Written questions by Rosindell.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to improve the ocular health of children in England.

All babies should receive a routine eye screening within 72 hours of birth as part of the newborn physical examination and again at around six weeks of age. Parents and carers are also encouraged to raise any concerns about their child’s health during the health and development reviews carried out with the health visitor.The UK National Screening Committee also recommends vision screening in school for children aged four to five years to look for reduced vision in one or both eyes.In addition, all children aged under 16, and under 19 in full time education are eligible for a free NHS eye test, available at opticians. Integrated Care Boards are also in the process of rolling out free NHS sight tests in special educational settings for children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism across England.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to raise awareness of the risk of sun exposure to ocular health.

The National Health Service website provides advice on how to protect your eyes in the sun. It recommends avoiding looking directly at the sun, as this can cause permanent eye damage, and advises people to wear sunglasses with the appropriate ultraviolet protection. Further information can be found on the NHS page on sun and sunscreen safety, at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/Sun exposure can increase the risk of eye cancer. The Department is currently seeking views and ideas to inform the development of the National Cancer Plan for England, to meet the health mission goal to reduce the lives lost to the biggest killers. The consultation materials are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

What steps he is taking to support people suffering from alcoholism in Romford constituency.

The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for evidenced-based, high-quality treatment.Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need for alcohol and drug prevention and treatment in their area, and for commissioning services to meet these needs. In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26 the Department is providing a total of £310 million in additional targeted grants to improve drug and alcohol services and recovery support, which includes housing and employment. Havering Borough Council, of which Romford is a part, will receive £400,302 from this additional grant funding in 2025/26. Further details are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-funding-2025-to-2026/drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-funding-allocations-2025-to-2026Alongside the funding allocations, the Department also has a range of existing and forthcoming best practice resources and guidance that supports those working in the sector to tailor drug and alcohol treatment services to meet local needs, to improve treatment outcomes. For example, the commissioning quality standard provides guidance to local authorities on how to ensure they have a shared understanding of local need, including the experiences of diverse populations. The commissioning quality standard can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-quality-standard-alcohol-and-drug-servicesLater this year the Department will also be publishing the United Kingdom’s clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment. The aim of the guidelines is to improve and support good practice to achieve better outcomes for people with alcohol problems.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to improve the ocular health of adults with visual impairments in England.

We recognise the importance of supporting people with sight loss to maintain or improve their visual function so they can live independently in the community. It is important that individuals with visual impairments continue to have regular sight tests to monitor any further changes to their vision.Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many individuals, including children, who are registered as sight-impaired or severely sight-impaired, or who have been diagnosed with glaucoma. Further information on sight test eligibility can be found at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/opticians/free-nhs-eye-tests-and-optical-vouchers/Low vision services can also be provided to help individuals with sight loss to live independently, and can include access to low vision aids such as magnifiers. Low vision services can be provided within the hospital eye service or in the community.The Department supports the publication by the Royal National Institute of Blind People of an eye care support pathway, which aims to improve the support available at every stage of an individual’s sight loss journey, including helping them to understand their condition.

What plans he has to help increase public (a) awareness and (b) understanding of sickle cell disorder and the impact on that disorder on (i) individuals and (ii) families.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as sickle cell disorder.To improve awareness of sickle cell disorder, NHS England has carried out a range of activities including developing and launching a national Can You Tell its Sickle Cell campaign in 2022 including a hand-held patient card that could be used in a sickle cell crisis. It has also produced and published a series of four podcasts, featuring three sickle cell patients, placed partnered editorials in Black media to promote awareness of the condition and the potential impact on people’s daily lives, and piloted a successful free monthly e-learning sickle cell series for patients in London. This course will soon be available both nationally and globally.NHS England has designed a prescription savings campaign to raise awareness of two available money-saving schemes among those living with conditions such as sickle cell, and in deprivation.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to improve the ocular health of children with visual impairments in England.

We recognise the importance of supporting people with sight loss to maintain or improve their visual function so they can live independently in the community. It is important that individuals with visual impairments continue to have regular sight tests to monitor any further changes to their vision.Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many individuals, including children, who are registered as sight-impaired or severely sight-impaired, or who have been diagnosed with glaucoma. Further information on sight test eligibility can be found at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/opticians/free-nhs-eye-tests-and-optical-vouchers/Low vision services can also be provided to help individuals with sight loss to live independently, and can include access to low vision aids such as magnifiers. Low vision services can be provided within the hospital eye service or in the community.The Department supports the publication by the Royal National Institute of Blind People of an eye care support pathway, which aims to improve the support available at every stage of an individual’s sight loss journey, including helping them to understand their condition.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to improve ocular health in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

