to deliver 15,454 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

What plans he has to improve (a) the referral process and (b) treatment for people with brain tumours.

The Department recognises that cancer patients, including those with brain tumours, are often waiting too long for referral and treatment. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including brain tumours, earlier, and to treat them faster, so more patients survive, and patient experience improves across the system.As the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and treatment, NHS England has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week since the start of this administration.The Department recognises that there are currently limited treatment options available for people who have been diagnosed with brain tumours, and the significant impact that rarer forms of cancer can have on patients, carers, and their families. The Government is invested in driving new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours.In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) directly invested £11.3 million in brain cancer research projects, plus an estimated £31.5 million to enable brain tumour research to take place through NIHR research infrastructure, namely facilities, services, and the research workforce, enabling delivery of 227 studies involving 8,500 people.The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. Research is a key focus of the plan, and the Department will work closely with partners, including the National Institute for Health and Care Research, on this.The Department, with NHS England, will develop the plan, which will address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits. The Government’s goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years, including to brain tumours.The Department expects to publish the National Cancer Plan later this year, following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan.

What plans his Department has to improve the standard of care for people with Hidradenitis Suppurativa in Newbury constituency.

Dermatology services are being transformed to make sure that patients are seen on time. NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme for dermatology is working with National Health Service trusts to deliver rapid clinical transformation. The work brings together clinicians and operational teams to work collectively to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients, including for patients with hidradenitis suppurativa. A clinical transformation group for dermatology was established in summer 2023, focusing on sharing and learning from best practice. Topics for collaboration have included innovative clinic models, for instance super clinics, best practice in the use of technology for telemedicine, best practice in reducing did not attends, reducing unnecessary follow ups through patient initiated follow-up, the role of artificial intelligence, how to develop nurses into advanced roles, and factors to help motivate and retain staff. GIRFT is also planning a programme to support primary care colleagues, offering training for new staff to recognise harmless skin lesions such as moles and warts, with the aim of reducing unnecessary referrals to hospital and freeing up capacity for other patients on the waiting list. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published technology appraisal guidance recommending two biologics, adalimumab and secukinumab, for the treatment of moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa, opening the way for patients with this condition to access these medications on the NHS.

What steps his Department plans to take to provide funding to increase the availability of medical equipment in local communities.

At the 2024 Autumn Budget, the Government announced a £22.6 billion increase in day-to-day health spending and a £3.1 billion increase in the capital budget over the financial years 2024/2025 and 2025/2026. Departmental budgets beyond 2025/26 will be set through phase two of the Spending Review, which will conclude and be published in June 2025.Local authorities and National Health Service procuring authorities are responsible for discussing and agreeing contracts with community equipment suppliers, which will take into account the resources available to them. Economic growth is the Government’s number one mission and the Government supports businesses to invest, grow, and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. To support the growth mission, the Government is driving forward work to implement a modern Industrial Strategy, reset trade relations, support small business, and deliver a new deal for working people.

What plans his Department has to increase treatment options for individuals with chronic UTIs.

NHS England’s urinary tract infection (UTI) reduction workstream was established as part of delivery of the UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-5-year-action-plan-for-antimicrobial-resistance-2024-to-2029The workstream aims to enhance prevention, support early and accurate diagnosis and improve the treatment of UTIs through identifying and adopting best practice and interventions for different populations.The effective treatment of chronic UTIs is dependent on accurate testing. The importance of accurate testing to guide effective antibiotic use is highlighted in the action plan, and NHS England is supporting research into newer point-of-care tests for UTIs, such as via the Toucan study, with more information available at the following link:https://www.phctrials.ox.ac.uk/recruiting-trials/toucan-platform-for-uti-diagnostic-evaluationNHS England has been working with other public bodies, including UK Health Security Agency to strengthen the guidance about the appropriate use of diagnostics including dipsticks. General practitioners can request testing for chronic UTIs via several pathways, including at point-of-care, via community diagnostic centres, or via laboratories. Laboratories across England adhere to stringent quality standards, including the UK Accreditation Standard ISO 15189, and implement robust internal and external quality assurance schemes, ensuring accuracy of tests used.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce mental health treatment waiting lists in line with those for physical health treatments.

Too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we are committed to ensuring we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health so that people can be confident of accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.This includes recruiting 8,500 more mental health workers, introducing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, rolling out Young Futures hubs and modernising the Mental Health Act.Despite the challenging fiscal environment, the Government has chosen to prioritise the funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement & 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 also committed £26 million in capital investment to open new mental health crisis centres, reducing pressure on busy emergency mental health and accident and emergency services and ensuring people have the support they need when they need it.

What steps his Department plans to take with community care providers to help reduce hospital discharge waiting times.

We will tackle delayed discharges by developing local partnerships between the National Health Service and social care, and making sure people get the right support to return home.Every acute hospital trust has access to a care transfer hub. These hubs bring together professionals across health, social care and other partners, including community providers, to manage discharges for people with more complex needs.We have published Neighbourhood Health Guidelines to help local health and care systems progress neighbourhood health in 2025/26. Integrated intermediate care supports hospital discharge and is a core component that we are asking systems to focus on this year. Close partnership working between adult social care, the NHS and other community partners is vital to the successful delivery of intermediate care.

What steps his Department is taking to improve (a) support services, (b) treatment access and (c) care pathways for people diagnosed with ADHD.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.We are supportive of a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning.

Whether his Department is taking steps to increase funding for social care providers; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of social care funding levels.

