Written questions by Shannon.

What steps he is taking to help reduce delays in treatment for cancer patients.

Lord Darzi’s report has set out the scale of the challenges we face in fixing the National Health Service and the need to improve cancer waiting time performance and cancer survival. In particular, he highlighted the need to improve the number of patients starting their treatment within 62 days of referral and to increase the number of patients diagnosed at an earlier stage.We will improve cancer survival rates and hit all NHS cancer waiting time targets within five years, so no patient waits longer than they should.The NHS will maximise the pace of the roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) and ensuring timely implementation of new CDC locations and upgrades to existing CDCs, with capacity prioritised for cancer diagnostics.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of guidance issued by his Department on the best time to take blood pressure medication.

The National Health Service monitors evidence on all interventions and updates our public facing guidance accordingly. The routine review of blood pressure medication guidance on the NHS website is due in December 2024. However, the timing of medication is a clinical decision which is made by doctors, and depends on several patient factors.

What assessment his Department has made of the viability of aldesleukin as a routine treatment for people who have had a heart attack.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and the NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility are supporting research into the benefits of low doses of aldesleukin for people who have experienced a heart attack, to reduce inflammation in the arteries after the initial heart attack.

What data his Department holds on the number of people being prescribed propranolol to treat anxiety.

The information requested is not held. National Health Service prescriptions do not list the indication for which the medicine is prescribed. It is therefore not possible to determine from prescribing data held by the NHS Business Services Authority the number of people being prescribed propranolol to treat anxiety.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on the potential impact of the Mental Health Bill on Northern Ireland.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has made clear his commitment to ongoing engagement and collaboration with the devolved governments. Officials are currently working to find a date for the next Health and Social Care Interministerial Group.The Department has engaged with Northern Ireland Department of Health officials on the Mental Health Bill. Officials have established a regular Four Nations Meeting on mental health reform, in which the Mental Health Bill’s measures and potential implications for the devolved governments are discussed. We will continue to engage our counterparts in Northern Ireland closely throughout the bill’s passage.

Whether he is taking steps to raise awareness of the symptoms of migraines.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, updated in December 2021, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people who suffer from headaches, including migraines. It aims to improve the recognition and management of headaches and migraines.NHS RightCare has also produced a Headache and Migraine Toolkit. The toolkit sets out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraines, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders. Additionally, Getting It Right First Time for Neurology published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving recognition and diagnosis of migraines by general practitioners.The Royal College of General Practitioners has developed two e-learning modules about migraine and cluster headaches, which aim to raise awareness amongst primary care clinicians about the different types of migraine and their associated symptoms, and how to differentiate between them.

What data his Department holds on the number of nurses employed in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) England.

The Office for National Statistics has recently produced an article on the data available to compare healthcare workforces across the United Kingdom. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/articles/thehealthcareworkforceacrosstheuk/2024To estimate the level of the healthcare workforce across the UK, the report details a range of potential sources, including the Office for National Statistic’s published estimates of employment by occupation sector, based on the Annual Population Survey and the Labour Force Survey.The latest data from the Annual Population Survey and the Labour Force Survey, based on the survey period April 2023 to March 2024, estimates there are 610,200 employed registered nursing professionals in England and 31,500 in Northern Ireland. As this covers registered nursing professionals, it will also include registered midwives. It covers nurses employed in any sector, so will include those working in National Health Service trusts, general practices, social care, charitable bodies, as well as private provision.These estimates are based on a sample of the population, which means any cross-UK comparisons using this data should be done with an understanding of the potential limitations. Notably, the estimates are impacted by sampling variability across the UK, and there may be bias if certain households cannot be reached, or from respondent error. For Northern Ireland, the impact of small sample sizes means that estimates for specific occupations, such as registered nurses, have greater levels of uncertainty and are not suitable for interpreting differences between the countries of the UK.

What steps he plans to take with NHS England's (a) clinical chairs and (b) device working groups to refine the process for the inclusion of new devices and range extensions within the existing national catalogue; where those processes are published; and what steps he is taking to ensure clarity for external stakeholders.

Under the Specialised Service Devices programme, clinical chairs and advisors in the device working group are continuing work to refine the inclusion process for new devices, while also developing range extensions within the existing national catalogue. This is alongside continuing work on device category specifications.Device working groups will develop a clinical utilisation methodology designed to reduce unwarranted variation in the extensive range of available devices, while NHS Supply Chain will deliver price reductions in devices purchased.

