Written questions by Jogee.

Whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle ageism in healthcare services.

The Department is committed to improving outcomes for older people through a range of cross-cutting strategies and initiatives.Addressing healthcare inequalities is a fundamental part of the Health Mission and the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the National Health Service is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it. The Plan will be published in summer 2025 and aims to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, sickness to prevention. This includes how services can be better integrated and tailored to improve quality of life and reduce inequalities in later life.The Department is embedding a focus on health inequalities across its work, including through the Core20PLUS5 approach in the NHS, which includes older age-related conditions such as dementia. It is also supporting improvements in adult social care to promote choice and to help people live as independent and fulfilling lives as possible.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of deprivation on lung health in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.More tests and scans delivered in the community will allow for earlier diagnosis, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates.The prevalence of smoking in adults, current smokers who are 18 years old and over, in Newcastle under Lyme and Staffordshire is lower than the overall England average, at 8.8% and 9.0% respectively, compared to the overall England average of 12.4%.Urgent cancer referrals for suspected lung cancer in the Staffordshire and Stoke Integrated Care Board are much higher than the England average. However, the mortality rate from lung cancer, chronic obstructive airways disease, heart disease, and stroke associated with smoking in Staffordshire is similar to the England average.We are taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, for instance by enabling a smoke free generation to further help prevent lung conditions.It is the most disadvantaged who suffer the most from the financial and health burden of smoking, with 230,000 households living in smoking induced poverty and with smoking being the number one preventable cause of death, disability, and ill health, claiming the lives of approximately 80,000 people a year in the United Kingdom, and being the leading cause of lung cancer. The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will create the first smoke-free generation, ending the cycle of addiction and disadvantage and putting us on track to a smoke-free UK.

Whether the national cancer plan will include policies on improving the (a) collection, (b) sharing and (c) analysis of data for all cancer types to help (i) identify (A) variation and (B) blockages in the pathway and (ii) develop solutions with the NHS.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.The plan will look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. It will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. The plan will also consider mechanisms to accelerate the adoption of innovative diagnostics and treatments into the National Health Service, and will seek to ensure that high quality care is available to patients across the country.Furthermore, reducing barriers of entry to care and improving the efficiency of patient pathways are essential to improving cancer outcomes and experiences. The plan will explore how we can improve data collection, sharing, and analysis, to help identify variation and blockages in the pathway and develop solutions with the NHS.

Whether the national cancer plan will include mechanisms for supporting the NHS to adopt upcoming innovations in cancer treatment.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.The plan will look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. It will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. The plan will also consider mechanisms to accelerate the adoption of innovative diagnostics and treatments into the National Health Service, and will seek to ensure that high quality care is available to patients across the country.Furthermore, reducing barriers of entry to care and improving the efficiency of patient pathways are essential to improving cancer outcomes and experiences. The plan will explore how we can improve data collection, sharing, and analysis, to help identify variation and blockages in the pathway and develop solutions with the NHS.

What steps his Department is taking to streamline diagnostics pathways for (a) companion and (b) other diagnostics.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, announced that the integrated care boards (ICBs) will make optimal use of the new diagnostic capacity by implementing the new standards for community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and hospital-based diagnostic services, in particular increasing direct referrals and rolling out at least 10 straight-to-test pathways by March 2026.To date, NHS England has agreed three national CDC diagnostic pathways which ICBs will be expected to implement by March 2026. These are: breathlessness; children and young people’s asthma; and unscheduled bleeding on hormone replacement therapy.NHS England is working with clinicians to best determine other priority straight to test pathways, including in CDCs. Implementation of these pathways will deliver the expectations in the Elective Reform Plan for significant elective care reform to be delivered in at least five specialties, those being: ear nose and throat; gastroenterology; respiratory; urology; and cardiology. Wider clinical pathway optimisation work will also centre around these specialities.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.  The plan will also look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. It will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments.

Whether the national cancer plan will include policies on equitable access to companion diagnostics for all (a) regions and (b) patient groups.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.The plan will look at how we can maximise our impact through the most up-to-date technology and innovations. It will ensure that we continue to maximise the access to, and the impact of, clinical trials in diagnostics and treatments, building on the success of projects such as the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad. The plan will also consider mechanisms to accelerate the adoption of innovative diagnostics and treatments into the National Health Service, and will seek to ensure that high quality care is available to patients across the country.Furthermore, reducing barriers of entry to care and improving the efficiency of patient pathways are essential to improving cancer outcomes and experiences. The plan will explore how we can improve data collection, sharing, and analysis, to help identify variation and blockages in the pathway and develop solutions with the NHS.

