Every parliamentary written question tabled by Shockat Adam this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 64 · Department of Health and Social Care
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning an expert clinical review into the use of the Zamar Protocol for patients with severe treatment-resistant bipolar spectrum disorders who fall outside existing NICE guidance; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a pathway for the assessment and potential evaluation of such treatments within the NHS.
Awaiting answer.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a (a) senior team and (b) tsar to support people affected by sodium valproate.
The Department does not at present intend to appoint a senior team or a tsar in relation to those affected by sodium valproate.NHS England has commissioned the Fetal Exposure to Medicines Services Pilot, being delivered by the National Health Service in Newcastle and Manchester. The pilot provides multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and is informing the development of improved care pathways, better coordination of care, and reduced reliance on emergency care. Findings from the pilot will inform future decisions on the commissioning of services, subject to funding.The Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC), Dr Henrietta Hughes was also appointed in September 2022 by the Department to be the leading advocate for patients and drive forward improvements in the safety of medicines and medical devices, including sodium valproate and pelvic mesh.The Government is considering the work done by the PSC and her report, which set out recommendations for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh.The Government has deep sympathy for all those affected and recognises the profound impact that these harms have had on individuals and their families.The Government has been clear that there must be meaningful progress on redress. We recognise how difficult this uncertainty is for those affected, and we will ensure that the public is kept informed on the progress of this important work.My predecessor met with the PSC in December and had a very productive discussion about the ongoing health initiatives led by the Department regarding sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. Details of the Government’s work to date, and future plans, are set out in recent letters to the Dr Hughes, which are published on her website.
If his Department will review funding and prescribing guidance for medical compression garments for conditions other than lipoedema, including Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.
Awaiting answer.
What guidance is provided to NHS Trusts on the diagnosis and management of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome in the absence of traditional allergy markers.
Awaiting answer.
What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS care pathways for patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and associated co-morbidities.
Awaiting answer.
What financial support and assistance is available to patients required to self fund essential medical equipment.
Awaiting answer.
What support is available for patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome awaiting specialist assessment, including access to interim treatments and prescribed medical compression garments.
Awaiting answer.
What steps he is taking to ensure access to specialist multidisciplinary teams for patients with complex connective tissue disorders, including those with suspected craniocervical instability.
Awaiting answer.
What steps he is taking to improve training and awareness among healthcare professionals of complex multi system conditions such as hEDS and associated comorbidities.
Awaiting answer.
What provision exists within the NHS for diagnostic investigations, including upright and dynamic MRI, for suspected craniocervical instability; and whether he plans to expand access to that provision.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of regional provision of services for patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; and what steps he is taking to increase the availability of specialist services.
Awaiting answer.
Pursuant to the answers of 3 and 7 July 2025 to questions 62380 and 62381, what figures his Department used as the 31 March 2024 baselines to measure progress on reducing the number of adults (i) with a learning disability, including those who may also be autistic and (ii) who are autistic, with no learning disability, in mental health inpatient care based on Assuring Transformation data extracted from 31 March 2024.
The table attached presents an extract from the Assuring Transformation dataset, which shows the figures the Department uses as the 31 March 2024 baselines to measure progress on reducing the number of adults with a learning disability and autistic people in mental health inpatient care.As Assuring Transformation is a live data collection system, late reporting will tend to increase the inpatient count when data are refreshed in subsequent months. The inpatient count in the latest month is therefore expected to rise and should be treated as provisional.
Whether he has made recent assessment concerning NHS contracts awarded to Palantir.
Privacy by design is a core principle of the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP). NHS England constantly assesses privacy and data management through strict information governance processes detailed in the NHS Federated Data Platform Information Governance Framework. Data in the NHS FDP remains under National Health Service control at all times.Palantir does not control the data in the platform, nor are they permitted to access, use, or share it for their own purposes.The contract has strict stipulations about confidentiality, and there is governance in place to monitor delivery and usage. NHS England is the data controller of the national instance of the NHS FDP. Every hospital trust and integrated care board who has their own instance of the NHS FDP has complete control over who has access to their data platform.NHS England maintains continuous monitoring of the NHS FDP contract, to ensure it meets expectations. The NHS FDP is a major national digital infrastructure programme and is formally part of the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP). The NHS FDP programme is subject to the scrutiny, assurance, and value for money standards required of all GMPP programmes. NHS FDP’s whole life costs and benefits are assessed through the annual GMPP process.The NHS FDP is subject to scrutiny by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) as part of the major projects review. NISTA’s latest data, published on 11 August 2025, sets out the projected benefits of NHS FDP at £777 million. The data records the Senior Responsible Owner Delivery Confidence rating as Green, the highest rating. The report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nista-annual-report-2024-2025
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending Business Rates reimbursements to Community Pharmacies.
In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government made hard choices in order to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.
What steps his department is taking to ensure community pharmacies are involved in formal policy discussions affecting the pharmacy sector.
The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.Following consultation with Community Pharmacy England, as the representative of the community pharmacy sector, funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework in 2025/26 was increased to £3.1 billion. This represented the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS at the time, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26.The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure people at risk of disease-related malnutrition are supported through the (a) implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan and (b) provision of neighbourhood health services.
