Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure backup energy generators at hospitals are well maintained.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is the responsibility of each National Health Service provider to have resilience plans and procedures in place. Guidance is provided to the NHS within the Health Technical Memorandum 06 series, namely Health Technical Memorandum 06-01: Electrical services supply and distribution, Health Technical Memorandum 06-02: Electrical safety guidance for low voltage systems, and Health Technical Memorandum 06-03: Electrical safety guidance for high voltage systems, which are all respectively available at the following three links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/electrical-services-supply-and-distribution-htm-06-01/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/electrical-safety-guidance-for-low-voltage-systems-htm-06-02/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/electrical-safety-guidance-for-high-voltage-systems-in-healthcare-premises-htm-06-03/

This guidance is for healthcare organisations, defined as organisations that provide or intends to provide healthcare services, and is therefore applicable to primary and secondary care providers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether data on triple-negative breast cancer is used to identify variation in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes between i) regions and ii) NHS trusts.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan was published on 4 February 2026 and sets out how data will be collected and used to transform healthcare productivity, spot delays, and improve outcomes. This will build directly on the 10-Year Health Plan’s mission to make data the backbone of a modern, responsive National Health Service.

The plan commits to improve cancer waiting times by providing trusts and Cancer Alliances with more granular and actionable data including disaggregated data for specific cancer types, real‑time pathway analytics via the Federated Data Platform, and streamlined cancer metrics to expose unwarranted variation. Trust boards will receive regular performance reports, and clearer public reporting, including more transparent league‑table style data, which will strengthen accountability and drive faster improvement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the number of critical incidents declared at hospitals between November and January for each of the last 10 financial years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England does not centrally record all actions taken by acute trusts or integrated care boards that exceed the Operational Pressures Escalation Levels (OPEL) 4 threshold, the highest level of pressure, where demand and capacity issues are critically affecting the ability to deliver services. Patient safety could be compromised

Oversight and support are delivered through locally implemented surge and escalation policies, which must be aligned with the OPEL 2024 to 2026 framework. The framework contains a number of actions which should be taken by the organisations involved in the delivery of care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Health service to save millions with boost to electrify NHS fleet, published on 27 February 2026, by what date the additional hundreds of EV charging sockets funded by the £4 million boost will be installed across NHS sites in England; and how many of those are in Essex.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

This £4 million in capital funding will be provided via a budget transfer from the Department for Transport to the Department of Health and Social Care in the financial year 2026/27, and capital will only be available for projects in that year. Projects have not yet been selected, and NHS England is leading the selection process, working in collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to address regional disparities in NHS mental health support for bereaved parents following pregnancy or baby loss; and if she will issue national standards for Integrated Care Boards to ensure all bereaved parents, including fathers and partners, can access specialist psychological support.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that the experience of losing a baby or pregnancy loss can be very difficult for parents and families.

Mental health services are available in all areas of England for women who experience mental health difficulties during, or due to, their pregnancy, labour, or birth, including Maternal Mental Health Services that specialise in supporting women who have experienced loss.

Additionally, all NHS England trusts have signed up to the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP), which acts as a set of standard and guidance aimed at ensuring all families, including fathers and partners, receive consistent, individualised, and sensitive care. NHS England is working closely with the baby loss charity Sands to agree what steps are necessary to support a faster and more consistent implementation so that all women and families, no matter where they are, receive the support they need at such a difficult time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of greater reference to blood cancer diagnosis and treatment pathways in upcoming cancer policy documents.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan for England, released on 4 February 2026, sets out a commitment to diagnose cancers earlier and ensure people receive timely, effective treatment. The government is committed to helping the National Health Service to detect cancers, including blood cancers, earlier and provide faster treatment to improve outcomes.

While there has been no separate assessment of the benefits of including blood cancer pathways in future policy documents, the National Cancer Plan for England outlines actions to improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including those diagnosed with blood cancer. These include expanding faster access to diagnostic tests, improving treatment turnaround times, and ensuring patients benefit from the latest innovations and technologies.

The NHS in England now uses non‑specific symptom pathways for people presenting with symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue or general illness that do not point to a particular cancer type. These pathways are especially important for detecting blood cancers, which often present with vague or non‑specific symptoms.

In addition, ongoing investment in diagnostic capacity, including new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners, will support the NHS in England to diagnose all cancers, including blood cancers, earlier and ensure patients can begin treatment as quickly as possible.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been impacted by strokes in each of the last 5 years by a) age and b) region.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Information on the number of admissions to hospitals in England with a primary diagnosis of a stroke, disaggregated by region and by age in each year from 2020/21 to 2024/25, is shown in the attached table.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support NHS dentists to tackle waiting lists.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend and no national waiting list. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.

NHS dentists are required to keep their NHS.UK profiles up to date so that patients can find a dentist more easily. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. In circumstances where patients are unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through an NHS dental practice, they should contact NHS 111.

The Government is committed to ensuring people can access urgent dental care when they need it. Over the past year, integrated care boards have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. 1.8 million additional courses of NHS dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April 2024 to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election.

We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December, we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. More information is available from the following website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to NHS dentistry in South Shropshire constituency.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population. For the South Shropshire constituency, this is the NHS Shropshire, Telford, and Wrekin ICB.

The Government is committed to ensuring people can access urgent dental care when they need it. Over the past year, ICBs have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. 1.8 million additional courses of NHS dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April 2024 to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election.

We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December, we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Integrated Care Boards will be required to designate a named lead for the implementation of statutory guidance issued under the Down Syndrome Act 2022.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the Down Syndrome Act 2022, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is required to give guidance to relevant authorities in health, social care, education, and housing services on what they should be doing to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome.

Relevant authorities, as defined in the schedule to the act, have a duty to have due regard to the final guidance once it is published. The act does not create any new functions beyond this duty. Rather, it brings together existing statutory requirements and guidance that relevant authorities must and/or should already be complying with to support people with Down syndrome and people with other conditions and/or a learning disability who have similar needs.

NHS England published statutory guidance on 9 May 2023 which says that every integrated care board (ICB) should identify a member of its board to lead on supporting the ICB to perform its functions effectively in the interest of people with Down syndrome. The statutory guidance sets out NHS England’s expectations about fulfilling executive lead functions and outlines the responsibilities of these roles in more detail, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/executive-lead-roles-within-integrated-care-boards/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mechanisms will be used to monitor compliance by public bodies with statutory guidance issued under the Down Syndrome Act 2022.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the Down Syndrome Act 2022, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is required to give guidance to relevant authorities in health, social care, education, and housing services on what they should be doing to meet the needs of people with Down syndrome.

Relevant authorities, as defined in the schedule to the act, have a duty to have due regard to the final guidance once it is published. The act does not create any new functions beyond this duty. Rather, it brings together existing statutory requirements and guidance that relevant authorities must and/or should already be complying with to support people with Down syndrome and people with other conditions and/or a learning disability who have similar needs.

NHS England published statutory guidance on 9 May 2023 which says that every integrated care board (ICB) should identify a member of its board to lead on supporting the ICB to perform its functions effectively in the interest of people with Down syndrome. The statutory guidance sets out NHS England’s expectations about fulfilling executive lead functions and outlines the responsibilities of these roles in more detail, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/executive-lead-roles-within-integrated-care-boards/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for responding to the Kingdon Review.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The timetable for responding to the Kingdon Review has not yet been determined. We are continuing to examine the findings of the review.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce delays and (b) improve (i) flow and (ii) efficiency in NHS Surgical Theatres.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the Elective Reform Plan, we are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, which includes those waiting for surgical procedures.

The productivity and modernisation efforts needed to meet that standard includes the expansion of the number of elective surgical hubs. Hubs, which are protected from urgent and emergency care, improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital pressures by reducing cancellations and improving efficiency. They focus on high-volume, low-complexity procedures, support day-case surgery, and align with the standards of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, including a national target of 85% theatre utilisation. NHS England, in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons of England, runs a surgical hub accreditation programme to ensure hubs meet best practice standards, including theatre utilisation. Currently, 125 hubs are operational, with 63 accredited. Theatre utilisation across all specialties reached 81% in August 2025, up from 79% the previous year.

