Every parliamentary written question tabled by Liz Jarvis this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 81–100 of 133 · Department of Health and Social Care
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of outsourcing NHS trust pharmacy services to private pharmacies on the time taken to deliver prescriptions to customers.
The Department has not made any assessment of the potential impact of outsourcing National Health Service trust services to private pharmacies on the time taken to deliver prescriptions to customers or on patient care.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of NHS Trusts outsourcing pharmacy services to private providers on patient care.
The Department has not made any assessment of the potential impact of outsourcing National Health Service trust services to private pharmacies on the time taken to deliver prescriptions to customers or on patient care.
What steps he is taking to ensure that patients prescribed Mounjaro privately are able to continue to access that treatment at an affordable cost.
As we shift the focus from treatment to prevention through our 10 Year Health Plan, we are determined to bring revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them, not just those who can afford to pay.NHS England has worked with Eli Lilly to ensure that the list price increase will not affect National Health Service commissioning of tirzepatide in England as a treatment for eligible patients, and we remain committed to the rollout of this medicine as a weight loss treatment based on clinical priority. This will enable 220,000 eligible people to access the medication over the first three years. Not everyone who wants tirzepatide will be able to access it at first, and the initial eligibility criteria will be for people with a body mass index of 40 or more in addition to four or more qualifying comorbidities.Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have also entered equivalent agreements to maintain their current commissioning approaches.Pricing in the private market is a matter for Eli Lilly and for private providers. Private patients who are impacted by price increases should discuss any concerns with their private provider. This includes their options regarding payment plans, alternative treatments, and/or stopping or tapering off their current medication. Eli Lilly is working with private providers to support continued patient access.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of support services for eating disorders; and what steps his Department is taking to help prevent eating disorder deaths.
The Government recognises that the earlier that treatment is provided, the better the chance of short-term recovery.As part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future, there is a critical need to shift treatment of eating disorders from hospital to the community. Improved care in the community will give young people early access to evidence-based treatment involving families and carers, improving outcomes and preventing relapse.NHS England have established 15 Provider Collaboratives focusing on adult eating disorders. These collaboratives are working to redesign care pathways and focus resources on community services. By providing treatment earlier and closer to home, we will see better outcomes for adults with eating disorders and their families.The Department is committed to learning from deaths in order to prevent future tragedies and improve quality of care. The Department receives and responds to prevention of future death reports relating to eating disorders and uses this work to inform practice. For example, the Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders guidance was created following a coroner’s report and has since been rolled out nationwide.
What steps his Department is taking to protect nurseries from measles outbreaks; what support he is providing to the early years sector to deal with cases; and whether he plans to introduce a public health awareness campaign on measles.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the National Health Service are working with local partners to provide advice, as well as supporting local communities to be aware of actions they can take to protect against measles, including by getting vaccinated. Vaccination has a direct positive impact on health and wellbeing, protecting individuals as well as their communities. Vaccination induces long-term immunity and thereby provides protection to that individual and reduces transmission to others.UKHSA health protection teams support cluster and outbreak management. Further advice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities/supporting-immunisation-programmesNHS England continues to deliver national and regional improvement plans. These include activities to strengthen the routine vaccination offer and to address inequalities, supporting measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) catch up vaccination by school age vaccination services in schools and community settings.The UKHSA, NHS England, and the Department will launch a new ‘always on’ vaccination campaign this summer to drive increased take up of the routine maternal, childhood, and seasonal flu vaccinations. The MMR vaccine is a particular focus, with parents and carers of zero- to five-year-olds and pregnant women being two of the priority audiences for campaign activity.NHS England has provided detailed information for parents whose children have contracted measles, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/The Department for Education also provides advice to parents, which is available at the following link:https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/03/what-to-do-if-you-think-your-child-has-measles-and-when-to-keep-them-off-school/
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of mental health support services for bereaved parents following baby loss.
The Government recognises that experiencing a baby loss can be an extremely difficult time and we are determined to make sure all women, babies, and their families receive safe, personalised, and compassionate care, particularly when things go wrong.As of June 2025, Maternal Mental Health Services are available in all 42 integrated care system areas of England. These services provide care for women with moderate/severe or complex mental health difficulties arising from birth trauma or baby loss.A record 63,858 women accessed a specialist community perinatal mental health service or maternal mental health services in the 12 months to February 2025. This is a 109% increase from March 2020.We have developed the National Bereavement Care Pathway in collaboration with the United Kingdom’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, to reduce the variation in the quality of bereavement care provided by the National Health Service. The pathway covers a range of baby loss circumstances, including miscarriage, stillbirth, termination of pregnancy for medical reasons, neonatal death, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.While the Government has not carried out a formal assessment of mental health support services for bereaved parents following baby loss, we are committed to transforming and improving mental health care, as set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England.
