Written questions by Gordon.

What steps his Department are taking to improve procedures for processing gestational diabetes blood glucose tests to improve the accuracy of diagnosis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is responsible for setting clinical guidelines. For diabetes in pregnancy, including testing for gestational diabetes, the relevant clinical guideline is NG3 - Diabetes in pregnancy: management from preconception to the postnatal period, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng3/chapter/Recommendations#gestational-diabetesThe Department provides funding to the National Institute for Health and Care Research for research to help improve procedures around gestational diabetes, such as the DOMINO study, with further information available at the following link:https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR134628

What consideration he has given to supporting the National Screening Committee to (a) more swiftly implement innovation within screening programmes and (b) adopt innovative new programmes once proven effective.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) and its secretariat have adopted several robust strategies that support responsiveness to innovation in screening.The committee uses the expertise of its research and methodology group to help researchers focus the design of screening research to ensure it addresses questions in a way that is useful for screening policy. Where screening research trials are ongoing, the secretariat maintains close contact with researchers to ensure that we are proactive in response to the results coming out of the trial.Where there are evidence gaps in screening research, in-service evaluations provide an innovative solution to generating high quality evidence for the UK NSC in live National Health Services. The UK NSC secretariat works closely with NHS England on upcoming work so that the NHS can optimise their preparations in their readiness for the implementation of recommendations agreed by ministers.Networking across the healthcare landscape both nationally and internationally helps to ensure that the UK NSC keeps abreast of developments in screening and identifies viable innovations in tests and treatments that are suitable in the context of the United Kingdom. Collaboration between organisations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, and professional bodies such as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists supports joined up working with partners and avoids unnecessary duplication.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of including (a) prehabilitation and (b) rehabilitation as essential elements of cancer treatment.

The Department and NHS England are taking a number of steps to support the National Health Service to deliver cost-effective prehabilitation and rehabilitation services.NHS England has highlighted the positive impact of efficient prehabilitation and rehabilitation on cancer outcomes and the potential to lead to cost savings. The ‘PRosPer’ cancer prehabilitation and rehabilitation learning programme, launched as a partnership between NHS England and Macmillan Cancer Support, aims to support allied health professionals and the wider healthcare workforce in developing their skills in providing prehabilitation and rehabilitation as essential elements of cancer treatment.The National Cancer Plan, to be published later this year, will look at how to improve patient outcomes across the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, including prehabilitation and rehabilitation services where appropriate.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (a) review and (b) update clinical guidelines on (i) diagnosis and (ii) treatment of type 1 diabetes and eating disorders.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for determining whether its guidelines should be reviewed or updated in light of new evidence. NICE takes a proactive approach to surveillance, monitoring for changes in the evidence base that may impact on its recommendations. Topics for new or updated guidance are considered through the NICE prioritisation process. Decisions as to whether NICE will create new, or update existing, guidance are overseen by a prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer.NICE intends to carry out focussed updates to all diabetes guidance to take account of changes in insulin availability, but has no current plans for further updates to its guidelines on type 1 diabetes or eating disorders.

What steps he is taking to ensure the NHS lung cancer screening programme receives sufficient funding to ensure its completion by 2029.

The National Health Service will build on its recent successes, including roll-out of the National Lung Cancer Screening Programme, to diagnose cancer earlier and boost survival rates. Funding for national lung screening is set by NHS England and the timescale for full implementation of the National Lung Cancer Screening Programme will be specified in due course.The NHS is currently rolling out the National Lung Cancer Screening Programme to people with a history of smoking. The public health functions agreement between NHS England and the Department sets out that the Lung Cancer Screening Programme has a target to invite 50% of the eligible population by the end of March 2026.

What steps he is taking to raise awareness of Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders among healthcare professionals in (a) diabetes and (b) eating disorder services.

NHS England is currently funding five Type 1 Disordered Eating (T1DE) Pilots, with the aim of increasing understanding of the characteristics and care needs of people with T1DE, assessing the feasibility of the service delivery model and build the evidence base for an integrated diabetes and mental health pathway. Pilot sites are delivering a national high level service specification alongside testing local novel approaches to improving care including to awareness raising of the condition amongst both diabetes and eating disorder health care professionals.A national evaluation is currently underway to assess the impact of the five current pilot services. NHS England will review the evaluation findings to understand further opportunities to promote awareness of Type 1 disordered eating amongst healthcare professionals.NHS England works alongside its partners to support the delivery of key messages around diabetes education and awareness. This includes through a digital diabetes platform which is developing educational resources for T1DE.

