Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rebecca Paul this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 56 · Department of Health and Social Care
What information his Department holds on the number of complaints made to NHS bodies and healthcare professional regulators concerning alleged attempts by a healthcare professional to (a) change and (b) suppress a person’s (i) sexual orientation and (ii) transgender identity since 2018; and what the outcomes of those complaints were.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of closed NHS Supply Chain framework agreements on opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises to supply goods and services to the NHS.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the inability of new suppliers to join NHS Supply Chain frameworks during their term on innovation, competition and patient access to new medical technologies.
Awaiting answer.
If he will consider introducing annual admission windows for suppliers seeking to join NHS Supply Chain framework agreements, subject to meeting relevant qualification requirements.
Awaiting answer.
What plans he has to develop dedicated support for adults caring for or coordinating care for ageing parents, including those supporting parents with frailty and dementia; and whether such support will be incorporated into the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia.
Awaiting answer.
What discussions his Department has had with NHS England on establishing a statutory professional register for senior managers in the National Health Service to strengthen leadership accountability
The Government made a commitment at the General Election to introduce professional standards for, and regulation of, National Health Service managers. Departmental officials have engaged extensively on the proposals with key stakeholders, including NHS En...
What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of Bisoprolol in each strength and formulation; and what contingency plans are in place in the event of further di
The Department is aware that there are intermittent supply issues with bisoprolol 1.25 milligrams tablets, however, all other strengths of bisoprolol remain in stock. We continue to engage directly with suppliers of bisoprolol 1.25 milligrams tablets to m...
What comparative assessment his Department has made of (a) Drug Tariff reimbursement prices and (b) prices paid by community pharmacies to obtain medicines affected by supply disruption.
With regards to the Drug Tariff reimbursement prices, the community pharmacy reimbursement arrangements do not guarantee that every contractor will be paid the cost of every item; however, concessionary prices mitigate losses for individual products, whil...
What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of Ramipril in each strength and formulation; and what steps he is taking to ensure continuity of supply to patien
All strengths of ramipril capsules and tablets remain available, however, the Department is aware that ramipril 1.25 milligrams capsules are in more limited supply until late July 2026 due to manufacturing issues affecting some suppliers. We are working c...
What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of conflict in the Middle East on the supply of generic medicines to the UK.
The Department is closely monitoring the Middle East conflict to assess any potential impact on United Kingdom medical supply chains through disruptions to manufacturing and logistics.There have been limited impacts on generic medicines and the wider medi...
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients are not required to pay privately to obtain medicines prescribed to them on the NHS during periods of supply disruption.
Patients should not be required to pay privately for medicines that are prescribed to them on the National Health Service. Where supply disruption occurs, the Department has policies in place to ensure patients continue to have access to NHS prescriptions...
What steps he is taking to ensure that robust and consistent informed consent processes are applied in the provision of adult NHS gender identity services.
NHS England's national service specification for adult gender services requires clinicians to make all efforts to ensure that individuals are aware of the longer-term consequences of the interventions offered to them. The service specification describes t...
Whether his Department has commissioned research to improve understanding of factors determining the number of referrals to gender identity services across the NHS.
The final report of the Cass Review, published in April 2024, gave a thorough assessment of factors determining the number of referrals to National Health Service children and young people’s gender services and the characteristics of referrals into these ...
What steps his Department is taking to strengthen clinical leadership in the provision of adult gender identity services within the NHS.
In 2024, NHS England commissioned the National Operational and Delivery Review of Adult Gender Services (the Review), the report of which was published in December 2025. The report concluded that some adult gender services undertake little or no quality i...
What steps his Department is taking to develop and implement national evidence-based clinical guidelines for adult gender identity services across NHS England.
NHS England will publish a proposed clinical commissioning policy position on the use of masculinising and feminising hormone medications for the clinical indication of gender dysphoria later this year, for the purpose of public consultation, including th...
How the experiences and clinical outcomes of individuals who have de-transitioned, alongside a range of patient outcomes, are being incorporated into the development of policy and clinical guidance
In line with recommendation 25 of the Cass Review, NHS England is developing a clinical pathway for individuals who wish to detransition.In April 2025, as one of several planned engagement exercises to help shape this programme of work, NHS England invite...
What steps his Department will take to improve mental health provision and outcomes for young people.
For children and young people in distress or struggling with their mental health, fast access to early, high-quality support is critical. Mental health support teams play a key role in this, providing early intervention for mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, while also assisting schools to develop a whole-school approach to positive mental health and wellbeing. By spring 2026, up to 900,000 more children and young people will have access to mental health support teams compared to Spring 2025, with full national coverage planned by 2029.Alongside this, early support hubs provide drop-in mental health support for 11- to 25‑year‑olds without the need for a referral. The Government recently confirmed an additional £7 million funding boost for early support hubs across England, enabling 10,000 additional mental health and wellbeing interventions over the next 12 months. The Government is also establishing the first of 50 Young Futures Hubs to bring local services together within communities and offer early advice and wellbeing support for young people who may not meet thresholds for specialist National Health Service care.We’re also tackling the longest waits for specialist mental health services for children and young people by reducing regional variation and improving access. Our goal is to make services more productive, so children and young people spend less time waiting for the treatment they need. Together, these initiatives, backed by recruitment of almost 8,000 additional mental health workers for adults and children since July 2024, are expanding timely, local support, reducing the need for escalation to specialist services and helping young people receive the right help at the right time, in the right place.
What assessment his Department has made of the (a) prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Reigate constituency compared with national averages; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally, including through the introduction of a Modern Service Framework for respiratory care.
Data is available for emergency finished admission episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for Reigate and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS-commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025)Reigate920765England612,855511,558Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England. Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority and integrated care board level. Information for Reigate can be found at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/6/ati/501/are/E07000211/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1 The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.
What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current regulatory framework for Research Ethics Committees (RECs), including the Governance Arrangements for Research Ethics Committees, in providing adequate guidance for RECs considering research proposals pertaining to gender and sex.
No specific assessment has been made by the Department. The Health Research Authority (HRA) and the devolved administrations provide a Research Ethics Service so that research proposals relating to their areas of responsibility can be reviewed by a Research Ethics Committee (REC) for all kinds of health and social care research proposals within the scope of the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care research, including those pertaining to gender and sex.A REC is a group of people appointed to review research proposals to assess formally if the research is ethical. This means the research must conform to recognised ethical standards. RECs protect the rights, safety, dignity and wellbeing of research participants and the Governance Arrangements for Research Ethics Committees, a United Kingdom wide policy, describes what is expected from RECs when reviewing research proposals.Each REC is required to adopt the UK Standard Operating Procedures approved by, or on behalf of, its appointing authority, and each REC is audited against these standards on a rolling basis. RECs reviewing Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Products must be accredited by the UK Ethics Committee Authority before they can review applications to ensure committees comply with legislation and uphold standards.The HRA has a duty to provide an efficient and robust research ethics review service to protect participants.
When he intends to publish the document entitled Pathways Trial for GnRHa - Guidance for CYPGS Clinicians.
A document entitled PATHWAYS TRIAL for Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Analogues (GnRHa) – Guidance for CYPGS clinicians is referenced in the published research protocol for the PATHWAYS study of puberty suppression. The Department does not hold a copy this document and would not expect to hold it, and therefore has no plans to publish it.