Ashley Dalton MP: speeches

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Speeches

13 Jan 2026 · ADHD Services · Hansard source
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We know that many people with suspected ADHD—attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—experience severe delays in accessing assessments. That is not right. We want people with ADHD to receive the right support in their communities. Our medium-term planning framework sets out expectations for local areas to improve access to ADHD services. The independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism will work with people with lived experience to identify challenges and solutions. The final report is due to be published in summer and will build on the independent ADHD taskforce report, which we welcome.
13 Jan 2026 · Brain Cancer Treatment: Washington and Gateshead South · Hansard source
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We are determined to ensure that everyone who receives a brain tumour diagnosis, regardless of where they live, has access to the latest treatment options. I look forward to meeting Owain’s wife, Ellie, later this month to hear more about their story and the next steps on this topic.
13 Jan 2026 · Brain Cancer Treatment: Washington and Gateshead South · Hansard source
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I also put on record my condolences to the family and friends of Colin Pickthall, the former Member for West Lancashire. As the current Member for that seat, it is my privilege to build on his legacy. We are committed to furthering investment to unlock new treatments and improve outcomes for brain cancer patients, including by investing in cutting-edge equipment to improve access to samples for research. Individual pathology services in England maintain their own standard operating procedures, and they outline local capabilities and practices, but we are continuing to invest in England’s pathology networks to deliver productivity and transformation improvements.
7 Jan 2026 · Advanced Brain Cancer: Tissue Freezing · Hansard source
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I am happy to confirm that I will ask officials to look into that, and to give me some advice on that pilot and on having a conversation with those running it about what we could learn from them. I thank the hon. Member for raising that question. I will close by paying tribute to our late colleague and Member of the Senedd, Hefin David. Through tireless campaigning, he brought Owain’s story to the Senedd. My hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly has now brought it to this place and I thank him for that. I look forward to working with him and other hon. Members to make 2026 the year that we shift the dial for patients with brain cancer.
7 Jan 2026 · Advanced Brain Cancer: Tissue Freezing · Hansard source
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It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Western. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly (Chris Evans) and all other hon. Members for their contributions, many of which were deeply personal and moving. I thank them all for their courage and soft-heartedness, and for bringing such compassion and insight to this debate. Let me say how sorry I was to hear about the loss of Owain at the age of just 34. His story reminds us that many people lose their lives to brain cancer very shortly after diagnosis, and we are determined to do all we can to change that. I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Ellie, who is here today, and his daughter Amelia. I would be honoured to meet Ellie and my hon. Friend to hear more about her and Owain’s story. Just yesterday, I was here for a debate on less survivable cancers. These debates and the petition show how much progress on cancer matters to Parliament and the public. My hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh) said that debates on brain cancer are a bit like buses: there are none for ages, then suddenly three at once. I want to acknowledge that her work has led to the higher profile for such debates in Parliament, more of which are taking place. I thank and commend her for her efforts in this field. My hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly raised incredibly serious issues about how informed consent, tissue freezing and innovation are impacting patients. I will take those points in turn. I will primarily address the context in England, although I acknowledge that areas of this policy apply across the UK. On informed consent and tissue storage, as a cancer patient myself, I find it very troubling when patients say they have not been informed about their tissue storage, as campaigners have reported. I completely understand why the Owain’s law petition calls for people to be properly informed about the choices available to them. Let me be clear: patients must always be fully informed about their rights, options and choices regarding the storage and future use of their tissue samples. The Human Tissue Authority was established in 2004 to oversee and licence organisations in the removal, storage and use of human tissue in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under the Human Tissue (Quality and Safety for Human Application) Regulations 2007, consent must be sought to collect human tissues and cells that are to be used in patient treatment. The Human Tissue Authority ensures compliance against those regulations as part of its standards, inspection and licensing regime. Consent should be sought in line with the suitable treatment options available to individual patients, which would be determined by their clinicians. That requirement extends to the collection of tumour samples that are to be used as the starting material in the manufacture of cancer vaccines. The Government expect establishments to be held to the highest standards to ensure appropriate and ethical use of human tissue. I understand that my hon. Friend is meeting with the Human Tissue Authority to discuss this matter further, and I know that he will keep me closely in the loop on that. Owain’s law also asks for every NHS hospital to freeze suitable brain tumour tissue to allow patients to benefit from emerging cancer treatments. Individual pathology services in England have their own processes, known as standard operating procedures, for fresh freezing of tissue samples. NHS procedures mirror local capabilities, which means the capacity for fresh freezing often depends on the availability of neurosurgery services in the local area. The human tissue regulations were introduced due to concerns that pathologists were retaining human tissues without appropriate consent. Any changes will need to be carefully considered by the Government. However, as was requested by my hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly and the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), I am happy to liaise with the devolved Governments on this issue, and I commit today to further exploring the current arrangements for freezing tissues and the options for change, particularly for brain tumour tissues. Beyond improving access to emerging treatments through freezing, we know that the most effective way to improve survival rates from cancers, including brain cancers, is to catch them early. That is why we have agreed around £600 million of capital investment in diagnostics for this financial year. Over £100 million will go to histopathology services, automation and digital diagnostics to improve pathology laboratories.
7 Jan 2026 · Advanced Brain Cancer: Tissue Freezing · Hansard source
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I note my hon. Friend’s clarification, but with that in mind, we do know that it is important to diagnose all cancers as quickly as possible, and the diagnosis of brain cancers is equally important so as to start treatment as quickly as possible. To that end, the Chancellor announced further investment in diagnostics at the autumn statement as part of a £6 billion capital investment to deliver constitutional standards. On genomics, I met the chief scientific officer for genomics yesterday to discuss how we ensure that the UK remains a world leader in genomics—which we are—and that we can apply genomics to improve cancer outcomes. We hope that our investment in diagnostics and pathology will mean that, in future, patients such as Owain will access a greater range of treatment options. My hon. Friend the Member for Caerphilly and Ellie are entirely right to raise the importance of innovation, particularly for less survivable cancers such as brain cancer. The Government are proud to support the Rare Cancers Bill introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur). Next Friday, Baroness Elliott will move its Second Reading in the other place. We will go even further to ensure that all patients with brain cancer have access to cutting edge clinical trials, innovation and lifesaving treatments. As part of our action, the National Institute for Health and Care Research announced the pioneering brain tumour research consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments across the UK. The NIHR is backing the consortium with an initial £13.7 million and more money to come this year. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children who are living with brain tumours and for their families, ultimately reducing the number of lives lost to cancer. As I confirmed yesterday, I will write to my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden in detail regarding access to funding. I am happy to commit to seeking information and exploring how we can make access to funding much clearer and more transparent. I am pleased to confirm that the national cancer plan for England will be published in just a few short weeks, in early February. It will focus on rarer cancers, including brain cancer, and will include further details on how we will improve outcomes and work with stakeholders such as the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission to do so. The plan will detail further action to speed up diagnosis and treatment in England, ensuring that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology and ultimately driving up survival rates.
