Written questions by Rosindell.

What steps he has taken to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of dyspraxia in adults.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including diagnosis and support for dyspraxia. Further information on dyspraxia assessments and treatment is available on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia-in-adults/

What steps he has taken to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of dyslexia in adults.

Dyslexia is a life-long condition, and there is therefore no treatment for dyslexia. Adults who wish to be assessed for dyslexia are advised to contact a local or national dyslexia association for advice. Further information on dyslexia assessments can be found on the NHS.UK website, at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/diagnosis/The Department for Education has invested £1.34 billion in the 2024/25 academic year in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF). The Education and Skills Funding Agency funded ASF includes funds for learning support, which helps providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including the costs of reasonable adjustments, as set out in the Equality Act 2010.Learning support can cover a range of needs, including an assessment for dyslexia, funding to pay for specialist equipment or helpers, and/or arranging signers or note takers. The Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority have a devolved ASF, and decide how to make best use of the ASF, beyond the ASF’s statutory entitlements, to meet their local needs.

What steps he has taken to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) support for adults with autism.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including autism assessments and support services for autistic people, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The NICE guideline, Autism spectrum disorder in adults: diagnosis and management, aims to improve access and engagement with interventions and services, and the experience of care, for autistic adults.On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to help ICBs and the National Health Service to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. The guidance also sets out what support should be available before an assessment and what support should follow a recent diagnosis of autism, based on the available evidence.The Department is launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission, led by Baroness Casey, will start a national conversation about what working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care. While the commission carries out its work, the Department is taking immediate action to improve adult social care. The Government is making available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes a £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant. The Department is also taking forward a range of initiatives in 2025/26, including funding more home adaptations, promoting better use of care technologies, and professionalising the adult social care workforce.

How many people are using mental health facilities in Romford constituency.

The number of people accessing all mental health facilities is not available for Romford, although data is available on referrals to specific services, such as Talking Therapies and secondary mental health services, for North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB).During December 2024, there were 5,150 referrals received for Talking Therapies for the first time in the ICB, while in the same month, there were 12,175 referrals received by secondary mental health services in the same ICB.

What steps she has taken to work with relevant authorities to ensure that there is adequate supply of lidocaine.

The Department is aware of the supply issues affecting some products that contain lidocaine. For all of these, there are alternatives available, and we are working with the suppliers of each product to expedite resupply and minimise the impact on patients.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce instances of infant deaths in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

The Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), within the Department, has looked in detail at the drivers of infant mortality. Most infant deaths occur in the first four weeks of life. The leading causes of death are prematurity and congenital abnormalities, and a large proportion of these deaths are preventable. This work has been used to drive work through regional teams working with integrated care systems and local authorities to target specific interventions.In London, the OHID regional team has developed, with partners, an infant mortality reduction action plan, setting out 10 recommendations, based on the best available data and evidence. The OHID London is working with all London local authorities and the National Health Service to implement the action plan, including working with Havering and Romford. Learning from infant deaths is being shared across London to identify opportunities to avoid future infant deaths and address potentially modifiable causes wherever possible.The local authority, the acute hospital trust, primary care, and the integrated commissioning board are coordinating efforts in Romford and Havering to reduce infant mortality, working in partnership with the OHID London, NHS England, and the Greater London Authority.The Department continues to work across directorates, and with NHS England and other Government departments to maximise opportunities to improve pre-conception health and the wider building blocks of health that contribute to infant deaths.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce alcohol related deaths in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

In 2023, there were 8,274 alcohol-specific deaths, namely deaths wholly due to alcohol, in England, which was an increase of 63.8% from 5,050 deaths in 2006 and a 4.6% increase since 2022. The majority of these deaths are caused by alcohol-related liver disease.The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has an action plan to reduce drug and alcohol-related deaths, which is being reviewed in light of the recent Office for National Statistics data to ensure that it is grounded in the latest understanding of the drivers of drug and alcohol related deaths and responding to these. In 2024, the Department of Health and Social Care published guidance for local authorities and their partnerships on how to review adult drug and alcohol-related deaths and near-fatal overdoses to prevent future deaths. Additionally, OHID has published the document, Commissioning Quality Standard: alcohol and drug services, providing guidance for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services.The Department of Health and Social Care will soon publish the UK clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment which will include recommendations on developing effective, accessible and inclusive services. The aim of the guidelines is to promote and support good practice and improve quality of service provision, resulting in better outcomes. The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work with all local areas to address unmet need and drug and alcohol misuse deaths, and to drive improvements in continuity of care. This includes the Unmet Need Toolkit which can be used by local areas to assess local need and plan to meet it.The Department of Health and Social Care is continuing to invest in improvements to local drug and alcohol treatment services. Funding for drug and alcohol treatment services is provided through the public health grant. In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department allocated local authorities £267 million in 2024/25 to improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. An additional £105 million from the Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is improving treatment pathways and recovery, housing and employment outcomes for people affected by drug and alcohol use. The London Borough of Havering Council was allocated £626,673 of targeted funding in 2024/25 for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services through a combination of grants.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce bowel cancer deaths in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

