Every parliamentary written question tabled by Scott Arthur this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 65 · Department of Health and Social Care
Further to the Written Answer given on 2 March 2026 (UIN 114544), does he plan to review or update this guidance.
The Department has no current plans to review or update informed consent guidance in protecting National Health Service clinicians from subsequent legal challenge where animal-derived ingredients are used in medicines or treatments without explicit disclosure.
With reference to impact assessment 13013 published by his Department on 25 May 2021, whether his Department still plans to publish a review of the advertising and promotional restrictions within the first 5 years of enforcement.
Our 10-Year Health Plan for England set out the decisive action we are taking on the obesity crisis, to ease the strain on our National Health Service and to create the healthiest generation of children ever. As part of this, we implemented United Kingdom-wide restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drinks on television and online from 5 January 2026. We also implemented restrictions on volume price promotions for less healthy food and drinks, such as three for two offers, in stores and their online equivalents across England from 1 October 2025. These are in addition to the restrictions that have already been in place since 2022 on the promotion by location of less healthy food and drink products in stores and their equivalent places online.We will monitor the effectiveness of these advertising and promotions restrictions with a Post Implementation Review within five years of them taking legal effect.
How his Department plans to support endoscopy services to ensure the increased test sensitivity in the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to 80ug/g is rolled out by 2028 without impacting on colonoscopy waiting times.
NHS England has undertaken detailed modelling to understand the diagnostic and workforce capacity required to support a reduction in the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) threshold within the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in England. NHS England has worked with early adopter sites to test the operational impact of lowering the FIT threshold in real‑world settings. These sites have provided evidence on changes in referral volumes, colonoscopy demand, cancer and polyp detection rates, and the implications for endoscopy services. The findings are being formally evaluated and are informing assumptions within the national capacity modelling. The timing of wider roll‑out is directly linked to the outcomes of this modelling and evaluation work, as well as the availability of trained endoscopy staff.NHS England continues to develop the endoscopy workforce, including the expansion of the screening colonoscopist workforce through Advanced Training Skills Module. Alongside this, NHS England is progressing a wider programme of endoscopy transformation focused on releasing capacity and improving productivity. This includes the intelligent use of FIT testing, including coloFIT, to support more effective risk stratification, reduce unnecessary colonoscopies, and ensure that available endoscopy capacity is targeted towards those at highest risk. Embedding FIT‑led pathways supports earlier reassurance for lower‑risk individuals while prioritising timely investigation for those most likely to benefit.
What estimate his Department has made of the diagnostic and workforce capacity required to increase the test sensitivity threshold in the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme to 80ug/g by 2028.
NHS England has undertaken detailed modelling to understand the diagnostic and workforce capacity required to support a reduction in the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) threshold within the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in England. NHS England has worked with early adopter sites to test the operational impact of lowering the FIT threshold in real‑world settings. These sites have provided evidence on changes in referral volumes, colonoscopy demand, cancer and polyp detection rates, and the implications for endoscopy services. The findings are being formally evaluated and are informing assumptions within the national capacity modelling. The timing of wider roll‑out is directly linked to the outcomes of this modelling and evaluation work, as well as the availability of trained endoscopy staff.NHS England continues to develop the endoscopy workforce, including the expansion of the screening colonoscopist workforce through Advanced Training Skills Module. Alongside this, NHS England is progressing a wider programme of endoscopy transformation focused on releasing capacity and improving productivity. This includes the intelligent use of FIT testing, including coloFIT, to support more effective risk stratification, reduce unnecessary colonoscopies, and ensure that available endoscopy capacity is targeted towards those at highest risk. Embedding FIT‑led pathways supports earlier reassurance for lower‑risk individuals while prioritising timely investigation for those most likely to benefit.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of informed consent guidance in protecting NHS clinicians from subsequent legal challenge where animal-derived ingredients are used in medicines or treatments without explicit disclosure.
No assessment has been made of the adequacy of informed consent guidance in protecting National Health Service clinicians from subsequent legal challenge where animal-derived ingredients are used in medicines or treatments without explicit disclosure.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of introducing the 2018 Nutrient Profiling Model on business investment in the food and drink sector.
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. As part of this, the Government committed to updating the standards behind the restrictions on advertising ‘less healthy’ food or drink products on television before 9:00pm and online at any time, as well as the restrictions on the promotion of ‘less healthy’ food and drink products by location and volume price by applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM).The advertising and promotions restrictions currently rely on the outdated NPM 2004/05. The new NPM has been updated in line with the latest dietary advice from the United Kingdom’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, particularly in relation to free sugar and fibre. Applying it to the restrictions will strengthen these policies by bringing more products of concern for children’s health into scope.The Government published the new NPM on 27 January. Application of the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions would be subject to a full public consultation and an impact assessment of the costs to businesses and intended health outcomes.
What assessment his department has made of the findings of the Held in Our Hearts Impact Report on hospital-to-home bereavement support for families following the loss of a baby.
