Written questions by Campbell.

What steps he is taking to help young people with cerebral palsy.

We want a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition such as cerebral palsy, receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care, with their families and carers also supported. We will change the National Health Service so that it becomes not just a sickness service, but able to prevent ill health in the first place. This will help us be better prepared for the change in the nature of disease and allow our services to focus more on the management of chronic, long-term conditions like cerebral palsy.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on care and support for children and young people with cerebral palsy, to support healthcare professionals and commissioners. The guidance recommends service providers develop clear pathways that allow patients with cerebral palsy access to multi-disciplinary teams, specialist neurology services, and regular reviews of their clinical and functional needs.  This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng62NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme aims to improve care for people with neurological conditions in England, including those with cerebral palsy, by reducing variation and delivering care more equitably across the country.  The GIRFT National Speciality Report provided the opportunity to share successful initiatives between trusts, to improve patient services nationally.In addition, the Neurology Transformation Programme has developed a model of integrated care for neurology services to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time, for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home.  A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model.The majority of services for people with cerebral palsy are commissioned locally by ICBs, which are best placed to make decisions according to local need. Nevertheless, at a national level, the Government is working closely with NHS England to continue to improve services for people with neurological conditions, including those with cerebral palsy.

When he expects to receive the outcome of the Group B Streptococcus trial from the UK National Screening Committee.

Recruitment to the Group B Streptococcus trial undertaken by the University of Nottingham has ended. The researchers are analysing the data and will draft a report in due course.The UK National Screening Committee’s Secretariat is in close and regular contact with the researchers. The committee will review the evidence from the trial, once the report is available.

Whether he has held discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the impact of the Windsor Framework on any proposed UK wide smoking ban in Northern Ireland.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, introduced on the 5 November 2024, has been developed in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive, as well as with other departments across the wider Government. We inte...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK Rare Diseases Framework, published on 9 January 2021, on reducing the time it takes to diagnose rare diseases.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, including helping patients get a final diagnosis fast...

What steps he is taking to ensure that vaginal mesh implant procedures do not result in removal surgery.

A national pause was introduced in 2018 for the use of vaginally inserted mesh to treat prolapse and the use of a retropubic sub-urethral mesh sling to treat stress urinary incontinence. Conditions were put in place for this pause, and NHS England continu...

Whether he plans to reduce the minimum age for bowel screening to 50 by the end of 2025.

NHS England is responsible for delivering the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening programme, including planning for the age extension in the programme from 60 down to 50 years old.The age extension for bowel screening is already underway. NHS England started in Ap...

What funding he plans to allocate for brain tumour research in the 2025-26 financial year.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer. The Department spends £1.5 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 £121.8 mill...

When his Department plans to offer bowel cancer screening to people aged 50.

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 2025.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Major Conditions Strategy on outcomes for people with dementia.

The plans to publish a final major conditions strategy were paused following the announcement of the general election. We are developing a 10-year plan to radically reform the National Health Service and build a health service that is fit for the future. ...

What steps he is taking to help promote Urology Awareness Month in September 2024.

The Department has a number of existing partnerships to help promote awareness of urology conditions. NHS England is partnering with P-Wave on a campaign targeted at men, specifically focussing on blood in urine as a possible symptom of cancer. The partne...

With reference to the Answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 8936 on Streptococcus: Screening, when he expects to receive the response of the UK National Screening Committee's findings on the outcom

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded the GBS3 trial. It is looking at whether testing all pregnant women for Group B Streptococcus and giving them antibiotics reduces the risk of infection in newborn babies, compared to the cu...

Whether the NHS have received any complaints about politically motivated advantageous NHS treatment in the Birmingham area in (a) August and (b) September 2024.

The information requested is not collected centrally. The annual release of National Health Service complaints data includes breakdowns of complaints by subject area, region, and integrated care systems area.