To support these improvements, the National Theatre Programme, led by GIRFT since 2021, provides national guidance as well as targeted support for trusts to improve theatre productivity. To drive forward further progress, one of the areas of focus for 2025/26 is the establishment of ‘high flow theatre’ lists becoming regular practice across the country. Further national actions include earlier and more robust pre-operative risk-assessment to support earlier identification of patients suitable for treatment at hubs, productivity initiatives focussing on flow, scheduling, utilisation and workforce, and the deployment of data analytics and digital scheduling tools to improve real-time theatre management.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times the NHS has settled employment disputes and whistleblowing complaints before going to court in the last five years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold the information requested. Each National Health Service employer should hold this information for their own organisation. NHS organisations as independent employers who manage their own employment disputes and whether and how to settle claims prior to an Employment Tribunal or court hearing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support medical students' (a) wellbeing and (b) welfare in (i) Nottingham, (ii) Nottinghamshire, (iii) the East Midlands and (iv) England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The professional regulator the General Medical Council sets guidance for all university medical schools and placement providers, who have a responsibility to routinely monitor and support the health, safety, and wellbeing of students whilst studying and on placement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to respond to feedback from frontline GPs to the NHS 10-Year Health Plan consultation; and whether this feedback will result in changes to its policy approach to general practice.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Participants shared their experiences of using and/or working in or with the National Health Service and their views on what it should look like in the future, which were used to shape the 10-Year Health Plan. A report detailing the views of members of the public and health and care staff as gathered through the Change NHS engagement process that contributed to the development of the 10-Year Health Plan for England is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/engagement-insight-report-10-year-health-plan-for-england

The Department currently has no plans to respond to specific individual feedback from frontline general practitioners (GPs).

The 10-Year Health Plan, shaped by engagement, set out the need for reform within GPs. This includes increasing capacity, delivering on the recommendations of the Red Tape Challenge, and rolling out the technology to enable more appointments and better continuity of care for those with complex needs.

As part of the shift from hospital to community, the plan also sets out more fundamental reform that will see GPs lead new neighbourhood providers that convene teams of skilled professionals to provide personalised care for groups of people with similar needs.

We have now concluded the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation. The final package reflects commitments in the 10-Year Health Plan, including ending the 8:00am scramble, improving timely access to care, tackling GP unemployment, and supporting a shift towards prevention. Overwhelmingly, participants in the public deliberative events identified access to care, and prioritising GP access, as the most immediate priority the 10-Year Health Plan should address.

We are investing an additional £485 million into GPs, taking total contract investment to over £13.8 billion in 2026/27. This builds on last year’s £1.1 billion of investment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans on community health services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish guidance on community health services. We are developing guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans to provide greater clarity and consistency for systems in developing and scaling neighbourhood health. We expect this to be available soon.

Our upcoming guidance will build on and complement our existing set of publications that set out the actions needed to lay the groundwork for a Neighbourhood Health Service. This suite of guidance, which includes the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, the strategic commissioning framework for integrated care boards (ICBs), and the Model Region and ICB blueprints, supports National Health Service operational planning and joined-up partnership work between local government and ICBs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of the time taken to publish guidance on community health services. We are developing guidance on Neighbourhood Health Plans to provide greater clarity and consistency for systems in developing and scaling neighbourhood health. We expect this to be available soon.

Our upcoming guidance will build on and complement our existing set of publications that set out the actions needed to lay the groundwork for a Neighbourhood Health Service. This suite of guidance, which includes the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework for 2026/27 to 2028/29, the strategic commissioning framework for integrated care boards (ICBs), and the Model Region and ICB blueprints, supports National Health Service operational planning and joined-up partnership work between local government and ICBs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the trend in patients waiting over 4 hours for admission transfer and discharge in emergency departments in the NHS Birmingham And Solihull Integrated Care Board area.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No such assessment has been made.

NHS England publishes data on the number of patients admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours in accident and emergency departments on a monthly basis. The information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2025-26/

The following table shows the four-hour performance in each quarter since 2017 for the NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB):

Note: the provisional data for the financial year 2025/26 is not yet fully available and doesn’t include February and March data.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the pathways used by other Common Travel Area countries to enable qualified medical professionals from outside the EEA to practise medicine; and what steps he is taking to reduce barriers to registration for qualified international medical graduates.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made by the Department of the potential policy implications of the pathways used by other Common Travel Area countries to enable qualified medical professionals from outside the European Economic Area to practise medicine in the United Kingdom.

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of medical practitioners, or doctors, in the UK. It is responsible for setting standards that must be met by both domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to their registers to ensure registrants are safe to practise.

As the independent regulator, it is for the GMC to determine routes to registration and the qualifications that it will accept for registration.

In 2023, the Department amended the GMC’s legislation to provide greater flexibility to streamline the process for registering overseas-qualified medical professionals. Following these changes, the GMC introduced new specialist registration routes, including the Recognised Specialist Qualification pathway, which was launched on 15 May 2024. This enables the GMC to formally recognise suitable specialist qualifications from overseas for the purposes of UK Specialist and General Practitioner registration.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Health service to save millions with boost to electrify NHS fleet, by what date he anticipates the electrification of the NHS fleet of ambulances will complete.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 10-Year Health Plan committed to support the National Health Service’s Net Zero ambitions. This includes NHS England’s Net Zero travel and transport strategy, published in 2023, which set a target date of 2040 for full decarbonisation of the NHS fleet, including ambulances.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce outpatient waiting times for neurology appointments in North East Hampshire constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Modernisation of outpatient care is a top priority for the Government so that waits for outpatient appointments are shorter and elective pathways are more productive. The majority of people on the waiting list, including for neurology, are waiting for outpatient care. Through our Elective Reform Plan (ERP), we have expanded the Advice and Guidance (A&G) scheme, which helps ensure patients get care in the right place and only see a specialist if it’s really necessary, freeing up capacity in secondary care for those who need it, including certain patients with neurology conditions or symptoms. The ERP also commits to reducing missed appointments and unnecessary follow ups to further free up capacity. This will benefit patients across England, including in North East Hampshire.

The 10-Year Health Plan builds on the ERP with a more sustainable vision for elective care where, by 2035, most outpatient care will happen outside of hospitals. Patients' access to specialists, including neurologists, will be improved by providing this specialist care in the community where possible and increasing digital access to specialists through the NHS App, where it’s more convenient for patients.

The Medium-Term Planning Framework outlines targets for the National Health Service from 2026/27 to 2028/29 to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan’s ambitions. This includes an ask of systems to transform pathways to give patients more control over their follow up care to reduce unnecessary appointments and expand the use of Advice and Guidance from April so that, by October, all requests/referrals across the 10 specialties providers deemed to have the most potential for this model to be effective go via an elective Single Point of Access. This will mean a more efficient approach to triaging patients, where all appropriate requests and referrals, excluding urgent suspect cancer, will flow through a single ‘front door’ to support clinical triage to the most appropriate service or outcome, meaning timelier, more joined up care for patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review its approach to employment disputes and whistleblowing complaints.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

National Health Service organisations are independent employers and have their own policies and procedures for resolving workplace disputes, including whistleblowing complaints, which should be aligned to current employment law and relevant Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service codes of practice or guidance.

The Department for Business and Trade and the Ministry of Justice have set up the Dispute Resolution System Taskforce to consider longer-term system reform of dispute resolution across all sectors.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS 111 calls resulted in an ambulance dispatch in the East of England in each of the past three years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to continuing to improve NHS 111 to ensure patients can access the right care first time, in a timely manner, thereby only visiting accident and emergency when necessary.

The data is not published in the requested format. However, in the East of England in 2022/23, 10.9% of 111 calls were referred to the ambulance service. In 2023/24, 11.9% of 111 calls were referred to the ambulance service. Finally, in 2024/25, 12.7% of 111 calls were referred to the ambulance service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children can access specialist mental health support in their community.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

For children and young people in distress or struggling with their mental health, fast access to early, high-quality support is critical. Mental health support teams play a key role in this, providing early intervention for mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, while also assisting schools to develop a whole-school approach to positive mental health and wellbeing. By spring 2026, up to 900,000 more children and young people will have access to mental health support teams compared to Spring 2025, with full national coverage planned by 2029. This expansion is supported by almost 8,000 additional mental health workers recruited since July 2024.

Alongside this, Early Support Hubs provide drop-in mental health support for 11 to 25‑year‑olds without the need for a referral. The Government recently confirmed an additional £7 million funding boost for early support hubs across England, enabling 10,000 additional mental health and wellbeing interventions over the next 12 months. The Government is also establishing the first of 50 Young Futures Hubs to bring local services together within communities and offer early advice and wellbeing support for young people who may not meet thresholds for specialist National Health Service care.

Together, these initiatives are expanding timely, local support, reducing the need for escalation to specialist services and helping young people receive the right help at the right time, in the right place.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 26 January (HL13928), what consideration have they given to the risks of self-diagnosis of mental health conditions from online quizzes and other resources.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that information about mental health is increasingly accessed online, including through quizzes and other digital resources. While such tools can play a role in helping people reflect on their wellbeing and can encourage them to seek support, they should not be used as a substitute for professional advice or diagnosis from appropriately trained clinicians.

