Written questions by Murphy.

What information his Department holds on the number of clinical commissioning groups that have implemented more restrictive policies on the prescription of gluten-free products for people with coeliac disease; and whether his Department is monitoring the potential impact of those policy changes on affected groups.

The Department and NHS England do not hold this information and are not monitoring the potential impact of those policy changes on the affected groups.Decisions about the commissioning and funding of local health services, including the prescription of gluten-free products for people with coeliac disease, are the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England’s guidance should be taken into account when ICBs formulate local policies, and prescribers are expected to reflect local policies in their prescribing practices. The guidance does not remove the clinical discretion of prescribers in accordance with their professional duties.The national prescribing position in England remains that gluten free bread and mixes can be provided to coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in part XV of the Drug Tariff. This means that prescribers can issue NHS prescriptions, based on a shared decision between prescriber and patient, while also being mindful of local and national guidance.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of food poverty on (a) malnutrition, (b) obesity and (c) other health conditions in (i) Basingstoke, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England in the past 10 years.

The relationship between food poverty, or food insecurity, nutritional intake, and physical and mental health in the United Kingdom is currently unclear. However, international evidence suggests that in the long-term, food insecurity may be associated with poorer diets and poorer mental and physical health, including a higher risk of overweight and obesity. the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs' UK Food Security Report 2024, which pulls together data from a range of sources, including the Department of Work and Pensions’ Family Resources Survey, found that 90% of UK households were food secure in the financial year ending 2023. Further information on the international evidence relating to food insecurity, poorer diets, and mental and physical health, and the UK Food Security Report 2024 is available, respectively, at the following two links:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6426124/#:~:text=In%20a%20longitudinal%20study%2C%20the,admissions%2C%20and%20length%20of%20stay.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024-theme-4-food-security-at-household-level#healthy-dietData is not available specifically for Basingstoke and Hampshire. However, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ report notes that geographical differences remain across the UK, with food security highest in the East, South East, and South West of England, where 92% of households were food secure in all three regions. 10-year trend data is not available as the Family Resources Survey first measured household food security in 2019/20, when the percentage of households classified as food secure was 93%, compared with 90% in 2022/23.Direct data on the relationship between food insecurity and obesity in the UK is not available. Household level food insecurity is associated with broader deprivation, which is in turn associated with an increased likelihood of overweight and obesity. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/update-to-the-obesity-profile-on-fingertips/obesity-profile-short-statistical-commentary-may-2024Most cases of malnutrition will be secondary to another health condition which may impact on nutritional needs or impact on a person’s ability to eat and drink, rather than it solely being caused by poor or inadequate dietary intake.The term malnutrition is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to a poor diet, although this may put someone at increased risk of malnutrition, this would not necessarily meet the criteria for malnutrition. Malnutrition is a clinical condition that is assessed using specific tools.The Child Poverty Taskforce, made up of ministers from across Government, will be publishing its strategy to reduce child poverty in Spring 2025.

What the vacancy rate for GP roles in (a) Basingstoke constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England was in each of the last ten years.

The data requested is not held centrally.

What the average waiting time for an NHS dental appointment in (a) Basingstoke constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England was in each of the last ten years.

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. Dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements. The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Basingstoke constituency, this is the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.

How many new patients NHS dental practices in (a) Basingstoke constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England accepted in each of the last ten years.

Data on the number of new patients seen since March 2024 as part of the New Patient Premium scheme will be published by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in due course. This will be available at national as well as integrated care board (ICB) level. We do not hold historical data on the number of new patients seen.The Government will tackle the immediate crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of National Health Service dentists. NHS dentists are required to keep their NHS.UK profiles up to date so that patients can find a dentist more easily. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. This information is available at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to ICBs across England. For Basingstoke and Hampshire constituency, this is the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.

What funding the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board received in each of the last ten years; and what (a) that funding and (b) the national average in England was per capita.