6 Jan 2026 · Therapeutic Play and Children’s Healthcare · Hansard source
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As I stated earlier, we are promoting the Play Well toolkit right across the country through a variety of communication methods. We look forward to a variety of healthcare settings using that toolkit to deliver in their local areas. That moves me on to mental health. Under this Government, all children will have access to a mental health support team in their school or college by the end of this Parliament. We are also committed to opening 50 Young Futures hubs over the next four years, which will bring together services to help young people at a community level. There have been calls for us to go further on the children’s health workforce. The Minister for Secondary Care, my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol South (Karin Smyth), is absolutely committed to making sure that we have the right skills to care for patients, including children, when they need it. We are working through the changes and what they will mean for different professional groups. I know that mental health will be at the top of the agenda, not least for children. Health play therapists are trained through foundation degrees. The toolkit that has been developed sets out clearly how services should support practical training of specialists. Games and active play build social and emotional skills and support children’s wellbeing. We want every child to feel safe from harm and for their families to feel supported. We know that the poorest children are more likely to develop long-term illnesses. That is why it is shameful that child poverty has increased by 700,000 since 2010. With more than 4 million children now living in poverty in the UK and 800,000 children using food banks to eat, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor took the necessary decision to fund the biggest reduction in child poverty of any Budget this century. We are expanding free school meals to half a million kids whose parents are on low incomes, and lifting hundreds of thousands out of poverty by removing the two-child benefit cap. In addition, there is a £126 million funding boost for the family hubs and Start for Life programme this financial year. Best Start family hubs will be rolled out to every local authority from April. We have kept our manifesto promise to restrict junk food advertising targeted at children. We have announced improvements to the soft drink industry levy, and we have invested £11 million in local authorities to deploy supervised toothbrushing for three to five-year-olds in schools and nurseries in the most deprived areas of England. On neighbourhood health, my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead raised an important point about multidisciplinary teams for children and young people, which should take an holistic approach to looking after children. The aim is to embed general paediatricians in primary care to give specialist paediatric advice and reduce the need for out-patient paediatric referrals. Those discussions ideally bring together wider health, social care and educational specialists. The make-up of the teams is locally determined by integrated care boards, but play specialists could absolutely be involved as part of a neighbourhood team.
6 Jan 2026 · Therapeutic Play and Children’s Healthcare · Hansard source
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As my hon. Friend will have noticed, I referred to the workforce plan. My hon. Friend the Minister for Secondary Care will consider all areas of the workforce and what should be included. Play specialists could be involved; their use is most appropriate in teams that give face-to-face patient care, for example when a GP and a paediatrician hold a joint clinic in a GP practice. The majority of case discussions are held virtually, without the patient or family in attendance. There is probably less need for play specialists to support children in those circumstances, but we do encourage the use of the Play Well kit, to ensure that children’s needs are taken into consideration throughout the healthcare process. For the first time, in the recently published guidance, we require NHS providers to consider children in the roll-out of all services. The Government are cutting waiting lists, giving children a healthier start in life and lifting half a million children out of poverty. This year—2026—will be critical, as we roll out the Best Start in Life hubs to every local authority in April, while rolling out neighbourhood health hubs and implementing the 10-year plan. The Government fundamentally believe in the importance of play. I am sure all my right hon. and hon. Friends would agree that we could do with a little bit more play in our lives, including in this place. As my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Dr Opher) pointed out, all play is therapeutic, and we would all benefit from a little more play. I stand ready to work with NHS England, my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead and Starlight to make this a decisive year for children’s health. Question put and agreed to.
6 Jan 2026 · Therapeutic Play and Children’s Healthcare · Hansard source
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It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr Bailey) for securing this debate on such an important topic. I am grateful to him for sharing Hari’s story, and to Hari and Sarah for making the trip to Parliament. I have always believed in bringing patient voices to the heart of what we do in Parliament, and I hope they both leave safe in the knowledge that this Government are listening. I strongly agree with what hon. Friends have said about the relationship between play and medicine. I volunteered in a healthcare setting as a play worker many moons ago, but more than 30 years later, the important impact of that work has stayed with me. Play and medicine are not in competition, and it is disappointing that Sarah had to fight so hard for play to remain an essential part of Hari’s care. I am pleased that my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead got a constructive response from Whipps Cross, but he is right to say that coverage of play services varies across the country. Investing in our children is not just a moral mission; it is a downpayment on a better future. Children do not stop being children when they enter a hospital or a GP clinic. It is important to treat children like children when they are at home, at school or in hospital. There is growing evidence that therapeutic play can mitigate risks of trauma. We recognise that play services are integral to paediatric care, not a nice-to-have. We published the NHS England and Starlight Play Well toolkit in June last year, and I am delighted to see representatives of Starlight in the Public Gallery today. That included the first national guidelines and standards for commissioning and delivering health play services in England. NHS England is making sure that every manager of health play services knows about the Play Well toolkit across a wide range of settings. We are promoting it in community clinics, emergency departments, children’s hospices and acute paediatric wards. A range of communication channels have been used to raise awareness, including engagement with services via professional bodies, messaging via the chief nursing officer, and ongoing promotion through operational delivery networks directly to trusts and with professional groups. The NHS is also undertaking evidence-based initiatives such as the iSupport programme, which focuses on ensuring children’s rights and wellbeing. The iSupport checklist aims to help professionals deliver safe, compassionate and child-centred care. The programme is already being picked up by children’s wards across the country. I look forward to meeting Starlight. We have been trying to get this meeting in the diary for some time, and I am delighted that we have managed to do that. I look forward to working with Starlight to see where we can go further to help kids like Hari avoid childhood trauma.
