Written questions by Hayes.

What steps his Department is taking to improve breast cancer screening in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) South Holland and The Deepings constituency.

Nationally, NHS England has developed a national plan in collaboration with key stakeholders, such as cancer alliances, to improve uptake within the breast screening programme. The plan sets out the priorities, interventions, and the required monitoring of the impacts and outcomes to be achieved, to improve uptake through expanding access, data, and analytics, reducing inequalities, contracting, communication, and IT developments.Locally, the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board was awarded national funding in 2023 to establish an additional mobile screening unit. Additionally, local services are doing focused inequalities work with three practises identified as having lower uptake.

What steps his Department is taking to prevent migrants who are not entitled to use NHS services from using (a) hospitals, (b) GP services and (c) other NHS services.

Anyone can access and use the National Health Service, however some individuals who are not ordinarily resident or not covered by an exemption under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, will be chargeable for some NHS services, as the NHS is a residency-based system. Services, such as those provided by a general practice, or services provided for the diagnosis of infectious diseases, are exempt from charge for all. Where treatment is urgent, as determined by a clinician, that treatment will never be delayed, and if charges apply, they must be pursued by the NHS trust after treatment.

What recent estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire who have unmet care needs; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure those care needs are met.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014.Long-term reform is needed in adult social care. We will work with the sector to build consensus for a National Care Service, based on consistent national standards, to support people to live independent and dignified lives.In the interim, Care Quality Commission (CQC) local authority assessments consider the performance of the delivery of Care Act duties, including the timeliness of assessing care needs. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing its functions to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has powers to intervene. The CQC has published its first nine local authority ratings and reports.

What assessment he has made of trends in childhood obesity levels in (a) South Holland and The Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in each of the last three years.

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on children in Reception, aged four to five years old, and children in Year 6, aged 10 to 11 years old. It provides detailed trend data on children’s weight status, including childhood obesity. Data on obesity prevalence from the NCMP is available for the school years 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22, and 2022/23, with 2022/23 being the most recent year for which data is available. There is no data available for Lincolnshire for 2020/21 due the COVID-19 pandemic, with all of the data for 2019/20 having been collected before the COVID-19 pandemic. Data is not available at a constituency level, but is available at a local authority level. For Lincolnshire, the prevalence of obesity in 2022/23 for both children aged four to five years old and those aged 10 to 11 years old is similar to the pre-pandemic levels in 2019/20. The following table shows the obesity prevalence as a percentage for children in Reception and Year 6 in Lincolnshire, where the data is available, each year from 2019/20 to 2022/23: Obesity prevalenceAreaReceptionYear 62019/202020/212021/222022/232019/202020/212021/222022/23Lincolnshire10.5%No data11.0%9.4%22.2%No data24.3%23.2%

What information his Department holds on the number of community pharmacies that have closed in (a) South Holland and the Deeping constituency and (b) Lincolnshire since 2014.

The Department does not hold data prior to September 2016. There were 13 community pharmacies providing National Health Service pharmaceutical services in the South Holland and Deeping constituency on 30 June 2024, which is three fewer than in September 2016. There were 177 community pharmacies providing NHS pharmaceutical services in Lincolnshire County on 30 June 2024, which is 16 fewer than in September 2016.

What steps he is taking to reduce accident and emergency waiting times at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn.

The Government has committed to supporting the NHS to improve performance across the country including in Kings Lynn. This includes returning NHS standards to those set out in the NHS Constitution, including that 95% of patients attending accident and emergency departments are admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours.As a first step, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care appointed Professor Lord Darzi to lead an independent investigation of the NHS’ performance. The investigation’s findings were published on 12 September and will feed into the Government’s work on a 10-year plan to radically reform the NHS and build a health service that is fit for the future.

How many full-time equivalent GPs were working in South Holland and the Deepings constituency on 7 October 2024.

As of 31 August 2024, the latest period for which data is available, South Holland and the Deepings constituency had 44 full-time equivalent (FTE) fully qualified general practitioners and 70 FTE doctors in general practice, including trainees.

What steps he is taking to help support children 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 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 (NICE) 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. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng62NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme aims to improve care for people with neurological conditions, including those with cerebral palsy, by reducing variation and delivering care more equitably across the country.Most services for people with cerebral palsy are commissioned locally by integrated care boards, 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.