Written questions by Strathern.

If his Department will publish data on the number of (a) fathers who have accessed perinatal mental health services and (b) maternity outreach clinics that offer (i) evidence-based mental health assessments and (ii) signposting.

The information requested is not held centrally at this level of detail. The Government is committed to improving the support available to mothers, fathers, and partners who experience mental health difficulties, including postnatal depression, during the perinatal period.Fathers and partners of women accessing specialist perinatal mental health services and maternal mental health services should be offered an evidence-based assessment for their mental health and signposted to sources of support as required. This can include NHS Talking Therapies services, which are available for anyone who needs support with their mental health. People can refer themselves online via the National Health Service website or by contacting their general practice.In addition, in January 2025, the Department announced £126 million for the continuation of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme in 2025/26 in 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation. This includes £36.5 million for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent-infant relationship support, including for fathers.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS services (a) engage with new fathers and (b) record their details alongside the mothers in their baby's health records.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Livingston on 31 March 2025 to Question 38280.

If he will make an assessment of the potential benefits of making prostate cancer screening mandatory.

Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committees (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, called the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm...

What recent discussions he has had on the provision of Enhurtu to Her2 low metastatic breast cancer patients.

The Department’s ministers and officials have had a number of recent meetings at which the issue of the availability of Enhertu for the treatment of HER2 low metastatic breast cancer has been discussed, including with Breast Cancer Now and other campaigne...

What steps he plans to take to shorten the diagnosis time for endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a common gynaecological condition, estimated to affect one in 10 women of reproductive age. Endometriosis can significantly impact women and girls’ physical and mental health, and anyone with symptoms of endometriosis should contact their...

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for non-cancerous gynaecological services.

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government, as we get the National Health Service back on its feet. Equality of both access to care and outcomes will be at the heart of building an NHS that is fit for ...

Whether he plans to improve access to clinical trials for those affected by brain tumours.

The Department is committed to implementing the recommendations of Lord O'Shaughnessy’s review into commercial clinical trials, making sure that the United Kingdom leads the world in clinical trials, and ensuring that innovative, lifesaving treatments are...

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that medical students receive adequate training during hospital placements.

The standard of training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), who set the outcomes and standards expected at undergraduate level. Medical schools are responsible for their curricula, and for ensuring that they deliver high quality placements that enable their students to meet the GMC’s requirements. The GMC have issued guidance on placement quality, which is available at the following link:https://www.gmc-uk.org/education/standards-guidance-and-curricula/guidance/undergraduate-clinical-placements/guidance-on-undergraduate-clinical-placementsIn addition, placements must meet NHS England’s Quality Framework, which is monitored locally in collaboration with medical schools, and is available at the following link:https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/quality

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to mental health services in Hitchin constituency.

People with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that mental health is given the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it. We will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce delays and provide faster treatment, which will also help ease pressure on hospitals. By cutting mental health waiting lists and intervening earlier with more timely mental health support, we can get this country, including in the Hitchin constituency, back to health.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Hitchin constituency.

The Government knows that patients are finding it harder than ever to access general practice (GP) appointments. Patients can’t get through the front door of the National Health Service, so they aren’t getting the timely care they need.We have pledged to guarantee a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one. We will make sure the future of the NHS is sustainable by training thousands more GPs, ensuring increased capacity to deliver this commitment, and securing a future pipeline of GPs.

What steps he is taking to provide (a) support and (b) resources to help GP surgeries clear (i) patient backlogs and (ii) increasing workloads in Hitchin constituency.

The Government intends to fix the front door to the National Health Service, and increase the proportion of funding for primary care. We understand that this will require both investment and reform. We will also make sure the future of general practice (GP) is sustainable by training thousands more GPs across the country, to take the pressure off those currently working within the system, ensure increased capacity across the NHS, and to secure a future pipeline of GPs. Additionally, NHS England has made a number of recruitment and retention schemes available to GPs.The Government will bring back the family doctor, incentivising continuity of care so patients can see the same doctor at each appointment, which is key in reducing duplication of work, so patients with ongoing or complex conditions get the best care possible.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of social care capacity in Hitchin constituency.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to the need to ensure that it is aware of current and likely future demand for such services and to consider how providers might meet that demand.The Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF), includes grant conditions which require each local authority to submit an adult social care capacity plan. These were submitted to the department in June 2024. The member’s local authority, Hertfordshire, submitted their 2024/25 capacity plan which is currently undergoing processing and quality assurance.

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for elective surgeries in Hitchin constituency.

Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government, and we have a mandate for our first step in achieving this, by providing an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, which includes greater clinical availability during evenings and weekends.Dedicated and protected surgical hubs can help reduce waiting times by focusing on high volume low complexity surgeries, as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England, transforming the way the National Health Service provides elective care. There is one surgical hub within the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, the Lister Hospital Treatment Centre Elective Surgical Hub. This ring-fenced hub opened in July 2005 and consists of five theatres focusing on multiple specialties, including trauma and orthopaedics, spinal, ophthalmology, ear, nose and throat, gynaecology, urology, and general surgery. Patients from the Hitchin constituency can be referred to this surgical hub for elective surgeries.

How many children aged 11 and under with tooth decay were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction in Hitchin constituency in each of the last five years.

he information requested is not available on a constituency basis, or for the desired age band.

If he will make an estimate of the number of people who have been waiting more than four weeks for a GP appointment in Hitchin constituency.

The Hitchin constituency sits within the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board where, in May 2024, 649,000 general practice appointments were delivered. Of those, 29,000 appointments, or 4.1%, were delivered 28 days after booking, 0.7% less than the national average.In the 12 months up to May 2024, more than 156,000 appointments, which are not usually booked in advance, were delivered more than 28 days after they were booked. There are a number of factors which can influence the timing of appointments, and it is not possible to estimate the time between the patient’s first attempt to contact their surgery and an appointment.

What information his Department holds on the number and proportion of children aged four and under who were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in Hitchin constituency in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not available on a constituency basis, or for the desired age band for each of the last five years.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the time taken to access dental services in Hitchin constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments, and to recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The local integrated care boards (ICBs) for Hitchen are also taking actions to support access to dental services. In May 2024, the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB introduced a Dental Access Pilot which all patients can access via the NHS111 service. This pilot involves a small cohort of dental contractors working across four areas, providing additional dental sessions on evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.The Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB has been running a pilot scheme since December 2023 which provides additional urgent appointments during the day and in the evenings, as well as over weekends, to patients who are referred via NHS111.

What steps his Department is taking to support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of (i) GPs and (ii) dentists in Hitchin constituency.

We have committed to training thousands more general practitioners (GPs) across the country as well as take pressure off those currently working in the system and NHS England has made a number of recruitment and retention schemes available to GPs.Getting a National Health Service dentist is increasingly difficult. The Government will tackle the immediate crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most.Hitchin constituency runs across two integrated care boards (ICBs), Hertfordshire & West Essex and Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes. Hertfordshire & West Essex ICB advises that recruitment initiatives include working with Primary Care Network training teams and supporting the training and development of GPs coming into practice. The Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB provides a range of initiatives to support with the recruitment and retention of GPs for its practices. These include a flexible staffing platform, Lantum, which aids retention of GPs by providing flexible roles, and support with workforce planning.