6 Jan 2026 · Less Survivable Cancers · Hansard source
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It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Efford. I thank you and other Members for persevering despite my slightly tardy arrival, which was due, ironically, to the somewhat unpredictable effects of cancer chemotherapy. I am well, however, and have enjoyed the debate immensely. Before I begin, I pay tribute to all our NHS staff, our care workers and everyone serving our hospices for their work over the Christmas and new-year period. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) for securing this debate, and for doing his bit to keep up morale at the Royal Berkshire hospital on Christmas eve. I thank all Members for their contributions, and acknowledge all their personal stories and the stories they shared of their constituents. Such a wide range of issues has been raised; I will endeavour to respond to all questions, but given the time pressure, I will follow up in writing to any Members whose questions I do not cover. I will address each of the issues raised by the hon. Member for Wokingham in order. He is right that progress has been uneven across different types of cancer, and that less survivable cancers can be difficult to identify as the symptoms may mirror those of a host of other illnesses. To boost the diagnosis of cancers that are harder to catch at an earlier stage, we have rolled out the non-specific symptom pathways, with 115 NSS services now live. NSS pathways provide a referral route for patients whose symptoms do not fit under a specific cancer pathway. They are making diagnosis smoother and faster for patients whose symptoms are not as clear. The Government are proud to support the Rare Cancers Bill introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West (Dr Arthur). Baroness Elliott will move its Second Reading in the other place on Friday next week. As a cancer patient myself, I was proud to stand on a manifesto to tackle the biggest killers. My right hon. and learned Friend the Prime Minister reaffirmed that pledge just over a year ago, through our plan for change. Although the all cancer survival rate is the best it has ever been, less survivable cancers have just a 16% five-year survival rate, accounting for 67,000 deaths a year. And demand is rising: each day there are around 13,000 urgent referrals for suspected cancer. That is up almost 3,000 a day since 2019. My officials, including those leading on the national cancer plan, are carefully considering every one of the APPG’s recommendations. Although I cannot go into detail today, I assure Members that rare and less survivable cancers will feature heavily in the new cancer plan. The Government are asking the NHS, charities and all my colleagues in this place to join in a new national effort, spearheaded by the national cancer plan, which we will publish in just a few short weeks, in early February. I can confirm that there is no truth in the rumour that it is being delayed to March. The plan will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care. We want patients to have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to receive the highest quality of care. We made genomics one of the five big bets in our 10-year plan for health, setting out how we will harness it to create a genomics population health service and support innovation. In July last year, we launched the groundbreaking national inherited cancer predisposition register, so that we can keep track of people with genes that put them at risk. That brings me to a wider point about diagnostics and primary care. We have introduced Jess’s rule, named after Jess Brady, to prompt GPs to investigate further when a patient presents with the same symptoms or concerns more than twice. We have also boosted community diagnostic centres and invested an extra £889 million in general practice. We are committed to ensuring that GPs have the right training and systems to identify cancer symptoms, and we will continue to support the use of clinical decision support tools. On research and innovation, the Department of Health and Social Care invests over £1.6 billion a year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research. At over £141 million in the last financial year, cancer research is a major area of NIHR spending. Just last month, the NIHR launched a pioneering new £13.7 million brain tumour research consortium to accelerate research into new treatments. On the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden (Dame Siobhain McDonagh), I understand that the NIHR chief executive officer, Professor Lucy Chappell, has recently written to her, and I will follow up in writing to respond to my hon. Friend’s question and to explain the process of submitting a bid to the NIHR in detail. In 2024, the NIHR and the Office for Life Sciences announced nearly £11 million to support the further testing of innovations to help to increase the early detection and diagnosis of cancer. That includes funding for research into the new breath test for multiple gastrointestinal cancers and to look at how we can roll it out in primary care. People watching at home might be thinking, “Well, what happens with all this research?” So let me briefly give a real-world example of implementation: the Cytosponge is a simple test that can identify conditions that are a precursor to oesophageal cancer. The NIHR, alongside Cancer Research UK, funded research into the development of this “sponge on a string”. This year will see a new NHS pilot of its use in high street pharmacies, supporting the shift in the delivery of care from hospitals to community as part of our 10-year health plan. The Government are developing a palliative care and end-of-life care modern service framework, with publication planned for spring this year. The framework will align with the ambitions of the 10-year health plan, which prioritises shifting care out of hospitals and into community settings to ensure personalised, compassionate support for individuals of all ages and their families. The Government were elected on a manifesto to tackle the biggest killers, including cancer. I am proud to stand here today, after 18 months, and say that we can see some green shoots of recovery across the health service, with 135,000 more cancer diagnoses within the 28-day target. That is partly driven by over 100 community diagnostic centres opening at evenings and on weekends, and new surgical hubs to treat people faster. With the publication of our national cancer plan, 2026 could be a decisive year for cancer care. I look forward to working with the hon. Member for Wokingham, the APPG, my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West and all other Members to make sure that we keep our momentum into the new year and bring about real change.
15 Dec 2025 · Sudden Cardiac Death in Young People · Hansard source
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I thank my good friend, my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Chris Vince), for bringing forward this debate and sharing the stories of Clarissa and Jude. I thank all hon. Members for their contributions, and I acknowledge the losses to which they have attested. I must say that visiting the Harlow constituency was one of the highlights of my year, and it was a pleasure to open the new high-security containment labs with my hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. These labs are a critical part of our health and national security, and they bring jobs and growth to Harlow. I hope his constituents know how much their MP is battling for them in this place every day, and how his work is already paying dividends. I pay tribute to him for that.
15 Dec 2025 · Sudden Cardiac Death in Young People · Hansard source
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I think “Stayin’ Alive” is a bit of a sharp one, really, isn’t it? Given that once “Pink Pony Club” is in my head I cannot get rid of it for weeks, I think I will probably opt for that one! My hon. Friend makes a really important point, which is that learning CPR and how to use a defibrillator properly is a crucial life skill. I am really pleased and proud that NHS England is continuing to roll that out in our schools and communities. NHS England is also keeping under review the specialist service specification for providing care to families, working closely with the Association for Inherited Cardiac Conditions, Cardiomyopathy UK, Heart Valve Voice and the British Heart Foundation. We are also working with the NHS genomics programme to align the service specification with genomics resources. I will talk briefly about our vision of genomics. We are going through a revolution in medical science that means we can transform the NHS over the coming decade from a service that diagnoses and treats ill health to one that can predict and prevent it. If we can harness the power of life sciences to the health service, we can achieve many of the aims my hon. Friends and others have set out today. Within a decade, every newborn will undergo whole genome sequencing, which assesses future risk of hundreds of diseases, including cardiovascular conditions. Every baby will have their DNA mapped, allowing people to receive tailored healthcare, long before symptoms begin. Those advances could one day put an end to blanket screening and rudimentary health MOTs. Instead of mass screening, increasingly patients will be offered personalised health checks and targeted medicines far earlier, and adverse drug reactions will be avoided. That will help to transform the NHS from a reactive healthcare system into a proactive one. This ambition will be funded by a £650 million boost to genomics as part of the Government’s life sciences sector plan. We are just scratching the surface of what genomics, gene editing and life sciences can do. Under this Government, NHS waiting lists are falling, ambulances are arriving faster, and we are lifting hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. Our 10-year plan is building on the founding principle of the NHS so that it provides healthcare free at the point of risk, not just at the point of need, and now we are shifting the focus of our NHS from sickness to prevention. Wherever we can go further on prevention, we will. I have heard the case made by my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow this evening. He is a powerful advocate for those who have lost loved ones to sudden cardiac death, and we are listening to him and others who are pushing us to go further. I shall update him and, of course, the House next year, following the review of evidence and the public consultation. Question put and agreed to.
