Written questions by Akehurst.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the views and lived experience of teenagers and young adults with cancer are being incorporated into his forthcoming national cancer plan; and how their involvement will be reflected in the plan’s publication and launch.

The Department is committed to improving outcomes for teenagers and young adults with cancer. The Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce was relaunched on 4 February 2025 to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement in England, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people, including teenagers and young adults with cancer, are carefully considered as part of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.The Government is committed to including the views and lived experience of teenagers and young adults in the National Cancer Plan. That is why the Department has worked with the Children and Young People Cancer taskforce members to assemble a Patient Experience Panel of people with lived experience of cancer. The panel is made up of a diverse group, including parents of children with cancer, young adults who were diagnosed with cancer as teenagers, and those who were diagnosed as children.As part of the Department’s engagement to inform the development of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, officials from the Department’s cancer team have worked closely with patient organisations, clinicians, and cancer partners, and has considered over 11,000 responses to the call for evidence. These included submissions from Teenage Cancer Trust, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Young Lives vs Cancer, CCLG: The Children and Young People's Cancer Association, and so on.

What guidance has been issued to Neighbourhood Health Centre sites on integrating specialist neurology services with neighbourhood-based care teams.

In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines how specialised neurology services should support integrated and responsive care for individuals with long-term neurological conditions through collaboration between hospital and community providers. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme.We have announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme, with 120 delivered by 2030, with rollout starting in areas of the greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowestWe expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in different places across the country.We will be publishing further guidance to support local areas to develop Neighbourhood Health Plans in due course.  This will set out how the National Health Service, local authorities, and partners should work together under the leadership of Health and Wellbeing Boards to develop and implement plans.

How many of the first-wave Neighbourhood Health Centre sites have prioritised neurology within a) initial service plans and b) delivery models.

In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines how specialised neurology services should support integrated and responsive care for individuals with long-term neurological conditions through collaboration between hospital and community providers. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme.We have announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme, with 120 delivered by 2030, with rollout starting in areas of the greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowestWe expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in different places across the country.We will be publishing further guidance to support local areas to develop Neighbourhood Health Plans in due course.  This will set out how the National Health Service, local authorities, and partners should work together under the leadership of Health and Wellbeing Boards to develop and implement plans.

When people with brain cancer will have access to personalised vaccines as part of their NHS treatment.

There are currently no personalised cancer vaccines with a marketing authorisation for use in the United Kingdom. All new, licensed medicines, including personalised cancer vaccines, are evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which makes recommendations on whether they should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. NICE aims wherever possible to issue recommendations on new medicines close to the point of licensing, and cancer medicines are eligible for funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of a positive draft NICE recommendation, bringing forward patient access by up to five months.The measures that we announced in the Life Sciences Sector Plan will enhance NICE’s collaboration with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and will support faster access to medicines for NHS patients in England.Further, the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform set up to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines and speed up access to mRNA personalised cancer vaccine clinical trials for cancer patients. The CVLP has been instrumental in accelerating trial activity in cancer research, with CVLP sites driving faster activation and enrolment timelines. The platform is designed to be company- and clinical trial type-agnostic. Any company that wishes to deliver trials via the platform, including those developing vaccines for brain tumours, can contact the CVLP to explore how the platform can support their research.

What steps he is taking to improve glioblastoma survival rates.

The Department is committed to supporting an innovative clinical research ecosystem in the United Kingdom so that patients in this country can be among the first to benefit as we make the National Health Service fit for the future.The Government supports Scott Arthur’s Private Members Bill on rare cancers which will make it easier for clinical trials into rare cancers, such as glioblastomas, to take place in England by ensuring the patient population can be easily contacted by researchers. This will ensure that the NHS will remain at the forefront of medical innovation and is able to provide patients with the newest, most effective treatment options, and ultimately boost survival rates.Early next year, the Government will publish a National Cancer Plan which will set out targeted actions to reduce the lives lost to cancers and improve the experience of patients, including rarer cancers such as glioblastomas.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) nurses and (b) other healthcare professionals exposed to hazardous medicinal products.

The Department has not made an estimate of the number of (a) nurses and (b) other healthcare professionals exposed to hazardous medicinal products.Any incidents involving staff exposure to hazardous medical products are reported and handled through local National Health Service body reporting procedures. Risk assessments should be undertaken routinely and mitigations put in place to minimise any environmental exposure to health care professionals (and others) relating to “hazardous medicinal products”.