We continue to signpost the public to trusted sources of information and support. For example, the National Health Service’s Every Mind Matters platform provides evidence-based advice, including a short quiz which offers tailored tips to support mental health and wellbeing.

The Government also recognises the broader risks that can arise from online environments. We have launched a national consultation on children’s online wellbeing to gather views on the next steps to build on the provisions in the Online Safety Act 2023. The three-month consultation will be evidence-led, with input from independent experts, and will explore options including strengthening age assurance, addressing harmful design features, and determining the appropriate minimum age for children to access social media. It will report in the summer.

We are also aware that more children and young people are using generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for mental health advice and support. The Government is clear that AI chatbots must not replace advice and support from trained medical professionals. Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the NHS are not regulated as medical technologies, and users should exercise caution when using unregulated applications. The Government’s consultation will also explore the impact that chatbots may have on children’s wellbeing and whether further safeguards are required.

More broadly, we recognise that mental health is complex and that a range of factors may be contributing to rising demand for support. In December 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism. The review will examine the evidence on what is driving increased demand for support and diagnosis so that we can ensure people receive the right support, at the right time, and in the right place.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 26 January (HL13928), what assessment they have made of the use of labels for mental health conditions, and whether the independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions will consider this.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

While no such specific assessment has been made, the terms of reference for the independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism state that the review will look at evidence on the role of diagnosis for children, young people, and adults, including the value of diagnosis to individuals, and barriers to receiving a diagnosis, and its impact on receiving support. The terms of reference are available on the GOV.UK website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide funding for the treatment of (a) Hallux valgus and (b) Hallux rigidus in Hampshire.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions on the funding and provision of treatment for hallux valgus and hallux rigidus in Hampshire are made locally by the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), which is responsible for assessing the health needs of its population and commissioning services accordingly. This includes determining local clinical pathways, access criteria, and the availability of both surgical and non‑surgical interventions, based on the best available clinical evidence and local priorities.

NHS England does not provide condition‑specific national funding for these procedures. Instead, the ICB receives a general allocation to meet the healthcare needs of its local population. Within this, the ICB is expected to ensure that patients with foot and ankle conditions can access appropriate assessment, conservative management, and referral for surgery where clinically necessary.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding for safety measures for NHS staff.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work. Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of their staff, and they put in place measures, including security, training, and emotional support for staff affected by violence, abuse, or harassment. There are currently no plans to provide additional funding for safety measures for NHS staff.

At a national level there are several policy measures being implemented and developed to help keep staff safe and to prevent and reduce violence in the workplace. This includes measures to improve data and reporting, strengthen risk assessment, and improve training and support for victims. This will be bolstered by the introduction of a new set of staff standards, as detailed in the 10-Year Health Plan. The standards will be included in the NHS Oversight Framework and act as an early warning signal for the Care Quality Commission.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Melksham and Devizes constituency compared with national averages; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally, including through the introduction of a Modern Service Framework for respiratory care.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for Melksham and Devizes, and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.

Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Wiltshire can be found at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E06000054/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve timely access to general practice appointments.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are committed to improving timely access to general practice appointments. Last year, we delivered 6.8 million more appointments in general practices. Since October 2024, we have invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) to support the recruitment of over 2,000 general practitioners (GPs), exceeding our initial target of 1,000. For the 2026/27 GP Contract, we’re investing an additional £485 million into GPs, removing restrictions to allow primary care networks to hire more GPs via ARRS, and introducing a practice-level reimbursement scheme which will be available to practices to hire additional GPs, or fund additional sessions with existing GPs to improve access in GPs which aims to strengthen capacity, access, and improve patient satisfaction.

NHS England published the Medium‑Term Planning Framework in October, setting a new requirement for all urgent appointments to be delivered on the same day, ensuring that patients needing urgent care are prioritised. Building on this, the 2026/27 GP Contract makes it explicit that any requests identified as clinically urgent, as determined by the GPs, must be dealt with on the same day

Patient satisfaction is already rising after a decade of decline. Office for National Statistics data from January 2026 shows that 76.8% of patients reported it was “easy” to contact their GP, up from 60.9% in July 2024.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued guidance to GP practices on the wording of appointment reminder messages to patients; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of encouraging practices to use confirmation-based reminders rather than cancellation-based reminders to reduce non-attendance rates.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

General practices are independent businesses that hold contracts with the National Health Service, and each sets its own policies on managing missed appointments to best meet the needs of its local population. We know that many practices already use automated reminder systems that include the option for patients to cancel if they no longer need their appointment.

98.9% of practices now use cloud-based telephony systems, which can provide built‑in functionality to support appointment cancellation. It is for individual practices to determine how and if these functionalities are implemented.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out that the NHS App will be the front door to the NHS, where patients will be able to book, move, and cancel their appointments, and communicate with their health team, with ease, helping reduce no-shows by allowing easier management and notifications.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 30 January (HL14009), what steps they are taking to understand the factors driving the increasing demand for mental health services, and whether increased spending will have any impact on reducing these factors.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has launched an independent review into mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism to understand the rises in the prevalence and demand on services. The review will examine the evidence around what is driving this rising demand, including determining which trends reflect real increases in disorder, which reflect changes in awareness or access, and which are artefacts of measurement or definition. It will also consider wider factors beyond the National Health Service, such as education, employment, housing, and digital culture, to understand how these interact with people’s needs and where intervention may make the greatest difference.

We need a new approach to mental health that goes further than simply more funding, one that reduces waiting times, improves the quality of care, and promotes prevention and early intervention. Patients should have access to alternative models of support within and beyond the NHS, supplemented by clinical care. This will mean people get support earlier, avoid reaching crisis, and experience better mental health outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement a community pharmacist prescribing service.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. This includes our commitment to make prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists. The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework supports this ambition by instructing integrated care boards that they must introduce prescribing based services into community pharmacies during 2026/27 to support primary care access. From September 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists will be independent prescribers upon registration.

The Department is currently in consultation with Community Pharmacy England on the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework. This consultation will consider any proposed changes to the reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors in 2026/27, including considering the introduction of prescribing into community pharmacy services. Once this consultation has concluded, the results will be formally announced.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 29 January (HL13929), whether the independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions will include any of the harms which follow from unnecessary diagnosis or treatment.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As this is an independent review, it is for the chair, Professor Peter Fonagy, alongside the co-chairs, to determine the scope of their work, what conditions are covered, and the outputs and recommendations they choose to make, in line with the terms of reference set by the Government.

The review will examine the impact of clinical practice and explore the role that medicalisation of mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism plays, including the associated risks and benefits. The terms of reference are available at the GOV.UK website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in (i) the Wrekin constituency and (ii) Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin compared with national averages.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for the Telford and The Wrekin constituencies, as well as for England, in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.

Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Shropshire can be found at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E06000051/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to increase the number of NHS posts available to doctors completing Foundation Year 2 in addition to the measures set out in the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts, with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.

This Government is committed to training the staff we need, including doctors, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how dementia care will be reflected in revisions to the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has been clear that the 2023 Long Term Workforce Plan was undeliverable and based on outdated models of care. We have committed to publishing a new 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different service areas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a Modern Service Framework on lung health.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2025 to Question 95904 on Health Professions: Regulation, if he will publish a consultation on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework which would enable them to consider fitness to practise concerns arising from allegations of sexual misconduct that are more than five years old during this parliamentary session.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.

As a first step, we aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s (GMC) regulatory framework shortly with a view to laying this legislation before Parliament this year.

As part of the consultation, we will be consulting on a reformed fitness to practise process for the GMC.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using uropathogen infection testing for diagnosing urinary tract infections.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made a specific assessment. There are several sources of guidance regarding the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs), including from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the UK Health Security Agency.

The TOUCAN study was part-commissioned by NHS England as an assessment of future more timely diagnostics, including various point of care tests for UTIs in primary care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS has spent on legal costs and compensation following employment disputes and whistleblowing complaints in the last five years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Information is not held centrally as it is held at trust level. The Department and NHS England do not hold employment dispute data for all National Health Service employers. Employment disputes are typically raised against an individual employee’s employing organisation, and each trust are separate employers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 5 February 2026 to Questions 108785, 108786 and 108787 on Physiotherapy: Employment, if he will initiate conversations with NHS England about the extent of (a) current job vacancies, (b) job competition and (c) longevity of NHS Employment for physiotherapists in the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department and NHS England continue work closely together on National Health Service workforce planning.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. Work is ongoing between the Department and NHS England on the development of the 10 Year Workforce Plan, which will have implications on workforce planning for both physiotherapists, and other allied health professions.