Whether his Department plans to take steps to update regulations on the (a) composition, (b) marketing and (c) labelling of commercial (i) infant and (ii) toddler foods.
Children’s early years provide an important foundation for their future health and strongly influences many aspects of wellbeing in later life.It is vital that we maintain the highest standards for foods consumed by babies and infants, which is why we have regulations in place that set nutritional, compositional, and labelling standards for commercial baby food. These ensure that the ingredients used in commercial baby food are suitable for the nutritional needs of infants and require businesses to ensure labelling in clear and not misleading. The regulations also set labelling standards to ensure consumers have clear and accurate information about the products they buy.We continue to keep these regulations under review to ensure they reflect the latest scientific and dietary guidelines.
With reference to the document entitled Reforming elective care for patients, published on 6 January 2025, whether his Department's plans to (a) expand non-surgical community-based ear, nose and throat services and (b) develop clinical models to support patients needing ear care will include the provision of ear wax removal services.
Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) services are one of five priority specialties identified in the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, for significant transformation, due to the waiting times for ENT services. Given that a significant number of ENT referrals can be managed earlier and in a more convenient setting, we are exploring ways to expand community-based services so that patients receive quicker and more local care whilst reducing pressure on hospitals. The provision of earwax services will form part of this.
If he will conduct a review of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
The Government recognises that concerns have been raised regarding the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). Ministers are currently considering a number of options for reforming the scheme. In parallel, the Department has been working with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, to take steps to improve the VDPS by modernising operations, and processing claims at a faster rate.
What steps he is taking to improve access to HIV support services for people affected by HIV.
The Government is committed to ending new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. The plan will address ways to optimise rapid access to treatment and retention in care, and will improve the quality of life for people living with HIV, including consideration of peer support services.A key component of the Government’s successful HIV emergency department opt-out testing programme includes a recommendation that 10% of the funding allocated to each site should be used to support community and peer services for individuals diagnosed with a blood borne virus.NHS England is responsible for delivering HIV care, including support services for those living with HIV. In April 2024, it published the updated national Service Specification for Adult HIV services, which sets out the standards of care that HIV providers are expected to meet, including the availability of community, psychological, and psychosocial support for patients.
What steps his Department is taking to expand audiology testing capacity.
We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including for audiology.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament. The plan commits to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and to speeding up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard.NHS England is supporting provider organisations and integrated care boards, who are the commissioners of audiology services, to improve performance and reduce waiting lists. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in NHS trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres, and direct support through a national audiology improvement collaborative. The latest management information data shows that community diagnostic centres have delivered over 56,000 audiology assessments since July 2021.The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.
What steps is his Department taking to reduce waiting lists for gynaecology services (a) nationally and (b) in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
At the end of April 2025, the gynaecology waiting list was down 15,955 since the end of June 2024. Waits for gynaecology services have also decreased by 1,052 in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) over the same period.However, we know there is more to do across gynaecology services, which is why we’ve committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard, that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, by March 2029.As our first step in achieving this, we have already exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered 3.6 million more.Gynaecology is one of the specialities serviced by surgical hubs, which are part of the Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) High Volume Low Complexity programme, which aims to increase capacity and transform the ways that gynaecology and other services are provided. There are currently 116 elective surgical hubs nationally, three of which are in the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ICB, and there is one additional hub planned.We are also taking action to support general practitioners and hospital doctors to work more effectively together to ensure patients are always seen in the right setting, through use of Advice and Guidance. The GIRFT programme has recently published a series of advice and guidance templates specifically for gynaecology.Women’s health hubs bring together healthcare professionals and existing services to provide integrated women’s health services in the community, centred on meeting women’s needs across their life course. Women’s health hubs have a key role to play in shifting care out of hospitals and in reducing gynaecology waiting lists.The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to supporting ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women, including in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
If his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the funding into Parkinson's Disease research.
Government responsibility for delivering Parkinson’s disease research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.Between the financial years 2019/20 and 2023/24, the Government spent a total of £79.1 million on research into Parkinson’s disease. Research spend is calculated retrospectively, with a time lag due to annual reporting lapses, and so 2023/24 is the most recent financial year we have data for.As well as funding research itself, the NIHR invests significantly into research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, support services, and collaborations to support and deliver research in England. Collectively this forms NIHR infrastructure. NIHR infrastructure enables the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research into Parkinson’s disease. For example, in the financial year 2022/23, the NIHR Clinical Research Network enabled 114 studies related to Parkinson’s disease to be conducted in the National Health Service.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including Parkinson’s disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.Welcoming applications on Parkinson's disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
If his Department will take steps to prioritise primary care audiology.
