Written questions by Dhesi.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that NHS patients who are deaf are able to adequately communicate with NHS staff about their care.

It is for individual National Health Service organisations, including NHS trusts and integrated care boards, to comply with the Equality Act 2010. Under the Equality Act 2010, organisations have a legal duty to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are as accessible to disabled people, including deaf people, as they are for everybody else. This includes responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of British Sign Language interpreters to support deaf patients.Health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged. The Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag was developed to enable health and care workers to record, share, and view details of reasonable adjustments, across the NHS and social care, wherever the person is seen or treated. Following the launch of the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag Information Standard, published September 2023, the flag went live in the National Care Record Service, and is being rolled out across England.Since 2016, all NHS organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the recommended approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss, including deaf people. NHS England has been undertaking a review of the AIS to help ensure that the communication needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss are met in health and care provision. A revised AIS will be published in due course. In the meantime, the current AIS remains in force, and therefore there should not be a gap in provision for people using services.

Whether he plans to take steps to increase awareness of the availability of a PSA blood test.

Currently, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not recommend a national prostate cancer screening programme due to the limitations of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, which may lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of cancers that would not have caused harm during a man’s lifetime. However, the UK NSC is undertaking a comprehensive evidence review to assess six potential approaches to targeted screening for those at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Recommendations will be published upon the conclusion of this review.In addition, the Government has invested £16 million in the £42 million United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, led by Prostate Cancer UK, which aims to identify new ways of detecting prostate cancer at an earlier stage, including in men without symptoms. The trial will ensure that at least 10% of participants are black men, reflecting their higher risk and the importance of ensuring new tests are effective across all groups.The UK NSC does not currently recommend a national screening programme for prostate cancer, as the current PSA test lacks the necessary accuracy. It can lead to overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment, as well as false reassurance for some men. This is particularly important given that many prostate cancers are slow-growing and may not cause harm during a man's lifetime.NHS England is taking steps to increase public understanding of prostate cancer and its risk factors. This includes working in partnership with Cancer Alliances, charities, and local representatives to reach people in their communities with tailored messaging and support.

What recent steps he has taken to increase awareness of the risk factors associated with prostate cancer.

Currently, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not recommend a national prostate cancer screening programme due to the limitations of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen test, which may lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of cancers that would not have caused harm during a man’s lifetime. However, the UK NSC is undertaking a comprehensive evidence review to assess six potential approaches to targeted screening for those at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Recommendations will be published upon the conclusion of this review.In addition, the Government has invested £16 million in the £42 million United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, led by Prostate Cancer UK, which aims to identify new ways of detecting prostate cancer at an earlier stage, including in men without symptoms. The trial will ensure that at least 10% of participants are black men, reflecting their higher risk and the importance of ensuring new tests are effective across all groups.The UK NSC does not currently recommend a national screening programme for prostate cancer, as the current PSA test lacks the necessary accuracy. It can lead to overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment, as well as false reassurance for some men. This is particularly important given that many prostate cancers are slow-growing and may not cause harm during a man's lifetime.NHS England is taking steps to increase public understanding of prostate cancer and its risk factors. This includes working in partnership with Cancer Alliances, charities, and local representatives to reach people in their communities with tailored messaging and support.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory (a) Accessible Information Standard and (b) deaf awareness training for NHS staff.

Employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver safe and effective treatment for patients, and to deploy them in the best way to ensure the delivery of health services to their populations.Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the recommended approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss.NHS England has been undertaking a review of the AIS to help ensure that the communication needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss are met in health and care provision.A revised AIS will be published in due course. In the meantime, the current AIS remains in force, and therefore there should not be a gap in provision for people using services. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication, and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of the disabled people using these services.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS compliance with the Accessible Information Standard.

Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the recommended approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss.The AIS conformance criteria, published in 2016, set out how NHS organisations and publicly funded social care providers should comply with the AIS, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/patient-equalities-programme/equality-frameworks-and-information-standards/accessibleinfo/resources/assess-conformance/The responsibility for monitoring compliance with the AIS sits with the commissioner of the service.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on taking steps to improve the transportation of donor stem cells.

No such discussions have taken place. The UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry has robust contingency measures in place to address travel disruptions and costs incurred by voluntary and contracted couriers who transport donor stem cells to patient transplant centres.

Whether he has had recent discussions with cancer charities on taking steps to improve the transportation of stem cells.

There have been no recent discussions with cancer charities that suggest the need to improve the transportation of donor stem cells in the United Kingdom or internationally. The UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry has robust contingency measures in place to address travel disruptions and costs incurred by voluntary and contracted couriers who transport donor stem cells to patient transplant centres.