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual NHS employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to assess eligibility for the Immigration Health Surcharge reimbursement scheme for roles supporting NHS services not directly employed by NHS organisations.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

When applying for an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) reimbursement, the applicant must satisfy the requirement of ‘eligible work’ as set out in the IHS guidance. Applicants need to be working in a role where they provide a service which is related to the delivery of health or social care and are either employed or engaged to do the work by a recognised health or care provider, for example, National Health Service trusts or national NHS bodies.

There are currently no plans to assess eligibility for the IHS reimbursement scheme for roles supporting NHS services not directly employed by NHS organisations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure earlier diagnosis of endometriosis.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis, and we are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for endometriosis.

As announced in September 2025, we will establish an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people across the country on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home.

Menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis will be among the first conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027. We’ve chosen some of the conditions with the longest waits and where online consultation works best.

NHS Online will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years, four times more than an average trust, while enhancing patient choice and control over their care. This will allow women with menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis across the country to reach a diagnosis sooner.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom. The content for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health, including endometriosis.

In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated their guideline on endometriosis, which makes firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected diagnosis, and will help the estimated one in 10 women with endometriosis receive a diagnosis faster. NICE is working with the National Health Service to ensure adoption of this best practice endometriosis care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of barriers preventing women from accessing the full range of contraceptive methods, including long-acting reversible contraception, and what steps he is taking to address those barriers.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to ensuring equitable access to a range of contraceptive methods including long-acting reversible contraception.

The renewed women’s health strategy will set out how the Government will take the next steps to improve women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women, including consideration of barriers to access. Steps to improve access to contraception are being considered as part of the renewal.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that commitments within the Women’s Health Strategy refresh are implemented equitably to improve access to contraception at a local level.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to ensuring equitable access to a range of contraceptive methods including long-acting reversible contraception.

The renewed women’s health strategy will set out how the Government will take the next steps to improve women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women, including consideration of barriers to access. Steps to improve access to contraception are being considered as part of the renewal.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the diagnosis of menopause for women in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service, and we acknowledge the impact that women suffering from symptoms of menopause has on their lives, relationships, and participation in the workplace.

As announced in October, we will be asking local authorities to include menopause in the NHS Health Check later this year. This will support eligible women across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms, where to seek support, and a diagnosis.

Menopause and menstrual health conditions will be among the priorities for the NHS’s revolutionary new online hospital when it launches next year, providing faster access to specialist care.

In Surrey Heath, primary care teams across the practices are also conscious of the impact of the menopause in the local population and have seen a rise in consultations with regard to this. The multi-disciplinary teams in Surrey Heath, including general practitioners, nurses, clinical pharmacists, and others, are able to manage enquiries, consultations, and follow ups, and to offer relevant treatment across the spectrum of what is available, including hormone intrauterine devices and testosterone replacement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) neurologists, (b) geriatricians and (c) nurses there are working in the NHS who have specialist training in Parkinson’s.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold data on the number of neurologists or geriatricians with specialist training in Parkinson’s disease working in the National Health Service in England. National workforce datasets do not record condition‑specific sub‑specialisms, and responsibility for determining local specialist workforce configurations rests with individual employers and integrated care boards (ICBs).

As of December 2025, there were 2,002 full‑time equivalent doctors in neurology and 6,318 in geriatric medicine working in NHS trusts and other organisations in England. These specialties include clinicians who provide care to people with Parkinson’s.

The Department does not hold a central count of the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses employed across the NHS in England. Workforce planning, including decisions about the number and type of specialist nurses needed locally, is the responsibility of individual employers and their ICBs, which are best placed to assess the needs of their populations.

We continue to work with NHS England through programmes like Getting It Right First Time to support improvements in access to specialist care. The Department has also established a United Kingdom‑wide Neuro Forum, which brings together governments, the NHS, the devolved administrations, and neurological alliances across the four nations to share best practice and address system-wide challenges, including workforce needs for conditions such as Parkinson’s.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Internationally Educated Nurses registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council have lived in the UK for over five but fewer than ten years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold information on the length of residence in the United Kingdom of internationally educated nurses registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

The NMC publishes statistics as part of its biannual registration data reports on the number of nurses who obtained their nursing qualification outside of the United Kingdom, by the length of time since their first registration with the NMC. Nurses though may have been resident in the UK prior to their first registration, so this is not the same as length of residence.

Also, length of time since first registration does not necessarily mean unbroken or continuous registration. Registrants may leave the register for a variety of reasons, for one or more period during their careers.

This information can be found in the ‘UK permanent Register data tables’ in the worksheet ‘Time’, at the following link:

https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what national guidance is in place for NHS commissioners and providers regarding emergency or out-of-hours support for patients who experience sudden hearing aid failure; and whether he has assessed the patient safety risks associated with gaps in such provision.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has published national commissioning guidance for adult audiology services, including the provision, maintenance, and ongoing support of hearing aids, to help commissioners deliver high quality and accessible hearing services in line with local population needs.

Responsibility for determining and commissioning any emergency or out of hours support for patients experiencing sudden hearing aid failure rests with integrated care boards, who are best placed to assess local demand and put appropriate arrangements in place.

The Department does not hold information on the number of trusts that provide out-of-hours support for hearing aid failure and has made no assessment on safety risks associated with variation in local provision.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using the Multi‑Specialty Recruitment Assessment.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Recruitment Board, which oversees specialty training recruitment on behalf of the four United Kingdom health departments, has governance processes which determine whether the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA) is used by a specialty in their selection processes, and how. Any new specialties considering using the MSRA undergo modelling before a decision is made.

NHS England will take forward reform measures to consider the future shape and delivery model for selection assessments beyond 2027. These will provide a decision point for NHS England on replacing the current MSRA with an updated assessment fit for purpose to be adopted by a broader group of specialties.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what diagnostic and performance data will be collected by services as part of the modern service framework for frailty and dementia, and whether this data will be reported publicly.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In developing the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, 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.

As part of this exercise, we will consider what interventions and performance data should be supported to improve care for those living with dementia and frailty. We are considering all options to help reduce variation and to improve care, including reviewing metrics, data, and targets.

We are working to develop the content of the framework as soon as possible and we will keep partners updated on progress and timings as this work unfolds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 5 February 2026 to Questions 108785, 108786 and 108787 on Physiotherapy: Employment, what steps he is taking to understand workforce planning and service need for physiotherapists in the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England’s regional teams are in constant dialogue with integrated care boards, National Health Service trusts, other bodies providing NHS services, and education and training providers to assess workforce challenges and support appropriate training across a range of services, including those involving physiotherapists.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. We have engaged with partners throughout the development of the 10 Year Workforce Plan, including through the call for evidence, which received over 900 responses, and a national partner event which included representatives from over 90 organisations shaping early thinking across key themes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy that integrated care board boundaries should match mayoral combined authority boundaries.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It remains the Government’s ambition for integrated care boards (ICBs) to be coterminous with one or more strategic authorities wherever feasible, a commitment made in the English devolution white paper and reaffirmed in our 10-Year Health Plan.

This summer as local government reform progresses, the Department of Health and Social Care will work closely with NHS England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to decide any further ICB mergers and boundary changes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what work the Government is undertaking with regulators and professional bodies to strengthen expectations around endometriosis education and diagnosis.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.

The Government also acknowledges the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained and educated on women’s health conditions, including endometriosis, and we have taken action to address this.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom. The content for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health, including endometriosis.

Women's health is included the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) curriculum for trainee general practitioners (GPs), including gynaecology, sexual health, and breast health. The curriculum also covers the healthcare needs of women across all diseases seen in primary care as it is important women are treated holistically. This ensures that all future GPs receive education on women’s health.

The RCGP has also published a Women’s Health Library which brings together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health from the RCGP, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare. This resource is continually updated to ensure GPs and other primary healthcare professionals have the most up-to-date advice to provide the best care for their patients.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has developed a women’s and reproductive health topic suite, and updated guidelines on endometriosis in 2024 to make firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected diagnosis. These clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide care for women with endometriosis.

Generally, employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the role of community-based diagnostic services and AI-supported electrocardiogram interpretation in the early detection of inherited cardiac conditions in young people.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

A number of diagnostics are used to detect inherited cardiac conditions in young people at an early stage, including electrocardiograms (ECGs) and imaging. National Health Service artificial intelligence-supported ECG interpretation helps detect inherited cardiac conditions in young people by identifying subtle, subclinical patterns in heart electrical activity that are invisible to the human eye.

12-lead ECGs and ambulatory ECG monitoring are core cardiac science diagnostic tests for any community diagnostic centre (CDC). Currently, electrocardiography services are provided in 108 of the 170 CDCs across England, helping to expand community based diagnostic provision for all patients, including young people.

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 ECG tests. We are actively working to expand access to AI enabled ECG investigations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of private finance initiatives on NHS services in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Operational health private finance initiatives (PFI) contracts are held by individual trusts. The last PFI contract was signed in 2015.