Whether Integrated Care Boards will be required to provide sustainable funding for successful pilot projects on Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders to become regional centres of excellence.

NHS England has provided up to £1.5 million a year for the five current Type 1 Disordered Eating pilots for three years. This funding is transferred to integrated care boards on an annual basis and in 2025/26 has been ringfenced.Decisions on funding for future years have yet to be taken.

What steps he will take to ensure that (a) the views of patients and (b) patient engagement are independently provided to (a) his Department, (b) the NHS, and (c) local authorities after Healthwatch's abolition.

Dr Dash’s review of patient safety across the health and care landscape was published in July 2025. The review recommends bringing together the work of local Healthwatch organisations, and the engagement functions of integrated care boards and providers, to ensure patient and wider community input into the planning and design of services.In addition, as also recommended by the review, we are amalgamating the functions of Healthwatch England to a new directorate. Its strategic functions will be transferred to the new directorate for patient experience in NHS England, transferring, in due course, to the new structures in the Department. This directorate will be responsible for overseeing the collection of more informed feedback from both patients, service users and carers and significantly improving the complaints function across the National Health Service.These changes will improve quality, including safety, by making it clear where responsibility and accountability sit at all levels of the system, and making it easier for staff, patients and users to directly feed into the system to improve quality of care. We believe that patients and users will have a stronger voice once it is heard inside the system.

Whether he has conducted an impact assessment of the effect of the abolition of Healthwatch on (a) patient representation, (b) accountability and (c) local authority scrutiny functions.

The abolition of Healthwatch England, the transfer of its functions and the changes to local Healthwatch require primary legislation. Timing of this is subject to the will of parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows. A full impact assessment would be produced in line with HM Treasury's Green Book standards and published on the Government website when legislation is introduced in Parliament. No assessment has been made at this time, although the expertise of Dr Dash and her critical review of patient safiety will continue to guide the Government’s policy in this regard.

Whether his Department will ringfence funding for independent patient advocacy services after the abolition of Healthwatch.

The independent complaints advocacy service in the National Health Service is covered by a wider grant for Local Reform and Community Voices and is not a requirement of Healthwatch England or Local Healthwatch. This grant provides funding to local authorities which assists them in meeting statutory duties. This funding will continue to be provided. This grant has not been ringfenced to date and there are no plans to ringfence it, moving forward.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the provision of Covid vaccinations to people with (a) type 1 diabetes and (b) long term immunosuppressive health conditions.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an independent expert committee which reviews the latest data on COVID-19 risks, vaccine safety, and effectiveness and advises the government on eligibility for vaccination and immunisation programmes. The JCVI has published advice for future COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in autumn 2025, spring 2026, autumn 2026, and spring 2027. The government has accepted JCVI advice for autumn 2025. The Government is considering the JCVI’s advice for 2026 and spring 2027 carefully and will respond in due course.The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious disease (hospitalisations and deaths) arising from COVID-19. The JCVI assessment indicates that the oldest age cohorts and individuals who are immunosuppressed are the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease.Therefore, in autumn 2025, a COVID-19 vaccination will be offered to:adults aged 75 years and over;residents in a care home for older adults;individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed (as defined in the ‘immunosuppression’ sections of tables 3 or 4 in the COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book).The JCVI has advised that more recent data are needed to assess whether any other population groups under the age of 75 years with specific clinical comorbidities, such as type 1 diabetes, are at similar risk of serious disease as those aged 75 years and over.The JCVI continues to review evidence and may update its advice in future.

What steps he is taking to improve the quality of national primary care data on Young Onset Dementia.

Young onset dementia is defined as dementia diagnosed under the age of 65.The dementia diagnosis rate is not calculated for patients aged under 65 years old. This is because the numbers of patients known to have dementia in the sample population age groups comprising those aged between zero and 64 years old are not large enough for reliable estimates to be made.The dementia diagnosis rate for patients aged 65 years old and over is calculated and published monthly via the Primary Care Dementia Data publication, which is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/primary-care-dementia-dataThis publication does include a monthly count of the number of patients aged 65 years old and under who do have a dementia diagnosis on their patient record. This is expressed as a raw count and as a percentage of registered patients aged between zero and 64 years old.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the 10 year health plan on health outcomes for people with type 1 diabetes.

