Written questions by Pritchard.

In what way he plans to protect NHS whistleblowers, following the closure of the National Guardian's Office.

Dr Dash’s review of patient safety across the health and care landscape was published in July 2025. The review’s recommendations aim to streamline, simplify, and consolidate functions across the patient safety landscape by removing duplication and overlap.The review specifically recommends that staff voice functions should be strengthened, by incorporating the responsibilities of the National Guardian’s Office directly into the new Department of Health and Social Care structure and providers. The network of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians will continue. These changes reinforce our commitment to ensuring that National Health Service staff have the confidence to come forward and speak out if they have concerns.

If he will support Integrated Care Boards to offer community ear wax removal services.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local populations. This includes the arrangement of services for ear wax removal. When ICBs exercise their functions, including commissioning healthcare services such as ear wax removal, they have a duty to reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services, and to reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services.Guidance for general practitioners (GPs) on ear wax removal is provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the NICE due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so GPs will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP could then consider referring the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.

What plans his Department has to improve survival rates for pancreatic cancer.

Improving survival rates for all cancers, including pancreatic cancer, is a priority for the Government. As the first step to ensuring faster diagnosis and treatment, we have delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week.NHS England is providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at high-risk to identify lesions before they develop into cancer. NHS England is additionally creating pathways to support faster referral routes for people with non-specific symptoms and is increasing direct access for general practitioners to diagnostic tests.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will aim to ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bring this country’s cancer survival rates, including for those with pancreatic cancer, back up to the standards of the best in the world.

If he will prioritise (a) research into, (b) diagnosis of and (c) treatment of pancreatic cancer in the new National Cancer Plan.

The National Cancer Plan will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including patients with pancreatic cancer.NHS England is providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at high-risk, to identify lesions before they develop into cancer. NHS England is additionally creating pathways to support faster referral routes for people with non-specific symptoms, and is increasing direct access for general practitioners to diagnostic tests.The plan will include further details on how we will speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bring this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for mental health treatment in (a) Shropshire, (b) Telford and (c) Wrekin.

Long waits for mental health services are being driven by increasing demand in a system in desperate need of change, including in Shropshire, Telford, and Wrekin.The Government is piloting innovative models of care in the community, including six neighbourhood adult mental health centres that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and which bring together community, crisis, and inpatient care.NHS England Planning Guidance for 2025/26 makes it clear that for this year, to support reform and improvements, we expect all providers to reduce the variation in children and young people accessing services and improve productivity.We are also improving data quality so we can support providers to understand demand across their areas. Since July 2023, NHS England has included waiting times metrics for referrals to urgent and community-based mental health services in its monthly mental health statistics publication to help services to target the longest waits.Our 10-Year Health Plan will inform the future vision and delivery plan for mental health services in England. Earlier intervention remains a key focus of the plan, with the aim of reducing pressure on mental health services.

If he will have discussions with independent pharmacy owners on ensuring an equitable contract for community pharmacies.

The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities. They provide an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.We have now concluded the most recent consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. Community Pharmacy England represent all pharmacy contractors, including independents. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

If he will consider linking pharmacy funding to (a) inflation and (b) the National Living Wage.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.We have now agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion from April 2025. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the time taken for medical examiners to issue death certificates.

The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms, including the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Regulations 2024, which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024. Early data indicates the median time taken to register a death appears to have risen by one day, from seven days to eight days. This figure is for all deaths, as it includes those certified by a doctor and those investigated by a coroner. The average time taken to register has increased further over the recent Christmas weeks, but this was expected given increases are observed during this period every year; the average is expected to decrease again as more data becomes available for January and February 2025. The median time taken to register a death varies depending on the type of certification. Deaths certified by a doctor, that comprise approximately 80% of deaths registered each week, have typically had a median time to registration of seven days. We note that the medical examiner system was active on a non-statutory basis before the introduction of the statutory system on 9 September 2024, and this makes direct ‘before’ and ‘after’ comparisons challenging to draw conclusions from.The core purposes of the death certification reforms are to introduce scrutiny of the cause of death to detect and deter malpractice, to improve reporting, and crucially to put the bereaved at the centre of the process by offering a conversation with the medical examiner about the cause of death. The expectation on doctors and medical examiners is clear, that they should complete certification as quickly and efficiently as possible, and the Government is working with all stakeholders to make sure this is the case.