What recent steps he has taken to eradicate modern slavery from the NHS.

As part of the recommendations from the review into the risk of modern slavery in National Health Service supply chains from December 2023, it was recommended that regulations be laid with a view to eradicating modern slavery, supporting the amendment of Section 12zc in the NHS Act 2006. Further information on the review into the risk of modern slavery in NHS supply chains is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-risk-of-modern-slavery-and-human-trafficking-in-the-nhs-supply-chainThe Department and NHS England have collaboratively developed detailed guidance to support the embedding of the regulations and policies throughout procurement exercises. This ensures alignment to procurements conducted under all legal regimes, including the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Procurement Act 2023, and the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. A public consultation for the content and approach of those regulations was launched in Autumn 2024. A Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) was laid in both Houses of Parliament on 21 November 2024 to launch the consultation, which is available at the following link: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-11-21/hcws245. As stated in the WMS, the draft regulations and guidance were published alongside the consultation. The consultation closed in February 2025 and the Department will publish a consultation report shortly on the GOV.UK website. The Department intends to lay the regulations in due course, following the publication of the report. The published guidance refers to a risk assessment tool that NHS England has developed based on the six characteristics to help assess modern slavery risks, as set out in the Public Procurement Policy Note on identifying and managing modern slavery risks. These are: industry type; nature of the workforce; supplier location; context in which the supplier operates; commodity type; and business/supply chain model. Further information on the published guidance and the Public Procurement Policy Note on identifying and managing modern slavery risks is available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tackling-modern-slavery-in-nhs-procurement-proposed-regulations-and-guidancehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ppn-009-tackling-modern-slavery-in-government-supply-chains

Whether he is taking steps to increase the uptake of bowel screenings.

Coverage of bowel cancer screening has been increasing in recent years, with a marked increase from 2019 of 11.3 percentage points since the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) test was rolled out as the primary test in the screening programme with coverage amongst people aged between 60 and 74 years old currently standing at 71.8%.The bowel cancer screening standards have recently been reviewed, with changes taking effect from 1 April 2025. This will update the achievable and acceptable thresholds for both uptake and coverage. The new coverage thresholds for people aged between 60 and 74 years old will be acceptable level of more than or equal to 62.0%, and achievable level of more than or equal to 76.0%.To further increase coverage, NHS England: is delivering new approaches to communicating with people about screening through the NHS App; is supporting frontline screening staff and enabling the delivery of new technology, including artificial intelligence; is improving the way eligible people are identified and invited for screening through the transformation of screening programme digital services; is incorporating the reasonable adjustment flag into screening to ensure people get information in the way they want; has recently updated the bowel cancer screening leaflets to improve accessibility; and has made the bowel cancer screening FIT kit more accessible for people who are blind or partially sighted.

What recent steps he has taken to increase awareness of bowel cancer symptoms in (a) Slough and (b) the South East.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns run across England and is accessible publicly, including for those living in Slough and the South East. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, 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 bowel cancer. It is the responsibility of local National Health Service organisations to consider whether they wish to run additional campaigns tailored to the needs of their local population and aligned to their service provisions.NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, also publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including bowel cancer. This information is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer/symptoms/The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. The government’s goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years, including bowel cancer.

What recent steps he has taken to raise awareness of the symptoms of lobular breast cancer.

The National Health Service in England encourages everyone to check their breast regularly for firm lumps, changes or thickened areas of tissue, and to consult their general practitioner straight away if they have any concerns.To increase knowledge of cancer symptoms, including lobular breast cancer, and address barriers to acting on them, the NHS runs Help Us Help You campaigns. These campaigns focus on recognising a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers, including breast cancer, at an earlier stage.NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including breast cancer. Further information can be found on the NHS.UK website, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/

What recent steps he has taken to increase the uptake of breast screenings in Slough.

All breast screening services in England are commissioned by regional commissioning teams.In Slough, there are several steps that the East Berkshire Breast Screening Service has taken to increase the uptake and coverage of breast screening, in conjunction with key partners. These include: working with the NHS England Thames Valley Screening and Immunisation Team to complete a formal Health Equity Audit and identify actions to improve uptake in Slough; working with local general practices in Slough to ensure relevant information about their patients is shared with the breast screening services, in order to provide an accessible service that meets the needs of the local Slough population and to maximise the uptake of breast screening; engaging local voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations to promote breast screening, provide materials in languages used by the local community, and to actively seek to work in areas where uptake is lower with the aim of understanding reasons for non-attendance; working with NHS England to produce a video promoting their screening programme, with voice overs presented in various different languages that are spoken locally; conducting patient surveys to ensure feedback from women is being captured, and where appropriate, making necessary changes; sending leaflets in an individual’s spoken language to accompany the invitation, where the service holds this information; allowing women to rebook for a day/time that is more suited if necessary; andsending text reminders to women before their appointment is due to take place.