Disease-related malnutrition is a clinical condition affecting all ages across the community and in all health and care settings. Diagnosis and detection are key, and health staff are trained to spot the early warning signs of malnutrition so effective individual treatment can be put in place.All National Health Services are recommended to adhere to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines CG3, titled Nutrition support for adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, and Quality Standard QS24 which sets out clear requirements for nutritional screening and support across all care settings.Under these guidelines, all hospital inpatients are screened for malnutrition risk on admission and regularly thereafter. In primary and community care, people are screened when registering at general practice surgeries and when there is clinical concern, and care home residents are screened on admission and when there is a clinical concern. It is also recommended that screening should be considered at other opportunities, for example health checks and flu injections. Screening is undertaken using validated tools such as the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). Healthcare professionals receive training in identifying and managing malnutrition, and individualised care plans are developed for those identified as at risk.The Department recognises the significant impact of disease-related malnutrition on health outcomes and healthcare costs. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan places a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention. It supports the expansion of community-based services, including neighbourhood health centres, which will provide nutrition advice, weight management support, and will address the wider determinants of health. These measures aim to shift care closer to home and reduce reliance on hospital-based services.We have launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme in 43 places across England to improve the care they provide to their communities. Further information on the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme is available at the following link:https://neighbourhood-health.co.uk/
What steps his Department is taking to update NHS England’s Guidance - Commissioning Excellent Nutrition and Hydration 2015-2018, including consultation that has taken place with stakeholders working in the field of nutrition and malnutrition.
NHS England has undertaken a comprehensive review and refresh of the Commissioning Excellent Nutrition and Hydration 2015–2018 guidance to ensure that it reflects current evidence base, national food standards, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, regulatory requirements, evidence based best practice, current research, and system structures.This work was overseen by a National Nutrition and Hydration Advisory Board representative of key stakeholders and relevant experts.This work included an in-depth engagement phase with patient groups, patient representatives, National Health Service and social care organisations, professional networks, voluntary and community sector organisations, other key organisations, and researchers to share work on the policy development to date and to seek their views. Feedback received from the engagement phase was analysed, themes and key findings shared with the National Hydration and Nutrition Advisory Board members, and where relevant and appropriate, incorporated into the final version of the policy.The National Hydration and Nutrition Advisory Board reviewed and endorsed the updated policy at their November 2025 meeting. It will be published in due course.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that people at risk of disease-related malnutrition are identified early through screening tools in primary and community care.
Disease-related malnutrition is a clinical condition affecting all ages across the community and in all health and care settings. Diagnosis and detection are key, and health staff are trained to spot the early warning signs of malnutrition so effective individual treatment can be put in place.All National Health Services are recommended to adhere to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines CG3, titled Nutrition support for adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, and Quality Standard QS24 which sets out clear requirements for nutritional screening and support across all care settings.Under these guidelines, all hospital inpatients are screened for malnutrition risk on admission and regularly thereafter. In primary and community care, people are screened when registering at general practice surgeries and when there is clinical concern, and care home residents are screened on admission and when there is a clinical concern. It is also recommended that screening should be considered at other opportunities, for example health checks and flu injections. Screening is undertaken using validated tools such as the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). Healthcare professionals receive training in identifying and managing malnutrition, and individualised care plans are developed for those identified as at risk.The Department recognises the significant impact of disease-related malnutrition on health outcomes and healthcare costs. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan places a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention. It supports the expansion of community-based services, including neighbourhood health centres, which will provide nutrition advice, weight management support, and will address the wider determinants of health. These measures aim to shift care closer to home and reduce reliance on hospital-based services.We have launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme in 43 places across England to improve the care they provide to their communities. Further information on the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme is available at the following link:https://neighbourhood-health.co.uk/
When his Department expects to publish new national hydration and nutrition guidance, further to the review conducted by NHS England’s Nursing Directorate; and if he will publish the findings of that review.
NHS England has undertaken a comprehensive review and refresh of the Commissioning Excellent Nutrition and Hydration 2015–2018 guidance to ensure that it reflects current evidence base, national food standards, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, regulatory requirements, evidence based best practice, current research, and system structures.This work was overseen by a National Nutrition and Hydration Advisory Board representative of key stakeholders and relevant experts.This work included an in-depth engagement phase with patient groups, patient representatives, National Health Service and social care organisations, professional networks, voluntary and community sector organisations, other key organisations, and researchers to share work on the policy development to date and to seek their views. Feedback received from the engagement phase was analysed, themes and key findings shared with the National Hydration and Nutrition Advisory Board members, and where relevant and appropriate, incorporated into the final version of the policy.The National Hydration and Nutrition Advisory Board reviewed and endorsed the updated policy at their November 2025 meeting. It will be published in due course.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable regional access to malnutrition screening and support for disease-related malnutrition.
Disease-related malnutrition is a clinical condition affecting all ages across the community and in all health and care settings. Diagnosis and detection are key, and health staff are trained to spot the early warning signs of malnutrition so effective individual treatment can be put in place.All National Health Services are recommended to adhere to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines CG3, titled Nutrition support for adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, and Quality Standard QS24 which sets out clear requirements for nutritional screening and support across all care settings.Under these guidelines, all hospital inpatients are screened for malnutrition risk on admission and regularly thereafter. In primary and community care, people are screened when registering at general practice surgeries and when there is clinical concern, and care home residents are screened on admission and when there is a clinical concern. It is also recommended that screening should be considered at other opportunities, for example health checks and flu injections. Screening is undertaken using validated tools such as the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). Healthcare professionals receive training in identifying and managing malnutrition, and individualised care plans are developed for those identified as at risk.The Department recognises the significant impact of disease-related malnutrition on health outcomes and healthcare costs. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan places a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention. It supports the expansion of community-based services, including neighbourhood health centres, which will provide nutrition advice, weight management support, and will address the wider determinants of health. These measures aim to shift care closer to home and reduce reliance on hospital-based services.We have launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme in 43 places across England to improve the care they provide to their communities. Further information on the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme is available at the following link:https://neighbourhood-health.co.uk/