Every parliamentary written question tabled by Tom Gordon this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 71 · Department of Health and Social Care
Pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2026 to Question 15027 on Wheelchairs: Children, what information his Department collects on the amount of under-18 year olds not prescribed a wheelchair or personal wheelchair budget after being seen by wheelchair services.
Awaiting answer.
With reference to the Whizz Kidz Youth Board's report entitled Mobility Matters: A Youth Perspective on NHS Wheelchair Services, published on 26 June 2026, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements for commissioning paediatric wheelchair services.
Awaiting answer.
Whether he has considered using geographical location of host organisations as a formal tie-breaker where competing research applications to the National Institute for Health and Care Research are
Awaiting answer.
What steps he is taking with national research funders to ensure that funding programmes include measures to (a) address regional disparities and (b) improve access to funding in (i) Yorkshire and
Awaiting answer.
What steps he is taking to ensure that specialist expertise, particularly in areas such as cancer, frontline NHS delivery and patient engagement, is retained and effectively integrated as NHS Engla
Awaiting answer.
What consideration he has given to establishing a regional clinical cancer fellowship scheme led by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department invests in building research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, and support services to support research across all aspects of human health, including cancer.Sin...
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that respite day care services for adults with (a) dementia and (b) disabilities are affordable.
The Government recognises the important role that respite day care can play in supporting adults with dementia, disabled adults, and unpaid carers.Where local authorities decide to charge for the provision of care and support, including respite day care s...
What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of considering improvements in quality of care for people with long term chronic conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease as part of the national quality strategy.
Improving the quality of care for people living with long-term chronic conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, is a key priority for the National Health Service. Rather than being incorporated into the National Quality Strategy, which will set out overarching principles and priorities for improving quality, the NHS is working to improve outcomes and experience for people with long-term conditions through clinically-led improvement activity, data-driven benchmarking, and partnership with professional and patient groups. This work complements the National Quality Strategy’s goal of supporting sustainable quality improvement across the health and care system and reducing health inequalities.
What consideration his Department has given to the integration of recommendations from the Getting It Right First Time programme for gastroenterology into the national quality strategy.
We recognise the value of clinically‑led improvement programmes such as Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) in identifying and addressing unwarranted variation in care, including in gastroenterology. Rather than being incorporated into the National Quality Strategy, which will set out overarching principles and priorities for improving quality, GIRFT recommendations are developed through detailed clinical engagement, analysis of national data, and close working with professional bodies, providers, and systems. Specialty‑specific recommendations from programmes such as GIRFT are used to inform delivery at national, regional, and local levels, rather than being incorporated as prescriptive elements of the strategy itself.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing bursaries or financial support for students training in creative therapies.
The student finance system is the primary funding support package for students in further education, and students training in creative therapies can access student loans via the Student Loans Company. There are no current plans to provide any additional financial support to these students.The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review. At all times the Government must strike a balance between the level of support students receive and the need to make best use of public funds to deliver value for money.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of workforce shortages in creative therapies for children and young people.
While no such specific assessment has been made, more young people are being supported to access National Health Service mental health services. In the first 12 months of the Government, nearly 40,000 more children and young people received support compared to the previous 12 months. This is helped by over 8,000 extra mental health workers being recruited since July 2024.Work is ongoing in NHS England to determine the adequacy of creative therapies, including art, music, dramatherapy, via the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan. The plan is expected to be published later in the spring.
What steps he is taking to increase participation in bowel cancer screening programmes in Harrogate and Knaresborough.
The Harrogate, Leeds, and York Bowel Cancer Screening Programme serves the population of Harrogate and Knaresborough. Data from NHS England shows that uptake for this programme is 75.3% for people aged 60 to 74 years old. While this is higher than the England average of 70.3%, we know that there is more work to be done.Work is ongoing to both maintain and improve uptake, which includes collaborating with the Humber North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance and general practices, as well as local communities working together. Additional work to support raising awareness of the bowel cancer screening programme includes development of a recent promotional video which was shared with all North Yorkshire practices to enable them to play on displays in surgery waiting rooms, and with the local authority for use on their social media platforms. Other promotional initiatives have included:Go Racing, which is offering all racecourses/corresponding screening centres to send a representative on race days to chat to race goers/videos on big screen/feature in race card;five facts toilet campaign posters;recorded jingle/promotion at Harrogate radio; andattendance at cattle markets to raise awareness.
What criteria the NIHR use to make funding decisions in the event of a tiebreaker.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) does not use location as a formal tie-breaker criterion in assessment. In the instances of a tie break scenario, the NIHR will typically use strategic fit to make a decision. The NIHR does, however, use 'Working with people and communities' and 'Inclusive research' as part of its assessment criteria, and as part of determining strategic fit, funding committee’s consider aspects such as location. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/research-funding/application-support/domestic-funding-programmes-assessment-criteria
Whether the NIHR, in line with the Medical Research Council’s Place Framework, also uses the location of the host organisation as a tiebreaker in funding decisions to support a more geographically balanced spread of health research investment across the UK.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) does not use location as a formal tie-breaker criterion in assessment. In the instances of a tie break scenario, the NIHR will typically use strategic fit to make a decision. The NIHR does, however, use 'Working with people and communities' and 'Inclusive research' as part of its assessment criteria, and as part of determining strategic fit, funding committee’s consider aspects such as location. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/research-funding/application-support/domestic-funding-programmes-assessment-criteria
If he will publish a national implementation plan on insulin safety for those with mental health conditions.