Prevention, early detection, and access to timely treatment are all key to maintaining good eye health. Free National Health Service sight tests are available for children, those aged 60 years old and over, individuals on low incomes, and those at increased risk of certain eye diseases, including glaucoma. Free NHS sight tests are also being rolled out for children and young people attending special educational settings across England. Diabetic Retinopathy screening is also offered to individuals aged 12 years old or over with diabetes.NHS England has been testing how integrating primary and secondary eye care services, through IT connectivity and the development of a single point of access, could improve the referral, triage and management of patients with eye care needs and reduce the time from diagnosis to treatment. The North East London Integrated Care System, which includes Romford, have a number of measures in place to improve eye health including a single point of access to improve referrals into secondary care and minor eye care services in the community.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to improve the (a) research, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment of ocular cancers.

The Department funds cancer research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR spent £133 million on cancer research in 2023/24. An example of this investment includes the NIHR Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs), which are dedicated facilities in National Health Service hospitals where researchers deliver early-phase and complex studies, including in cancer. In 2022, the NIHR invested £161 million in 28 facilities over five years to create dedicated spaces for high-risk experimental medicine studies, such as first-in-patient trials.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including ocular cancers. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on ocular cancers to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.The Department works closely with NHS England in taking steps to improve diagnostic and treatment waiting times for all cancers, including ocular cancer. We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography scanners. In addition, £70 million will be spent on new radiotherapy machines, to ensure the most advanced treatment is available to patients who need it.In December 2024, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence approved the treatment of tebentafusp for uveal melanoma, a form of ocular cancer. This treatment has now been rolled out to patients across England with inoperable ocular cancer.Improving outcomes for rarer cancers, like ocular cancer, is an area of focus for the National Cancer Plan. The plan’s overarching goal will be to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.

If he will provide funding to improve the accident and emergency department at Queen’s Hospital in Romford.

National Health Service commissioners are responsible for delivery, implementation, and funding decisions for services. Therefore, in this case, the commissioning body responsible would be the North East London Health and Care Partnership Integrated Care Board (ICB), rather than the Department.The North East London Health and Care Partnership ICB has been provisionally allocated £24 million for constitutional standards recovery in 2025/26, as part of our £1.65 billion capital investment to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care. This will fund new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners, and beds, to create more treatment space in emergency departments, reduce waiting times, and help shift more care into the community. The £1.65 billion capital investment also includes £26 million to open new mental health crisis centres, reducing pressure on accident and emergency services.In addition, the ICB has been provisionally allocated £107.5 million in operational capital funding, including primary care business-as-usual capital, for 2025/26, to be prioritised according to local needs, such as investing in hospital infrastructure.Departmental budgets beyond 2025/26 will be set through Phase 2 of the Spending Review, which will conclude and be published in late spring 2025.

What steps he is taking to ensure that (a) gestational ages of pregnancies are accurately recorded in cases without ultrasound scans and (b) abortion pills are not sent in the mail to women beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks.

Pregnancy duration can be assessed from the first day of the last menstrual period (LMP). Advice from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is clear, that most women can determine the duration of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by their LMP alone.Before an early medical abortion can be undertaken at home, women are given the choice to have either an in-person consultation or a virtual consultation. However, if there is any uncertainty about the gestation of the pregnancy, the medical practitioner would ask the woman to attend an in-person appointment to enable them to form an opinion that the pregnancy will not have exceeded 10 weeks at the time the first abortion pill is taken.

What steps he is taking to help prevent abortion drugs sent in the mail from being used to commit crimes.

Before an early medical abortion can be undertaken at home, a consultation is held with the woman requesting the termination. Women are given the choice to have either an in-person consultation or a virtual consultation. If the medical practitioner has any concerns during a virtual consultation, the woman will be asked to attend a clinic for an in-person consultation.The prescription of mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions is controlled by the Abortion Act 1967 and the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. During the consultation, women are informed that it is illegal to give their prescribed abortion medication to anyone else.

What steps he is taking to help improve the (a) research in, (b) diagnosis of and (c) the treatment of anaemia.

The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds clinical, public health, and social care research and works in partnership with the National Health Service, charities, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including anaemia, through its research programmes. From 2019/20 to 2023/24, the NIHR funded £10.7 million of research into anaemia. The NIHR also provides research support by funding facilities, expertise, training, and recruitment support, which includes approximately 176 studies from 2019/20 to 2023/24 on anaemia research supported across NIHR infrastructure. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a clinical knowledge summary on anaemia which provides guidance on testing and treatment of all types of anaemia. It was last updated in September 2023. The clinical knowledge summary states that, in all people, serum ferritin levels of less than 30 micrograms per litre confirms a diagnosis of iron deficiency. NICE guidelines are not mandatory and, whilst clinicians and health and care commissioners are expected to take them into account, it is important for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan to be in place that address the specific needs of the individual. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has authorised a number of intravenous iron products for use by patients with anaemia in the United Kingdom, including iron dextran, iron sucrose, ferric carboxymaltose, and ferric derisomaltose.