What assessment his Department has made of effectiveness of the Government’s procurement strategy for (a) health and (b) social care.

The role of the Department’s Commercial Directorate is to provide the Department and wider health system with the appropriate commercial strategy, leadership, insight, and advice to enable delivery of the Government’s Health Mission, consistently maximising value for money. The directorate is responsible for oversight and assurance of procurement activity in the Health Family, including Arms Length Bodies like NHS England and The UK Health Security Agency, which encompasses approval of high-value or high-risk business cases.The directorate is also responsible for ensuring that procurement policy is aligned to Cabinet Office requirements, and that Health Family commercial compliance and performance is continually assessed for improvement against the Government’s Commercial Functional Standards, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-commercial-functionThe directorate sets an annual commercial savings target against contracts the Department awards and manages. For 2023/24, the directorate has delivered £44.6 million worth of commercial savings and benefits through procurement and contract management activity within the Department.

What steps he is taking to improve the quality of (a) hospital, (b) specialist centre and (c) other NHS buildings.

The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, providing high-quality health and social care for those in need. This means providing strategic, value for money investments into capital schemes that improve the quality of hospitals, specialist centres, and other NHS buildings.Integrated care boards and trusts have been allocated £4.2 billion this year to prioritise for local capital schemes that maintain and improve their NHS estate. An additional £3.9 billion is being provided through national programmes that aim to modernise and transform the NHS estate, facilitating digital improvements, and providing funding for new urgent care centres and mental health facilities. Decisions regarding future investment in the NHS are subject to the upcoming Spending Review, where the short and long-term needs of the NHS estate will be assessed.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the child vaccination rate for (a) MMR and (b) other dangerous diseases.

In England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with NHS England and the Department and wider health system partners at the national regional and local levels to improve uptake of the routine childhood immunisations and catch-up children who missed out.Increasing uptake of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine in order to achieve the World Health Organization target of 95% uptake by the time children reach five years old is a key priority for the National Health Service and a clear commitment in its Long Term Plan, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/The first UKHSA Childhood Immunisation communication campaign, encouraging parents to ensure their child’s vaccinations were up to date, ran from 4 March until mid-April 2024. The current campaign is running from 26 August until 4 October 2024. To raise awareness of potential vaccination benefits and increase awareness of the programmes, UKHSA also provides a comprehensive suite of public facing resources, including information leaflets in multiple languages and accessible formats, including easy read, BSL and braille, and provides comprehensive clinical guidance, including e-learning programmes and training, for healthcare professionals.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help (a) reduce and (b) prevent the use of ketamine by (i) people under the age of 25 and (ii) other people.

The Department takes seriously the threat of ketamine and other drugs to our young people, and is working with partners across the Government to respond to existing and new drug threats and to reduce and prevent the health harms. We know that drug treatment is protective, and the number of places in treatment for people who use drugs other than opiates is being increased by 30,000.The Government has a drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce drug misuse and its harms by increasing awareness for young people and parents. Information on ketamine and the danger of its misuse is available at the following link:https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/ketamineThe Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) is developing a briefing on ketamine for local areas, many of which are already mobilising in response to local need. The OHID also commissions drug education materials to be used by schools in personal, social, health, and economic education.

How many children have been given a meningococcal vaccine in the last 12 months.

The UK Health Security Agency measures the coverage of vaccines against meningococcal disease. The latest figures for Cover of Vaccination Evaluated Rapidly (COVER) are for the period from April 2023 to March 2024, and meningitis ACWY (MenACWY) vaccination figures cover the period from September 2023 to August 2024.The 2023 to 2024 annual published COVER figures at 12 months, given between eight weeks and 16 weeks, for the meningitis B vaccine are 62,0552 out of 68,1961 babies, or 91.0%. The 2023 to 2024 annual published COVER figures at two years, given at 12 months, for the haemophilus influenzae type B and meningitis C vaccine is 64,7263 out of 72,6395 babies, or 89.1%. The 2023 to 2024 annual published COVER figures at two years, given at 12 months, for the meningitis B vaccination booster is 63,7955 out of 72,6395 babies, or 87.8%. A total of 34,4062 out of 72,5289, or 47.4%, of 14-year-olds, those born between 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010, had received the MenACWY vaccine during the 2023 to 2024 academic year. Information on the coverage of vaccines against meningococcal disease is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-immunisation-statistics/england-2023-24