Written questions by Roca.

What action his Department is taking to encourage cardiac screening in young people.

The Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. Where the committee is confident that offering screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.The UK NSC last reviewed screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in people aged under 39 years old in 2019. The conclusion of that review was that population screening should not be offered, as research showed that current tests are not accurate enough to use on young people with no symptoms.The Department and NHS England currently have no specific ongoing campaigns, or plans to conduct a campaign, to encourage cardiac screening in young people as this would go against the current evidence-based advice.

What steps his Department is taking to increase ease of access to GP appointments in Macclesfield constituency.

We are increasing access to general practice appointments nationally and in the Macclesfield constituency.We have invested an additional £1.1 billion into general practitioners (GPs), the biggest cash increase in over a decade. In October 2024, we invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of over 2,600 individual GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients.The new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England. This investment will deliver more appointments and improve patient care We are also committed to making it easier for patients to contact their general practices. That’s why, Since 1 October, GP practices have been required to offer access to online services throughout core hours (8:00am–18:30pm), bringing online access in line with walk-in and phone access. This change aims to improve patient access, reduce long phone queues, and help GPs manage demand more effectively.After a decade of declining satisfaction, patient experiences with contacting their GP has improved significantly. As of December 2025, 75.2% of patients report that they find it is easy to contact their GP practice, a 14.3 percentage point increase since July 2024 (60.9%).

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of an Accident and Emergency Appreciation Week.

The Government highly values hardworking National Health Service staff who go above and beyond to provide rapid and critical care. Local NHS trusts have in place their own approaches to recognising and rewarding staff, supported by advice and guidance set out in the Staff Recognition Framework, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/staff-recognition-framework/Members of Parliament can also acknowledge the work of NHS staff in their constituency through the NHS Parliamentary Awards, with further information available at the following link:https://nhsparliamentaryawards.co.uk/

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the distance people in Macclesfield need to travel for (a) care and (b) specialist treatments.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service.The Neighbourhood Health Service will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.This will rebalance our health and care system so that it fits around people’s lives, not the other way round, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and giving people more power and choice over the care they receive.Our aim is to have a Neighbourhood Health Centre in each community that provides easier, more convenient access to a full range of health and care services on people’s doorsteps, bringing together National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary sector services in one building to help create a holistic offer that meets the needs of local populations.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and deprived inner cities.

What steps his Department is taking to improve support for veterans with complex PTSD in Cheshire.

NHS England commissions Op COURAGE, a bespoke integrated veterans’ mental health and wellbeing service. The service provides a fully integrated mental health care pathway for veterans which includes support for veterans with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. People benefit from personalised care plans, ensuring they can access support and treatment both in and out of hours. Op COURAGE is available across England and individuals can contact the service to make an appointment or to ask someone to do this on their behalf. The Op COURAGE North service, run by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, covers the Cheshire area.The Government recognises that not all veterans want to use veteran-specific mental health services and can instead choose to use mainstream National Health Services, such as talking therapies, which are available to both veterans and civilians.

What steps his Department is taking to make mental health services more widely available to children and young people in Macclesfield.

Through our Plan for Change, we’re determined to give children and young people, including in Macclesfield, the best start in life. The Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029/30, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services. More widely, we are investing £26 million in new crisis centres, rolling out young futures hubs, and hiring 8,500 more mental health staff.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of losing level seven levy funding to fund apprenticeships on the NHS.

Skills England and the Department for Education are reviewing the growth and skills offer, including whether employers will fund Level 7 apprenticeships outside of the levy. Ministers and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care, along with NHS England and other stakeholders across the sector, have been feeding into this review and will continue to work closely to ensure that the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

Whether he has made an assessment of the impact of differences in regulations on ear wax removal between registered nurses and non-registered practitioners on patient care.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not made a formal assessment of the impact of differences in regulations on wax removal between registered nurses and non-registered practioners on patient care. The Department does not have plans to intervene in locally led arrangements for the provision of ear wax removal services. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning ear wax removal services in local areas in line with the recommendations for ear wax removal as set out in guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing details of the GP contract earlier in the year to improve forward planning.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, wrote to general practices on 20 December 2024 to confirm an £889 million uplift to the contract for 2025/26 and set out the proposed areas of reform. The proposed changes to the contr...

Whether he plans to take steps to support a fluoridation scheme in Macclesfield constituency.

There are no current plans to support a fluoridation scheme in Macclesfield. Public consultation is required on proposals for new, or the expansion of existing, community water fluoridation schemes. The Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulati...

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of vaccine doses that are thrown away due to reaching their expiry date before they could be used.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) manages the central storage and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for the United Kingdom’s programme. In their published accounts for the financial year 2022/23, the figure was £143.280 million. The following table sh...

If he will make an assessment of the (a) adequacy of the UK Foundation Programme allocation process and (b) potential impact of changes to the UK Foundation Programme allocation process on levels o

The allocation process for the UK Foundation Programme this year was changed to a Preference Informed Allocation method. This new process saw applicants being given a computer-generated rank and the removal of the requirement to sit the Situational Judgem...

What steps he is taking to provide support for people with (a) long Covid, (b) chronic fatigue syndrome and (c) ME.

Since 2020, the National Health Service in England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist post-COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, as well as investing in ensur...

What steps he is taking to increase the number of dental practices that accept new NHS patients.

The Government will tackle the immediate crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract, wit...

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the resident doctors pay settlement on waiting lists for elective care.

Resident doctor strikes have cost the taxpayer over £1.7 billion, with almost 1.5 million appointments being rescheduled, increasing waiting times for patients.The previous Health Secretary hadn’t met with junior doctors since March 2023. My Right Honoura...

What steps his Department is taking to ensure young people on waiting lists for gender affirming care are transitioned to adult waiting lists when they turn 18.

NHS England published a new service specification in August 2024 for the referral pathway of Children and Young People’s Gender Services. The service specification sets out that young people are removed from the waiting list for Children and Young People’...

What estimate his Department has made of the number of open dentistry practices in Macclesfield constituency accepting adult NHS patients (a) on the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) in 2010.

While there is no data available for 2010, as of 10 July 2024, there were 20 open dentistry practices in the Macclesfield constituency, six of which stated they were accepting new adult National Health Service patients when availability allows. This data is sourced from the Find a Dentist website, and is matched to constituencies based on the postcode data shown on the website, with further information available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist

Whether he plans to review the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme in relation to general practice.

The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme is subject to annual review as part of the consultation on the general practice contract with professional and patient representatives. NHS England works closely with the Department to implement any changes identified as part of this process.

With reference to Recommendation 6 on page 35 of the Cass Review, published in April 2024, what plans he has for the extent of a further clinical trial on puberty blockers; and what his planned timetable is for this.

The expert Cass Review, which is one of the most comprehensive reviews of gender identity services for children and young people to date, states that the rationale for early puberty suppressing hormones to treat gender dysphoria is unclear and the effects on cognitive and psychosexual development are unknown. This is why NHS England and the National Institute of Health and Care Research, the research arm of the department, are working together to commission a study into the potential benefits and harms of puberty suppressing hormones as a treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence. The study team is now in place and are finalising their application for funding which will be assessed by an independent scientific review study ahead of the commencement of wider approvals, including ethics, and set up.