Further to the answers provided on 3 July in response to Questions 12453 and 12458, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their populations and for enabling implementation of NICE guidance, including NICE guideline NG73 on endometriosis. NHS England supports implementation through its oversight of ICB planning and performance, informed by available access, waiting-time, quality and outcomes data, while recognising that local pathways should be designed around population need.

In response to Question 27420, NHS England does not hold this information.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy commits to speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment for conditions including endometriosis. In line with NICE guidance, services should have arrangements for prompt diagnosis and referral, with particular consideration given to referral to paediatric and adolescent gynaecology services for those aged 17 years old and under.

NHS England is developing a system-wide pelvic pain pathway, aligned with NICE guidance, to provide a consistent framework for managing pelvic pain and endometriosis across primary care, neighbourhood services, and specialist secondary care. This will support earlier recognition and diagnosis, clearer referral routes, and care at the most appropriate level according to clinical need, including for adolescents with suspected endometriosis.

NHS England is working with regions and systems to support adoption of these pathways and a neighbourhood approach to care. As this work develops, it will provide a clearer basis for ICBs to demonstrate delivery against NICE-aligned pathway expectations, identify unwarranted variation, and address gaps in access, timeliness, and outcomes through established assurance arrangements.

In relation to Question 27422, no assessment has been made.

A women’s health data dashboard is intended to be made publicly available within the next year providing neighbourhood-level comparable data about service performance, access, and women’s outcomes and experiences. Key lines of enquiry enabled by the dashboard will include understanding healthcare demand, access, and identifying outcome progress and variation.

Further to the answers provided on 3 July in response to Questions 12453 and 12458, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their populations and for enabling implementation of NICE guidance, including NICE guideline NG73 on endometriosis. NHS England supports implementation through its oversight of ICB planning and performance, informed by available access, waiting-time, quality and outcomes data, while recognising that local pathways should be designed around population need.

In response to Question 27420, NHS England does not hold this information.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy commits to speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment for conditions including endometriosis. In line with NICE guidance, services should have arrangements for prompt diagnosis and referral, with particular consideration given to referral to paediatric and adolescent gynaecology services for those aged 17 years old and under.

NHS England is developing a system-wide pelvic pain pathway, aligned with NICE guidance, to provide a consistent framework for managing pelvic pain and endometriosis across primary care, neighbourhood services, and specialist secondary care. This will support earlier recognition and diagnosis, clearer referral routes, and care at the most appropriate level according to clinical need, including for adolescents with suspected endometriosis.

NHS England is working with regions and systems to support adoption of these pathways and a neighbourhood approach to care. As this work develops, it will provide a clearer basis for ICBs to demonstrate delivery against NICE-aligned pathway expectations, identify unwarranted variation, and address gaps in access, timeliness, and outcomes through established assurance arrangements.

In relation to Question 27422, no assessment has been made.

A women’s health data dashboard is intended to be made publicly available within the next year providing neighbourhood-level comparable data about service performance, access, and women’s outcomes and experiences. Key lines of enquiry enabled by the dashboard will include understanding healthcare demand, access, and identifying outcome progress and variation.

The Government recognises that a cancer diagnosis during pregnancy or maternity leave can have a significant impact on women and their families.

The National Cancer Plan sets out how we will provide support to people with cancer before, during, and after their treatment, including for pregnant or postnatal women. Everyone should get a personalised needs assessment and personal cancer plan that takes into account their wider psychological and social needs, including the impact of pregnancy where relevant.

Health professionals should provide integrated care for pregnant women facing serious physical illnesses and mental health challenges. Significant progress has been made across England in recent years to transform and increase access to specialist perinatal mental health services.

Specifically on atopic dermatitis, and the prescribing of appropriate emollients, the relevant doctor or healthcare professional is responsible for working with their patient and deciding on the best course of treatment. Prescribers take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards when making decisions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also publishes a range of guidance on atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions for commissioners and healthcare professionals, with recommendations for diagnosis and referral, which are available at the NICE website.

On dermatology care in general, waiting times, and the proposal for a national service framework, I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer that I provided her on 13 January in response to Question HL13259, which, for ease of reference, is reproduced below:

Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. The Government will consider clinical specialities for future waves of modern service frameworks, including allergy, dermatology, which includes chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and immunology. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on disease burden, care variation, economic impact, and where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.

The Department recognises the potential benefits of virtual clinics in improving access to specialist care for conditions like CSU. A central part of our 10-Year Health Plan is moving care closer to home, and we recognise that we need to do this while retaining access to specialist support. Trusts should provide the infrastructure and resources to facilitate virtual consultations, but this should not replace face-to-face care where it is more appropriate, dependent on clinical need, or preferred by individual patients.