What steps he is taking to reduce musculoskeletal condition waiting times in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using chiropractors as regulated and qualified healthcare professionals already embedded in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) other constituencies to help reduce reduce those waiting times.

There are no current plans to have discussions with my Rt Hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the research specified, or for the Department for Health and Social Care to assess the use of chiropractors to reduce waiting times in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Cutting waiting lists forms a key part of the Government’s mission to reform the National Health Service.

If she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the research entitled The Impact of Chiropractors on Workplace Productivity in NHS MSK Pathways, published on 19 March 2025, on the potential impact of the use of chiropractors on waiting lists for musculoskeletal conditions, in the context of increasing levels of people in employment.

There are no current plans to have discussions with my Rt Hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the research specified, or for the Department for Health and Social Care to assess the use of chiropractors to reduce waiting times in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Cutting waiting lists forms a key part of the Government’s mission to reform the National Health Service.

When he plans to make the morning-after pill free at pharmacies in (a) Staffordshire and (b) England.

The Department is currently planning to expand the Pharmacy Contraception Service to include the supply of emergency hormonal contraception from October 2025. This means women will have access to the ‘morning-after pill’ free of charge at pharmacies on the National Health Service, which will ensure a consistent offer across the country.

What steps he is taking to improve early (a) detection and (b) diagnosis of (ii) high blood pressure and (ii) raised cholesterol levels in (A) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (B) Staffordshire.

The NHS Health check, England’s cardiovascular disease prevention programme, engages over 1.3 million people a year, and through behavioural and clinical interventions, such as managing patients’ elevated cholesterol levels, prevents approximately 500 heart attacks or strokes a year.In addition to this, the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) is investing £100,000 into Newcastle-under-Lyme through a Locality Improvement Framework that brings together partners from primary care, Newcastle Borough Council, and the voluntary sector to encourage healthy lifestyle choices, to prevent cardiovascular disease. The framework will adopt a CORE20 approach, targeting the 20% most deprived communities.The ICB is also rolling out BEAT networking events that will encourage people to come forward for the early detection and diagnosis of heart disease. BEAT aims to raise awareness of common early warning signs of potential heart disease and what to do, namely Breathlessness, Exhaustion, Ankle swelling, and Time to tell your general practitioner or nurse.National Health Service community pharmacy teams across the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB, including those in Newcastle-under-Lyme, have measured the blood pressure of 61,798 citizens between April and December 2024. They have confirmed high blood pressure using ambulatory monitoring in 3,895 of these patients, so their high blood pressure can be managed. Assuming these patients comply with management for the next five years, data averages suggest that approximately 31 deaths, 58 strokes, and 39 myocardial infarctions would be prevented.

If his Department will (a) reevaluate the categorisation of chiropractic care as a complementary and alternative medicine and (b) conduct further research into the potential merits of integrating chiropractic into the national musculoskeletal health strategy.

NHS England does not currently support or nationally commission chiropractic care in the National Health Service. Integrated care boards are able to make independent decisions on which health professionals they employ and may commission a limited amount of chiropractic services.There are no current plans in the Department or NHS England to review the categorisation of chiropractic care as a complementary and alternative medicine. The Government has no plans to conduct further research into the potential merits of integrating chiropractic care into the national musculoskeletal health strategy.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing chiropractors to people with musculoskeletal conditions to help increase the number of people in work.

NHS England does not currently support or nationally commission chiropractic care in the National Health Service. Integrated care boards are able to make independent decisions on which health professionals they employ and may commission a limited amount of chiropractic services.There are no current plans in the Department or NHS England to review the categorisation of chiropractic care as a complementary and alternative medicine. The Government has no plans to conduct further research into the potential merits of integrating chiropractic care into the national musculoskeletal health strategy.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the changes to death certification process support in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms, which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024, but has not made a specific assessment of the impact of the reforms in the Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency or Staffordshire.The median time taken to register a death since the introduction of the reforms in England and Wales has typically been eight days. This figure is for all deaths, as it includes those certified by a doctor and those investigated by a coroner. The median time taken to register a death varies depending on the type of certification. Deaths certified by a doctor, that comprise approximately 80% of deaths registered each week, have typically had a median time to registration of seven days. It is important to note that the medical examiner system was active on a non-statutory basis before the introduction of the statutory system on 9 September, and this makes direct before and after comparisons challenging to draw conclusions from.The core purposes of the death certification reforms are to introduce scrutiny of the cause of death to detect and deter malpractice, to improve reporting, and crucially to put the bereaved at the centre of the process by offering a conversation with the medical examiner about the cause of death. The expectation on doctors and medical examiners is clear, that they should complete certification as quickly and efficiently as possible, and the Government is working with all stakeholders to make sure this is the case.

