Written questions by Dhesi.

What steps he is taking to reduce instances of post traumatic stress disorder within the ambulance service.

At a national level, NHS England has a wide-ranging package of support for National Health Service staff. This includes a health and wellbeing guardian role to ensure board level scrutiny of local support systems, a focus on healthy working environments, tools, resources to support line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their wellbeing, and emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support.NHS England has worked with The Ambulance Staff Charity to fund the development of the Ambulance Staff Crisis phoneline which provides immediate, independent, and confidential support to ambulance staff experiencing suicidal ideation or a mental health crisis. Further information on The Ambulance Staff Charity is available at the following link:https://www.theasc.org.uk/

What steps he is taking to reduce the impact on the NHS from individuals who repeatedly misuse emergency ambulance services.

Inappropriate calls to 999 for an ambulance can impact on the availability and timeliness of services in a real emergency. All ambulance trusts have policies to deal with inappropriate or vexatious calls, and to manage frequent callers.NHS England delivers a number of nationwide National Health Service campaigns to support the public to access NHS services at the right time and in the right way.Campaign resources are also made available for local NHS organisations and teams to use, and they are encouraged to use these to run their own local campaign activity.

What assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of maternal health inequalities affecting black women.

It is unacceptable that there are such stark inequalities in maternal outcomes. The Government is committed to closing the black and Asian maternal mortality gap. We are urgently considering the immediate action needed to tackle inequalities for women and babies in maternity care.A key objective in NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services, which we are currently supporting them to deliver, is to reduce inequalities for all in maternity access, experience, and outcomes, seeking to improve equity for mothers and babies. Ongoing assessment of the impact of our policies and programmes is vital to ensuring that we improve outcomes and tackle inequalities.

What recent steps he has taken to meet the target for 85% of cancer patients to be treated within 62 days of referral.

We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer on time or earlier, treating it faster, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system.Improving 62-day performance and early diagnosis are already key priorities for NHS England. Lord Darzi’s report will inform our 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS, which includes further details on how we will improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress of research on treatments for (a) Alzheimer's and (b) dementia.

The Department funds research into dementia via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The Government is investing into research on treatments for dementia, such as the £49.9 million NIHR Dementia Trials Network (D-TN), which will deliver a coordinated network of early phase dementia trial sites, including for Alzheimer’s disease. The work undertaken by the NIHR D-TN will be complemented by the £20 million Dementia Clinical Trials Accelerator, designed to position the United Kingdom as the destination of choice for late phase clinical trials in dementia and neurodegenerative diseases.The Government is also funding the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), which conducts world-leading discovery science across neurodegenerative diseases and translates knowledge into tools and therapies that make a real, tangible difference. The NIHR is investing £20 million into the UK DRI over four years to enable discoveries to be taken out of the laboratory and into the lives of people that need them.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health including dementia. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients, and health and care services, and its value for money, and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of mental health services for young people in Slough.

It is the responsibility of the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board to make available appropriate provision to meet the mental health and other care needs of children and young people in Slough.Nationally, we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across children and adult mental health services to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on busy children and young people’s mental health services.We will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school in England so that mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, can be identified early on and prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life. We will also roll out open access Young Futures hubs for children and young people in every community. This national network is expected to bring local services together, and deliver support for teenagers at risk of being drawn into crime or facing mental health challenges.We are currently working with colleagues at NHS England and across Government to consider options to deliver these commitments.

What steps he is taking to help prevent the use of nitazenes.

The Department is actively monitoring the threat posed by synthetic opioids such as nitazenes, and is working to increase awareness of their dangers and prevent people using them. Information on synthetic opioids and the dangers they pose is available from the helpline and website, talktofrank.com, provided by FRANK, the national drug information and advice service, supported by the Government.Education on drug use is also a statutory component of relationships and sex education, and health education in England. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the Department for Education have commissioned lesson plans and other resources to support teachers to deliver quality drug prevention, which are available to schools. The lesson plans target primary and secondary students, teaching them how to manage influences and pressure, and keep themselves healthy and safe. These resources are in the process of being updated, and there will be increased emphasis on the risks of synthetic drugs.To improve surveillance, the OHID has been working with partners in Government to create a new, enhanced Drugs Early Warning System. This collates information from a wider range of sources, for example ambulance callout data, and will produce regular reports for local areas on current threats, including nitazenes.Drug and alcohol treatment services and local authority public health teams raise awareness of the risk of drug use through targeted campaigns with their local populations, and the OHID supports them in this.

What recent assessment he has made of trends in the levels of non-fatal drug overdoses.

We know that most overdoses take place in the community. They are largely transitory and hidden events, making it difficult to accurately monitor trends in non-fatal overdoses. The Department monitors hospital admissions data for drug poisonings, which predominantly relate to non-fatal cases.We will continue to report this proxy data to local authorities to inform monitoring of local progress on reducing deaths and harms from drugs. We are reviewing the best approach for monitoring national trends in harms.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of mental health services available for young people in Slough.

NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board is responsible for making adequate and appropriate provision available to meet the mental health and other care needs of children and young people in Slough.