What steps he is taking to help improve the (a) research on, (b) diagnosis of and (c) treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer being the largest area of spend at over £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority. Examples of NIHR investments in blood cancer research include:the £2.6 million PROPEL trial, testing whether a package of enhanced personalised prehabilitation can help people with acute myeloid leukaemia cope better with treatment;a £2.2 million trial exploring methods to reduce secondary infections as a result of acute myeloid leukaemia, with the aim of reducing the side effects of treatment and improving quality of life for patients during and after; anda £3 million trial of the drug ibrutinib for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, and a £2.2 million study to evaluate the digital health platform AscelusTM, for the management of blood disorders including cancers, funded by the NIHR in partnership with the Offices for Life Sciences.The NIHR continues to welcome high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including acute myeloid leukaemia.Improving diagnosis rates and access to treatment are key priorities for the Government for all cancer types. To achieve this, the National Health Service is improving public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, streamlining referral routes, and increasing the availability of diagnostic capacity through the roll-out of more community diagnostic centres. In addition, the NHS has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week during our first year in Government, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment. Additionally, the recently announced National Cancer Plan, which will complement the 10-Year Health Plan and support delivery of the Government’s Health Mission, will set out further actions to improve research, diagnosis, and treatment for cancer, including acute myeloid leukaemia.

What steps he is taking to help detect coercion in women seeking abortions during remote (a) phone and (b) video consultations.

Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and all providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, in compliance with the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures for the approval of independent sector places for termination of pregnancy in England. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion in adult women, and know how to respond. This applies to remote phone, video, and in-person consultations.In addition, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has published national safeguarding guidance for under 18 year olds accessing early medical abortion services, which will ensure that robust safeguarding processes are embedded across all abortion services. We expect all providers to have due regard to the RCPCH’s safeguarding guidance.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of data collection for abortions performed in the UK.

In accordance with the Abortion Act 1967, registered medical practitioners must notify the Chief Medical Officer of abortions within 14 days. The HSA4 abortion notification form is provided to collect the required information. The HSA4 form is a statutory instrument, the content of which cannot be changed without legislation.

What steps he is taking to reduce the cost of wholesale medications bought by the National Health Service.

The Department has well established mechanisms to control the level of spend on medicines. For example, the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access, and growth, the statutory scheme for branded medicines to control their growth in sales, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s evaluations all ensure that spend on new medicines represents a clinically and cost effective use of National Health Service resources.The Government’s policy on generic medicines is to allow suppliers freedom of pricing for their products, relying on competition between suppliers and efficient purchasing by community pharmacies to deliver value for money for the NHS. However, this can mean that prices can fluctuate because of normal market forces, and can go up as well as down. Typically, this approach leads to some of the lowest prices of generic medicines in Europe.

What steps his Department is taking to support people with Sickle Cell Anaemia.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as sickle cell anaemia.The National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme seeks to improve outcomes and the quality of life for those with sickle cell disorder. This programme has launched two-year emergency department bypass pilots to provide services for people requiring emergency care for an uncomplicated vaso-occlusive crisis. It also includes work to provide digital care plans across London and Manchester, to improve the safety of blood transfusions, as well as educational programmes, which include information on genetic counselling.In February 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved exagamglogene autotemcel (Casgevy) for use in the National Health Service in England through the Innovative Medicines Fund, and it is now available for eligible patients.

What steps his Department is taking to support the retention of social workers in the NHS.

The Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, to ensure the retention of our hardworking and dedicated staff, including social workers.NHS England is leading the National Retention Programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.In addition, the Department currently funds the Assessed Year in Employment to support the development and retention of newly qualified social workers employed within the statutory, private, voluntary, or independent sectors. This is a 12-month, employer led and employment-based programme of support and assessment for newly qualified social workers.

What steps he is taking to decrease reliance on private emergency ambulance service companies.

The information requested is not held. Decisions on the use of private ambulance companies to increase capacity are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.At a national level, the Government and NHS England are committed to improving ambulance services. The National Health Service’s 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance set national priorities, which include improving accident and emergency waiting times and ambulance response times compared to 2024/25.

How much funding his Department is providing the London Ambulance Service.

Responsibility for commissioning ambulance services is a matter for the local integrated care board. The London Ambulance Service received £704.2 million in the financial year 2024/25.