15 Dec 2025 · Sudden Cardiac Death in Young People · Hansard source
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The hon. Member will know that all vaccines are assessed and are not issued unless they are considered safe. We collect data on conditions and potential impacts right across the medical estate. I have not seen any data that would suggest there is a link to any particular vaccine, but if there is, the data would show us that and it would be considered. My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow and I stood on a manifesto to tackle the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease, to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions in England, and to reverse the legacy left to us by the previous Government. Through his work with the CRY campaign and everything he said in the Chamber this evening, it is evident that he is staying true to those promises. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for North West Leicestershire (Amanda Hack) for further highlighting the work of CRY. Any MP who campaigns on prevention is pushing at an open door with this Government. We are shifting the focus of our NHS from sickness to prevention. As my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow rightly points out, it is a tragedy when young lives are lost to preventable illness. He and others make a powerful case for a national screening programme, so let me address that point head-on. I fully support a national screening programme, as long as the experts agree that it would do more good than harm. Our National Screening Committee gives advice based on a range of factors and while balancing the pros and cons of screening population level groups, the committee has previously given evidence that introducing mass screening for sudden cardiac death could cause harm by misdiagnosing some people. For example, receiving a false diagnosis could lead to people being prescribed medication they do not need; people undergoing medical procedures they do not need, such as having an implantable defibrillator fitted; and people living in fear of sudden cardiac death when they are not genuinely at risk. However, the committee is currently reviewing the evidence for sudden cardiac death screening and will open a public consultation in early 2026. We will look carefully at the findings of the consultation and I know that the CRY campaign will make its voice heard. Several Members discussed defibrillators, and their training and use. NHS England runs training sessions on first aid, CPR and the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools under the Restart a Heart programme. NHS England has trained over 35,800 adults and children in CPR and defibrillator use in the past 13 years, and 2,134 so far this year. NHS England delivers the sessions via its resuscitation team and via its community first responders, and also runs lifesaving skills workshops for harder to reach communities and ethnically diverse groups. It has trained 407 people in lifesaving skills in that group so far this year. It is important to remember the care and support that loved ones receive when they lose a loved one to sudden cardiac arrest, or when they find out that a family member has an inherited heart condition. NHS England’s service specification sets out how that care should be provided by specialist teams in a way that is tailored to meet the needs of families.
4 Dec 2025 · Acquired Brain Injury Action Plan · Hansard source
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It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain. I congratulate the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes) on securing this important debate on an issue that touches many thousands of lives across the country. I acknowledge and thank all hon. Members for the stories of their constituents that they have shared today. I begin by paying tribute to the right hon. Gentleman and the all-party parliamentary group for acquired brain injury for shining a light on what has too often been an invisible issue. Through its recent report, “Right to Rehab: The Cost of Acquired Brain Injury to the UK Economy”, the all-party group, ably supported by the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum, has demonstrated both the human and the economic imperative for action. That report reveals the staggering £43 billion annual cost of ABI to our economy. It makes a compelling case for improved rehabilitation, cross-Government co-ordination and investment in specialist services. That work has helped to drive vital conversations across health, justice, education and beyond to ensure that people living with ABI are no longer overlooked. Recently, I was delighted to be able to attend and speak at the UKABIF annual ABI summit last month, where I met key stakeholders, including people with lived experience, for a panel discussion on the stage and at a separate meeting afterwards. I have taken away some important calls for action from those discussions. The Government have also listened to the calls of the all-party group and others for a dedicated plan. I reassure the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings and others that we remain committed to delivering on that promise. In the coming months, in the first half of next year, I confirm that we will publish the acquired brain injury action plan, a landmark step in delivering the joined-up approach that people with ABI deserve. I also confirm that when we publish it, that plan will draw on a wide range of evidence, including the evidence that was submitted in the 2022 call for evidence. The plan will set out clear priorities across health, social care, education, justice and beyond in a bid to move towards rehabilitation and long-term support being better embedded throughout public services. It will reflect continuing engagement with clinicians, charities and people with lived experience. It will provide the blueprint for improving outcomes, reducing inequalities and supporting independence.
4 Dec 2025 · Acquired Brain Injury Action Plan · Hansard source
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I am just coming to that, so the right hon. Member’s intervention was very timely. As has been highlighted, the plan matters, because ABI is not just a health issue; it touches education, employment, justice, work, benefits, housing, homelessness and many other areas of life. Without co-ordinated action, too many people will continue to fall through the gaps. In the first instance, therefore, I have started conversations with ministerial colleagues who have responsibility for education at the DFE, for the criminal justice system at the MOJ, for housing and homelessness at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and for work and benefits at the Department for Work and Pensions. The Department also reached out to those working on transport, sport and defence, among others, asking them to commit to tangible actions in the ABI plan. I note the suggestion of my hon. Friend the Member for Bury North (Mr Frith)—he is no longer in his place—and we will give that consideration. The plan will build on already excellent work that is going on across Whitehall, helping to tackle the impacts of ABI directly or indirectly. That includes the Ministry of Justice’s update to its new neurodiversity action plan; working with the Department for Transport on its road safety strategy; the Department for Education’s planned consultation on an updated version of supporting pupils with medical conditions at school; and the Home Office-led work to tackle domestic abuse. I also confirm, as was raised by the hon. Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse), that the Government are committed to advancing research into ABI in sport. We recognise the significant impact of sports-related head injuries on long-term health outcomes. Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, we are co-funding a major initiative, the UK traumatic brain injury platform. In addition, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport established the concussion in sport research forum, in which we are working alongside them. We recognise that developing the plan is taking slightly longer than we had originally wished, but I reassure right hon. and hon. Members that that is not because of a lack of commitment; it is because we want to get it right. We want to take ABI stakeholders with us and to set the plan against the new health and social care landscape described in this summer’s 10-year health plan. In Manchester last month, I had the opportunity, as I said, to hear directly about potential solutions and opportunities from those at the coalface. ABI affects every facet of life, and creating a plan that truly delivers requires co-ordination across multiple Departments and extensive stakeholder engagement, as well as alignment with wider reforms and developments such as the 10-year health plan, neighbourhood health services, new NICE guidance on rehabilitation and NHS England’s recently refreshed service specification for adult neurology services. That will mean that, although the report may be slightly delayed, it will have a comprehensive cross-Government approach to drive real change by improving rehabilitation, reducing inequalities and supporting people with ABI to live independent and fulfilling lives. I know that the all-party group, the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings, my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr Brash), and the Lib Dem spokesperson, the hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Alison Bennett), all recognise that rehabilitation is the cornerstone of recovery and independence. Reports from the APPG and UKABIF have made it clear that timely, specialist rehabilitation can transform lives. Rehabilitation is what turns survival into quality of life, enabling people to return to work, education and their communities. The APPG has consistently championed a statutory right to rehabilitation because it knows that too many people face fragmented services and missed opportunities, and as a result their health deteriorates once they are back in the community. What the final action plan will say on community rehabilitation will be worked through carefully with stakeholders and with NHS England to ensure that we get it right. We must ensure that our proposals are feasible and viable. However, at the absolute minimum, it will highlight the new NICE guidelines on rehabilitation, setting the expectation that the NHS should take these into account, as well as showcasing the best practice that already exists. Many hon. and right hon. Members raised data sharing. I am keen to pursue better data sharing on ABI across Departments and the NHS to ensure that our response is joined up and that it improves patient identification, care and support. Rehabilitation is a central focus of our 10-year health plan, which recognises that timely, high-quality rehabilitation reduces long-term disability, improves quality of life and saves significant costs for both health and social care. By embedding rehabilitation into integrated care pathways, expanding community-based services and investing in specialist multidisciplinary teams, the 10-year health plan will ensure that support is available when and where it is needed, including for people who have experienced ABI. That commitment reflects a shift towards person-centred care, helping people to regain skills, to return to work or education, and to live fulfilling lives after serious illness or