The Integrated Care Boards (Establishment) Order 2022 legally established 42 integrated care boards (ICBs), with effect from 1 July 2022. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/integrated-care-boards-in-england/NHS England is responsible for funding allocations to ICBs. This process is independent of the Government, and NHS England takes advice on the underlying formula from the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. These ICB boundaries do not map exactly onto those of the previous clinical commissioning groups, therefore, accurate data cannot be provided for before the 2022/23. The following table shows the allocations for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB, for 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25: 2022/232023/242024/25Core allocation£2,902,596,000£3,229,637,000£3,433,320,000Primary care£296,630,000£307,704,000£345,060,000Other primary care £164,382,000 ICB running costs£34,941,000£35,838,000£30,367,000Specialised services £431,776,000Pharmaceutical, ophthalmic, and dental services £171,726,000Total allocation£3,234,167,000£4,060,121,000£4,412,249,000Source: data is from NHS England, and is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/allocations/. In addition, the following table shows the national average ICB allocation in England per capita, for core services:YearAverage recurrent allocation per head in EnglandAverage recurrent allocation per head in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB2022/23£1,543£1,5192023/24£1,636£1,6162024/25£1,732£1,709

What the average waiting time for children and young people to access (a) CAMHS and (b) other NHS mental health services was in (i) Basingstoke constituency, (ii) Hampshire and (ii) England in each of the last ten years.

The following table shows the waiting time, measured in the number of days, between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old in England, from 2020/21 to 2023/24: YearMean average waiting time between referral and first contact2020/2175.32021/2265.02022/2369.72023/2475.4Source: Mental Health Services Dataset. In addition, the following table shows the waiting time, measured in the number of days, between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old, in the Basingstoke and Deane local authority district, from 2020/21 to 2023/24: YearMean average waiting time between referral and first contact2020/21138.92021/22119.12022/23132.62023/24210.4Source: Mental Health Services Dataset. Finally, the following table shows the waiting time, measured in the number of days, between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old, in the Hampshire county local authority, from 2020/21 to 2023/24: YearMean average waiting time between referral and first contact2020/21126.32021/22124.02022/23133.22023/24186.6Source: Mental Health Services Dataset.

If he will make a comparative assessment of prostate cancer diagnosis rates in (a) Basingstoke, (b) Hampshire and (c) England.

No comparative assessment has been made. However, data for prostate cancer diagnosis rates are collected by integrated care board (ICB), both Basingstoke and Hampshire are located within the Hampshire and Isle of White ICB. The following table shows this data up to 2022:Stage at diagnosisCountRateAll stages2312249.4Stage 1 & 2986106Stage 3 & 482888.9For comparison, the following table shows the national data for 2022:Stage at diagnosisCountRateAll stages54732212.4Stage 1 & 22161082.4Stage 3 & 41904274The Department is supporting the National Health Service in taking steps to speed up and improve the efficiency of diagnostic pathways. This includes the introduction of a best-practice timed pathway for prostate cancer so that those suspected of having prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging scan first; this ensures only those men most at risk of having cancer undergo an invasive biopsy. For patients, the prostate best-practice timed pathway may reduce anxiety and uncertainty of a possible cancer diagnosis, with less time between referral and receiving the outcome of a diagnostic test.Furthermore, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme published guidance in April 2024 to support the implementation of good practice in management of prostate cancer, which includes ensuring the diagnostic pathways for prostate cancer were implemented from primary care setting to secondary care presentation.

What the average waiting time at A&E in (a) Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, (b) Hampshire and (c) England was in each of the last ten years.

The data is not available in the format requested. Official data on the total amount of time patients wait in accident and emergency is collected and published by NHS England. This information is published monthly, including by National Health Service trust, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/This information is also published annually, at the national level, and is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-accident--emergency-activity

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a national prostate-specific antigen screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK.

Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, called the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm some men as many would be diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them problems during their life.  This would lead to additional tests and treatments which can also have harmful side effects, for example sexual dysfunction and incontinence.The UK NSC regularly reviews its recommendations. The evidence review for prostate cancer screening is underway and will conclude at the end of 2025.The Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP) provides general practitioners (GPs) with information and guidance to counsel men who have no symptoms but wish to have a PSA test. It highlights the potential benefits and harms of PSA testing so that men, including those at higher risk, can make an informed decision about whether to have the test. Based on the current evidence, the PCRMP guidance is for GPs not to proactively offer a PSA to men without symptoms, due to high level of inaccuracy of the PSA test.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that men with risk factors for prostate cancer are encouraged to receive regular prostate-specific antigen tests.

Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, called the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm some men as many would be diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them problems during their life.  This would lead to additional tests and treatments which can also have harmful side effects, for example sexual dysfunction and incontinence.The UK NSC regularly reviews its recommendations. The evidence review for prostate cancer screening is underway and will conclude at the end of 2025.The Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP) provides general practitioners (GPs) with information and guidance to counsel men who have no symptoms but wish to have a PSA test. It highlights the potential benefits and harms of PSA testing so that men, including those at higher risk, can make an informed decision about whether to have the test. Based on the current evidence, the PCRMP guidance is for GPs not to proactively offer a PSA to men without symptoms, due to high level of inaccuracy of the PSA test.

How many children under the age of 18 in (a) Basingstoke constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England were diagnosed with respiratory conditions associated with poor (i) air quality and (ii) housing conditions in each of the last ten years.

The Department does not hold information on diagnosed respiratory conditions caused by air quality and housing conditions.The Government is committed to a preventative approach to the public’s health, and is determined to improve air quality for everyone. That is why we are working across Government to tackle these issues. This includes supporting the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to deliver their comprehensive and ambitious Clean Air Strategy, and an initial £3.4 billion towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency over the next three years, to improve housing conditions.

How many delayed discharges there were (a) at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, (b) in Hampshire and (c) in England in each of the last ten years.

The data collection used for monitoring delayed discharges was changed in 2020. In addition, the Department and NHS England do not hold data on the number of delayed discharges at hospital level, and trust level data was published from 2022 onwards. As such, we have provided data on the number of delayed discharges at trust and national level from 2021 to present.The following table shows the average daily number of acute adult patients remaining in hospital at the end of the day despite being medically fit, that is, patients with no criteria to reside and not discharged, in each financial year since 2021/22: YearHampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustEnglandComments2021/22n/a9,891Published data not available at trust level before April 2022. 2021/22 figures affected by Covid-19 pandemic (low bed occupancy rates)2022/2317413,227 2023/2416012,693 2024/2515312,381Average for the year so far up to 30 November 2024Source: NHS England

What the rate of hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge was for (a) Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, (b) Hampshire and (c) England in each of the last ten years.

The following tables show published experimental statistics by NHS England on the percentage of emergency admissions to any hospital in England within 30 days of the most recent discharge from hospital at a trust and national level: YearLevel descriptionIndicator valueBanding (comparison to national average – see below for definitions)2014/15HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST11.5B12015/16HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST11.1B12016/17HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST12.4B12017/18HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST13.6W2018/19HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST14.4W2019/20HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST14.7A52020/21HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST16.3A12021/22HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST16.1A12022/23HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST15.8A12023/24HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST16.6A1 YearLevel descriptionIndicator value2014/15England12.72015/16England13.02016/17England13.22017/18England13.62018/19England14.22019/20England14.32020/21England15.42021/22England14.32022/23England14.22023/24England14.8Source: NHS EnglandNotes:B1 = Significantly lower than the national average at the 99.8% level; B5 = Significantly lower than the national average at the 95% level but not at the 99.8% level; W = National average lies within expected variation (95% confidence interval); A5 = Significantly higher than the national average at the 95% level but not at the 99.8% level; A1 = Significantly higher than the national average at the 99.8% level.Figures are indirectly standardised to adjust for variation in age, sex, method of admission and diagnosis/procedure between hospitals and over time. Further statistics around discharge are available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/compendium-emergency-readmissions/current/emergency-readmissions-to-hospital-within-30-days-of-discharge

What steps his Department is taking to improve treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease.