What steps he plans to take to improve outcomes for people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

We will get the National Health Service catching cancer on time, diagnosing it earlier, and treating it faster so more patients survive this horrible set of diseases, and we will improve patients’ experience across the system, including for pancreatic cancer.For pancreatic cancer specifically, NHS England is providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at inherited 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.NHS England is also funding a new audit into pancreatic cancer, aiming to provide regular and timely evidence to cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, to increase the consistency of access to treatments and to stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients.On 12 September 2024 the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre published their State of the Nation Report on Pancreatic Cancer, and the NHS cancer programme is currently considering how to take forward the initial recommendations of that audit.

What steps he is taking to support research into pancreatic cancer.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer. The Department spends £1.5 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being the largest area of spend at over £121.8 million in 2022/23. The NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group, reflecting its high priority. The NIHR has committed over £2.1 million to directly funded pancreatic cancer research over the past five years.Additionally, NIHR infrastructure funding supports the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research that is funded by the NIHR’s research programmes, other public funders of research, charities, and the life sciences industry. In doing so, our investment plays a crucial role in underpinning the research funded by our partners.The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

What recent steps he has taken to tackle health inequalities affecting women.

Our health mission in England will focus on addressing the social determinants of health, with the goal of halving the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions. The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future, and women’s equality will be at the heart of our missions.Women’s health hubs provide integrated women’s health services in the community, and have a key role tackling health inequalities faced by women. The Department has invested £25 million over 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support the establishment of at least one pilot women’s health hub in every integrated care system. As of September 2024, 36 of the 42 integrated care boards had reported to NHS England that their pilot women’s health hub was open.The Government is also committed to closing the black and Asian maternal mortality gap. As part of NHS England's three year delivery plan, Maternity and Neonatal Systems are rolling out Equity and Equality Action Plans, which set out tailored interventions to tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic backgrounds, and those living in the most deprived areas.

What recent steps he has taken to increase the uptake of cervical screening appointments.

A range of national improvements and innovations have been implemented to help increase uptake in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. In some areas cervical screening appointments can now be made in any primary care setting rather than just at an individual’s own general practice, with appointments being made available during evenings and on weekends and via integrated sexual health clinics. In addition, laboratories that analyse samples can now operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to accommodate surges in capacity.

How many people have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer through the non-specific symptoms pathway.

The Department does not hold information on the number of people diagnosed with ovarian cancer through non-specific symptom cancer pathways in the last five years. Data on cancer incidence is published by NHS England and the National Disease Registration Service, with further information available, respectively, at the following two links:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statisticshttps://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/

What steps his Department is taking with (a) the NHS and (b) stakeholders to help increase awareness of ovarian cancer.

NHS England runs the Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms, address barriers to acting on them, and to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, including symptoms of ovarian cancer, as well as encouraging body awareness to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point. Previous phases of the campaign have focused on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can be indicative of ovarian cancer.NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, also publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including ovarian cancer. This information can be found at the NHS website.

What proportion of Community Diagnostic Centres are operated by private healthcare providers.

The independent sector is involved in the delivery of community diagnostic centres (CDCs), in line with the role they play in supporting the NHS as trusted partners to recover elective services. There are 170 approved CDCs, 13 of which are fully owned and operated by private healthcare providers. A further 25 of the 170 are jointly operated by the private healthcare providers and the National Health Service.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of trained radiologists within Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust as of October 2024.

NHS England publishes monthly Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. These report staff working for hospital trusts and other core organisations. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service, and is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsThe latest available published data, which is for June 2024, shows there are 40 full time equivalent (FTE) consultants, two FTE specialty doctors and further 11 FTE speciality registrars working in the radiology speciality group at the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust.

What steps his Department is taking to work with (a) the NHS, (b) stakeholders and (c) charities to increase awareness of ovarian cancer.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms, address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, including symptoms of ovarian cancer, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an early point. Previous phases of the campaign have focused on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can be indicative of ovarian cancer.NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, also publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including ovarian cancer. This information can be found on the NHS website.

What steps he is taking to (a) reduce disparities in access to cervical screening, (b) increase cervical screening rates and (c) improve cervical cancer outcomes within high-risk populations.

A range of national improvements and innovations are being implemented to help address disparities, and increase uptake in cervical screening. In some areas appointments can now be made in any primary care setting rather than just your general practice, are available during evenings and on weekends, and can be made via integrated sexual health clinics. In addition, laboratories that analyse samples can now operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to accommodate surges in capacity.We are currently working to see if an offer of self-sampling for cervical cancer screening would improve the uptake of people screened. As this method may reduce barriers that prevent people from engaging with the screening offer, including availability of appointments, physical disability, and past trauma.The YouScreen study which has recently been published, provides evidence on offering a self-sampling test to non-attenders in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) plans to review this study once evidence has been collated.In addition, an in-service evaluation is being commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Care Research to determine whether self-sampling could be offered as an option to everyone eligible for cervical screening. The findings from this evaluation will be used to inform any recommendations made by the UK NSC.Through cervical screening and through our human papillomavirus vaccination programme we aim to reduce cervical cancer numbers in line with the World Health Organization’s commitment for the elimination of cervical cancer.

What information his Department holds on the number of people who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer through the non-specific symptoms cancer pathway in the last five years.

The Department does not hold information on the number of people diagnosed with ovarian cancer through non-specific symptom cancer pathways over the last five years. Data on cancer incidence is published by NHS England and by the National Disease Registration Service, and is available respectively at the following two links:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statisticshttps://www.cancerdata.nhs.uk/