NHS Audiology services are locally commissioned, and the responsibility for prioritising primary care audiology lies with local National Health Service commissioners.NHS England is supporting the integrated care boards to make informed decisions about the provision of audiology services so that they can provide consistent, high quality, and integrated care.
Whether he has conducted an impact assessment for the decision to extend cervical screening intervals.
The UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation to change the cervical screening intervals from three to five years for women aged 25 to 49 years old was made in 2019. The evidence and consultation responses supporting the recommendation can be found at the following link:https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/cervical-cancer/The decision to make the changes was based on what is best for individuals. The more accurate human papillomavirus test requires less frequent screening, and changing the frequency eliminates the unnecessary over screening of the population.The IT system supporting the national cervical screening programme was updated in July 2024, and can now enable the changes that were recommended.A full impact assessment and equality impact assessment were considered before the changes were agreed by the Government. We will publish these shortly.
What steps he is taking to improve access to NHS dentistry in Eastleigh 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 Eastleigh constituency, this is the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The Hampshire and Isle of Wright ICB is expected to deliver 30,032 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
What steps he is taking to improve child vaccination uptakes rates.
We are committed to improving vaccination uptake rates to fully protect children and the public from preventable diseases. It is vitally important that everyone has their recommended vaccinations, as they are the best way to help protect yourself and your family from these viruses that can cause serious harm.The NHS Vaccination Strategy outlines the steps that we will take to improve uptake of our childhood vaccination programmes through investing in the digital infrastructure and data systems for vaccination programmes, delegating commissioning of services to integrated care boards (ICBs), and exploring new ways of using workforce and delivery networks to administer vaccinations that meet the needs of local communities. The strategy is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-vaccination-strategy/In line with the strategy and with the Government’s commitment, children will receive vital vaccines more easily thanks to a new trial using health visitors to administer childhood immunisations. The initiative, outlined in our urgent and emergency improvement plan, will test having health visiting teams deliver flu vaccinations and other jabs to eligible children, making protection more accessible for underserved families across selected areas.We are also updating the vaccination schedule from 1 January 2026 to offer the second dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at eighteen months old to give young children the best protection against measles, mumps and rubella. Any children who have missed this second dose of MMR can have it at their pre-school vaccinations, at the same time as their 4 in 1 booster. This change is expected to improve MMR vaccine uptake, as has been demonstrated in a number of London boroughs where this change has already been made, and better uptake will reduce the likelihood of measles outbreaks. This is in addition to schedule changes from 1 July 2025 to move the second dose of meningococcal B vaccination to 12 weeks of age to provide earlier protection.To raise awareness of potential vaccination benefits and increase awareness of the programmes, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides a comprehensive suite of resources, including information leaflets in multiple languages and accessible formats. UKHSA also provides comprehensive clinical guidance, including e-learning programmes and training, for healthcare professionals. These are available in print form and for download at the following link:https://www.healthpublications.gov.uk/ArticleSearch.htmlUKHSA also undertakes regular surveys of parents and adolescents to understand how their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes towards immunisation, vaccine safety, and disease severity influence their vaccine uptake decision-making. This information enables the resources to be revised and updated to meet the needs of those accessing vaccination services. Data on vaccination uptake is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake
What assessment he has made of trends in the level of dental surgery closures in Hampshire since July 2024.
The National Health Service contracts with independent dental providers, to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. This means that providers can terminate their contracts within the required terms of the contract, including a notice period. NHS England and the integrated care boards across England work together to ensure that patients who are affected by closures of NHS dental practices will continue to have access to the dental care they need.The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS 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.Patients in England are not registered with an NHS dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.
What assessment he has made of trends in the level of patients previously without access to NHS dental care being able to register with an NHS dentist since July 2024.
Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.We are aware of the challenges in accessing an NHS dentist and we are committed to tackling dental access for patients. The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS 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.
What plans he has to include (a) community equipment services and (b) the timely provision of community care equipment in the NHS 10-Year Plan.
The Government will deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, creating a truly modern health service designed to meet the changing needs of our changing population. Moving care from hospitals into the community and putting the building blocks in place to enable this to happen will be at the heart of the 10-Year Health Plan.