What steps he is taking to improve early diagnosis of osteoporosis.

Funding was recently announced to boost bone density scanning capacity, to support improvements in bone health and early diagnostics for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, such as osteoporosis. This will provide an estimated 29,000 extra scans per year.As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England’s Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT teams will deploy their proven Further Faster model to work with integrated care board leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with osteoporosis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.

What plans he has to allow up-to date medical information to be shared between the NHS and care staff in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

At a national level, in partnership with NHS England, the Department is building the foundations for improved information sharing between care and health staff. Digital social care records, that contain a person’s care information, are now in use by more than 72% of Care Quality Commission-registered care providers, from a starting point of 41% in December 2021. We recently set out our ambition that all care providers will be fully digitised by the end of this Parliament.Within the coming months, all assured Digital Social Care Records will also enable medical information to be shared with social care providers through GP Connect, which provides a restricted view of a person’s general practice (GP) record to social care staff for direct care purposes, where there is consent for the data to be shared. Access to this information improves the quality and safety of care and saves time, currently spent on the phone waiting to speak to GP surgeries.In Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, the One Health and Care shared care record enables medical information sharing for direct care purposes across health and social care. This initiative has been in place since 2020. There is not currently a consistent way for information held by social care providers to be shared, and from April 2025, we will begin work to establish a national shared platform that enables this essential information sharing and ensures health and care staff can access real-time social care, GP, and hospital data, providing access to essential medical information in a timely way. This could include when someone last took their medication, or whether there’s been a change to their care regimen. By linking up systems, NHS and care staff will have access to the latest information, speeding up and improving care both in health and in care settings.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of the Disabled Facilities Grant.

My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has meetings with Cabinet colleagues on a range of health and social care issues.We are giving older and disabled people more independence in their own homes through an immediate in-year uplift to the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) of £86 million in 2024/25. This increase will provide around 7,800 additional home adaptations. This is on top of the £625 million paid to local authorities in May 2024. The Government also announced an £86 million additional investment in the DFG for 2025/26 at the Budget, bringing total funding for 2025/26 to £711 million also.To ensure the DFG is as effective as possible, we will continue to keep different aspects of the grant under consideration. As part of this, we are reviewing the suitability of the current upper limit and will set out further detail in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the support given to people who have experienced a (a) severe adverse reaction and (b) bereavement after receiving a vaccine on levels of vaccine hesitancy.

The United Kingdom has one of the most extensive immunisation programmes in the world, with uptake rates amongst the highest globally.No specific assessment has been made of the impact of the support given to people who have experienced a severe adverse reaction or bereavement after receiving a vaccine on levels of vaccine hesitancy. However, to assess public confidence in vaccinations programmes more generally, the UK Health Security Agency undertakes research to understand how knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards immunisation, vaccine safety, and disease severity influence vaccine uptake. And to ensure that those being offered vaccines are aware of the potential benefits and side effects of vaccines, public-facing information is provided in multiple languages and accessible formats, with training standards provided for healthcare professionals who will support the consent process.The Government remains committed to addressing challenges around vaccine confidence and to improving vaccination uptake rates to fully protect the public from preventable diseases.

If he will make an assessment of the the adequacy of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) continues to process a significant number of claims, with 11,251 claims related to COVID-19, adult flu, and other diseases processed between 1 November 2021 and 13 December 2024.The Department is working with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, to take steps to improve the VDPS by modernising operations, improving claimants’ experiences, and processing claims at a faster rate.Ministers have also met with the families of those who have suffered harm following COVID-19 vaccination, many of whom raised the need for reform of the VDPS. Whilst any changes to the VDPS may need to be a cross-Government decision, ministers have agreed to look closely at the issues raised.

What recent discussions he has had with the School and Public Health Nurses Association on the number of school nurses in schools in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England.

We are committed to creating the healthiest generation of children ever. The child health workforce, including school nurses, who lead the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme for five to 19-year-olds, is central to how we support children, young people, and families.We are also committed to training the staff we need to ensure everyone receives care from the right professional, when and where they need it. We will need to do this in the context of the 10-Year Plan.Local authorities are best placed to determine local workforce needs, as they know their communities best. Determining the skills and workforce requirements should be underpinned by a local plan, and led by the area’s identified health needs.The Chief Public Health Nurse Office has established a programme of work which aims to improve the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme, which includes school nursing.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of a 21-day diagnosis-to-treatment pathway for people with pancreatic cancer.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale on 24 October 2024 to Question 10063.