Written questions by Dhesi.

Whether he is taking steps to increase the number of clinical oncologists working within the NHS.

We remain focused on the continued delivery of education and training, to ensure that patients receive timely, high-quality care delivered by the right professionals, including for clinical oncologists. This includes refreshing our Long Term Workforce Plan demand forecasts, based on the Government’s stated objectives and financial settlements for the National Health Service.We continue to recruit priority medical specialties, including clinical oncologists. As of October 2024, there are over 1,800 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is over 120, or 7.4%, more than last year, almost 470, or 34.9%, more than 2019, and over 770, or 74.5%, more than in 2010.

If he will make an estimate of the number of NHS clinical oncologists that will be required for each of the next five years.

We remain focused on the continued delivery of education and training, to ensure that patients receive timely, high-quality care delivered by the right professionals, including for clinical oncologists. This includes refreshing our Long Term Workforce Plan demand forecasts, based on the Government’s stated objectives and financial settlements for the National Health Service.We continue to recruit priority medical specialties, including clinical oncologists. As of October 2024, there are over 1,800 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is over 120, or 7.4%, more than last year, almost 470, or 34.9%, more than 2019, and over 770, or 74.5%, more than in 2010.

What steps his Department is taking to meet national targets on urgent cancer referrals.

As we set out in our new plan for reforming elective care, we are committed to improving performance on cancer waiting times to meet national targets. Further details will be set out in our recently announced dedicated National Cancer Plan and the National Health Service’s annual operational planning guidance.We have launched a call for evidence, seeking contributions from individuals and organisations to help shape this plan, including ideas on how to meet national targets. The call for evidence can be accessed at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

Whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of funding levels for research into the (a) detection and (b) treatment of heart valve disease.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including the detection and treatment of heart valve disease.The NIHR invested a total award value of £3.4 million of funding for six research studies that focus on heart valve disease, active in the five years from April 2019 to March 2024, directly through its research programmes.The NIHR also works closely with other Government funders, including UK Research and Innovation, which is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and includes the Medical Research Council, to fund research into a range of conditions, including heart valve disease, to improve detection and treatments and prevent poor health outcomes for patients.

What recent steps his Department has taken to increase awareness of the symptoms of heart valve disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart valve disease, is one of the key priorities for the Health Innovation Network, comprising of 15 organisations across England that operate as the innovation arm of the National Health Service. The network is committed to supporting the development of innovations across CVD clinical pathways to make high impact changes to population health. An ambition of NHS England’s Long Term Plan (LTP) is to raise awareness of the symptoms of heart failure and to ensure early and rapid access to diagnostic tests and treatment, setting out that by 2023/24, 54,000 additional people with heart failure and heart vascular disease will be detected and diagnosed in the community. The LTP also sets out that people with heart failure and heart vascular disease will be better supported by multi-disciplinary teams as part of Primary Care Networks, and that from July 2019, all patients in England have been covered by a Primary Care Network.

What recent steps his Department has taken to improve (a) the provision of and (b) access to palliative care.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.NHS England has also developed a palliative and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative and end of life care needs of those in their local population, thereby enabling ICBs to put plans in place to address and track the improvement of health inequalities.We have committed to develop a 10-year plan, to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, and as part of this we will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders as we develop the plan.I met with key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders on 3 February 2025 to discuss the long-term sustainability of palliative and end of life care, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.

Whether he is taking steps to ensure equitable access to (a) IVF and (b) other NHS fertility treatment.

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. ICBs are expected to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines. We are aware that compliance with these guidelines is variable.NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guideline and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate. We expect this review to be published later in 2025.The Department is working with NHS England to consider future policy options to support ICBs to provide more equitable in vitro fertilisation services.No assessment has been made of the availability of appointments for sperm testing for fertility investigations or of the availability of fertility treatment appointments in the Slough constituency or Berkshire. This data is not collected centrally.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of appointments for sperm testing for fertility investigations in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Berkshire.

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. ICBs are expected to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines. We are aware that compliance with these guidelines is variable.NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guideline and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate. We expect this review to be published later in 2025.The Department is working with NHS England to consider future policy options to support ICBs to provide more equitable in vitro fertilisation services.No assessment has been made of the availability of appointments for sperm testing for fertility investigations or of the availability of fertility treatment appointments in the Slough constituency or Berkshire. This data is not collected centrally.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of fertility treatment appointments in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Berkshire.

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. ICBs are expected to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines. We are aware that compliance with these guidelines is variable.NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guideline and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate. We expect this review to be published later in 2025.The Department is working with NHS England to consider future policy options to support ICBs to provide more equitable in vitro fertilisation services.No assessment has been made of the availability of appointments for sperm testing for fertility investigations or of the availability of fertility treatment appointments in the Slough constituency or Berkshire. This data is not collected centrally.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that (a) people and (b) university students with ADHD do not experience gaps in their medical treatment when moving to different NHS trust areas.