The 10-Year Health Plan aims enhance the care of patients living with type 1 diabetes through shifts in how care is delivered. Hospital to community will enable those living with diabetes to manage their care in the best way for them through the Neighbourhood Health Service, while analogue to digital will make it easier for those living with diabetes to access tailored advice and manage their appointments at a time that suits them. By 2028, patients will be able to manage all their care through the NHS App. People with diabetes will be able to book appointments, manage their medication and prescriptions and view their single-patient record so they can become better advocates for themselves. Patients will be able to access tailored advice through the NHS App on how to manage their diabetes. The App will give patients a doctor in their pocket, and artificial intelligence functionality will enable patients to check their symptoms and find out where to go for further advice or screening as appropriate. Patient care will be personalised through the comprehensive single patient record. When patients attend appointments, clinicians will be able to see all their medical information and history, helping them to make informed diagnoses against co-morbidities and advise patients of their individual risk factor.By 2035, all patients will have access to wearables. Wearables will enable patients and their carers to better manage their care by having access to their health data such as blood pressure and glucose levels. They will also enable remote monitoring to alert a patient’s care team to any issues so that appropriate interventions can be made quickly before they progress.The MyHealth tool will enable remote monitoring, giving patients piece of mind that their condition is being monitored and healthcare professionals will step in if needed.The Neighbourhood Health Service will give those living with diabetes more choice and control of their care. Patients will receive seamless care across services through high-quality care plans. The plan proposes that by 2027, 95% of people with complex needs, including long-term conditions, will have an agreed care plan. More people will be able to access Personal Health Budgets. Patients will be told how much money is available to them and will be supported by their National Health Service team to decide how to spend that money to meet their needs. By 2028 the Diagnosis Connect service will support better self-care. In partnership with the Richmond Group, this service will bring together the NHS and the voluntary sector to help people with new diagnoses manage their care.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of having a universal screening programme for type 1 diabetes.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for South Northamptonshire on 25 July 2025 to Question 67791.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the 10 year health plan on levels of inequality in access to wearable diabetes technology.

The 10 Year Health Plan aims to reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and enhance the care of patients living with diabetes through the delivery of the three shifts. Hospital to community will enable those living with diabetes to manage their care in the best way for them through the Neighbourhood Health Service. Analogue to digital will make it easier for those living with diabetes to access tailored advice and manage their appointments at a time that suits them. Treatment to prevention will make it easier for people to access diabetes screening and support people to make healthier choices to prevent them from developing type 2 diabetes.By 2035, all patients will have access to wearables. Wearables will enable patients and their carers to better manage their care by having access to their health data such as blood pressure and glucose levels. They will also enable remote monitoring to alert a patient’s care team to any issues so that appropriate interventions can be made quickly before they progress.

Whether he plans to bring forward (a) regulations and (b) a licensing regime for practitioners of cosmetic surgery.

All doctors performing cosmetic surgery in the United Kingdom are required to be registered and licensed to practise by the General Medical Council. The Care Quality Commission regulates cosmetic treatments carried out by healthcare professionals in England that involve surgical procedures.The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and is exploring options for further regulation in this area. We will set out the details of our approach in our response to the consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which we will publish at the earliest opportunity.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) support and (b) inform healthcare professionals on the potential clinical presentation of West Nile Virus in the UK.

In May 2025, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) reported fragments of West Nile virus genetic material in a small sample of mosquitoes collected in Nottinghamshire during July 2023, as part of the RADAR surveillance programme. There is no evidence to suggest ongoing circulation of the virus in animals or mosquitoes, and there have been no locally acquired West Nile virus detections in humans in the United Kingdom. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has assessed the risk to the general public as very low.The UKHSA partners with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the APHA on the surveillance of mosquitoes, birds, horses, and humans for a range of emerging infectious diseases, including West Nile virus.Human health surveillance relevant to the West Nile virus includes routine testing of travellers who have returned from overseas areas affected by West Nile virus with compatible clinical syndromes, including undiagnosed encephalitis.The NHS Blood and Transplant service screens donors returning from affected areas based on their travel history, and partners with the UKHSA on a research study to understand the risk of climate-related emerging infections, including West Nile virus.The UKHSA’s clinical testing protocols require that any undiagnosed human cases of encephalitis are referred to the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory. They will be routinely tested for West Nile virus, regardless of travel history.Following the detection in mosquitoes, the UKHSA issued a briefing note to National Health Service clinicians nationally on the potential clinical presentation of vector borne diseases, including West Nile virus.The UKHSA Imported Fever Service offers a clinical advisory and testing service to support doctors managing domestic cases of undiagnosed encephalitis. The British Infection Association’s testing guidelines for encephalitis are being updated to include consideration of the West Nile virus.

