Written questions by Dhesi.

Whether his Department has issues guidance to Integrated Care Boards to support disabled adults who are unable to access primary care, including GP registration, without specialist advocacy support.

Awaiting answer.

What recent assessment he has made of the availability of treatment for patients with adenomyosis in Slough constituency.

Awaiting answer.

What recent steps he has taken to reduce diagnosis time for adenomyosis.

Awaiting answer.

Whether he has had recent discussions with Integrated Care Boards on the availability of health-related advocacy for disabled adults where such support is necessary to enable access to NHS services.

Awaiting answer.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of mental health support to parents affected by baby loss in Slough.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing reusable scrub hats in surgical theatres, fitted with Velcro name-and-role panels, in improving patient safety and experience; what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing such hats; and what assessment he has made of any potential reduction in litigation and associated costs arising from their use.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment has been made of the adequacy of funding available for research into ovarian cancer in order to improve (a) detection and (b) treatment.

The Department invests in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is a major area of NIHR spending at £141.6 million in 2024/25, reflecting its high priority. This includes research into ovarian cancer specifically, for example the £1.9 million PICCOS trial, which is testing whether Pressurised IntraPeritoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy is better at managing cancer spread to the lining of the abdominal cavity than standard chemotherapy in several forms of cancer, including ovarian. In addition, NIHR funded research has demonstrated that the IOTA ADNEX ultrasound model can identify nine out of every 10 ovarian cancers and could offer a much more reliable method for finding ovarian cancer early in women who have not yet reached menopause. As well as funding research itself, the Department invests significantly in research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, support services, and collaborations to support and deliver research in England, known as NIHR infrastructure. NIHR infrastructure underpins research. It is not the usual process of the NIHR to allocate funds for research into specific conditions. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including ovarian cancer. Our approach to funding research is through open and fair competition and peer review to ensure that the highest-quality proposals, most likely to deliver real impact for patients, are funded without imposing financial targets or limits.

What steps they are taking to increase the amount of UK made steel used in procurement contracts overseen by their Department.

The Government Commercial Function (GCF), based in the Cabinet Office, published its strategy document for 2026 to 2029 on 7 April 2026, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introducing-the-government-commercial-function-gcf-strategy-2026-29/introducing-the-government-commercial-function-gcf-strategy-2026-29-html#pillar-one---people-a-capable-inspired-workforce-whose-talent-is-nurturedDriving economic growth is a key pillar of this strategy, in line with Government policy, capitalising on the industrial strategy targets to create jobs in the United Kingdom, and a key part of the strategy is market shaping and making use of the collective buying power of the Government to drive UK economic growth and resilience.One of the first steps will be for the GCF to work with the commercial directors across the Government in four pilot sectors, namely shipbuilding, steel, artificial intelligence, and energy infrastructure, to identify key data requirements, and to pilot underpinning market shaping assessments for each. The Cabinet Office will be publishing a Procurement Policy Notice specifically on UK steel transparency later this year.

Whether he is taking steps to increase reserves of helium within the NHS.

The Department is closely monitoring the impacts of the Middle East conflict on the medical supply chain, including on the supply of helium. We have engaged with industry and received assurance on the stability of continued helium supply through contingency planning and sourcing through multiple global routes. We will continue to monitor the supply of helium and other medical products to mitigate any potential impacts on patient care.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist care and support for people living with motor neurone disease in Slough.

NHS England commissions the specialised elements of motor neurone disease (MND) care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure that patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.  In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including neuromuscular disorders like MND.At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit.  The GIRFT Programme has produced a Further Faster handbook for neurology, which provides resources and best practice guidance to help support clinical teams go faster and further in reducing neurology waiting times, including for patients with MND.Neurology waiting times are coming down. Between December 2024 and December 2025, the average waiting time for neurology services was reduced from 16.2 to 15.2 weeks. Additionally, 57% of patients referred were seen within 18 weeks, up from 54.2% at the same point last year. We are continuing efforts to improve this, recognising this is a challenged specialty.Baroness Casey has set out that the Government must take immediate action on MND. Where someone has a severe, reasonably predictable, and life-limiting condition, it is essential that we provide rapid access to the support they need, and we will take forward immediate work to develop a fast-track process, or “passport”, that speeds up assessments and access to care for people diagnosed with MND. We will consider how best to safely implement a process that expedites assessments and gets people with MND the care and support they need more quickly.

What recent assessment has been made of the availability of mental health support to parents affected by baby loss in Slough.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What recent steps he has taken to reduce diagnosis times for patients with motor neurone disease.

NHS England commissions the specialised elements of motor neurone disease (MND) care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure that patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.  In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including neuromuscular disorders like MND.At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit.  The GIRFT Programme has produced a Further Faster handbook for neurology, which provides resources and best practice guidance to help support clinical teams go faster and further in reducing neurology waiting times, including for patients with MND.Neurology waiting times are coming down. Between December 2024 and December 2025, the average waiting time for neurology services was reduced from 16.2 to 15.2 weeks. Additionally, 57% of patients referred were seen within 18 weeks, up from 54.2% at the same point last year. We are continuing efforts to improve this, recognising this is a challenged specialty.Baroness Casey has set out that the Government must take immediate action on MND. Where someone has a severe, reasonably predictable, and life-limiting condition, it is essential that we provide rapid access to the support they need, and we will take forward immediate work to develop a fast-track process, or “passport”, that speeds up assessments and access to care for people diagnosed with MND. We will consider how best to safely implement a process that expedites assessments and gets people with MND the care and support they need more quickly.