Prescribers should follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management, when prescribing medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These guidelines are available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87Additional information on shared care can be found in the General Medical Council’s best practice guidance, which is available at the following link:https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/the-professional-standards/good-practice-in-prescribing-and-managing-medicines-and-devices/shared-care.We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and support across sectors, and their impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.The NHS England ADHD programme is also working to capture examples from integrated care boards, which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services, to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.

What assessment he has made of the availability of fertility testing in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Berkshire.

No assessment has been made of fertility testing in the Slough and Berkshire constituencies. Data is not collected centrally.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of deaths that are directly attributable to alcohol.

In 2023, there were 8,274 alcohol-specific deaths, deaths wholly due to alcohol, in England, which was an increase of 63.8% from the 5,050 deaths in 2006, and a 4.6% increase since 2022. The majority of these deaths are caused by alcohol-related liver disease. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has an action plan to reduce drug and alcohol-related deaths. In light of the recent data, this plan is being revised to ensure that it is grounded in the latest understanding of the drivers of drug and alcohol related deaths and is responding to these. Last year the Department published guidance for local authorities and their partnerships on how to review adult drug and alcohol-related deaths to prevent future deaths. Additionally, the OHID has published Commissioning Quality Standard: alcohol and drug services, providing guidance for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services. In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department allocated local authorities £267 million in 2024/25 to improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. An additional £105 million from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is improving treatment pathways and recovery, housing, and employment outcomes for people affected by drug and alcohol use. Future targeted funding for drug and alcohol treatment services beyond 2025 will be announced very shortly. The Department will soon publish the United Kingdom’s clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment, which will include recommendations on arranging access for appropriate testing for liver disease, providing health assessments, and facilitating access to the appropriate treatment for people with co-occurring alcohol problems and physical or mental health conditions, as well as health promotion and harm reduction interventions. The Department continues to work with all local areas to address unmet need and drug and alcohol related deaths, and to drive improvements in the continuity of care. This includes the Unmet Need Toolkit which can be used by local areas to assess local need and plan to meet it. Data from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System for 2023/24 shows 261 adults received structured treatment for alcohol dependence in Slough, and 270 in West Berkshire. The latest available prevalence estimates for alcohol dependence, for 2019/20, with the rate per thousand people, shows a rate of 13.07 for Slough and 9.55 for West Berkshire. This compares to a rate of 13.75 for England. Between 2021/22 and 2023/24 the number of adults in treatment for alcohol increased by 26% in Slough and 43% in West Berkshire. Combining the treatment and prevalence data can show the percentage of adults with an unmet treatment need. Nationally, in 2023/24, the rate of adults with a treatment need who were not receiving treatment was 77.6%, with Slough showing an unmet need of 81.2%, and West Berkshire of 77%. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.ndtms.net/ViewIt/Adult

Whether he plans to introduce an alcohol strategy.

Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. The Department will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of treatment for people who are alcohol dependent in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Berkshire.

In 2023, there were 8,274 alcohol-specific deaths, deaths wholly due to alcohol, in England, which was an increase of 63.8% from the 5,050 deaths in 2006, and a 4.6% increase since 2022. The majority of these deaths are caused by alcohol-related liver disease. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has an action plan to reduce drug and alcohol-related deaths. In light of the recent data, this plan is being revised to ensure that it is grounded in the latest understanding of the drivers of drug and alcohol related deaths and is responding to these. Last year the Department published guidance for local authorities and their partnerships on how to review adult drug and alcohol-related deaths to prevent future deaths. Additionally, the OHID has published Commissioning Quality Standard: alcohol and drug services, providing guidance for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services. In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department allocated local authorities £267 million in 2024/25 to improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. An additional £105 million from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is improving treatment pathways and recovery, housing, and employment outcomes for people affected by drug and alcohol use. Future targeted funding for drug and alcohol treatment services beyond 2025 will be announced very shortly. The Department will soon publish the United Kingdom’s clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment, which will include recommendations on arranging access for appropriate testing for liver disease, providing health assessments, and facilitating access to the appropriate treatment for people with co-occurring alcohol problems and physical or mental health conditions, as well as health promotion and harm reduction interventions. The Department continues to work with all local areas to address unmet need and drug and alcohol related deaths, and to drive improvements in the continuity of care. This includes the Unmet Need Toolkit which can be used by local areas to assess local need and plan to meet it. Data from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System for 2023/24 shows 261 adults received structured treatment for alcohol dependence in Slough, and 270 in West Berkshire. The latest available prevalence estimates for alcohol dependence, for 2019/20, with the rate per thousand people, shows a rate of 13.07 for Slough and 9.55 for West Berkshire. This compares to a rate of 13.75 for England. Between 2021/22 and 2023/24 the number of adults in treatment for alcohol increased by 26% in Slough and 43% in West Berkshire. Combining the treatment and prevalence data can show the percentage of adults with an unmet treatment need. Nationally, in 2023/24, the rate of adults with a treatment need who were not receiving treatment was 77.6%, with Slough showing an unmet need of 81.2%, and West Berkshire of 77%. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.ndtms.net/ViewIt/Adult