NHS England’s service specification for specialised dermatology services for adults and children is designed to reduce regional disparities in care for CSU by setting consistent national standards for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The specification ensures that all patients, regardless of location, have access to evidence-based interventions and specialist expertise, including advanced therapies where clinically appropriate. The specification addresses historical variations in service provision and supports equitable access across integrated care systems. This approach helps to improve outcomes for patients with CSU and ensures a more uniform level of care throughout England.

Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme is working to improve capacity and waiting times through its established Further Faster programme. This programme brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary follow-up outpatient appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.

A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced, to share best practice and support National Health Service dermatology teams to reduce the number of Did Not Attend appointments, reduce unnecessary follow ups and, where appropriate, reduce the number of outpatient appointments by booking patients straight to tests, helping to free up capacity for patients in need of specialist dermatology services.

The Government is exploring the role and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the earlier detection and diagnosis in a range of clinical specialties, including cardiovascular disease. This includes the safe and effective adoption of AI tools such as AI-assisted echocardiography, automated electrocardiogram interpretation, and digital stethoscope recordings through robust regulatory and assurance processes.

NHS England’s physiological sciences strategic framework clearly positions AI as a key enabler of community-based diagnostics, supporting faster and more standardised analysis of electrocardiograms and imaging tests.

NHS England is currently operating the pancreatic case finding pilot in selected primary care networks in the following cancer alliances:

• East Midlands;
• East of England;
• Greater Manchester;
• Humber and North Yorkshire;
• North Central London;
• North East London;
• South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw;
• Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire;
• Thames Valley;
• Wessex; and
• West Midlands.

NHS England will be undertaking an evaluation of the pilot. This will inform next steps including whether the geographical coverage should be extended.

The Government is committed to improving access to high‑quality care and treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other progressive neurological conditions.

Through NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme, a new model of integrated care has also been developed to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients. This focuses on providing access equitably across the country, with care as close to home as possible, and early intervention to prevent illness and deterioration in patients with long-term neurological conditions, including MS. A toolkit was developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model, which includes components on delivering acute neurology services, improving health equity in neurology, and improving community neurology services.

NHS England has published an updated service specification for specialised neurology services, including MS, which sets out clear expectations for proactive, coordinated care to reduce the risk of avoidable complications and emphasises early identification of clinical risks, personalised care planning, and timely access to multidisciplinary support, including specialist nurses, therapists, and community services.

In addition, the GIRFT Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, and the model of integrated neurology care developed through the Neurology Transformation Programme support greater consistency, coordination, and sharing of best practice across local systems and geographical areas. NHS England has developed national neurology dashboards, including an MS data dashboard and an interactive adult neurology dashboard, to support systems in monitoring service delivery, benchmarking performance, and understanding the quality of local neurology services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued guidance on the use of disease‑modifying therapies for MS, supporting clinicians to offer clinically- and cost‑effective treatments based on the best available evidence. ICBs are expected to have regard to NICE guidance to ensure patients can access high‑quality care and treatment. NHS England also supports the implementation of treatment algorithms to promote consistent prescribing and reduce unwarranted variation in access to high‑efficacy therapies.

The 10-Year Health Plan will also support improved care and outcomes for people with MS by focusing on earlier diagnosis, more timely access to specialist treatment, and more coordinated, community‑based care. It will prioritise reducing unwarranted variation in services and strengthening multidisciplinary support, helping people with MS to manage their condition more effectively and maintain their quality of life.

Finally, a UK-wide neuro forum has been convened, bringing together the governments, health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four UK nations. The forum will share learnings across the UK, and discuss important neurology services transformation and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions.

NHS England commissions the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme available to all integrated care boards (ICBs) in England. For eligible people with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes, NHS England commissions the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme, which is also available to all ICBs in England.

Together, these national programmes complement locally commissioned prevention, weight management and diabetes care services, helping to address the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes by preventing or delaying new cases.

The Department has made no such assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence keeps all its guidance under review and its guideline on the recognition and referral of suspected cancer was updated in April 2026. There are no current plans for a further update of the guideline, including a review of the age or family history criteria for urgent investigations.

The Department has made no such assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence keeps all its guidance under review and its guideline on the recognition and referral of suspected cancer was updated in April 2026. There are no current plans for a further update of the guideline, including a review of the age or family history criteria for urgent investigations.

The interim report of the independent review into mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism found that access to support is too often slow, fragmented, and heavily dependent on having a diagnosis. Where support depends heavily on a formal diagnosis, demand for assessment can outstrip capacity, contributing to long waits, repeated assessments, and pressure on services. Diagnosis remains essential to inform treatment and enhance understanding, but the review is considering how people can receive appropriate support earlier and according to need. Its final report will make recommendations for the Government, the health system, and wider public services.