injury. Through the 10-year health plan, we are introducing neighbourhood health centres and deploying multi- disciplinary teams to provide holistic support to people with conditions like ABI. We know that every ABI journey is different, and recovery depends on care that reflects individual needs, goals and circumstances. That is why the plan promises to expand personalised care approaches, giving people a say in their care. We commit, therefore, to providing 95% of people with complex needs with a personalised care plan by 2027. That means that people with ABI will benefit from structured and co-ordinated support that is tailored to their needs. The expansion of personal health budgets outlined in the health plan will give people greater flexibility, choice and control over their care. Our digital transformation commitments will make a real difference too. By improving data sharing between health, social care and rehabilitation services, we can ensure continuity of care and avoid delays. Digital care plans will allow patients and professionals to track progress and adjust goals in real time. Those innovations mean more personalised and co-ordinated care. I am really keen to explore better data collection and sharing between the NHS, patient groups, researchers and those with lived experience across my long-term conditions portfolio, which includes ABI. There are ongoing discussions within the Department on how we might be able to improve the quality of, and access to, health data. I know that there is some great data out there, but too often access to it is too restricted. The Government will publish the 10-year workforce plan in spring 2026. This will set out action to create a workforce that is ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-year health plan. My hon. Friend the Member for Blaydon and Consett (Liz Twist) mentioned mental health. NHS talking therapies have a specific pathway for people with long-term physical health conditions, including ABI, and all ICBs are expected to expand services locally by commissioning NHS talking therapies services integrated into physical healthcare pathways, including those for ABI. Together with the ABI action plan, the 10-year health plan and the 10-year workforce plan will represent a step change in how we support people with ABI. The action plan will deliver a joined-up approach across health, social care, education, justice and beyond, ensuring that rehabilitation and long-term support are no longer fragmented. The 10-year health plan complements this by embedding personalised care planning, expanding community rehabilitation and harnessing digital innovation. These commitments will mean better access to timely, tailored services, improved continuity of care, and a focus on independence and quality of life. By working collaboratively across Government, the NHS and stakeholders will turn these plans into action and deliver the outcomes that people with ABI deserve. I have covered as many issues as possible. There are some that I do not have immediate information about, but I will write after the debate to the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Dr Johnson), about her question on mechanical thrombectomy. By working together right across Government and making sure we have joined-up data and joined-up thinking, we will bring forward the action plan on ABI in the first half of 2026 to deliver the outcomes that people with ABI deserve and need.
20 Nov 2025 · Children with Serious Neurological Conditions · Hansard source
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I am more than happy to do that. All too often, we have seen that the transition is a really difficult time, and as he points out, where services are perhaps not as joined up and cohesive for adults as they are for children, that is hugely jarring—a huge problem for families to navigate. We are committed to making sure that transition plans start early, involve families and ensure that continuity of care. Our goal is to make the process smooth and supportive, not stressful and fragmented. Health is only one part of the picture. Children with serious neurological conditions often have special educational needs and disabilities, and their success depends on a joined-up approach across sectors. That is why the SEND reforms that the Government are working on are so important. We are moving towards earlier intervention, stronger inclusion in mainstream education, and better collaboration between health, education and social care. These changes will ensure that support is needs-led rather than diagnosis-driven, with clear accountability across integrated care boards and schools. By embedding mental health provision, improving workforce expertise and planning smooth transitions into adulthood care, we aim to deliver consistent, high-quality support that helps children to thrive and restores confidence in the system. Caring for a child with a serious neurological condition can place enormous financial strain on families. The welfare system is designed to provide a crucial lifeline, ensuring that no family is crushed by the additional, often substantial, costs associated with their child’s condition. The Government provide support through a range of benefits, including disability living allowance, carer’s allowance, personal health budgets and local authority support, including respite care and equipment provision. Financial support is not just about money; it is about giving families the stability and security they need to focus on what matters most—their child’s wellbeing. Our commitment to children with serious neurological conditions reflects the core values of our society: compassion, fairness and the belief that every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential. By improving healthcare access and providing comprehensive support systems, we are building a more inclusive and resilient future for all. We will ensure that no child or family feels abandoned, and that compassion and co-ordination define the care that they receive.
20 Nov 2025 · Children with Serious Neurological Conditions · Hansard source
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I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham and Beckton (James Asser) on securing this important debate and acknowledge the journey of his constituent Shelina Begum and the work she has done on behalf of her daughter, Tafida Raqeeb, with the establishment of the Tafida Raqeeb Foundation and all the work it does. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) for his contribution. His tireless work raising issues around supporting and caring for children with neurological issues is well known in this House. My hon. Friend the Member for Leeds South West and Morley (Mark Sewards) raised the issue of access to EHCPs—which are provided through local authorities—which continues to need work, and my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Adam Jogee) highlighted the need for joined-up care and services. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on a subject that touches on the lives of thousands of families across the country. There are hundreds of serious neuro- logical conditions that affect children, ranging from epilepsy and cerebral palsy to rare, genetic and degenerative disorders and acquired brain injury. I will speak on the common themes that unite people’s experiences: the need for timely diagnosis, integrated care and comprehensive support for every child and family, regardless of the specific condition they face. Living with a serious neurological condition is a life-altering reality for children and their families. Whether congenital, acquired or progressive, these conditions often bring profound physical limitations, developmental delays and complex care needs. Families face relentless hospital visits, financial strain and the emotional toll of uncertainty, all while navigating fragmented health, education and social care systems. The Government recognise these challenges and are committed to improving access to care, reducing inequalities and providing holistic support through health, education and social care systems. Our 10-year health plan will transform care for children with serious neurological conditions by delivering integrated, community-based services that put families at the centre and by prioritising early identification and intervention, ensuring that children receive timely diagnoses and treatment to prevent complications. Through neighbourhood health centres, multidisciplinary teams—including paediatric neurologists, therapists, mental health professionals and social workers—will provide wraparound support that meets medical, emotional and practical needs. Digital tools will empower parents to manage appointments and access records as easily as they bank online. This is about creating a system that works for families, not against them. Through NHS England’s neurology transformation programme, we are creating pathways that wrap around families. The national bundle of care for children and young people with epilepsy sets clear standards for paediatric epilepsy care. For cerebral palsy, new commissioning frameworks ensure early intervention and co-ordinated services. Specialised paediatric neurosciences services provide access to life-changing procedures, such as epilepsy surgery and selective dorsal rhizotomy—that is a difficult word to say, Madam Deputy Speaker. The Government are committed to improving lives for those affected by rare diseases, which includes some serious neurological conditions, under the UK rare diseases framework. This includes better co-ordination of care and improving access to specialist care, treatment and drugs. We also hear that children and families impacted by these conditions can struggle to access mental health support, which is just not right. To address that, the NHS genomics education programme has published new resources on rare diseases for healthcare professionals to help them with sensitive conversations. The 10-year health plan also sets out ambitious goals to transform mental health services across the country so that everyone living with a rare disease, along with their loved ones, can get the support they truly deserve. We know that timely access to care is critical, yet many families face delays of months. That is unacceptable. That is why we have committed to meeting the NHS constitutional standard of patients seen within 18 weeks by March 2029. For the elective reform plan and the neurology transformation programme, we are expanding diagnostic capacity, rolling out virtual consultations and opening more community diagnostic centres seven days a week. Those steps will cut waiting lists and ensure that children and families get the care they need when they need it. We know that neurological conditions often come with emotional and behavioural challenges. That is why mental health support is being embedded into paediatric neurology pathways. Initiatives such as the national bundle of care for children and young people with epilepsy include psychological support as a core component. We are also expanding mental health support teams in schools and launching young futures hubs to provide integrated local support. This holistic approach recognises that physical and mental health are inseparable. For many families, the move from paediatric to adult services is a key time of uncertainty. We are addressing that through structured transition planning, as set out in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and NHS England frameworks.