What information his Department holds on the number of (a) times blood donors have been advised in advance of delays to their NHS Blood and Transplant donor session and (b) the number of donors that have been turned away by NHS Blood and Transplant after arriving later than their scheduled appointment time after having been advised about delays to their donor session in the last twelve months.

NHS Blood and Transplant does not advise donors in advance of delays to blood donation sessions. Delays are generally only known on the day of the session, and are usually the result of sessions running over, staff shortages, for instance from sickness absence, or logistics, for instance from vehicle failure or venue issues.

How many times people have been called more than twice per day by NHS Blood and Transplant seeking blood donations in the last 12 months; and whether he is taking steps to ensure that the frequency of calls from NHS Blood and Transplant is not excessive.

In 2024, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) attempted 8,532,133 outbound calls to all donors across whole blood, platelets, and plasma for medicine. Of this total figure, 37.5%, or 3,199,031, call attempts resulted in a donor receiving up to three call attempts in a single day. Multiple attempts in a single day are generally to offer last minute appointments to eligible donors, or to ensure a session has a suitable blood mix ahead of sessions taking place.NHSBT recently launched a new automated system to better target donors and reduce the number of calls needed to fill appointments and collect the appropriate mix of blood needed while meeting donor preferences for contact.The NHSBT National Contact Centre will call a phone number up to three times a day, or three times within a five-day period, before resting the record, with no further call attempts, for a minimum of 21 days. Occasionally, NHSBT will make additional calls to priority donors, breaking the 21 day ‘rest’ period. This is often where particular blood group stocks are low, or demand exceeds supply.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the unavailability of (a) digital thermometers and blood pressure monitors and (b) other low cost equipment for clinical staff on NHS (i) staff time usage and (ii) efficiency.

The Department and NHS England do not currently plan to make an assessment. The Department closely monitors the supply and availability of a broad range of medical devices and equipment continually across the National Health Service in England and the United Kingdom. We continue to work to mitigate any issues and potential impact on patients, clinical staff, and service efficiency. We have a range of well-established processes and tools in place to help manage disruption to the supply of medical products in the UK as and when they arise. This includes the National Supply Disruption Response, which acts a single point of contact for the health and care system and medical supply industry, in the event of supply disruption which cannot be mitigated via routine contingency measures.

What the cost to the public purse was of sending letters on the GP Patient Survey in the last 12 months; how many letters were sent to recipients; and whether any patients were contacted by e-mail.

The GP Patient Survey (GPPS) has been carried out in England for nineteen years. It is currently conducted by Ipsos on behalf of NHS England. In total for the 2024 survey, Ipsos sent 2.56 million invite letters and 2.28 million reminder letters asking people to complete the survey, incurring a cost of £2.16 million for paper, printing and postage.In 2024, costs dropped by £0.9 million (from £4.7 million in 2023 to £3.8 million in 2024) after NHS England introduced a push-to-web methodology. People were sent initial invite letters asking them to complete the survey online, reminded by e-letters where possible and only at the final reminder stage sent a paper questionnaire to complete.NHS England is exploring additional opportunities for cost savings, including by adding extra contact by email or the NHS App.However, postal contact remains vital for representation, inclusivity and data quality. Because we have incomplete coverage of email addresses and mobile telephone numbers, an online-only methodology would exclude many people. Additionally, online-only survey approaches tend to yield lower response rates, potentially compromising the quality and representativeness of the data.

What estimate he has made of the number of patients admitted to hospital this year with (a) Covid, (b) flu (c) RSV and (d) norovirus; and what those figures were for the same period in (i) 2023 and (ii) 2022.

The data is not available in the format requested for flu, the respiratory syncytial virus, or norovirus. The following table shows the number admissions with COVID-19, in each of the last three years:YearNumber of admissions with COVID-19202427,594202346,0852022123,924Source: data is from NHS England, and is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/ Note: data is only available for 2024 from 1 January to 30 November.

What recent steps he has taken to increase awareness of bowel cancer symptoms among people under 50.

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 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.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 bowel cancer. This information is available on the NHS.UK website.