What research his Department has commissioned on (a) reproductive health outcomes and (b) long‑term health effects of the occupational exposure of nursing staff to hazardous medicinal products; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of sickness absence related to such exposure.

The Government has not commissioned any research on the reproductive health outcomes or long-term health effects of the occupational exposure of nursing staff to hazardous medicinal products. No assessment has been made of the cost to the National Health Service of sickness absence related to this.Sickness absence is managed at an organisational level across the NHS. NHS organisations have their own policies and procedures in place to manage and reduce sickness absence, including any reasonable adjustments to allow people to return to work and/or prevent future absence. It is important that employers across the NHS take a preventative and proactive approach to supporting their staff and keeping them healthy.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including Primary Progressive Aphasia in the list of conditions requiring nationally commissioned services.

Primary progressive aphasia is a rare type of dementia where the recommended treatment is usually speech and language therapy, which is carried out by a speech and language therapist. NHS England is committed to delivering high quality care and support for every person with dementia, and central to this is the provision of personalised care and support planning for post diagnostic support.Local authorities are required to provide or arrange services that meet the social care needs of the local population under the Care Act 2014.Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. It is the responsibility of the IBC to work within their geographical area to offer services that meet the needs of their population.

Whether his Department plans to take steps to improve service provision for people with (a) Tourette's syndrome and (b) other tic disorders in the North East.

The Government has pledged to reform the National Health Service so that it better meets the needs of patients. This includes the current engagement exercise, which will help to shape the 10-Year Health Plan. This will be published in spring 2025 and is expected to underline the large shifts in how healthcare is provided.The NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) has begun a programme of work with our partners to consider the future efficiency requirements and potential areas of investment for the future. While a Tourette's syndrome service may be considered within this process, it is likely that we will review the alignment of specialist support within the wider children and young people's mental health service pathways, including the links with local authorities on special educational needs and disability provision.As commissioners, the ICB also undertakes an annual planning exercise to identify pathways that may require review. The pathway for the diagnosis and management of Tourette's syndrome, not only in County Durham, but across the North East and North Cumbria, will be identified through this exercise as an area for potential review in 2025/26. This will help us to understand where there are gaps in the provision of this specialist service that may potentially need to be addressed across the region. This planning exercise will require a prioritisation exercise to consider the clinical and cost benefits of a range of potential investment opportunities.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Biggest investment into hospices in a generation, dated 19 December 2024, how much of the £100 million funding will be allocated to the North East and North Cumbria integrated care board area.

We are working closely, and at pace, with NHS England on this once in a generation funding boost. We will set out the details of the funding allocation and dissemination in the coming weeks.

Whether his Department plans to introduce (a) mandatory training and (b) policies on surgical fires within all NHS hospital settings.

In 2023, the Centre for Perioperative Care published revised National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures (NatSSIPs2). The standards were designed to reduce misunderstandings or errors, and to improve team cohesion. The NatSSIPs2 include a requiremen...

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients requiring radiotherapy start their treatment with 31 days of a doctor deciding on their treatment plan.

We understand that cancer patients are waiting longer than they should for the care they need, and we are taking action to address this. The Government is committed to improving cancer care and reducing waiting times for treatment, including for radiother...

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS long-term health plan complements the National Cancer Strategy in the context of the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of (i) radiographer

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver three big shifts in the focus of healthcare, from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.The Department will also refresh the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to fit the transformed health s...

If he will take steps with local partners to ensure the availability of (a) parenting and (b) other programmes to improve the mental health of (i) infants, (ii) children and (iii) young people ment

The Government has a bold new ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. Launched in August 2022, the three-year Family Hubs and Start for Life programme provides approximately £300 million to 75 local authorities in England with high l...

What assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of allegations of fraudulent claims submitted through the Pharmacy First programme.

The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.The detail of the pharmacy contract is set ou...

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-2024 on the number of community pharmacies in England.

The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.The detail of the pharmacy contract is set ou...

When his Department plans to publish the contract for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2024.

The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.The detail of the pharmacy contract is set ou...

What assessment his Department has made of the (a) impact and (b) effectiveness of the Pharmacy First programme.

The number of community pharmacies has reduced from 11,517 to 10,458 from 2019 to 2024. Pharmacies are private business and decisions to close are made for a range of reasons, as with any other provider market.The detail of the pharmacy contract is set ou...

What steps he plans to take to support community pharmacies.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.We are currently consulting with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25.

What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the contribution of community pharmacies to local healthcare systems.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, including by cutting red tape. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.We are currently consulting with Community Pharmacy England on the national funding and contractual framework arrangements for 2024/25.