20 Nov 2025 · World COPD Day · Hansard source
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It is a pleasure, as always, to serve under your chairship, Mr Efford. I thank the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) for securing this timely debate, as we mark World COPD Day. As hon. Members have clearly demonstrated in this debate, tackling COPD does not lend itself to one area of activity; that point was well made by my hon. Friend the Member for Blaydon and Consett (Liz Twist). COPD is known to affect 1.5 million people in the UK but, due to uncertainties, that number, as has been stated, could well be much higher. Improvements are needed across society and the healthcare system to reduce the incidence of COPD and help people living with the condition—people like my mum, Margaret—to lead healthier, longer lives. Our 10-year plan is built around the recognition that widespread change is needed to shift from treating COPD to preventing it, to ensure that those living with COPD receive care in the areas where they live and to embrace new technology to diagnose COPD earlier. I reassure the shadow Minister that the National Institute for Health and Care Research welcomes all proposals for research, and I encourage researchers to submit proposals on COPD and similar respiratory conditions for consideration. Before I speak about the actions we are taking through the plan and more broadly, I want to address the points about a modern service framework for respiratory disease. Frameworks for cardiovascular disease and severe mental illness and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia will be developed first. However, there will be more—those are just the first three. The criteria for determining future frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. I assure hon. Members that respiratory disease will be considered alongside many other things as we bring forward more modern service frameworks in the future. As has been said, smoking is the No. 1 preventable cause of COPD. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be the biggest public health intervention since Labour’s indoor smoking ban in 2007. The Bill also allows us to expand current indoor smoking restrictions to outdoor public places and workplaces. In England, we are considering extending smoke-free outdoor places to outside schools, children’s playgrounds and hospitals. Prevention will always be better than cure. As part of our health mission, we will shift the health system from treatment to prevention by tackling the social determinants of health. The public health allocations, including for smoking cessation, will be announced shortly. In terms of vaccines, the primary aim of the national covid-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, hospitalisations and deaths arising from covid-19. The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has advised that population immunity to covid-19 has been significantly increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. The focus of the JCVI-advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality: the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed. In line with the JCVI advice, a covid-19 vaccination is being offered to adults aged 75 years and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed. I do not have to hand the data on uptake for the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Helen Morgan), but the Government’s vaccine strategy is being rolled out and is focused on stabilising and increasing vaccine take-up. I will write to the hon. Lady with an update on the data following this debate. In terms of housing and air quality, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the first step, but it is only part of the action that we are taking to improve air quality. We are working across Government with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to tackle air pollution and with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to fix housing and reduce damp and mould, both of which can exacerbate COPD, as hon. Members have said today, and make life much harder for people than it needs to be. We are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to support people with COPD to get back into and stay in work. In March, we announced in the “Pathways to Work” Green Paper that we will establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with long-term health conditions claiming out-of-work benefits who want help to get into or return to work. That will be backed up by £1.9 billion of new funding by the end of the decade. Unemployment is worst in the most deprived areas of the country, and those areas have the worst health inequalities. COPD disproportionately affects people in deprived areas and we intend to address that. Yesterday, we announced the publication of our men’s health strategy, which includes our commitment to addressing entrenched health inequalities in ex-mining and industrial communities, where economic transition and occupational legacies have led to persistent respiratory and cardiovascular disease burdens. As part of the strategy, we will expand the existing respiratory pathways transformation fund initiative by investing an additional £1 million this year, through the Oxfordshire health innovation network, to develop targeted, case-finding initiatives in former coalfield areas. That will help us to identify the individuals who need support to access appropriate local services. We will continue to capture learning in the men’s health strategy “one year on” report. The hon. Member for Strangford raised coverage of spirometry and the progress made to increase coverage of this diagnosis service in the community. I also assure the shadow Minister that we are shifting care from hospitals to the community, as it is one of the key pillars of the 10-year plan, and we are building on progress so far. The number of community diagnostic centres reporting spirometry testing capacity is growing and will continue to as more sites come online. So far this year, we have seen an increase in CDC spirometry testing of 2,000 tests a month—more than in the previous year. Preventing and diagnosing COPD are two key areas we are making improvements in, but we also want to ensure that people with COPD have healthier lives. As highlighted by the shadow Minister, pulmonary rehabilitation is a key intervention to improve the health of people with COPD and reduce pressure on NHS hospitals. As he knows, we inherited very low rates of people accessing this service, and I want briefly to set out the action we are taking to change that. We want to ensure equitable access to these services and reduce health inequalities. To address that, NHS England has published commissioning standards for pulmonary rehabilitation, setting out the benchmarks that high-quality services should aim for, while recognising that cardiac comorbidity is highly prevalent in patients attending pulmonary rehabilitation. In addition, the nine health systems across England have been awarded funding totalling £2.61 million through the pathway transformation fund to deliver innovative projects between October 2025 and March 2026, to drive system-wide transformation in asthma and COPD care. I confirm to the hon. Member for Strangford that reporting on the outcomes of the PTF projects will follow later in 2026. It is vital that all screening programmes are evidence-based. That is why the Government are guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee. Lung cancer screening has been very positive, particularly for deprived communities, and is growing year on year. I visited a programme in the north-west recently and saw the amazing work that they were doing to identify early-stage lung disease. It is an opportunity for many more people to be recognised and treated for lung conditions who previously were not receiving support. Where emphysema is found, the screening programme refers people to their GP. GPs have established clinical pathways for supporting people with COPD. The hon. Member for Strangford is understandably interested in biologic therapies, which have also been mentioned by other Members. Biologic therapies for COPD will be commissioned by ICBs, should NICE approve them. The high cost of biologics means that a specialist approach by ICBs is needed, but we cannot pre-empt the findings of NICE, so we will wait to see the outcome of that. I want briefly to cover the points made on winter planning. The NHS chief executive wrote to the NHS in September following the testing of winter plans, and set out key areas for learning for providers and systems. It included the need for robust plans to maximise vaccination rates and proactively to manage rising risk to COPD patients during the winter, including the optimisation of care and remote monitoring, greater emphasis on self-management and education, and strengthening community support. The actions being taken as part of winter planning, and the other actions I have set out today on smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation, directly relate to the NICE fundamentals of COPD care. I hope that the totality of that work reassures the hon. Members for Strangford and for Surrey Heath that we are committed to NICE’s fundamentals being delivered across the country. Too many people have had their lives cut short by COPD—people such as my cousin’s husband, Steve Ormerwood, who we lost to COPD far too young. His wife, Janet, his children, Adam and Joanne, his young granddaughter, Ada, and all our family feel his loss keenly. COPD is a lifelong condition, but it can and should be prevented. This Government take our responsibility to that goal with the utmost seriousness, as the cross-Government approach to that mission demonstrates. Equally serious is the need to ensure that those living with COPD, especially from communities that have been overlooked, are supported to live healthier and longer lives.
