Every parliamentary written question tabled by Sarah Bool this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 50 · Department of Health and Social Care
With reference to recommendation R/2026/074 of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body Report 'Insulin: supporting safe self-administration in vulnerable patient groups in the community with a mental health problem', what steps his department is taking to improve collaboration between mental health teams and specialist diabetes services.
Awaiting answer.
What discussions he has had with the NHS Business Services Authority on extending the duration of Medical Exemption Certificates for those with long-term conditions.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has had no such discussions.
How many appointments to ministerial private offices since July 2024 have been made by civil service recruitment principles exceptions including the transfer of civil servants from other departments who were appointed by exceptions without open and fair competition.
The Department has made one appointment to ministerial private offices since July 2024 to 4 September 2025 by exception to the Civil Service recruitment principles.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67788 on Prescriptions: Terminal Illnesses, what the procedure is if a person is issued with an enquiry letter and a Penalty Charge Notice but were eligible for a Medical Exemption Certificate in relation to their liability to pay the Penalty Charge Notice.
If a patient receives an Enquiry Letter or Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) and is eligible for a Medical Exemption Certificate, they are advised to apply for the certificate and pay the prescription charge. Once the application has been received and processed, the penalty charge is removed. It should be noted that the prescription charge can only be paid once a PCN has been issued, as payments cannot be accepted at the Enquiry Letter stage.
Pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2025 to Question 67789 on Diabetes: Health Services, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the cost of diabetic ketoacidosis.
A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system that is fit for the future. Tackling preventable ill health, such as type 2 diabetes, is crucial. Shifting the focus from treatment to prevention is one of three shifts for the Government’s mission for a National Health Service that is fit for the future and is a cornerstone of supporting people to live healthier lives.Preventing diabetes, like obesity, is a complex issue and requires multi-faceted action across both the public and private sector. Prevention involves collaboration across the public and private sectors to tackle underlying issues such obesity, poor diets, and lifestyle issues.The Department is taking steps to prevent type 2 diabetes through programmes such as the NHS Health Check, England’s flagship cardiovascular disease prevention programme for those aged between 40 and 74 years old, which aims to identify people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and some cases of dementia, and to signpost them to behavioural support such as weight management and clinical treatment if needed.Once identified, those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes can also be referred by their general practitioner into the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. The programme is highly effective, cutting the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% for people completing the programme, compared to those who do not attend.The annual costs of treating patients over 18 years old and children with diabetic ketoacidosis is not available, as this data is not routinely collected and/or analysed nationally. There are currently no plans to collect this data.
What estimate his Department has made of the annual resources required to treat diabetic ketoacidosis.
A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system that is fit for the future. Tackling preventable ill health, such as type 2 diabetes, is crucial. Shifting the focus from treatment to prevention is one of three shifts for the Government’s mission for a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and is a cornerstone of supporting people to live healthier lives.Preventing diabetes, like obesity, is a complex issue and requires multi-faceted action across both the public and private sector. Prevention involves collaboration across the public and private sectors to tackle underlying issues such obesity, poor diets, and lifestyle issues.The Department is taking steps to prevent type 2 diabetes through programmes such as the NHS Health Check, England’s flagship cardiovascular disease prevention programme for those aged between 40 and 74 years old, which aims to identify people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and some cases of dementia, and to signpost them to behavioural support such as weight management and clinical treatment if needed.Once identified, those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes can also be referred by their general practitioner into the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. The programme is highly effective, cutting the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% for people completing the programme, compared to those who do not attend.The annual costs of treating patients over 18 years old and children with diabetic ketoacidosis is not available, as this data is not routinely collected and/or analysed nationally. There are currently no plans to collect this data.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67788 on Prescriptions: Terminal Illnesses, whether the 50,330 Penalty Charge Notices were issued as separate individual cases; and how many were issued to the same individuals for repeat offences.
Overall, 55,347 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued to 50,330 individuals for incorrectly claiming a medical exemption from prescription charges between 1 June 2024 and 1 July 2025. Of these, 4,339 individuals received multiple PCNs, while 45,991 received a single PCN.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67788 on Prescriptions: Terminal Illnesses, how much revenue was raised from the 50,330 Penalty Charge Notices.
Between 1 June 2024 and 1 July 2025, a total of £980,266.02 was recovered from the 50,330 people who were issued Penalty Charge Notices for incorrectly claiming a medical exemption from prescription charges.
What discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Scottish Government on including aplastic anaemia on NHS Inform.
