Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. The Government is committed to supporting the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including leukaemia, as early and quickly as possible and to improve outcomes for patients.

To support earlier diagnosis of blood cancers, including leukaemia, NHS England has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients presenting with symptoms such as unexplained weight loss and fatigue that do not clearly align to a particular tumour type. Blood cancers, including leukaemia, are among the most common cancers diagnosed through these pathways.

Recognising that leukaemia is not captured by the current stage-based measure of early diagnosis, the National Cancer Plan commits to publishing regular data on the number of these cancers diagnosed in emergency settings, as a proxy for late or ineffective diagnosis. Adding this to the basket of early diagnosis metrics will help incentivise systems and providers to focus on earlier diagnosis of blood cancers.

The National Cancer Plan also includes measures to strengthen diagnostic services by investing in diagnostic capacity and expanding access to tests and scans. Community diagnostic centres are playing an important role in supporting earlier diagnosis, with 109 centres now open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, offering at least one diagnostic test during extended hours. The Government also plans to open four additional community diagnostic centres, helping more patients access diagnostic services closer to home and at times that fit around work and family commitments.

The plan will also support earlier diagnosis through the wider use of innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence, where supported by evidence, and by ensuring every patient who would benefit from a genomic test can receive one within a clinically relevant timeframe.

Recognising that blood cancers such as leukaemia do not behave like many other cancers and are not captured by stage-based early diagnosis metrics, the National Cancer Plan also commits to publishing regular data on the number of these cancers diagnosed in emergency settings. This will improve understanding of diagnostic performance, help identify where further intervention is needed, and support earlier diagnosis of leukaemia and other blood cancers.

NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (ICB) supports the national ambition to improve access to neighbourhood women’s health services.

Locally, this builds on women’s health hub activity already established across the system, including early adopter sites and primary care network (PCN)-led models delivering a range of core services.

Work is underway to further develop a broader women’s health neighbourhood offer that builds on existing provision, PCN-led innovation and community partnerships.

Existing hub-related activity includes PCN-led women’s health provision in areas such as Wrekin, with workforce upskilling to expand access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) and pessary care. Since April 2025, 62 PCN-led LARC clinics have been delivered.

The local model also includes menopause group consultations, community open-day approaches, schools-based menstrual health education, targeted outreach, and data-led work to improve screening uptake and engagement in areas of higher deprivation.

The ICB is progressing a comprehensive women’s health needs assessment using population health management approaches. This will identify priorities for women and girls across the life course and inform the development of future hub models, ensuring services reflect local need, including addressing health inequalities and the challenges of access across a predominantly rural geography.

In parallel, the ICB is exploring opportunities to strengthen prevention and improve coordination across services. This includes work on preconception health, including an education pilot funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, and strengthening links between abortion services and sexual and reproductive health commissioning through a local forum focused on service coordination and shared learning.

The ICB’s approach is to continue strengthening current women’s health hub activity while using needs assessment findings and engagement with primary care, local authorities, NHS and independent providers, and the voluntary and community sector to determine the most appropriate future model. The ambition is to develop a broader, integrated offer that improves access to contraception, menopause support, menstrual health, preconception care and other priority areas identified by women and girls locally.

The Home Secretary directly intervened to stop migrants being moved into the Stoke Heath development in Shropshire and no asylum seekers remain on site.

The Home Secretary has introduced a robust process which means that under the enhanced assurance and governance framework, newbuild sites such as the Stoke Heath development would not meet the criteria for use to house asylum seekers.

Decisions on locations are made following a robust consultation process which takes into account access to services, availability of GPs and dentists as well as education, healthcare and other local services before the Home Office commits to any accommodation.

The Home Secretary directly intervened to stop migrants being moved into the Stoke Heath development in Shropshire and no asylum seekers remain on site.

The Home Secretary has introduced a robust process which means that under the enhanced assurance and governance framework, newbuild sites such as the Stoke Heath development would not meet the criteria for use to house asylum seekers.

Decisions on locations are made following a robust consultation process which takes into account access to services, availability of GPs and dentists as well as education, healthcare and other local services before the Home Office commits to any accommodation.

The Office for National Statistics publishes regional productivity statistics annually. The latest data, published in 2025, cover the period up to 2023. Data for 2024 are not yet available.

Our Plan for Small Businesses, published in July 2025, places high streets at the centre of economic renewal, recognising them as vital centres of growth and employment.

The Plan sets out how we will help improve footfall to high streets in South Shropshire and those across the UK, by tackling high street decline; addressing retail crime and anti-social behaviour; updating our licensing regime; and promoting greater partnerships on the High Street.

The government is working with local partners and businesses to develop a new MHCLG-led High Streets Strategy that will set out how we will support communities to create vibrant high streets.

According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations Spring update, published on 13 May 2026, as of January 2026, 92% of the Shropshire local authority landmass has 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile network operators (MNO). Standalone 5G is available outside 58% of premises across the local authority from at least one MNO.

Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. This ambition includes villages and rural communities as well as towns and cities.

The rollout of higher quality standalone 5G is being led by commercial investment from the three MNOs. All three network operators have committed significant investment plans which align with this Government’s ambition, and through the Mobile Market Review we are looking to better understand how Government can go further in supporting the sector to deliver widespread, high-quality connectivity. The Call for Evidence closed on 5 May, and Government will provide next steps later this year.

We are also addressing barriers to mobile infrastructure deployment including on planning reform in England. We are considering responses to the Government’s recent Call for Evidence and will determine next steps in due course.

The Government recognises the importance of downstream users, including manufacturing and construction, alongside a resilient steel sector.

The measure balances support for steelmaking with the need for secure supply chains and has been shaped through extensive engagement

To ease impacts, goods contracted before 14 March 2026 and imported between 1 July and 30 September will be exempt under a transitional arrangement.

The Steel Strategy aims to create a more competitive landscape for UK production, to enable companies to use more domestic content.

We will keep the measure under review, including a review after twelve months to ensure its effectiveness.