As announced at the Autumn Budget, the Department is supporting the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority to develop the new Public Private Partnership (PPP) model for neighbourhood health centres (NHCs). The new NHC PPP model will build on lessons from the past, including the National Audit Office’s 2025 report on private finance and other models currently in use. We are not bringing back PFI.

The new PPP model is about delivering the infrastructure to support the delivery of neighbourhood services, and we are not using the private sector to deliver the National Health Service clinical services that will be delivered from these centres.

The need for NHCs will be locally driven and will recognise what already exists and where additional provision or a new combination of services is needed. Any new PPP model will need to demonstrate value for money and affordability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 5 February 2026 to Questions 108785, 108786 and 108787 on Physiotherapy: Employment, if he will undertake a review of data gathering about (a) job vacancies, (b) job competition and (c) longevity of NHS Employment for physiotherapists in the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has no plans for a review of the data gathered in relation to physiotherapy job vacancies, job competition, and the longevity of National Health Service employment in the NHS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of staffing levels and burnout on incidents of avoidable harm in NHS Trusts.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The responsibility for determining and reviewing staffing levels remains with National Health Service clinical and other leaders at a local level, responding to local needs, supported by guidelines by national and professional bodies and overseen and regulated by the Care Quality Commission.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will have a focus on supporting our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals. This includes the development of a new set of staff standards for modern employment. We will also roll out Staff Treatment Hubs to ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health.

NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive, including access to high quality health and wellbeing support.

On staff burnout, relevant questions have been incorporated into the annual NHS National Staff Survey. The Copenhagen Burnout index has been included in the annual survey since 2021, providing a national, regional, and organisational view of burnout over five years. Organisations can use this information to triangulate with other data sets, including on patient safety incidents.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on meeting the 18-week treatment target in the Elective Reform Plan.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Elective Reform plan set out that the Government is committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, by March 2029. Additionally, NHS England’s Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 set a target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by the end of March 2026.

To achieve this, we expect the size of the total waiting list to reduce and have already made significant progress. As of December 2025, the waiting list had reduced by over 330,000 since the Government came into office. This is despite 31.7 million referrals onto the waiting list. Performance against the referral to treatment standard had improved by 2.7% over the same period, reaching 61.5%.

This has been supported by the delivery of 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025 compared to the previous year, more than double the Government’s pledge of two million. This marked a vital first step towards delivering the constitutional standard.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential role of community pharmacies in supporting earlier detection of heart valve disease in at-risk groups.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for developing heart valve disease. Early detection of high blood pressure in patients supports prevention of heart valve disease. That is why pharmacies in England can provide the NHS Hypertension Case-Finding Service (HCFS), under which eligible patients can have their blood pressure checked for free in a community pharmacy. The HCFS aims to identify patients with high blood pressure so that they can be referred to their general practice for treatment.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, to accelerate progress on the ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework in spring.

The framework will prioritise ambitious, evidence-led, and clinically informed approaches to prevention, treatment, and care, and as part of its development we are engaging widely to identify and consider the role of community pharmacies across the cardiovascular disease pathway.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce avoidable demand on Accident and Emergency departments.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years. We are committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the NHS Constitutional standard and reducing accident and emergency demand.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements this winter and beyond. We are aiming for 78% of patients to be seen in four hours this year, meaning over 800,000 people will receive more timely care.

We are investing £250 million into expanding same day and urgent care services, helping avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients.

In the longer-term, our 10-Year Health Plan will increase the urgent care capacity outside hospital through new neighbourhood health services, reducing demand pressures on accident and emergency.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has reviewed the findings of the independent analysis commissioned by Prostate Cancer Research on the economic model used by the UK National Screening Committee.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The independent analysis commissioned by Prostate Cancer Research was submitted to the UK National Screening Committee’s public consultation on its draft recommendation on screening for prostate cancer. This consultation has now closed, and the committee is considering the responses.

We anticipate a final recommendation on screening for prostate cancer soon. Following this, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will make a decision on whether to accept the recommendation, and what next steps are needed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual budget for each individual NHS care trust was in each of the last five years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The trust accounts consolidation data publications for National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts include total operating income and expenditure, and are available for the last five financial years. Data for 2024/25 is currently being finalised for publication. This information is publicly available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/financial-accounting-and-reporting/nhs-providers-tac-data-publications/

NHS England does not set annual budgets for individual trusts. Trusts earn income from their NHS commissioners for the clinical services they provide, as well as local authorities, private patient work, research, and other sources such as car parking. Trusts submit financial plans to NHS England for agreement that will reflect their planned income and expenditure, and performance against the plan is then monitored through the course of the financial year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the bed capacity was in each NHS care trust in each of the last five years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England publishes data on general and acute bed occupancy and capacity. The data can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to implement the findings of the Sullivan Review.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is taking forward work to consider the findings of the Sullivan Review, which sets out a number of recommendations relating to the collection of data on sex and gender identity. We are assessing these recommendations in the context of ongoing work on data harmonisation standards. As all public bodies, and therefore all public data and statistics, were in scope for the review, it is important that we consider the findings collaboratively across government.

The Government Statistical Service Harmonisation Programme, a cross-government work programme looking to improve the comparability and coherence of data and statistics, is developing harmonised standards for sex and gender identity. More information is available at the following link:

https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2024/12/11/developing-harmonised-standards-for-sex-and-gender-identity/

NHS England is leading work to develop the United Information Standard for Protected Characteristics, which focusses on the Equality Act 2010’s nine protected characteristics, including both sex and gender reassignment.

Through the Health and Care Statistics Leadership Forum, a group convening statistical leaders across health organisations at the national level to ensure statistical collaboration and coherence, work is underway to catalogue and improve descriptions of how sex and gender data is collected within our statistical publications, ensuring that labels accurately describe the data being collected. More information about the forum is available at the following link:

https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/blog/guest-blog-challenges-and-opportunities-for-health-and-care-statistics/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the total percentage of (a) nurses and (b) General Practitioners in the NHS who were trained overseas.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England publishes monthly Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England which includes data on the self-reported nationality of National Health Service staff, which may not be the same as the country which they trained in but is a good proxy for the level of staff trained overseas. The published information is available at the following link within the file “NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations – data tables”:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics

Additionally, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) publishes data on the percentage of nurses on Nursing and Midwifery Council register by country/region of training. These nurses may work in a range of other settings as well as the NHS. The most recent NMC data is available at the following link:

https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/

NHS England publishes monthly General Practice workforce statistics for England which includes data on General Practitioners’ country of primary medical qualification aggregated by country of qualification group UK, European Economic Area or elsewhere. This information is available at the following link within the file “Bulletin Tables”:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what national policy interventions are being developed to help reduce abusive incidents against emergency ambulance workers.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work, including ambulance workers. At a national level there are several policy interventions being implemented and developed to help prevent and reduce violence against NHS staff.

In April 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced that the Social Partnership Forum’s recommendations on tackling and reducing violence, part of the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal, had been accepted in full. This includes measures to improve data and reporting, strengthen risk assessment, and improve training and support for victims. This will be bolstered by the introduction of a new set of staff standards, as detailed in the 10-Year Health Plan. The standards will be included in the NHS Oversight Framework and act as an early warning signal for the Care Quality Commission.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to conduct a full Equality Impact Assessment as part of the decision making process on prostate cancer screening recommendations.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Yes, a full equality impact assessment will be undertaken as part of the decision-making process on prostate cancer screening recommendations.

On 28 November, the UK National Screening Committee opened a 12-week public consultation on a draft recommendation on screening for prostate cancer. This consultation has now closed, and the committee is considering the responses.

We anticipate a final recommendation soon. Following this, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will make a decision on whether to accept the recommendation, and what next steps are needed. Any policy developed from the recommendation will be supported by an equality impact assessment to ensure that health inequality that could be caused by the policy will be mitigated against.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS staff who had taken partial retirement were placed at risk of redundancy between 1 April 2024 and 31 January 2026.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data held by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) confirms that the number of staff who applied for partial retirement between 1 April 2024 and 31 January 2026 and are in receipt of payment is 32,271. This number includes NHS Pension scheme members across England and Wales who are employed by National Health Service organisations, including general practices.

The Department does not hold data on the number of people who were also at risk of redundancy between this period. This data would be held at a local level by individual providers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve GP Practice premises to increase the number of (a) consulting rooms to allow practices to train more medical students, (b) GP Registrars and (c) hire more GPs in (i) Broxtowe Constituency, (ii) the East Midlands and (iii) England.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In May 2025, we announced schemes which were prioritised by integrated care boards (ICBs) to benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund (PCUMF). This fund is to deliver upgrades to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England this financial year. These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care.

