Written questions by Gordon.

How many complaints relating to the mental healthcare service at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS trust there have been in each of the last three years.

The following table shows information on concerns received by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust between 2021/22 and 2023/24: Reporting yearLocal issue resolutionConcerns raised with Patient Advice and Liaison ServiceComplaintsTotal2023/242061,7734982,4472022/23n/a2,4463382,7842021/22n/a2,2812932,574Source: Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust Quality Accounts Note: Concerns can range from an issue with a person’s care to environmental factors, such as parking on the Trust’s sites. The Trust has advised that all complaints are managed in line with national guidance and it is committed to providing opportunities for its patients, their carers or their families to seek advice or information, raise concerns or make a complaint about the services that the Trust provides.

How many avoidable or preventable deaths of mental health patients at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS trust there have been in each of the last three years.

Information on the number of deaths reported to Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust's incident reporting system are shown in the table. These are not categorised as preventable or avoidable.Reporting yearTotal2021/222,1632022/232,3292023/241,322Source: Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust Quality AccountsIt is important to note that the majority of deaths of people in the Trust’s care from natural causes and therefore include end of life care and longstanding poor physical health. There is further detail and context within the Trust’s Quality Account for each year.

If he will take steps to ensure that NHS providers prioritise funding for (a) upgrades and (b) replacements of radiotherapy machines.

The Government will continue to support the provision of radiotherapy machines, however since April 2022 the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has been with local systems.

What proportion of eligible people in Yorkshire and the Humber have been screened through the national targeted lung cancer screening programme since July 2023; and what steps he is taking to increase the level of uptake for that scheme.

The NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme is available in some areas of England and offers a lung cancer screen to those who are over 55 years old but younger than 75 years old; are registered with a general practitioner; and have a history of smoking.NHS England has advised that to the end of August 2024, 36.3% of the eligible population in the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance has been invited to the Lung Cancer Screening programme since 2019, with 16,103 people participating between July 2023 and July 2024. Estimated uptake for May to July 2024, the most recent available three months of data, was 55.4%. This has improved significantly with the rolling average for the last 12 months being 47.8%.A wide range of initiatives continues to be carried out to improve uptake in the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme. For example, at a national level this includes using social media, leaflets and posters to promote the programme and at a local level, using text messaging to remind people of their appointment. Cancer Alliances are also bringing together primary care networks, lung cancer screening teams and communication colleagues to ensure collaborative and informed working is taking place.The NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme will be fully rolled out to 100% of the eligible population by 2029.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to access radiotherapy treatment on cancer outcomes; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure patients that need radiotherapy treatment can access it as quickly as possible.

The Government believes that cancer patients are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment, including radiotherapy treatment. We will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster. We will improve patients’ experience across the system.Lord Darzi’s report has set out the scale of the challenges we face in fixing the NHS and the need to improve cancer waiting time performance and cancer survival. In particular, he has highlighted the need to improve the number of patients starting their treatment within 62 days of referral and to increase the number of patients diagnosed at an earlier stage.Improving 62-day performance and early diagnosis are already key priorities for NHS England. Lord Darzi’s report will inform our ten-year plan to reform the NHS, which include further details on how we will improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.

If he will publish mortality rates of mental health patients at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust publishes the information requested (under ‘Learning from deaths’) as part of its annual Quality Account report about the quality of the services provided by the Trust. The most recent report is available at the following link:www.tewv.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Quality-Account-23-24-Final.pdf

What steps her Department is taking to help improve the availability of wi-fi on the rail network.

I have asked my officials to explore the feasibility of a range of technology options to improve passenger connectivity on the rail network. The Department is also measuring the strength of mobile signals along the rail network to fully understand where interventions are needed.

What steps he plans to take to help (a) return breast cancer screening rates to pre-covid-19 levels and (b) meet breast cancer screening targets.

Following COVID-19, a national restoration plan was implemented by NHS England in 2020/21 with targeted support to all breast screening services to clear the backlog by the Summer of 2023. In 2021/22 and 2022/23, activity was higher than in the previous 10 years, with more women invited for breast screening compared to pre-pandemic years.The NHS England national uptake improvement plan aims to address the fact that despite this action, some women are still not coming forward for breast screening. The plan includes active follow ups for women who have missed appointments or who have not engaged with screening, a review to establish reasons for non-attendance to identify and address any barriers, and a look at how different invitation methods may impact on uptake, considering factors such as age, screening history, and deprivation.

With reference to the national screening programme for lung cancer, if he will increase funding for smoking cessation provision in order that it can be offered as an opt-out integrated service within all lung screening appointments.

The NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme Standard Protocol includes a mandatory referral to smoking cessation services for all current smokers invited to the programme.The Government is providing £70 million additional funding this year to support local authorities increase provision of local stop smoking services which will support improved referral pathways and integrated working.

What discussions he has had with his international counterparts on their approach to less survivable cancers.

The Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of an action plan for less survivable cancers individually or as a group, or had specific discussions with international counterparts on their approach to less survivable cancers.Lord Darzi’s report has set out the scale of the challenges we face in fixing the National Health Service, and the need to improve cancer waiting time performance and cancer survival. The report will inform the Government’s ten-year plan to reform the NHS, including further detail on how we will improve outcomes for cancer, including less survivable cancers.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of developing a specific action plan for (a) cancers of the (i) brain, (ii) liver, (iii) lung, (iv) stomach, (v) oesophagus and (vi) pancreas and (b) other less survivable cancers.

The Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of an action plan for less survivable cancers individually or as a group, or had specific discussions with international counterparts on their approach to less survivable cancers.Lord Darzi’s report has set out the scale of the challenges we face in fixing the National Health Service, and the need to improve cancer waiting time performance and cancer survival. The report will inform the Government’s ten-year plan to reform the NHS, including further detail on how we will improve outcomes for cancer, including less survivable cancers.

What steps his Department is taking to support the development of off-grid energy infrastructure.

We are taking a strategically planned approach to build a larger, modern and efficient energy grid. We will use a holistic design coordinating and balancing on and off grid infrastructure. Support is currently available for off-grid households which provides energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating measures to low-income households. Our Warm Homes Plan will go further to transform homes across the country.

What steps she is taking to help support independent breweries through the alcohol duty system.

The Government recognises the important contribution of independent breweries to our economy and society. Alongside the current alcohol duty freeze until 1 February 2025, the duty system gives specific support to small producers and products sold on draught: Small Producer Relief means that small brewers see reduced duty rates on all products below 8.5% alcohol by volume;and Draught Relief reduces duty on qualifying draught beers and ciders by 9.2%.