The National Health Service in England has been gradually reducing the age for bowel screening from 60 years old down to 50 years old, since 2021/22. The extension to 50 years old is expected to be completed by 31 March 2025.We will improve NHS cancer waiting time performance across the country, so that patients, including those with bowel cancer, are diagnosed and treated faster. The NHS is prioritising the roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing community diagnostic centres, with capacity prioritised for cancer diagnostics.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to support new parents in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

In London, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), within the Department, and NHS England’s London regional teams work together to champion and embed a focus on giving every child the best start in life, providing support to National Health Service organisations, local government, and wider partners to deliver joined up services for babies and families. This includes focused work on infant feeding, perinatal mental health, addressing inequalities in maternity care and outcomes, and developing the health visiting workforce in London.In Havering, the local authority has developed an online family services hub to help new parents in Romford find and access locally available services and support, and an online gateway for early years health and other professionals to access, enabling them to better advise, support, and refer new parents into the local offer.A £126 million funding boost in 2025/26 will help set up every child for the best start in life by strengthening and joining up family services and improving support through pregnancy and early childhood. This will fund a network of family hubs with Start for Life services, which support the period from conception to the age of two years old, in 75 local authorities in England with high levels of deprivation.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the range of NHS-funded vaccinations available in community pharmacies.

The Government recognises that, alongside a core offer of vaccination in general practices, a wider delivery of vaccination services, including through sexual health services, maternity services, schools-based vaccination teams, health visitors, and community pharmacies, is helpful in driving increased uptake of vaccination, especially in areas of increased deprivation.Currently, NHS England commissions the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Advanced Service and the COVID-19 Vaccination National Enhanced Service on a national level. Both services are delivered extensively in community pharmacies.The Government is looking to expand the number of vaccines offered in community pharmacies across the country through local, targeted vaccination programmes. This has already started, with NHS England commissioning community pharmacies in the East of England to help deliver year-round respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programmes for pregnant women, to protect newborns, and adults aged 75 to 79 years old. Eligible patients can book an appointment via the National Booking System or walk into a participating pharmacy to receive the vaccine.The Department will keep the scope of vaccinations available in community pharmacies under review and consider whether any expansion to the current offer provides both increased health protection benefits and value for money to the taxpayer.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of community pharmacy on access to primary care.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system, and the Government recognises the integral role they play within our communities, as an easily accessible front door to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals. The Department is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists as we shift care from hospital to the community.There is an ongoing global supply problems that continues to impact medicine availability. The Department understands how frustrating and distressing this can be for patients, and we are working closely with industry, the NHS, manufacturers, and other partners in the supply chain to resolve issues as quickly as possible, to make sure patients can access the medicines they need. We recognise this pressure on community pharmacy teams and are working with Community Pharmacy England to support private contractors to deliver quality NHS services. Employers clearly have a key role in supporting their staff, and a number of resources are available from organisations such as Pharmacist Support, for free and confidential advice and support for mental health and wellbeing.

What assessment he has made of the impact of medicines shortages on the wellbeing of community pharmacy teams.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system, and the Government recognises the integral role they play within our communities, as an easily accessible front door to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals. The Department is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists as we shift care from hospital to the community.There is an ongoing global supply problems that continues to impact medicine availability. The Department understands how frustrating and distressing this can be for patients, and we are working closely with industry, the NHS, manufacturers, and other partners in the supply chain to resolve issues as quickly as possible, to make sure patients can access the medicines they need. We recognise this pressure on community pharmacy teams and are working with Community Pharmacy England to support private contractors to deliver quality NHS services. Employers clearly have a key role in supporting their staff, and a number of resources are available from organisations such as Pharmacist Support, for free and confidential advice and support for mental health and wellbeing.

What steps he is taking with the private care home sector to improve bed capacity within the NHS.

Local authorities should determine the volume and type of services, including care home beds, that are required to meet their responsibilities under the Care Act 2014. National Health Service integrated care boards, local authorities, and providers should work together to ensure that efforts to discharge individuals from hospital into social care are joined up and make best use of available resources, in line with the duty to cooperate set out in Section 82 of the NHS Act 2006.In December 2024 there were, on average, 12,000 adult patients in acute hospital beds per day with delayed discharges, 5% fewer than in December 2023.