19 Nov 2025 · Myalgic Encephalomyelitis · Hansard source
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I recognise my hon. Friend’s points, and I will cover some of them in my remarks. She will be aware that the women’s health strategy is currently being refreshed, so we hope to dovetail wherever possible. I want to set out the steps that this Government are taking to change the misunderstanding, stigma and inconsistent care that patients have experienced. Through our ME/CFS final delivery plan, we will deliver better care, boost research and ensure that every person living with ME/CFS is treated with dignity and compassion. First, let us acknowledge the reality. ME/CFS is a complex multi-system condition. Its fluctuating nature makes diagnosis and management challenging. Historically, services have been extremely varied, and in some cases patients have felt dismissed or rejected by the healthcare system. That is unacceptable. We have heard those concerns loud and clear through our extensive consultation on the interim delivery plan and through ongoing engagement with patients, carers, clinicians, researchers and charities. Last year’s prevention of future deaths report following the tragic death of Maeve Boothby O’Neill further highlighted the urgent need for reform, pointing to a lack of specialist beds and inadequate training for clinicians. We cannot and will not allow such failings to continue. In July, we published the ME/CFS final delivery plan, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to improving lives. The plan is built around three core themes: boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and enhancing care and support. With a clear commitment to ensure that people with ME/CFS can live as independently as possible and see their overall quality of life enhanced, that plan will help us to take an important step towards achieving that, but we acknowledge that there is more to do. We will continue to build on the foundation of those actions well beyond the publication of the plan. It is the springboard—the beginning, not the end. Although the final delivery plan does not include every suggestion received through the consultation responses or through the task and finish group, it does not mean that those proposals will not be considered in the future, subject to resource and funding. We look forward to continuing those conversations.
19 Nov 2025 · Myalgic Encephalomyelitis · Hansard source
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I will not, as time is short. To support healthcare professionals in diagnosis, as set out in the final delivery plan, the Department has worked with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS for all healthcare professionals. The aim is to support staff so that they can provide better care and improve patient outcomes. The plan was not developed in isolation. It reflects thousands of consultation responses and the input of the cross-sector task and finish groups. We repurposed the task and finish groups into a new post-publication stakeholder engagement group, and we look forward to working closely with it during the all-important implementation phase. I recognise that some stakeholders feel that the plan does not go far enough, but let me be clear: this is not the end of the journey; this is simply the foundations. Our work does not stand alone; it stands on the broader ambition to transform the NHS from a sickness service into a health service. We are working with the DWP and the Department for Education to ensure that all the issues raised are considered, in particular during the Timms review. ME/CFS has been overlooked for far too long. We are determined to change that. To everyone living with ME/CFS and to your families and carers, I say this: we hear you; we value you; we believe you; and we are committed to making the system work better for you and with you. Together, we can build a future where everyone receives the care, respect and support that they deserve.
19 Nov 2025 · Myalgic Encephalomyelitis · Hansard source
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I will come later in my remarks to the training that is being rolled out as part of the delivery plan. Myalgic encephalomyelitis—better known as ME—and chronic fatigue syndrome, which I will refer to from now on as ME/CFS, is a condition that affects an estimated 390,000 people in the UK. Its symptoms can be profoundly debilitating, impacting every aspect of daily life, from work and education to family and social life. For those with severe or very severe ME/CFS, even basic tasks such as sitting up, eating or speaking can become impossible. We recognise the devastating impact this condition has on individuals and families. For too long, people with ME/CFS have faced stigma, misunderstanding, disbelief and inconsistent care.
19 Nov 2025 · Myalgic Encephalomyelitis · Hansard source
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While NHSE is in the process of being dismantled, all its functions continue, and the new Department of Health and Social Care will continue all its work. None of that is being got rid of; it is simply being brought together into a more efficient, new Department of Health and Social Care. The Department will continue to meet a group of key stakeholders to move the work forward on mild and moderate ME/CFS in the coming weeks. Additionally, I confirm that the DHSC has already started conversations with NHS England to explore a specialised service prescribed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for severe ME/CFS. That work will continue. Changing attitudes is as important as changing services to many people with ME/CFS who have faced disbelief or stigma. As outlined in the plan, we will address that by launching a public awareness initiative to improve understanding of the condition and the support available. We will work with schools, employers and social care providers to ensure that children and adults with ME/CFS receive the information and support that they need.
19 Nov 2025 · Myalgic Encephalomyelitis · Hansard source
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It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Mundell. I congratulate the hon. Member for Wells and Mendip Hills (Tessa Munt) on securing this debate, and pay tribute to her for her continued advocacy on behalf of people living with myalgic encephalomyelitis. Her work has ensured that the voices of those affected are heard at the highest levels of Government, and I am happy to accept her invitation to meet her and stakeholders, and the invitation from my hon. Friend the Member for Leigh and Atherton (Jo Platt), the chair of the APPG. I thank all hon. Members who have contributed today, and I particularly acknowledge all the constituents they have referred to. They all deserve the very best care from our NHS. I will endeavour to respond to as many of the issues raised as I possibly can. If I have not covered something, my officials will take notes and follow up in writing.
19 Nov 2025 · Myalgic Encephalomyelitis · Hansard source
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I will come to the task and finish group in my remarks. Research is the key to unlocking better treatments and improving quality of life. As has been mentioned, we have seen progress through projects such as DecodeME, the world’s largest genetic study of ME/CFS, which is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council. Preliminary findings from the study indicate genetic differences in eight areas linked to the immune and nervous systems in people with ME/CFS. That discovery of specific genetic signals may help us to understand the biological pathways involved in ME/CFS in the future. However, we need to go further. That is why the plan includes a funding offer and a commitment to continue working with researchers, industry and patient groups. New awards announced this year include funding for repurposed treatments and £845,000 for a large infrastructure project called PRIME, or, to give it its full name, Building Infrastructure for Patients, Researchers and Industry for ME/CFS. Together with the MRC, we are actively exploring next steps in ME/CFS research. For example, earlier this month we co-hosted the research showcase event for post-acute infection conditions, including ME/CFS. It brought together people with lived experience, researchers, clinicians and funders to help to stimulate further research in this field. We are now considering the discussions that took place at the showcase to explore the next steps to stimulate further research. The output of that event will be circulated as soon as possible. The final delivery plan also sets out actions to improve access to specialist services—to provide better support for children and young people, and their families, and to address employment challenges. It aligns with our 10-year health plan, which includes the roll-out of neighbourhood health services, bringing care closer to home and ensuring that multidisciplinary teams can support people with complex conditions such as ME/CFS. Provision varies across the country and we are determined to reduce those inequalities. The final delivery plan includes actions to improve service mapping and workforce training so that every patient, regardless of postcode, can access the care they need. NHS England is working closely with the Department to support ICBs in commissioning equitable evidence-based services. Two of the most important actions in the plan are focused on NHS services. NHS England has already started its work on co-designing resources for systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS.