Whether he is taking steps to ensure that all remaining integrated care boards set up a Women’s Health Hub.

Women’s health hubs have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and reducing gynaecology waiting lists.As of March 2025, 41 out of 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) reported to NHS England that they had a women’s health hub. The Dorset ICB reported to NHS England that they do not have a women’s health hub.The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand coverage of women’s health hubs and to use the learning from existing women’s health hubs to improve local delivery of services to women. ICBs are responsible for commissioning services that meet the health care needs of their local population, including women’s health hubs. NHS England has asked ICBs to set out their plans for their women’s health hubs in 2025/26.

Which integrated care boards have not set up a Women’s Health Hub.

Women’s health hubs have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and reducing gynaecology waiting lists.As of March 2025, 41 out of 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) reported to NHS England that they had a women’s health hub. The Dorset ICB reported to NHS England that they do not have a women’s health hub.The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand coverage of women’s health hubs and to use the learning from existing women’s health hubs to improve local delivery of services to women. ICBs are responsible for commissioning services that meet the health care needs of their local population, including women’s health hubs. NHS England has asked ICBs to set out their plans for their women’s health hubs in 2025/26.

What the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.

The median age of laptops issued to officials in the Department is four years.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of deaths directly attributable to alcohol in the last five years.

The following table shows the number of alcohol-specific deaths in England, deaths that have been wholly caused by alcohol consumption, for all age groups, from 2019 to 2023:Year20192020202120222023Deaths5,8196,9847,5567,9128,274 The Department will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms, including alcohol specific deaths.

What information his Department holds on the number of deaths that were directly attributable to alcohol in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the number of alcohol-specific deaths in England, deaths that have been wholly caused by alcohol consumption, for all age groups, from 2019 to 2023:Year20192020202120222023Deaths5,8196,9847,5567,9128,274 The Department will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms, including alcohol specific deaths.

What recent discussions has he had with stakeholders within the medical equipment industry on the provision of medical equipment to care facilities.

Local National Health Service procuring authorities are responsible for assessing the timeliness and quality of the medical equipment delivered for their patients, procured under contracts they hold with suppliers.The Department works closely with partners across the health system and medical technology landscape, including individual suppliers, trade associations, patient groups, and devolved administrations, to provide challenges and to ensure that stakeholder input is at the right level and at the right time. However, local NHS bodies are responsible for the provision of medical equipment to care facilities.

What recent steps his Department has taken to help tackle maternal health inequalities in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire.

It is unacceptable that there are such stark inequalities for women and babies. It is a priority for the Government to make sure that all women and babies receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background, location, or ethnicity.Actions to tackle maternal health inequalities at the Slough and East Berkshire maternity services include, but are not limited to:- a Rapid Communication Aid, developed to assist in identifying patient needs in 30 languages;- free midwife-led antenatal education classes in Urdu, focusing on birth preparation for over 24 weeks gestation;- a culturally competent genetics service being established, to support informed decision-making for close relative couples;- equity training for staff on mandatory update day; and- the implementation of the MAMAs phone line, a triage service staffed by midwives with interpretation services.The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has also focused on addressing inequalities through measures such as improving access to perinatal mental health services and antenatal and preconception information, and by promoting an increase in folic acid uptake.Progress has also been made nationally in recent years. As part of NHS England's three-year plan, all local areas have now published Equity and Equality action plans to tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic minorities and for those living in the most deprived areas. However, we recognise that more is required. We are working closely with NHS England, and the wider sector, to identify the right actions and interventions that will deliver the required change.

What steps his Department is taking to improve adult social care provision.

We recognise the challenges facing the adult social care system, and we are taking immediate action to improve the situation. These actions include:making up to £3.7 billion of additional funding available for social care authorities in 2025/26, including a £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant, resulting in a 6.8% increase to local government spending power in cash terms;taking forward a range of initiatives in 2025/26, including funding more home adaptations, promoting better use of care technologies, and professionalising the adult social care workforce;increasing the Carer's Allowance weekly earnings limit in April 2025 from £151 a week to £196, to support our unpaid family carers;introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to the adult social care sector so that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work that they do; andlaunching an independent commission, which will begin in April 2025, as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. Chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, the commission will make clear recommendations for how to rebuild the adult social care system to meet the current and future needs of the population.Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care. The Department funds an annual programme of support to local authorities and their partners to help them improve the delivery of their statutory duties.