Improving the integration between community mental health services and other physical health services and meeting the holistic needs of people with severe mental health problems is a priority, as set out in the Community Mental Health Framework.Recognising the continued need to further support services to provide high quality personalised care for all patients needing secondary mental health services, including those with diabetes, NHS England has shared new draft guidance with systems, the Mental Health Personalised Care Framework, which sets out how services must effectively assess, plan, and manage people's care in collaboration with all relevant teams, including how they assess safety and risks of harm.The Health Services Safety Investigation Body recently published a report Insulin: supporting safe self-administration for patients in the community with a mental health problem, which recommended that NHS England and the Department develop a strategy for improving collaboration between mental health teams and specialist diabetes services. A formal response to this recommendation will be published in May 2026.
How his Department plans to improve the understanding, identification and management of Type 1 Diabetes and Disordered Eating.
The Government is committed to ensuring that people with Type 1 Diabetes and Disordered Eating (T1DE) receive support and care which meets their needs. NHS England will continue to work closely with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to share the current T1DE pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.To reduce insulin related harm, the National Health Service’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme published guidance in April 2025 to support trusts to establish Diabetes Safety Boards, with more information available at the following link:https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/supporting-hospital-teams-with-safe-inpatient-diabetes-care/ GIRFT is also undertaking a pilot across 20 integrated care systems as part of a Community and District Nurse Insulin Programme which works to empower community diabetes nurses and district nursing teams to support patients at home requiring insulin administration. To further support services to provide high quality personalised care for all patients needing secondary mental health services, including those with diabetes, NHS England has shared new draft guidance with systems, the Mental Health Personalised Care Framework. The framework sets out how services must effectively assess, plan and manage people's care in collaboration with all relevant teams, including how they assess safety and risks of harm.
What assessment he has made of the potential cost implications for the NHS of insulin-related harm arising from inadequate discharge planning and community support.
The Government is committed to ensuring that people with Type 1 Diabetes and Disordered Eating (T1DE) receive support and care which meets their needs. NHS England will continue to work closely with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to share the current T1DE pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.To reduce insulin related harm, the National Health Service’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme published guidance in April 2025 to support trusts to establish Diabetes Safety Boards, with more information available at the following link:https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/supporting-hospital-teams-with-safe-inpatient-diabetes-care/ GIRFT is also undertaking a pilot across 20 integrated care systems as part of a Community and District Nurse Insulin Programme which works to empower community diabetes nurses and district nursing teams to support patients at home requiring insulin administration. To further support services to provide high quality personalised care for all patients needing secondary mental health services, including those with diabetes, NHS England has shared new draft guidance with systems, the Mental Health Personalised Care Framework. The framework sets out how services must effectively assess, plan and manage people's care in collaboration with all relevant teams, including how they assess safety and risks of harm.
What steps he is taking to improve coordination between community mental health teams and specialist diabetes services.
The Government is committed to ensuring that people with Type 1 Diabetes and Disordered Eating (T1DE) receive support and care which meets their needs. NHS England will continue to work closely with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to share the current T1DE pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.To reduce insulin related harm, the National Health Service’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme published guidance in April 2025 to support trusts to establish Diabetes Safety Boards, with more information available at the following link:https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/supporting-hospital-teams-with-safe-inpatient-diabetes-care/ GIRFT is also undertaking a pilot across 20 integrated care systems as part of a Community and District Nurse Insulin Programme which works to empower community diabetes nurses and district nursing teams to support patients at home requiring insulin administration. To further support services to provide high quality personalised care for all patients needing secondary mental health services, including those with diabetes, NHS England has shared new draft guidance with systems, the Mental Health Personalised Care Framework. The framework sets out how services must effectively assess, plan and manage people's care in collaboration with all relevant teams, including how they assess safety and risks of harm.
What guidance his Department provides to integrated care boards on supporting vulnerable people, including those with mental health conditions, cognitive impairment or learning disabilities, to safely self-administer insulin.
Improving the integration between community mental health services and other physical health services and meeting the holistic needs of people with severe mental health problems is a priority, as set out in the Community Mental Health Framework.Recognising the continued need to further support services to provide high quality personalised care for all patients needing secondary mental health services, including those with diabetes, NHS England has shared new draft guidance with systems, the Mental Health Personalised Care Framework, which sets out how services must effectively assess, plan, and manage people's care in collaboration with all relevant teams, including how they assess safety and risks of harm.The Health Services Safety Investigation Body recently published a report Insulin: supporting safe self-administration for patients in the community with a mental health problem, which recommended that NHS England and the Department develop a strategy for improving collaboration between mental health teams and specialist diabetes services. A formal response to this recommendation will be published in May 2026.
When the 10-Year NHS Workforce Plan will be published.
We will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026.