17 Nov 2025 · Parkinson’s Disease · Hansard source
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It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Lewell. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Paul Davies) for introducing the debate, as well as everyone who signed the petition for raising this important issue and the many hon. Members who contributed. I acknowledge each one of the 18 Back-Bench speeches and numerous interventions, and particularly all the constituents and campaigners that hon. and right hon. Members mentioned. We also have a packed Public Gallery, which goes to show just how important this issue is. I will attempt to answer as many questions as possible. I am unlikely to answer all of them, but my officials have noted every question asked; anything that I do not cover in my speech will be covered in writing to the hon. Member involved. Parkinson’s disease presents one of the most complex and growing challenges for our health and care system. Given an ageing population and the condition’s rising prevalence, Parkinson’s demands not only specialist clinical expertise, but co-ordinated social care, community support, and innovative approaches to treatment and management. The impact on those affected is profound, and addressing their needs requires a system that is integrated and responsive to both current pressures and future demands. The Parky charter is a five-point manifesto created by the Movers and Shakers to tackle what are described as “systematic failings” in care. It calls on Government to deliver five commitments: speedy access to specialists, instant information for patients, a Parkinson’s passport to streamline support, comprehensive and co-ordinated care, and a renewed quest for a cure. The charter aims to ensure timely diagnosis, dignity and better quality of life for everyone affected by this fast-growing neurological condition. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the Movers and Shakers only a few weeks ago, along with Parkinson’s UK. I recognise the urgency of their calls. I shared with them my commitment to improving outcomes for people with Parkinson’s and their families. I acknowledge the need to improve access to Parkinson’s specialists. Through the elective recovery plan, the aim is for 92% of patients to start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks by March 2029, supported by millions of additional elective appointments across specialties, including neurology. Our recently published 10-year health plan for England sets out a vision for neighbourhood health services, bringing multidisciplinary teams closer to communities and ensuring that Parkinson’s expertise is embedded in care pathways. We will also publish a 10-year workforce plan, which will ensure that the NHS has the right people in the right places with the right skills for patients when they need them, including patients with Parkinson’s. Those measures, combined with digital consultations and integrated care models, aim to reduce waiting times, tackle workforce shortages and deliver timely, personalised care for people living with Parkinson’s. As of August 2025, there are over 2,000 full-time equivalent doctors working in the speciality of neurology in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. That is over 90—nearly 5%—more than in 2024. It includes over 1,000 full-time consultants, which is almost 50—over 5%—more than in 2024. We will soon publish a 10-year workforce plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. Sadly, Parkinson’s cannot currently be cured, but it can be managed effectively with the right interventions. That is why we have embedded Parkinson’s care with broader neurological strategies, including the neurology transformation programme and the RightCare progressive neurological conditions toolkit. Those initiatives aim to reduce variation in care, improve safety and deliver integrated services across the NHS. They set out what good treatment looks like and support integrated care systems to provide the right service at the right time. We are also taking steps to ensure that people have better access to information. In the 10-year health plan, there is a strong emphasis on using technology and community-based services to provide joined-up care and practical advice closer to home. Initiatives such as Diagnosis Connect, partly inspired by Parkinson’s UK’s referral programme, will help newly diagnosed individuals to receive instant information and support from trusted sources. We are expanding access to digital health tools so that patients and carers can manage symptoms, access guidance and connect with specialist teams without delay. Consistent and timely access to medicines is key to maintaining a good quality of life and good symptom control for people with Parkinson’s, as well as preventing the complications that could otherwise lead to unnecessary hospital admissions. A focus on time-critical medicines is a key priority for NHS England’s medicines safety improvement programme, which is seeking to reduce severe, avoidable harm associated with medicines. Work is currently under way involving 80 NHS trusts, with 48 of them receiving active support for innovation and improvement. Practical tools such as the RightCare toolkit and resources from Parkinson’s UK’s “Get It On Time” campaign are also helping staff and patients to plan for hospital stays and optimise medication schedules. While we currently have no plans to offer automatic entitlement to benefits, reforms to the welfare system are intended to improve support for people with long-term conditions such as Parkinson’s. Proposals in our “Pathways to Work” Green Paper mark a significant step in that regard, by moving away from the one-size-fits-all approach, so that people receive the tailored help needed to live with dignity and independence, and to work if they are able to do so. For those who cannot work, we will guarantee a strong safety net, so that those with the most severe lifelong health conditions have their incomes protected through an additional premium and are exempt from future reassessment. We have recently published our consultation response to the Green Paper recently, and we will set out detailed policy proposals in due course. Any changes to personal independence payment eligibility will come after the Timms review—an ambitious and inclusive review that aims to ensure that we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. To ensure that lived experience is at the heart of that work, the review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts. There is currently no plan to review the medical exemption list of conditions. However, I assure all Members that I am acutely aware of the list, and that it has been added to only once since its inception in 1968, which was to add cancer in 2009. However, approximately 89% of prescription items are currently dispersed free of charge, and a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges exist, including free prescriptions for everyone under the age of 19—or 16 if they are in full-time employment—and over 60. Innovative treatments are transforming the outlook for people with Parkinson’s disease. The NHS has recently rolled out—let me try to say it now—Produodopa. No, I did not do well on that, but it is helping patients with advanced Parkinson’s to achieve more stable symptom control and to improve quality of life. The technology uses a small, wearable pump to deliver medication under the skin, managing symptoms more steadily through the day and night than traditional oral tablets. The 10-year plan commits to make wearables standard in preventive, chronic and post-acute NHS treatment by 2035. We will provide devices for free in areas where need and deprivation are highest. Alongside such research, we are driving breakthroughs in cell and gene therapies, and large-scale trials testing multiple disease-modifying drugs. Of course, future progress depends on research, which is why my Department invests more than £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research. In the financial year 2024-25, the NIHR has committed £6 million to Parkinson’s disease projects through its research programmes. In addition, last month, the world’s largest clinical trial for treatments to stop or slow the progression of Parkinson’s opened for recruitment. I encourage researchers to keep applying for funding through the NIHR. We would love to see more proposals. We have set up the UK-wide Neuro Forum to work across the four nations. I will ask officials to explore a conversation specifically on Parkinson’s and how better to share practice across the four nations. Once again, I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley for opening the debate, and all Members who have contributed to the actions I have outlined. The reforms echo the priorities set out in the Parky charter. By aligning policy with the charter’s five key asks, we can build a health and care system that delivers dignity, certainty and hope for every person with Parkinson’s and their families.

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