Whether the UK Health Security Agency plans to expand its clinical testing protocols for patients presenting with encephalitis of unknown cause, in the context of the recent detection of West Nile Virus genetic material.

In May 2025, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) reported fragments of West Nile virus genetic material in a small sample of mosquitoes collected in Nottinghamshire during July 2023, as part of the RADAR surveillance programme. There is no evidence to suggest ongoing circulation of the virus in animals or mosquitoes, and there have been no locally acquired West Nile virus detections in humans in the United Kingdom. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has assessed the risk to the general public as very low.The UKHSA partners with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the APHA on the surveillance of mosquitoes, birds, horses, and humans for a range of emerging infectious diseases, including West Nile virus.Human health surveillance relevant to the West Nile virus includes routine testing of travellers who have returned from overseas areas affected by West Nile virus with compatible clinical syndromes, including undiagnosed encephalitis.The NHS Blood and Transplant service screens donors returning from affected areas based on their travel history, and partners with the UKHSA on a research study to understand the risk of climate-related emerging infections, including West Nile virus.The UKHSA’s clinical testing protocols require that any undiagnosed human cases of encephalitis are referred to the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory. They will be routinely tested for West Nile virus, regardless of travel history.Following the detection in mosquitoes, the UKHSA issued a briefing note to National Health Service clinicians nationally on the potential clinical presentation of vector borne diseases, including West Nile virus.The UKHSA Imported Fever Service offers a clinical advisory and testing service to support doctors managing domestic cases of undiagnosed encephalitis. The British Infection Association’s testing guidelines for encephalitis are being updated to include consideration of the West Nile virus.

What steps he is taking to increase public health surveillance following the detection of West Nile Virus genetic material in UK mosquitoes.

In May 2025, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) reported fragments of West Nile virus genetic material in a small sample of mosquitoes collected in Nottinghamshire during July 2023, as part of the RADAR surveillance programme. There is no evidence to suggest ongoing circulation of the virus in animals or mosquitoes, and there have been no locally acquired West Nile virus detections in humans in the United Kingdom. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has assessed the risk to the general public as very low.The UKHSA partners with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the APHA on the surveillance of mosquitoes, birds, horses, and humans for a range of emerging infectious diseases, including West Nile virus.Human health surveillance relevant to the West Nile virus includes routine testing of travellers who have returned from overseas areas affected by West Nile virus with compatible clinical syndromes, including undiagnosed encephalitis.The NHS Blood and Transplant service screens donors returning from affected areas based on their travel history, and partners with the UKHSA on a research study to understand the risk of climate-related emerging infections, including West Nile virus.The UKHSA’s clinical testing protocols require that any undiagnosed human cases of encephalitis are referred to the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory. They will be routinely tested for West Nile virus, regardless of travel history.Following the detection in mosquitoes, the UKHSA issued a briefing note to National Health Service clinicians nationally on the potential clinical presentation of vector borne diseases, including West Nile virus.The UKHSA Imported Fever Service offers a clinical advisory and testing service to support doctors managing domestic cases of undiagnosed encephalitis. The British Infection Association’s testing guidelines for encephalitis are being updated to include consideration of the West Nile virus.

What steps he is taking to increase bowel cancer screening rates; and whether he plans to increase bowel cancer screening targets.

The National Health Service is in the final stages of changing the screening age for the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, from those between 60 to 74 years old to those between 50 to 74 years old by 2025, which will increase the numbers being screened.NHS England has updated the programme’s standard for uptake, increasing the acceptable and achievable thresholds, to acknowledge that uptake has increased by approximately 10% since introducing the Faecal Immunochemical Test.A new standard will be introduced to monitor uptake for those aged 60 to 74 years old and those aged 50 to 59 years old. The revised standards will soon be published and available in the public domain. The current standards are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowel-cancer-screening-programme-standards/bowel-cancer-screening-programme-standards-valid-for-data-collected-from-1-april-2018