NHS England is working to detect people at risk of kidney disease through the NHS Health Check Programme. The programme, which is available for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 years old, who is not already on a chronic disease register, assesses people’s health and risk of developing certain health problems. Using this information, patients are supported to make behavioural changes and access treatment which helps to prevent and detect kidney disease earlier.NHS England has established the Renal Services Transformation Programme (RSTP), which aims to reduce unwarranted variation in the quality and accessibility of renal care, to improve outcomes and services for those with kidney disease. NHS England, through the RSTP and regional renal networks, is implementing initiatives to provide better, integrated care, to reduce health inequalities, and to focus on prevention and timely intervention for kidney disease.Working in collaboration with the NHS RightCare Programme and the renal community, the RSTP has developed a renal toolkit to provide integrated care boards, renal clinical networks, and providers with tools, case studies, and principles to support transformation of services at a local level. The toolkit outlines principles to support better management of patients identified with chronic kidney disease (CKD) throughout their patient journey. The RSTP is also working closely with NHS England’s regional renal clinical networks to review this toolkit, and to work with local partners to develop transformation programmes that will focus on early identification and management of kidney disease, and will seek to reduce the number of patients progressing through various stages of CKD, and reduce the number of patients requiring dialysis. By supporting prevention and early intervention, the need for late-stage treatments will be reduced.Regional renal clinical networks prioritise the prevention and early diagnosis of CKD within their transformation ambitions. This includes considerations to develop a unified approach to testing populations at risk of developing CKD, and includes raising awareness of diagnostic tools like urine albumin creatinine tests, enabling CKD diagnosis at stages 1 and 2. NHS England aims to improve awareness and access to these important urine and blood tests across primary and secondary care.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance, Chronic kidney disease: Assessment and management [NG203], updated in November 2021, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis and management of CKD. The guidance covers the care and treatment of patients at risk of CKD. It includes recommendations on the monitoring of patients at risk of CKD, and aims to prevent or delay the progression of the disease. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng203

What steps his Department is taking to improve diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease for (a) younger patients and (b) broadly.

NHS England is working to detect people at risk of kidney disease through the NHS Health Check Programme. The programme, which is available for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 years old, who is not already on a chronic disease register, assesses people’s health and risk of developing certain health problems. Using this information, patients are supported to make behavioural changes and access treatment which helps to prevent and detect kidney disease earlier.NHS England has established the Renal Services Transformation Programme (RSTP), which aims to reduce unwarranted variation in the quality and accessibility of renal care, to improve outcomes and services for those with kidney disease. NHS England, through the RSTP and regional renal networks, is implementing initiatives to provide better, integrated care, to reduce health inequalities, and to focus on prevention and timely intervention for kidney disease.Working in collaboration with the NHS RightCare Programme and the renal community, the RSTP has developed a renal toolkit to provide integrated care boards, renal clinical networks, and providers with tools, case studies, and principles to support transformation of services at a local level. The toolkit outlines principles to support better management of patients identified with chronic kidney disease (CKD) throughout their patient journey. The RSTP is also working closely with NHS England’s regional renal clinical networks to review this toolkit, and to work with local partners to develop transformation programmes that will focus on early identification and management of kidney disease, and will seek to reduce the number of patients progressing through various stages of CKD, and reduce the number of patients requiring dialysis. By supporting prevention and early intervention, the need for late-stage treatments will be reduced.Regional renal clinical networks prioritise the prevention and early diagnosis of CKD within their transformation ambitions. This includes considerations to develop a unified approach to testing populations at risk of developing CKD, and includes raising awareness of diagnostic tools like urine albumin creatinine tests, enabling CKD diagnosis at stages 1 and 2. NHS England aims to improve awareness and access to these important urine and blood tests across primary and secondary care.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance, Chronic kidney disease: Assessment and management [NG203], updated in November 2021, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis and management of CKD. The guidance covers the care and treatment of patients at risk of CKD. It includes recommendations on the monitoring of patients at risk of CKD, and aims to prevent or delay the progression of the disease. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng203

What steps the Department is taking to reduce (a) the backlog of ADHD diagnosis and (b) improve waiting times for assessments.

The Department is currently considering next steps to improve access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England is establishing to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce will bring 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 and to help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.

If he will make a comparative assessment of waiting times for ADHD in (a) Hampshire and (b) other NHS Trusts in England.

There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) either nationally, or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England is establishing to look at ADHD service provision and its impact on patient experience. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, and to help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand.Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.

How much funding the Hampshire Hospitals scheme received to the end of the 2023-24 financial year.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 October 2024 to Question 10950.

What estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of the Hampshire Hospitals scheme.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves the review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, however these are commercially sensitive.Up to the end of the 2023/24, the total amount received by the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in funding for their new hospital schemes is £8.5 million.The breakdown of how much the trust received for their new hospital scheme is published annually as part of the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts, with Public Dividend Capital to individual trusts included in the Financial Assistance Report under section 40 of the National Health Service Act 2006. The 2022/23 report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023The trust is currently developing their Outline Business Case for the Hampshire Hospitals scheme and is at Royal Institute of British Architects Stage 0.