Building on this, the Government has committed £426 million of Utilisation and Modernisation funding over the next four years to continue upgrading the GP estate. This funding will also support refurbishing the existing estate to deliver neighbourhood health centres over this Parliament, as part of the 10-Year Health Plan commitment.

Through the PCUMF, the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB has committed £1.9 million to creating space for 250,000 new appointments for 2025/26. For the Broxtowe constituency this was an allocation of £335,000, which creates space for 52,500 appointments across two schemes in Beeston, and one each in Chilwell and Newthorpe. All clinical rooms are flexible in design so can be used for face-to-face clinical consultations with patients, used by GP Registrars, and/or to increase training capacity.

The Department does not hold East Midlands-level data. The Government has taken steps to grow the GP workforce. We currently have the highest number of fully qualified GPs since 2015, and we want to go further. Following feedback from the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation, we are introducing a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme using £292 million of repurposed funding from the current Capacity and Access Payment. This funding will be available to practices to hire additional GPs or fund additional sessions with existing GPs to improve access in GPs. We are also increasing the flexibility of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme enabling primary care networks to recruit more experienced GPs.

We are also committed to training thousands more GPs. We have expanded GP training places by 250, taking the total number of available places to 4,250 for 2025/26, and we plan to expand this again for 2026/27. Current and future expansions to post-graduate training, including foundation training and GP specialty training, have been planned on the basis of relative need, balanced with ability of locations to support trainees.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a proportionate regulatory framework for day care services for older and disabled adults, including dementia day care services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects, and regulates adult social care services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses its regulatory and enforcement powers available and will take action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.

Day care services are operated by local authorities, the National Health Service, or voluntary/private organisations. These services operate in the premises in which social, recreational, and care services may be provided to people who need them, due to old age, illness, or disability. Currently, day care services for older and disabled adults, including dementia day care, in which no personal care is provided, are not regulated by the CQC. For day care services to be brought into scope of the CQC’s regulatory remit would require a change in legislation.

These regulations are not currently under review. Any amendments to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 would be subject to the usual Parliamentary process which would include a public consultation, and thus an opportunity to consider the merits of further regulation of social care providers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with integrated care boards on commissioning specialist dementia support services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia and frailty will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care. The commission is underway and phase one will report this year.

The Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and frailty. It will support this by setting national standards for dementia and frailty care and redirecting National Health Service and adult social care priorities to provide the best possible care and support.

In developing the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, we are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with dementia. Provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services, which may include specialist dementia support services, based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that new neighbourhood health centres will be led by trusted local GPs.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

General practice (GP) is the cornerstone of the Neighbourhood Health Service. GPs have a deep understanding and experience of their local population needs and a key role to play in maintaining the health and wellbeing of their neighbourhoods.

We will encourage GPs to work over larger geographies by leading new neighbourhood providers. These providers will convene teams of skilled professionals, to provide truly personalised care for groups of people with similar needs.

These teams of professionals and partners, nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, employment support, children’s services, and more, will work together to support people and places to improve their health and wellbeing.

We also envisage GPs playing an important role in supporting the shift of more planned care out of hospital, for example through working directly with consultants to support people with complex conditions closer to home, without the need for a hospital referral.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much is being spent each year on primary care, and how much is being spent on the core GP contract.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In 2024/25, the latest year for which data is available, the total value of expenditure on all primary care was £19.8 billion. This includes expenditure on commissioning optometry, pharmacy, and dental services and excludes prescribing and secondary dental care. At this time, the total value of the GP Contract was £12.3 billion.

We are investing £485 million in general practice in 2026/27, bringing the total spend on the GP Contract to over £13.8 billion. This uplift represents a 3.6% cash increase from 2025/26, or 1.4% real terms increase, and includes an assumed pay increase of 2.5%. It follows a record £1.1 billion of investment in 2025/26. As with previous years, we have asked the independent pay review body for Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration, for a pay recommendation for 2026/27 for the Government to consider.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of recognising dementia as a complex and palliative condition in the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of life care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Almost one million people in the United Kingdom are living with dementia, and that figure is expected to rise. Each of those people, alongside their friends, families, and unpaid carers, have their own unique and important story of living with dementia.

The Government wants a society where every person with dementia receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. Everyone with dementia should have meaningful care following their diagnosis. This includes information on local services and access to relevant advice and support on what happens next.

Our health and adult social care system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia and frailty will benefit from improved care planning and better services.

We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework (MSF) for Frailty and Dementia, complemented by a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care MSF. Together these MSFs will drive rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.

The Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life, including those living with dementia, and enable integrated care boards to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care.

The MSF for Frailty and Dementia will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and frailty. It will support this by setting national standards for dementia and frailty care, and redirecting NHS and adult social care priorities to provide the best possible care and support. It will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, which is underway and will report this year.

We intend to continue to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with dementia are able to access a timely diagnosis.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%. The estimated dementia diagnosis rate for patients aged 65 years old and over at the end of January 2026 was 66.1%.

To support recovery of the dementia diagnosis rates and implementation of the Dementia Care Pathway, we have developed a memory service dashboard for management information purposes. The aim is to support commissioners and providers with appropriate data and enable targeted support where needed.

To reduce variation in diagnosis rates, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Dementia Intelligence Network has developed a tool for local systems, which includes an assessment of population characteristics such as rurality and socio-economic deprivation. This enables systems to investigate local variation in diagnosis and takes informed action to enhance their diagnosis rates. The tool has been released and is available via the NHS Futures Collaboration platform.

We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. The Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the safety of frontline NHS staff, including receptionists working in GP surgeries.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work without fear of violence or abuse.

Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of their staff, and they put in place measures, including, security, training, and emotional support for staff affected by violence, abuse, or harassment.

At a national level there are several policy measures being implemented and developed to help keep staff safe and to prevent and reduce violence in the workplace. This includes measures to improve data and reporting, strengthen risk assessment, and improve training and support for victims. This will be bolstered by the introduction of a new set of staff standards, as detailed in the 10-Year Health Plan. The standards will be included in the NHS Oversight Framework and act as an early warning signal for the Care Quality Commission.

Additionally, the You and your general practice guidance makes clear that general practice staff should be treated with respect. A practice also reserves the right to remove patients from their list if they are violent or abusive to staff. The You and your general practice guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/you-and-your-general-practice-english/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of new online consultation requirements on patient access to GP care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

General practices (GPs) are independent businesses contracted by the National Health Service to deliver essential services, and as part of these contracts they are required to provide modern telephony systems, online consultation tools, and ensure that receptions are open during core hours. In the 2025 contract negotiations with the General Practitioners Committee England, an agreement was reached to ensure online consultation systems are available throughout core hours. These changes are designed to improve access to GPs, end the 8:00am scramble, and ensure parity across all access options.

In January 2026, there has been an increase of 4.1 million online consultation submissions compared to January 2025. Office for National Statistics data from January 2026 shows that 76.8% of patients found it “easy” to contact their GP, up from 60.9% in July 2024. In the year to January 2026, including COVID-19 vaccinations, an additional six million appointments were delivered compared with the previous 12 months.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures will be included in the modern service framework for frailty and dementia to address current waiting times, and whether this will include a specific target for referral-to-treatment waiting times.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In developing the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, 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.

As part of this exercise, we will consider what interventions should be supported to improve diagnosis waiting times, which we know are too long in many areas. We are considering all options to help reduce variation, including reviewing metrics and targets.

We are working to develop the content of the framework as soon as possible and we will keep partners updated on progress and timings as this work unfolds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Scottish Orthotic Services Review, published by NHS Scotland in 2005, and the relevance of its findings to the current commissioning and delivery of orthotic services in England.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No such assessment has been made. The commissioning and delivery of orthotic services are devolved matters. In England, responsibility rests with local integrated care boards and National Health Service trusts in line with the non-specialised commissioning status of orthotic services. In 2015, NHS England introduced national guidance to support more consistent and higher-quality orthotics provision.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure transparency and accountability in evaluation of the modern service framework.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In developing the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia, we are engaging with a wide group of partners to understand what should be included to ensure the best outcomes for people living with dementia and frailty.

We are working to develop the content of the framework as soon as possible and we will keep partners updated on progress and timings as this work unfolds. We will also consider how best to evaluate the implementation of the modern service framework.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department of Health and Social Care has declined to lay before Parliament a draft statutory code submitted by an arm's-length body between January 2015 and December 2025, where that code has not been subject to litigation.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

This information is not held.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the potential benefits of offering prehabilitation to all patients on surgical waiting lists.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Elective Reform Plan set out the reform and productivity efforts needed to reach the 92% referral to treatment standard by March 2029. As part of that, we will ensure that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care. Improving perioperative care can increase productivity by reducing cancellations, reducing length of stay, and minimising postoperative complications.