We recognise the importance of supporting the transition from the hospital to home for bereaved families, so that support is always available when families need it most.Held in Our Hearts is a Scottish Charity supporting Health Boards in Scotland, and healthcare in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Government. The Department has not made an assessment of the findings of the Held in Our Hearts Impact Report.
What consideration he has made of the need for a national bladder cancer audit.
In regards to a National Bladder Cancer Audit consideration, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell on 10 December 2025 to Question 96365.
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an equivalent of the EU Safe Hearts Plan in the UK.
We note the recently published European Union’s Safe Hearts Plan and support the EU’s ambition to tackle cardiovascular diseases. Too many lives are lost prematurely to heart disease and stroke, and the Government is committed to reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years. To accelerate progress on this ambition and tackle unwarranted variation across the country, we will publish a cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework in 2026, which will identify the best evidenced interventions and drive innovation in prevention, treatment, and care.
Whether his Department has assessed whether NICE has approved a greater or fewer number of new medicines since the introduction of the severity modifier in 2020, compared with comparable international health systems.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its recommendations. The severity modifier was introduced in January 2022 as part of a number of changes intended to make NICE’s methods fairer, faster and more consistent.NICE carried out a review of the implementation of the severity modifier in September 2024 and found that it is operating as intended with a greater proportion of medicines recommended than under NICE’s previous methods. Since then, NICE has continued to monitor how the severity modifier is being applied. The latest figures include data from technology appraisals published up until the end of September 2025 and show that the proportion of positive decisions has increased since the severity modifier was implemented and since data was published in September 2024. 87.0% of decisions taken since the severity modifier was implemented, compared with 82.5% when the end-of-life modifier was being used. NICE is also recommending a greater proportion of new cancer treatments overall, 86.3% compared to 75.0%, and advanced cancer treatments specifically, 84.8% compared to 69.1%.NICE has commissioned research to gather further evidence on societal preferences that will inform future methods reviews.
Whether his department has considered the impact of NICE’s severity modifier, introduced in 2020, on NHS England’s access to innovative cancer medicines which were previously eligible under the end-of-life weighting.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its recommendations. The severity modifier was introduced in January 2022 as part of a number of changes intended to make NICE’s methods fairer, faster and more consistent.NICE carried out a review of the implementation of the severity modifier in September 2024 and found that it is operating as intended with a greater proportion of medicines recommended than under NICE’s previous methods. Since then, NICE has continued to monitor how the severity modifier is being applied. The latest figures include data from technology appraisals published up until the end of September 2025 and show that the proportion of positive decisions has increased since the severity modifier was implemented and since data was published in September 2024. 87.0% of decisions taken since the severity modifier was implemented, compared with 82.5% when the end-of-life modifier was being used. NICE is also recommending a greater proportion of new cancer treatments overall, 86.3% compared to 75.0%, and advanced cancer treatments specifically, 84.8% compared to 69.1%.NICE has commissioned research to gather further evidence on societal preferences that will inform future methods reviews.
Whether his Department made an impact assessment of the effect of NICE’s severity modifier, introduced in 2020, on the ability of cancer medicines to meet the new ‘high severity’ threshold for approval.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its recommendations. The severity modifier was introduced in January 2022 as part of a number of changes intended to make NICE’s methods fairer, faster and more consistent.NICE carried out a review of the implementation of the severity modifier in September 2024 and found that it is operating as intended with a greater proportion of medicines recommended than under NICE’s previous methods. Since then, NICE has continued to monitor how the severity modifier is being applied. The latest figures include data from technology appraisals published up until the end of September 2025 and show that the proportion of positive decisions has increased since the severity modifier was implemented and since data was published in September 2024. 87.0% of decisions taken since the severity modifier was implemented, compared with 82.5% when the end-of-life modifier was being used. NICE is also recommending a greater proportion of new cancer treatments overall, 86.3% compared to 75.0%, and advanced cancer treatments specifically, 84.8% compared to 69.1%.NICE has commissioned research to gather further evidence on societal preferences that will inform future methods reviews.
What steps he is taking to increase collaboration between his Department and Drinkaware.
External engagement is a fundamental part of what United Kingdom ministerial Government departments do. We recognise the importance of promoting transparency through engagement and the need to take a balanced and proportionate approach.In Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Government has committed to some crucial steps to help people make healthier choices about alcohol, for instance making it a legal requirement for alcohol labels to display health warnings and consistent nutritional information. The plan can be accessed online at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-futureIn the development and progression of the 10-Year Health Plan’s commitments and other policies, Department officials have met a wide range of stakeholders and are making plans for further stakeholder engagement to take place shortly. Stakeholder insights will help shape the Department’s work to ensure that are policies are most effective.
What steps he has taken to help reduce sepsis mortality in patients with leukaemia and other cancers.
