Written questions by Caliskan.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in levels of improvements to diagnostic services for pancreatic cancer since July 2024.

We will support the National Health Service to transform diagnostic services by spending £1.65 billion on additional capacity, including new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners, to support the delivery of over 30,000 more procedures and 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online.Performance against the Faster Diagnosis Standard for upper gastrointestinal cancer for the period July 2024 to February 2025 was 76.2%. This is a 3.1% increase over the same period in the previous year, from July 2023 to February 2024.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle shortages of medicine for people with (a) epilepsy and (b) Parkinson’s disease.

The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, most issues, including with carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and oxcarbazepine presentations, have been resolved.We are currently aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets from one manufacturer. This supply issue is expected to resolve by the end of May 2025. We are also aware of a shortage of phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets from one manufacturer, with the resupply date to be confirmed. In both cases, alternative suppliers are in stock with sufficient supply to support patients, and these issues have been communicated to the National Health Service.The Department is aware of supply constraints with one supplier of amantadine 100 milligram capsules used in the management of Parkinson’s Disease, however stocks remain available from alternative suppliers to cover demand. The Department has also been notified of a discontinuation of apomorphine (APO-go PFS) 50 milligram/10millilitre pre-filled syringes from April 2025. Alternative formulations of apomorphine remain available for patients, and management guidance has been issued to the NHS.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the timeframe GPs have to authorise repeat prescriptions.

There is no set timeframe for which general practitioners (GPs) must authorise repeat prescriptions. However, GPs should ensure that their patients know when to request the next batch of their repeat prescriptions, to allow sufficient time for it to be au...

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the uptake of breast cancer screening in (a) London and (b) the North East London Health and Care Partnership.

Uptake of breast screening declined during the pandemic but is now increasing although London uptake levels remains below England levels. The national acceptable level for coverage in the NHS Breast Screening Programme is 70%.The following table shows the...

How many times have neonatal units in the North East London Health & Care Partnership reached capacity since 1 May 2022.

The Department does not hold this data centrally. NHS England is investing £45 million to increase neonatal cot capacity. This investment has started to improve cot capacity in London, and will continue to do so by March 2025.

What recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in vacancy rates for midwives in (a) England, (b) London and (c) the North East London Health and Care Partnership.

No specific recent assessment has been made. The Government will continue to work with the National Health Service as it delivers its three-year maternity and neonatal plan to grow the maternity workforce, develop a culture of safety, and ensure women rec...