The Government took the cost pressures facing adult social care into account as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process.To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making up to £3.7 billion of additional funding available for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.The additional funding available to West Berkshire in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to 5.7% in cash terms.Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of conducting a public consultation on the proposed changes to ADHD assessment procedures.

The proposed 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme makes no changes to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessment procedures.

What steps his Department is taking to support social care providers in Newbury with changes to employer National Insurance contributions.

The Government took the cost pressures facing adult social care into account as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process.To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government is making up to £3.7 billion of additional funding available for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.The additional funding available to West Berkshire in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to 5.7% in cash terms.Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed three-year implementation period for social care reforms on social care providers.

We are launching an independent commission into social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. It will be undertaken in two phases, beginning in April 2025. Phase one, reporting in 2026, will identify the biggest challenges in adult social care and recommend practical changes to improve people’s lives over the next decade, and will help build the foundation for a National Care Service. Phase two, reporting by 2028, will make longer-term recommendations for the transformation of adult social care.Addressing the complex, deep-rooted challenges facing adult social care will take time. The commission will work with people who draw on care, their families, staff, politicians, providers, and the public, private, and third sector, to make clear recommendations for how to reform the adult social care system to meet the current and future needs of the population.In parallel, the Government is also committed to short-term progress, as we recognise that the issues facing adult social care are pressing. We are making up to £3.7 billion of additional funding available for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant. This represents an increase to core local government spending power in 2025/26 of 6.8% in cash terms.

Whether he has plans to increase access to NHS dental services in Newbury constituency.

The 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 the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Newbury constituency, this is the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire ICB.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits introducing measures to improve access to affordable, nutritious food options.

The prevention of ill health is a clear priority for the Government, and a cornerstone of this is supporting children to live healthier lives. Under the Health Mission, the Government is committed to prevention and to tackling obesity, creating a fairer, healthier food environment. We have already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, we have announced changes to the planning framework for fast food near schools, and we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. In addition, initiatives such as the Healthy Start scheme, free school meals, and the holiday activities and food programme provide access to affordable, nutritious food options. The Healthy Start scheme, introduced in 2006, encourages a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. Pregnant women and families with children aged over one and under four years old each receive £4.25 every week, and families with children under one years old each receive £8.50 every week. Healthy Start can be used to buy, or be put towards the cost of, fresh, frozen, or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, or tinned pulses, milk, and infant formula. Healthy Start beneficiaries also have access to free Healthy Start vitamins.Disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools, as well as 16 to 18-year-old students in further education, are entitled to receive free meals on the basis of low income. In addition, all children in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 in England's state-funded schools are entitled to universal infant free school meals. The holiday activities and food programme provides free childcare places, enriching activities, and healthy meals to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing, and learning throughout the school holidays.We are also working collaboratively across the Government to deliver a resilient food system that promotes health and food security. The Food Strategy will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help people live longer, healthier lives.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 12879 on Employer national insurance contributions on pharmacies, whether an impact assessment was conducted prior to the decision to increase employer National Insurance contributions.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, and an overview of the equality impacts.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 901298 on leases for GP premises, if he will review the decision to delegate the authority to hold GP leases to integrated care boards.

The GP (General Medical Services) Contract terms ordinarily require the contractor to hold the premises liability.NHS England also holds the right to hold operational estate and has delegated the power to hold leases to integrated care boards (ICBs). However, bringing ICBs into any formal leasing structure creates capital accounting liabilities, and these would need to be considered in the context of any request to directly hold operational estate.NHS England currently accepts ICBs holding leases only as a last resort or by exception due to the significant capital required. Whilst we know this not the most effective use of ICB resources, it is an important safeguard.Given where the liabilities lie within contracts and the power already held by ICBs to provide exceptional support, it is not deemed necessary to seek to amend any rules or guidance.We are committed to fixing the front door of the National Health Service by supporting GPs and ICBs through, for example, the £102 million of capital funding announced at the Budget for GP estate upgrades.

If he will take steps to support pharmacies in Newbury constituency with the increased cost of employers National Insurance contributions.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at Autumn Budget 2024, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer national insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, with the Department setting out further details on allocation of funding for this year in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to support research in the pharmaceutical sector in Newbury.

The Department funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research across the United Kingdom, through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).Development and delivery of research in the pharmaceutical sector is supported and enabled nationwide through NIHR infrastructure, including the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN), the NIHR Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs), the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs), and the newly designated NIHR Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs). These all support the delivery of clinical research through facilities, staff resource, collaborations, and funding.In Newbury, pharmaceutical research benefits from the South Central RDN, as well as the Oxford and Southampton-based CRFs and BRCs, and from April, a new CRDC in Southampton, all of which support a range of pharmaceutical studies in the region.In order to maximise our potential to be a world leader and develop a more competitive, efficient, and accessible clinical research system, the Department is committed to implementing the recommendations from Lord O'Shaughnessy’s independent review of commercial clinical trials in full. We expect these efforts to attract more commercial investment in clinical research and yield a broad and diverse portfolio of clinical trials in the United Kingdom, to provide innovative treatment options for patients.

What steps he is taking to ensure the provision of adequate (a) palliative and (b) end-of-life care in Newbury.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs), including Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB, which covers the Newbury constituency, must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.NHS England has also developed a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of those their local population, thereby enabling ICBs to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities.I met NHS England and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and the quality of, palliative and end of life care. Additionally, we have committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, as part of which we will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders as we develop the plan. More information about how they can input into the 10-Year Health Plan is available at the following link: https://change.nhs.uk/en-GB/