Sepsis has no specific diagnostic test, and the signs and symptoms can vary hugely across all patients, making sepsis challenging to diagnose early. It is therefore critical that all acutely unwell patients are treated promptly and appropriately regardless of cause.Screening, diagnosis, and treatment of suspected sepsis is supported by the use of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2). NEWS2 supports clinicians to determine the need for immediate care and is used in 99% of acute National Health Service trusts and 100% of ambulance trusts in England.To further aid clinical staff in diagnosing sepsis early, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published national guidelines on the recognition, diagnosis, and early management of suspected sepsis in people aged 16 years old and over. People with a weakened immune system, such as those having chemotherapy treatment, are more likely to get an infection that could lead to sepsis. Therefore, NICE has additional guidelines on the prevention and management of neutropenic sepsis in people with cancer. NICE guidelines provide authoritative, evidence-based guidance on best practice and should be taken fully into account by healthcare professionals in the care and treatment of NHS patients. The guidelines can be accessed alongside NHS England’s online sepsis training programmes.Additionally, the Department continues to fund research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to improve our understanding of sepsis diagnosis and immediate management.The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years.
What steps he is taking to ensure timely access to chemosaturation for patients with metastatic ocular (uveal) melanoma.
The Department remains committed to ensuring that cancer patients, including those with metastatic ocular melanoma, have timely access to treatment and tailored medical support.In 2016, NHS England concluded that there was insufficient evidence to make chemosaturation treatment available to patients on the National Health Service. NHS England is currently in the early stages of policy development for chemosaturation to treat metastatic uveal melanoma where surgery to remove or destroy affected cells and tissue in the liver is not feasible.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published an Interventional Procedure Guidance for this treatment, and while this does allow NHS trusts to offer the treatment locally, they can only do so if they put in place special arrangements for clinical governance, consent, audit, or research, because further evidence of benefit and safety is needed. The 2016 NHS England Clinical Commissioning policy is currently under review, and we expect that a new draft policy will be shared with stakeholders over the coming months. If NHS England’s clinical panel makes the treatment routinely available across the NHS in England it will require further consideration through relative prioritisation and investment before full roll out.The development of a Clinical Commissioning policy will determine both if the evidence is now sufficient to enable making the treatment routinely available and, if it is, whether to allocate service development funding to implement it across the NHS in England.
What steps he is taking to help improve women's heart health.
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, and we are delivering our commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected.In 2023, 31% of those who died prematurely from cardiovascular disease (CVD) were women. We are committed to reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years. To accelerate progress towards this ambition, we will publish a new CVD modern service framework in 2026. Officials and NHS England are working closely to deliver the framework and are engaging widely throughout its development.The NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s CVD prevention programme, aims to detect people at risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and kidney disease in those aged between 40 and 74 years old. The programme prevents approximately 500 heart attacks or strokes annually and every year, approximately 770,000 women complete an NHS Health Check.Work to improve access to the NHS Health Check programme is ongoing, including the development of a NHS Health Check Online service, which will allow women to undertake their health check at home, at a time and place convenient to them.
What steps he is taking to improve the (a) treatment and (b) prevention of cardiovascular diseases that disproportionately impact women, including (i) Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, (ii) Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries and (iii) Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.
In 2023, 31% of those who died prematurely from cardiovascular disease (CVD) were women. We are committed to reducing premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years through improvements in prevention and treatment.To accelerate progress towards this ambition, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) in 2026. The CVD MSF will support consistent, high quality and equitable care whilst fostering innovation across the CVD pathway.
What steps he is taking to publish guidance on managing hypoglycaemia that includes (a) treatment, (b) when to seek medical help and (c) rules for those with diabetes who drive or operate heavy machinery.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published advice on the management of type 1 diabetes, including advice on managing acute hypoglycaemia, which is available at the following link: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/diabetes-type-1/management/ There are no current plans for the Department to publish specific guidance for distinct workforce groups.
With reference to the report by Sarcoma UK entitled Unique Among Cancers: A state of the nation review of sarcoma care, published on 11 June 2025, what steps he plans to take to help tackle issues noted in that report relating to sarcoma (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) care.
The Department has received, and relevant officials are currently considering, Sarcoma UK’s report reviewing sarcoma care across the United Kingdom.The Department will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster, including sarcoma. To achieve this, the NHS in England has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.NHS England has published a national service specification, covering both bone and soft tissue sarcomas. The specification requires close working between sarcoma services and other NHS partners, co-ordinated by Sarcoma Advisory Groups, to improve care pathways.The National Cancer Plan for England will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as research and innovation. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for all patient groups, including sarcoma patients.
What progress he has made on the establishment of Commercial Research Delivery Centres.
Significant progress has been made in establishing the United Kingdom-wide network of Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs). Since 1 April 2025, 21 CRDCs have been operating across all four nations of the UK, 15 in England, four in Scotland, and a one-nation approach in both Wales and Northern Ireland. These have been funded through the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth Clinical Trials Investment Programme, alongside National Institute for Health and Care Research funding in England.A UK-wide CRDC Network was launched on 1 September 2025 to coordinate activity, provide strategic leadership, and support consistency across the centres. To expand commercial research into out-of-hospital settings, 14 Primary Care CRDCs will begin on 1 November 2025 in England. These will be hosted by general practice-led NHS primary care organisations and fully integrated into the CRDC Network. Together, these initiatives will enhance the speed, consistency, and inclusivity of commercial clinical research delivery, strengthening the UK’s position as a global life sciences leader.