Prehabilitation services will be offered to patients on admitted pathways who have been screened for modifiable risk factors which could be improved by prehabilitation services. In particular, NHS England will work through Cancer Alliances to support improvements in prehabilitation for people about to undergo cancer treatment. The level of prehabilitation offered will be dependent on both patient risk factors and surgical complexity, and is guided by the clinical evidence base on these factors on the application of appropriate universal or targeted interventions

There are no current plans to assess the potential merits of extending these services to all patients referred for surgery.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total number of medical specialty training posts available for doctors to apply for (1) this year, and (2) in the next two years.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are currently approximately 9,500 specialty training places. We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts, with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.

The Government is committed to training the staff we need, including doctors, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of children removed from local NHS ADHD waiting lists after accessing the Right to Choose pathway.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not collect data on the number of children removed from local National Health Service attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) waiting lists after accessing the Right to Choose pathway.

NHS England has worked with stakeholders to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, which was published in May 2025. The plan highlights the need to make use of and publish existing NHS England data in this area and to improve data quality, with further information available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/neurodevelopmental-data-hub/adhd-data-improvement-plan

For the first time, NHS England published management information on ADHD prevalence and waits at a national level on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan. This management data publication will be published quarterly going forward. Further information is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-adhd/november-2025

NHS England also issued technical guidance on 3 June 2025 for those who submit ADHD data, to improve recording of ADHD data with a view to improving the quality of data on ADHD waiting times and for publishing more localised data in the future.

NHS England issued advice to systems on ADHD service delivery and prioritisation on 7 October 2025. This advice includes guidance on managing service provision, reviewing waiting lists and providing patient support.

NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many overseas prescriptions are dispensed in a) the UK and b) England i) in total, ii) by medicines dispensed and iii) by origin country.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The United Kingdom only recognises overseas prescriptions from European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland. Most medicines, with the exception of schedule 1 to 3 controlled drugs and specials, prescribed in these countries can be dispensed by United Kingdom pharmacies, so long as the prescriber is from a profession recognised by the statutory guidance that is legally entitled to issue a prescription of that kind in the country in which the prescription is issued.

As they are dispensed as private, or non-National Health Service, prescriptions, we do not have any data for the number of EEA/Swiss prescriptions that have been dispensed in the UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the recall of certain Boston Scientific CRT-P pacemakers on NHS services; and what steps are being taken to support affected patients and recover associated costs.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, published on 20 May 2024, what information his Department holds on whether the use of haemophilia patients and their families for research has ceased.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Medical research was an important area examined in the inquiry, with it concluding that ‘the value of such research to society is enhanced rather than undermined by undertaking research in an ethical and moral way’.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care.

In January 2026, the NIHR published the attached report, From subject to participant and partner, on its website, summarising the concerns raised in the inquiry report, as well as a summary of the research governance changes since and a synthesis of an in-person workshop. The NIHR and partners who attended the workshop are committed to upholding the highest standards of research governance to drive better inclusivity in the evidence base for care, working with those who use, manage, or work in health and care services to share learning and drive improvement. The NIHR requires all applicants to demonstrate how their research will address existing inequalities in health and social care as a condition of funding.

The NIHR was created in 2006, many decades after individuals received infected blood in the United Kingdom. The NIHR did not therefore fund any clinical trials or research where individuals received infected blood. The NIHR has strong ethical, safety, and legal governance arrangements, including processes to ensure informed consent for those participating in research, and includes parental and guardian consent for children involved in research.

The NIHR funds a wide range of research relevant to the Infected Blood Inquiry. Work includes making blood donation and transfusion safer by improving transfusion practice, reducing variation in practice and ensuring greater resilience and efficiency throughout the blood supply chain.

This includes research on improving the safety of blood transfusions and blood products, and research to improve better detection and treatments for blood borne infections, including through opt out testing in accident and emergency departments for HIV, and Hepatitis B and C.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current regulatory framework for Research Ethics Committees (RECs), including the Governance Arrangements for Research Ethics Committees, in providing adequate guidance for RECs considering research proposals pertaining to gender and sex.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No specific assessment has been made by the Department. The Health Research Authority (HRA) and the devolved administrations provide a Research Ethics Service so that research proposals relating to their areas of responsibility can be reviewed by a Research Ethics Committee (REC) for all kinds of health and social care research proposals within the scope of the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care research, including those pertaining to gender and sex.

A REC is a group of people appointed to review research proposals to assess formally if the research is ethical. This means the research must conform to recognised ethical standards. RECs protect the rights, safety, dignity and wellbeing of research participants and the Governance Arrangements for Research Ethics Committees, a United Kingdom wide policy, describes what is expected from RECs when reviewing research proposals.

Each REC is required to adopt the UK Standard Operating Procedures approved by, or on behalf of, its appointing authority, and each REC is audited against these standards on a rolling basis. RECs reviewing Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Products must be accredited by the UK Ethics Committee Authority before they can review applications to ensure committees comply with legislation and uphold standards.

The HRA has a duty to provide an efficient and robust research ethics review service to protect participants.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer on 20 November 2025 to question 90583 on medical treatments, (a) what progress has been made on the establishment of the MHRA Early Access Service and (b) when they expect to formally launch the service.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In July 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published a statement of policy intent for the development and implementation of an Early Access Service for innovative medical devices. The statement of policy is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices#next-steps

The service aims to speed up safe access to innovative medical devices for patients, supporting the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan. Implementing the Early Access Service will require new systems and processes to be established. The MHRA is currently investing in internal capability and working closely with stakeholders to support the establishment and implementation of the service. Further information on this work, including details of the products that will initially be in scope, will be provided later this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to prioritise the assessment of breakthrough implantable devices in the MHRA Early Access Service.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In July 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published a statement of policy intent for the development and implementation of an Early Access Service for innovative medical devices. The statement of policy is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices#next-steps

The service aims to speed up safe access to innovative medical devices for patients, supporting the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan. Implementing the Early Access Service will require new systems and processes to be established. The MHRA is currently investing in internal capability and working closely with stakeholders to support the establishment and implementation of the service. Further information on this work, including details of the products that will initially be in scope, will be provided later this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Funding boost for young people’s mental health services, published on 13 February 2026, how many additional appointments in (a) Essex and (b) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency this increased funding will result in.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recently confirmed a £7 million funding boost for 24 early support hubs across England so they can continue to provide open-access, drop-in mental health and wellbeing support for young people aged 11 to 25 years old. These hubs offer open access, early intervention support for a wide range of issues, helping to prevent escalation to more severe mental illness without the need for a referral or a doctor’s appointment. This additional investment is expected to deliver approximately 10,000 extra interventions in the community for young people facing mental health challenges.

While none of the 24 Government‑funded Early Support Hubs are located in Essex or in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, there are approximately 65 Early Support Hubs operating across England through local funding. Because hubs are delivered by voluntary, community or social enterprise sector collaborations and are designed around local service footprints, they do not map neatly onto constituency boundaries.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department was invited by the Office for National Statistics to provide evidence or input into its review of the ethnicity harmonised standard; and what evidence it submitted, including in relation to the recording of Sikhs and Jewish people as ethnic groups.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department was invited by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to provide evidence. The Department has not responded, deferring to NHS England, who are leading work on the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics (UIPSC). The UISPC programme is a wide-ranging review of how the National Health Service records data in relation to protected characteristics, workforce/employment, and patient datasets and associated surveys.

NHS England has been fully engaged with the work on the ethnicity harmonised standard throughout the development of the UISPC. The ONS sit on the UISPC Publication Steering Group, which was established to bring together key representatives from NHS system partners and cross Government agencies.

NHS England reviewed the consultations from the ONS on the 2031 Census and the Government Statistical Service on the harmonised standard on ethnicity. It has been agreed that once the UISPC report recommendations are made to the Department, ministers will review and consider next steps, including how best to consult more widely.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the press release entitled Funding boost for young people’s mental health services, published on 13 February 2026, how much of the increased funding for early support hubs will be allocated to (a) Essex and (b) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recently confirmed a £7 million funding boost for 24 early support hubs across England so they can continue to provide open-access, drop-in mental health and wellbeing support for young people aged 11 to 25 years old. These hubs offer open access, early intervention support for a wide range of issues, helping to prevent escalation to more severe mental illness without the need for a referral or a doctor’s appointment. This additional investment is expected to deliver approximately 10,000 extra interventions in the community for young people facing mental health challenges.