What proportion of Integrated Care Boards in England have a Fracture Liaison Service.

Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%.Data for integrated care systems (ICS) is available from the FLS Database, a national audit of secondary fracture prevention services in England and Wales, for which services must have an existing FLS to be eligible to participate. This dashboard suggests that at least 32 ICSs had at least one trust that offered FLS in 2024.We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030. In the meantime, we are investing in 14 high-tech DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans to ensure that people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.

What steps he is taking to increase the number of Integrated Care Boards in England which have a Fracture Liaison Service.

Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%.Data for integrated care systems (ICS) is available from the FLS Database, a national audit of secondary fracture prevention services in England and Wales, for which services must have an existing FLS to be eligible to participate. This dashboard suggests that at least 32 ICSs had at least one trust that offered FLS in 2024.We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030. In the meantime, we are investing in 14 high-tech DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans to ensure that people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.

If he will take steps with NHS England to review the (a) volume and (b) type of antidepressants prescribed on the NHS and their (i) side effects, (ii) long-term effectiveness and (iii) addictiveness.

The National Institute of Care and Excellence (NICE) and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are the relevant regulatory bodies in this area. While antidepressants can be helpful for some patients, NICE guidance recommends a range of non-drug options that should be considered first for people who present with less severe mental health conditions.For patients diagnosed with depression, antidepressants are an effective treatment method. NICE has produced guidelines on antidepressants, which are available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222/resources/depression-in-adults-treatment-and-management-pdf-66143832307909To ensure antidepressant drugs are made available to patients only where the benefits outweigh the potential harms, NHS England is encouraging integrated care boards to address inappropriate antidepressant prescribing and to consider commissioning services for patients wishing to reduce or stop antidepressants.MHRA is leading a project to improve the information supplied with dependency-forming medicines. The project aims to improve risk minimisation measures and better inform and educate healthcare professionals and patients about the risk of dependence, addiction, tolerance, and withdrawal related to a wide range of medicines, including antidepressants in the United Kingdom.

If he will increase the funding available to local authorities to provide living services for people with learning disabilities.

High quality, safe, and suitable homes can help people stay independent and healthy for longer and reduce the need to draw on health and social care provision.We are giving disabled people, including those with learning disabilities, more independence in their own homes through an immediate in-year uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) of £86 million in 2024/25. This increase will provide approximately 7,800 additional home adaptations. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. The Government also announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for the 2025/26 financial year at the Budget, bringing total funding for 2025/26 to £711 million.We also incentivise the supply of supported housing for older people and adults with a physical or learning disability, autistic people, or adults with mental ill-health.

If he will introduce age-related universal testing for prostate cancer.

Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended in the United Kingdom, due to the inaccuracy of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test.A UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) review, looking at whether to offer screening for prostate cancer, is currently underway. This evidence review will cover the modelling of the clinical and cost effectiveness of several approaches to prostate cancer screening. This will include different potential ways of screening the whole population as well as targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher-than-average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.Once the modelling and evidence review are complete, it will be considered by the UK NSC. Provided that no further revisions are required, the UK NSC plans to look at the findings towards the end of 2025. Further details of the UK NSC’s evidence review process are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process

What steps his Department is taking to help support research into (a) the treatment of and (b) a cure for motor neurone disease.