Working under the United Kingdom Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as aplastic anaemia.Collaboration at all levels across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales remains an underpinning priority. The Department works closely with colleagues across the devolved nations to ensure policy on rare disease is aligned across the UK, and that we share best practice and areas of learning.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67788 on Prescriptions: Terminal Illnesses,, how many enquiry letters were to individuals regarding incorrectly claiming medical exemption from NHS prescription charges in this period.
Between 1 June 2024 and 30 June 2025, a total of 67,777 enquiry letters were issued in relation to National Health Service prescriptions for which a medical exemption certificate had been claimed.
Pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2025 to Question 67790 on Diabetes: Screening, when he expects the UK National Screening Committee to complete the review of the 2024 submission on autoimmune type 1 diabetes screening through blood testing.
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is currently awaiting the outcome of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) assessment of the drug teplizumab, which is expected in November.Once the NICE recommendation on teplizumab has been published, the UK NSC will look again at the 2024 annual call submission on autoimmune type 1 diabetes screening through blood testing and will consider whether a fresh review of the evidence for type 1 diabetes screening should be undertaken.
What steps he is taking to ensure that the upcoming National Cancer Plan addresses challenges relating to delayed diagnosis for unstageable cancers.
It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such as myeloma, as well as other unstageable cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, in order to improve outcomes.To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67788 on Prescriptions: Terminal Illnesses, how many of the individuals who received one of the 50,330 Penalty Charge Notices issued for incorrectly claiming medical exemption from NHS prescription charges were in possession of an exemption certificate within the previous 12 months.
The information requested is not held in the format requested, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost through manual matching of data from multiple unlinked data sources.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67788 on Prescriptions: Terminal Illnesses, how many of the 50,330 Penalty Charge Notices issued for incorrectly claiming medical exemption from NHS prescription charges were paid.
Overall, 55,347 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) were issued to 50,330 individuals for incorrectly claiming a medical exemption from NHS prescription charges in the period 1 June 2024 to 1 July 2025. 32,724 PCNs have had a payment made against them.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67788 on Prescriptions: Terminal Illnesses, how many of the people who received one of the 50,330 Penalty Charge Notices issued for incorrectly claiming medical exemption from NHS prescription charges have never been in possession of a medical exemption certificate.
The information requested is not held in the format requested, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost through manual matching of data from multiple unlinked data sources.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67788 on Prescriptions: Terminal Illnesses, how many of the people who received one of the 50,330 Penalty Charge Notices issued for incorrectly claiming medical exemption from NHS prescription charges were previously in possession of an exemption certificate and remained eligible for an exemption certificate.
The information is not held in the format requested, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost through manual matching of data from multiple unlinked data sources.
Whether the Government’s commission on adult social care will consider reform to the means test of the Disabled Facilities Grant.
In England, we continue to fund the locally administered Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG), which helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes.We have provided an additional £172 million across this and the last financial year to uplift the DFG, which could provide around 15,600 home adaptations to give older and disabled people more independence in their homes. This brings the total funding for the DFG to £711 million across 2024/25 and 2025/26.We continue to keep all aspects of the DFG under consideration. Recently, we carried out a review of the upper limit for the DFG and are currently considering the findings.We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The Terms of Reference for the commission are sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future, including aspects of the DFG if she sees fit.
What metrics are used to track early diagnosis in blood cancer.
The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hubThe National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing a proxy measure for early diagnosis in blood cancer, in the absence of staging information.
The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hubThe National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.
What the annual cost of treating (a) patients over 18 and (b) children with Diabetic Ketoacidosis is.
A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system that is fit for the future. Tackling preventable ill health, such as type 2 diabetes, is crucial. Shifting the focus from treatment to prevention is one of three shifts for the Government’s mission for a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and is a cornerstone of supporting people to live healthier lives.Preventing diabetes, like obesity, is a complex issue and requires multi-faceted action across both the public and private sector. Prevention involves collaboration across the public and private sectors to tackle underlying issues such obesity, poor diets, and lifestyle issues.The Department is taking steps to prevent type 2 diabetes through programmes such as the NHS Health Check, England’s flagship cardiovascular disease prevention programme for those aged between 40 and 74 years old, which aims to identify people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and some cases of dementia, and to signpost them to behavioural support such as weight management and clinical treatment if needed.Once identified, those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes can also be referred by their general practitioner into the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. The programme is highly effective, cutting the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% for people completing the programme, compared to those who do not attend.The annual costs of treating patients over 18 years old and children with diabetic ketoacidosis is not available, as this data is not routinely collected and/or analysed nationally.