Whether he plans to visit healthcare facilities in the (a) London Borough of Havering and (b) surrounding area in the next six months.

Ministers regularly consider visits across the country to see the impact of their policy areas. Any plans to visit specific locations will be notified to the relevant Members of Parliament in advance.

What support his Department is providing to increase patient capacity in the Queen’s Hospital, Romford Accident and Emergency Department.

Operational matters, including decisions on local hospital capacity, are primarily matters for local National Health Service trusts working with NHS commissioners.The NHS has supported increased patient demand for accident and emergency services by strengthening same day emergency care, supporting vaccination efforts for COVID-19, flu, and the respiratory syncytial virus, and increasing the provision of community services.In addition, due to the action taken by the Government, this winter NHS hospitals are free of strikes and focused on caring for patients.

What support his Department is providing to increase patient capacity on mental health wards in (a) Romford constituency and (b) the surrounding area.

NHS England’s 2024/25 priorities and operational planning guidance reinforces this focus on improving patient flow as a key priority, with local health systems directed to reduce the average length of stay in adult acute mental health wards to deliver more timely access to local beds. And in areas where there is a clear need for more beds, this has been addressed in part through investment in new units.It is also important that when people are discharged, this happens in a way that considers their needs on discharge and any risks to their safety. To help support safe and timely discharge decisions, the Department published statutory guidance on discharge from mental health inpatient settings in January 2024. It sets out how health and care systems should work together to support safe discharge from all mental health and learning disability and autism inpatient settings for children, young people and adults. More information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/discharge-from-mental-health-inpatient-settings/discharge-from-mental-health-inpatient-settingsAs part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future, we will make sure more mental health care is delivered in the community, close to people’s homes, through new models of care and support, so that fewer people need to go into hospital.

What steps he is taking to improve primary care facilities in (a) Romford constituency and (b) the surrounding area.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and this means better utilising and expanding primary care infrastructure across the NHS estate. That is why we have set out our intention to fix the front door to the NHS and bring healthcare closer to home, and the local community.The North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) advised that two new primary care facilities have opened recently within the borough of Havering, specifically St George’s Hub and Wellbeing Centre and Raphael House, both of which are providing extensive health care facilities, including offering out of hours appointments.The North East London ICB is also engaging in a strategic review of NHS Property Service (NHSPS) and Community Health Partnership (CHP) assets in central Romford, to ensure that the healthcare infrastructure can meet the future demands of a growing and changing population. With new housing developments projected to increase the patient population by 28,000 by 2030, and additional population growth driven by demographic changes , the ICB notes that it is clear that demand for healthcare services will rise significantly beyond the impact of housing developments alone.To address this, the North East London ICB is conducting a comprehensive review of all NHSPS and CHP assets as part of the Central Romford Master Plan. This includes assessing the current utilisation of leased space, and working with stakeholders to reconfigure and maximise underutilised estates, identifying voids, and exploring redevelopment opportunities to ensure we future proof healthcare provisions within the area.

What support his Department is providing to people affected by seasonal flu in Romford constituency.

The Government is committed to protecting those at greatest risk from seasonal flu through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.The flu vaccination programme continues until 31 March 2025, so there continues to be the opportunity for eligible people in Romford to come forward for vaccination, and NHS England London is continuing with the autumn and winter communications campaign to encourage those who are eligible and at-risk to receive vaccination. For school-aged children, the school-aged immunisation providers are currently running mop-up community clinics where children who missed the offer of vaccination at school can still be vaccinated. There are also opportunistic vaccinations of two- to three-year-olds via these clinics, as well as the offer of vaccination via general practice.NHS England has confirmed that all care homes in the London region have been visited to ensure they receive the offer of vaccination, and there has been a programme in place in each integrated care board to support housebound visits for those who cannot leave their own home.For those who have contracted flu or who are at high-risk of severe illness and/or complications if they were to contract flu, there is scope for general practices to prescribe anti-virals, based on a clinical assessment regarding need.

What recent steps he has taken help improve rates of early diagnosis of lung cancer.

The National Health Service is taking crucial steps to improve cancer outcomes across England, including for lung cancer. The Targeted Lung Health Check is a national NHS screening programme which is designed to identify cancers at an earlier stage with the goal of saving more lives. It will be available to 100% of the eligible population by 2030.Within the programme so far, detection at stage 1 and 2 stands at 75%, while outside the programme its 29%. When fully rolled out the Lung Cancer Screening Programme will detect approximately 9,000 cancers earlier each year and support the NHS Long Term Plan to detect more cancers earlier.

What steps he is taking to achieve national coverage of the NHS’ Non-Specific Symptom (NSS) diagnostic pathways for blood cancer.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as early and as quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.In addition to improving cancer waiting time performanc...