The Department delivers research into motor neurone disease (MND) via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into MND, including investing £8 million into EXPERTS-ALS, which is an early phase clinical research trial for MND, screening for drugs that have the potential to be successful in clinical trials for people with MND.The NIHR is also funding the Lighthouse II phase three clinical trial, testing the drug Triumeq in patients with MND.The MND Translational Accelerator, supported by £6 million of Government funding, is connecting the UK Dementia Research Institute, the UK MND Research Institute, and the UK Dementias Platform to speed up the development of treatments for MND and frontotemporal dementia.

Whether he plans to take steps to bring forward legislative proposals on regulating sports therapists.

The Government has no plans to extend statutory regulation to sports therapists at this time.

What steps he is taking to improve the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) is managed through cardiovascular services, and is managed by specialised cardiologists, linking with expertise from other specialties according to individual patients’ needs. Specialised Cardiology is one of the services which is being delegated to integrated care boards. Improvements in diagnosis and treatment are for local determination within national frameworks and NICE guidance and standards.As of the end of October 2024, there were 412,017 patient pathways waiting for Cardiology Service, with 59.6%, or 245,532 patient pathways, waiting within 18 weeks. This is far below the 92% 18-week Referral-to-Treatment NHS Constitutional Standard. It is unacceptable that people cannot access the care they need, when they need it.We have committed to getting back to the 18-week standard by the end of this Parliament. Funding announced in the Autumn Budget will support delivery of an additional 2 million operations, scans, and appointments during our first year in Government, which is equivalent to 40,000 per week, as a first step towards achieving this.As part of this package, £1.5 billion of capital funding in 2025/26 will enable new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners to build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online.Dedicated and protected surgical hubs will transform the way the National Health Service provides elective care, improving outcomes for patients and reducing pressures on hospitals. Some hubs offer cardiology treatments and procedures, which could include treatment for PoTS.

What steps he is taking to ensure sufficient supplies of (a) lamotrigine, (b) Epilim Chronosphere and (c) other epilepsy medication.

The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, some issues, including with some carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine presentations, have been resolved.There was a supply issue with all strengths of lamotrigine tablets, used to manage epilepsy, due to manufacturing issues. The supply issue has recently resolved, and supply is expected to return to normal levels through early December 2024.We are aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets with the resupply date to be confirmed. Other manufacturers of topiramate tablets can meet the increased demand during this time. We have confirmed with the supplier of Epilim Chronosphere that there are currently no issues with supply.The Department continues to work closely with industry, the National Health Service, and others to help ensure patients continue to have access to an alternative treatment until their usual product is back in stock.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase in the rate of employers' National Insurance contributions on dental practices which provide NHS dentistry.

The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.

If he will take steps to ensure NHS Trusts admit early liability and compensate victims of medical negligence whilst under NHS Care.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHSR has a responsibility to settle claims fairly and promptly, and defend unmeritorious claims to secure NHS resources. Each case must be considered on its own merits, and it is important that a proper investigation is undertaken.NHSR is committed to the use of dispute resolution interventions, including increased mediation and resolution meetings. Consequently, the percentage of cases settling before formal court proceedings are required has continued to increase. In 2023/24, 81% of the 13,382 clinical claims settled were resolved without formal court proceedings being commenced.

How many and what proportion of (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) other medical professionals were struck off from practicing in the NHS in 2022-23; and if he will publish the country of origin of their baseline medical qualifications.

The Department does not hold the requested information centrally. All groups of healthcare professionals have their own regulatory bodies, for example, the General Medical Council is the regulator of all medical doctors practising in the United Kingdom, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council is the regulator of all nurses and midwives in the UK, and nursing associates in England. Healthcare professional regulators are independent of the Government, are directly accountable to Parliament, and are responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of their statutory duties. Regulators will hold data on professionals removed from their registers, and may be able to share this information upon request.Any general practitioner, optometrist, or dentist offering National Health Service primary care services must also be registered on the NHS England Performers Lists. NHS England will hold data on professionals removed from the Performers Lists.The Department does not intend to publish the country of origin of the baseline medical qualifications held by healthcare professionals removed from regulators’ registers or the Performers Lists.