On the provision of NT-proBNP point-of-care testing, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 5 June 2025 in response to Question 54244. More broadly, the Cardiovascular Diesease Modern Service Framework sets out the Department's approach to prevention and reduced hospital admissions and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cardiovascular-disease-modern-service-framework

However, the Department does not hold the specific estimate requested.

On the provision of NT-proBNP point-of-care testing, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 5 June 2025 in response to Question 54244. More broadly, the Cardiovascular Diesease Modern Service Framework sets out the Department's approach to prevention and reduced hospital admissions and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cardiovascular-disease-modern-service-framework

However, the Department does not hold the specific estimate requested.

It is for local National Health Service trusts and integrated care boards to determine how their tongue division services are funded and commissioned, as well as the referral criteria. NHS England does not have national guidance, nor monitor waiting times for tongue-tie services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence sets out guidance on tongue-tie, including advising that an assessment for tongue-tie should be considered if there are feeding concerns.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

Effective early identification and support is critical to improving outcomes for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with autism.

We have proposed the introduction of National Inclusion Standards, which will support education settings to identify and respond to needs earlier and more consistently, drawing on a broad range of evidence and professional expertise, so that all children and young people can receive the support they need to achieve and thrive.

The National Inclusion Standards will be underpinned by a £200 million training package to ensure that all teachers, educators, teaching assistants, support staff and leaders across early years, schools and post-16 settings can be trained to support pupils with SEND, and a new investment of £3.7 billion to drive more inclusive school estates and create additional specialist places.

We will continue to engage closely with young people, parents and professionals as we develop our reforms and how they will work in practice. The department also engages with the devolved governments at ministerial and official level on a range of areas covering education, skills and family policies and will continue to do so.

NHS England has developed eLearning on trauma-informed care and Perinatal Mental Health Birth Trauma to support professionals involved in perinatal care.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce is developing a National Maternity and Neonatal Action Plan, within which maternal mental health is an area of focus, reflecting Baroness Amos’ recommendation for further consideration.

The Hon. Member’s specific questions on gliomas and glioblastomas have been extensively dealt with in previous written answers, and I would refer him most recently to the answers of 3 March, 23 June, 29 June, 1 July, 15 July, 16 July and 20 July, in response to the respective Questions 115098, 9896, 10911, 11208, HL1675, HL1674, and HL1673.

More generally, through the National Cancer Plan, the Government is making rare cancers a priority. We have committed to being in the top quartile across 28 countries for survival of 14 less common cancers by 2035, including brain tumours, where survival rates currently rank 22nd out of 24 countries measured.

The Department recognises that general practitioners may rarely encounter specific rare cancers, which can make diagnosis more challenging. The plan includes measures to improve recognition and prevent missed diagnoses in primary care, including Jess's Rule, which supports clinicians to review and reconsider cases where symptoms remain unexplained or worsen over time.

Patients with rare cancers will also benefit from NHS England’s move to specialist multi-disciplinary teams that cover multiple providers. This will enable patients to benefit from the expertise of specialist centres and access the best evidence-based care. The Department and NHS England are working with rare cancer charities to strengthen support for patients, including providing guidance to clinical staff and connecting patients with specialist charities, peer communities, and expert sources of advice through the Diagnosis Connect Programme.

The Government wants a society where every person with dementia receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.

We will publish the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to set a clear direction and a long-term blueprint to improve outcomes for people with dementia. It will cover research, diagnosis and treatment. We are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with frailty and dementia.

We will also appoint a Dementia Tsar to bring strong and meaningful national leadership to drive forward the prevention, treatment and care of dementia.

Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS) and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes tests for over 200 cancer clinical indications.

From April 2026 NHS England has been embedding a new operating model for delivery of the NHS GMS through seven NHS GMS Lead Providers. Each NHS GMS will deliver a cancer genomics clinical function to bring together multi-profession leadership to embed and drive improvements in end to end cancer genomics pathways and deliver genomic testing in clinically relevant turnaround times. The programme also includes expanding the number of cellular pathology genomic centres to streamline the cancer diagnostic sample pathway and support timely return of genomic test results to inform clinical management and enable cancer patients to access innovative therapies.

In addition, the National Cancer Plan identified diagnostic technologies as a strategic research priority for improving survival rates for those living with or treated for cancer. The Office for Life Sciences has funded a primary care intervention study via the National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Technology Assessment Programme to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of the use of multi-cancer detection tests in primary care to support future commissioning of diagnostic biomarkers in diagnostic pathways.