What recent steps he has taken to improve NHS capacity in Accident and Emergency departments in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire.

Decisions on the commissioning and configuration of local National Health Services, including accident and emergency (A&E) departments and urgent treatment centres, are the responsibility of integrated care boards, working with their local NHS trusts. These organisations are best placed to determine how services should operate to meet the needs of their local populations.Within Slough and Berkshire, a range of steps have been taken over the past year to improve A&E capacity and patient flow. These include expansion of Same Day Emergency Care, improved discharge and community capacity, enhanced access to urgent care alternatives such as urgent treatment centres, and focused work on patient flow and ambulance handovers.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act on UK citizens who received their medical training abroad.

Under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, British citizens who have graduated from medical schools outside of the United Kingdom will not be prioritised for foundation training places, and graduates from a medical school in the UK will not be prioritised if they spent the majority of their time studying outside the British Islands.For specialty training places starting in 2026, we are using immigration statuses as a practical proxy to capture applicants who are most likely to have significant experience working in the health service in the UK. The effect of this is that British citizens will be prioritised.From 2027, immigration status will no longer automatically determine priority for specialty training. Instead, we will be able to make regulations to specify any additional groups who will be prioritised by reference to criteria indicating significant experience as a doctor in the health service, or by reference to immigration status.Non-prioritised graduates can still apply for postgraduate medical training and will be offered places if vacancies remain after prioritised applicants have received offers.

Whether NHS ambulances are equipped with an MHRA approved anti-choking device.

At present, 'anti-choking' devices have not been adopted into routine National Health Service ambulance practice, as the current evidence base and national clinical guidance do not support their use over established techniques. As such, they are not included within standard ambulance equipment specifications. Ambulance crews are equipped with a comprehensive range of airway management tools, including suction, oxygen, bag-valve-mask ventilation, airway adjuncts, both oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal, and, at a paramedic level, supraglottic airway devices, laryngoscopy, with the potential use of Magill forceps for removal of visible foreign bodies, and intubation equipment where appropriate. These enable clinicians to manage airway obstruction safely and in line with current clinical standards.

What technical controls are in place within NHS patient record systems to prevent employees from accessing the records of family members without clinical need; and whether patients can request that named individuals be proactively blocked from accessing their records.

There are systems and safeguards in place to keep patient information secure and confidential. The National Health Service prioritises security and privacy in its handling of personal data. NHS systems operate Role Based Access Controls. This means only appropriate health and care staff can access the medical records they need to see to carry out their role in delivering care. Robust governance processes are required to ensure organisations comply with data protection law, and that access to personal data is necessary and appropriate. All staff accessing systems which contain personal data are bound by their contract of employment and their professional codes of conduct. There is currently no way to block named individuals from accessing the health records of family members. However, all access is audited and care settings can see which patient records their staff have accessed. This audit report can be used to investigate complaints or to perform proactive monitoring for inappropriate usage. There is a policy allowing patients to request that access to their demographic record is restricted. This is to protect the location of patients who may be at risk. It ensures that information like the patient’s address cannot be easily accessed by any healthcare professional other than the patient’s general practice. Further information on this can be found at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/personal-demographics-service/restricting-access-to-a-patients-demographic-record

Whether Ambulance call handlers are required to have working knowledge of (a) What Three Words and (b) the NATO phonetic alphabet.

There is no national requirement for ambulance call handlers to have working knowledge of What3Words or the NATO phonetic alphabet, as responsibility for delivering and implementing training to call handlers on use of What3Words and the NATO phonetic alphabet sits with individual ambulance services.

What recent steps he has taken to encourage a higher uptake of regular diabetes health checks for eligible patients.

Improving the uptake of annual diabetes health checks recommended by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is a key primary care metric in the NHS Oversight Framework, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-oversight-framework-2025-26/The framework sets out how NHS England will assess providers and integrated care boards, to identify where support is needed and promote improvement.The annual checks are based on NICE’s nine recommended care processes to manage diabetes and to reduce the risk of complications. NHS England is also working closely with National Health Service systems to monitor the improvement of achievement rates in delivering the annual diabetes health checks. To help deliver this, NHS England has recently launched a new National Diabetes Audit Care Processes and Treatment Targets dashboard to support systems to benchmark and improve delivery of the health checks.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of treatments for patients with rare diseases in a) Slough constituency and b) the South East.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, and we acknowledge unmet need remains, with just 5% of rare diseases having an approved and effective treatment. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, such as improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs, including in Slough. We published the fifth annual England action plan in February 2026, where we report on the steps we have taken to advance these priorities. These include:the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) developing a framework to enable innovation in rare disease therapies;new clinical trial regulations being fully implemented from April 2026;the MHRA and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) aligning a pathway for parallel decision making to reduce the gap between marketing authorisation and NICE guidance decisions;continuing to review the effectiveness of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway and the Innovative Medicines Fund, access pathways for rare therapies; andNHS England progressing work to develop an operational framework for individualised therapies.

What plans his Department has to increase the number of specialist Parkinson's nurses in Slough constituency.

The Department does not hold a central count of the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses working in the Slough constituency. Workforce planning, including decisions about the number and type of specialist nurses needed locally, is the responsibility of individual employers and their integrated care boards, which are best placed to assess the needs of their populations.We continue to work with NHS England through programmes like Getting It Right First Time to support improvements in access to specialist care for patients with Parkinson’s disease. We have also set up the United Kingdom‑wide Neuro Forum, which brings together the Department, NHS England, the devolved administrations, and health services and Neurological Alliances of all four nations to share best practice and address system-wide challenges, including neurology workforce challenges.The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.