While none of the 24 Government‑funded Early Support Hubs are located in Essex or in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, there are approximately 65 Early Support Hubs operating across England through local funding. Because hubs are delivered by voluntary, community or social enterprise sector collaborations and are designed around local service footprints, they do not map neatly onto constituency boundaries.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to reinstate funding to the Support After Suicide Partnership.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the importance of suicide bereavement services and acknowledge the difficult financial position for many voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations.

Commissioning responsibility for local suicide bereavement services sits with integrated care boards and it is for them to commission appropriate services for their local population while considering their overall financial position.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when NHS England’s investigation into guidance and training materials relating to marriage between close relatives began; which guidance, training modules and programmes are within scope of that investigation; and when he expects its findings to be concluded and published.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The internal review in response to recent concerns that National Health Service guidance stated the benefits of close relative marriage began on 19 January 2026. All public documents which constitute training modules, or guidance regarding marriage between close relatives is in scope. The findings will be concluded shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions the Department has had with social media companies regarding the potential impact of their platforms on child mental health.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not undertaken any recent engagement with social media companies regarding the potential impact of their platforms on child mental health.

However, the Government is taking forward wider work to understand and address risks to children in the online world. A national consultation has recently been launched to seek views on measures to improve children’s online safety across social media, gaming platforms, and artificial intelligence chatbots. We will work closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on this consultation, including in relation to understanding the potential impact of social media use on children’s mental health. This forms part of the Government’s broader programme to create a safer digital environment for children and to reduce potential harms linked to these services.

Insights from this consultation will help inform future policy to better protect children’s mental health and ensure that digital platforms play their part in promoting safe and healthy online experiences.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of mental health patients per caseworker across the country.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The information is not held in the format requested.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support research on vaccinations against recurrent and chronic urinary tract infections.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds, supports, and carries out high-quality research to improve health outcomes and care services. Over the last five financial years, the Department has provided over £22 million in programme research funding for urinary tract infection (UTI) research, including research on improved treatment for recurrent and chronic UTIs. In addition, NIHR infrastructure is supporting Phase 3 trials on vaccines against Escherichia coli infection in older adults who have a history of UTI, delivered by the NIHR Bristol Clinical Research Facility and the NIHR Wellcome Trust Manchester Clinical Research Facility.

The NIHR also funds the James Lind Alliance, which has run a Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) focused on chronic and recurrent UTIs. This PSP, funded by AMR Action UK and delivered in partnership with Bladder Health UK and The Urology Foundation, has identified the top 10 research priorities in this area. A rolling funding opportunity is available for research projects that align with priorities aligning with PSPs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have been affected by the recall of certain Boston Scientific CRT-P pacemakers (a) nationally and (b) within Somerset; what assessment has been made of the potential impact of this on NHS resources; and who is responsible for covering the costs of device replacement and associated care.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Found: We have seen no evidence that there has been genuine join up with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: with digital technology suppliers HC 640 26th Tackling Violence against Women and Girls HC 644 25th DHSC

Found: Finally, Access to Work should be placed on a cross-government footing across DWP, DHSC and DBT, with

Found: The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) should engage with manufacturers of the relevant procedural

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care is looking at this in its review of prevalence and what the

Found: You have conversations with the Home Office about radicalisation, and with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: You have conversations with the Home Office about radicalisation, and with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care has come up with some proposals around primary care.

Found: You have conversations with the Home Office about radicalisation, and with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: with digital technology suppliers HC 640 26th Tackling Violence against Women and Girls HC 644 25th DHSC

Found: Fragmentation between DfE, DHSC, and local government undermines joined-up services.

Found: At time of writing, the Department of Health and Social Care element of this cross-departmental programme

Found: A defined ring-fenced funding stream (via DHSC, or jointly with DCMS) for creative health provision targeting

Found: London: Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Education.: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Found: My Department and I have been working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.

Found: We can see indications Mrs O did not meet the Department of Health and Social Care criteria for the

Found: insurance-based scheme; that money—the immigration health surcharge—goes straight to the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: My Department and I have been working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.

Found: , Media & Sport (DCMS) Diploma in Sporting Excellence (8,424) (8,424) Department of Health and Social Care

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure a) parents and b) carers are aware that they can request to view DBS certificates when recruiting individuals to work with i) children and ii) vulnerable adults.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In January the following news story Self-employed workers and personal employees can now apply for Enhanced DBS checks - GOV.UK announced the legislative changes which now allow self‑employed individuals, as well as personal employees who are hired directly by an individual or family, to obtain enhanced criminal record checks with barred list information issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), when they work closely with children or vulnerable adults. The article explained that parents and carers who employ a self‑employed worker or personal employee in an eligible role can ask to see that individual’s enhanced DBS certificate, including barred list information; it also included links to further guidance.

Alongside this, DBS has updated its published guidance on GOV.UK to reflect the change:

• DBS checks for self-employed people and personal employees - GOV.UK
• Private individuals employing self-employed workers or personal employees - GOV.UK
• DBS application form: guide for counter signatories - GOV.UK

The Department for Education (DfE) has published guidance for parents and carers to help them make informed decisions on Out-of-School settings for their children. This highlights information on the safeguarding measures providers should have in place and questions to ask, including on staff/volunteer DBS checks.

Similarly, the DfE has provided explanatory posters for providers to put up in their setting. These include a safeguarding checklist and prompts parents to ask about appropriate staff/volunteer checks, including DBS checks.

The DfE also held a Call for Evidence in 2025, considering how to further improve safeguarding standards in Out-of-School settings, including questions on the issue of how providers communicate their safeguarding practices with parents. DfE will respond in due course.

The Department of Health and Social Care is working with Skills for Care to update guidance for people who employ personal assistants in line with the recent changes in access to enhanced DBS checks. The current guidance is published in the Employing PAs Toolkit in Skills for Care’s website, and further updates are due imminently.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanisms are in place to ensure coordination between her Department and the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Department for Education on policies affecting household access to food; and whether responsibility for oversight of such coordination rests with a named Minister.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Good Food Cycle, published in July 2025, identifies 10 priority outcomes across themes of healthier food, sustainability, food security, affordability and inequality, and good growth. Defra leads on coordination across government on the Good Food Cycle outcomes. Defra officials and Ministers have regular interactions with other Government departments to ensure coordination on policies required to deliver them. This includes regular engagement with the Department for Work and Pensions on ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels, with the Department for Health and Social Care on food related elements of the 10 Year Health Plan, and with the Department for Education on School Food Standards.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress the Medical Research Council has made on delivering ME/CFS research improvements.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has prioritised research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) for many years, investing over £4.65 million since 2020, and welcomes high quality applications in this area.

MRC is working with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to deliver on agreed actions from the ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan. This includes funding strategic initiatives to increase research capacity and hosting engagement events to bring together research funders, commercial and academic researchers and patient representatives. For example, in November DHSC, NIHR and UKRI, co-hosted a research showcase to discuss and explore the ongoing research in the fields of ME/CFS and long COVID. MRC continues to liaise with the ME/CFS research community to support future applicants.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she can list the (a) Ministerial responsibilities and (b) the responsibilities and reporting arrangements of any relevant cross-departmental units in relation to drugs policy.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Joint Combating Drugs Unit (JCDU) is responsible for driving and co-ordinating efforts across Government to tackle drugs, working in close partnership with six departments – the Home Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Department for Education. JCDU comprises full-time civil servants who are seconded from key government departments.

Each department is responsible for delivery of their programmes and projects. Progress is overseen by the lead departmental ministers but also reported to me as the lead drugs Minister, while a lead Permanent Secretary fulfils the role of senior responsible owner at official level.

Illicit drug use affects the whole of society, and this Government is taking a collective response to deliver safer streets, improve health outcomes and contribute to opportunities and growth through reducing crime and saving lives.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the mental health of young people reliant on online communities for emotional and social support.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government recognises that for many young people, online communities can play an important role in providing emotional and social support. It is vital that these online spaces are safe. Through the Online Safety Act, in-scope services are required to protect children from illegal and harmful and age-inappropriate content.

On 2 March, the government launched a consultation which will explore options to ensure children’s experiences online are safe and enriching.

The Department of Health and Social Care is working to improve access to mental health support for young people, both online and offline.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take with (a) the Department for Health and Social Care and (b) local authorities to help ensure that immigration reforms support (i) recruitment to social care vacancies and (ii) the implementation of statutory duties under the Care Act 2014.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government published the Immigration White Paper ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System last year which announced the intention to end overseas recruitment for social care visas. The new Immigration Rules which prohibit overseas recruitment took effect in July 2025, however transitional arrangements exist for individuals already in the UK to switch into the route. The transitional arrangements are due expire in 2028 but will be subject to regular review.

The Home Office continues to work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) funded Regional Partnerships to support care workers, who have been impacted by exploitative employers. DHSC are funding 15 regional hubs in England, made up of Local Authorities and Directors of Adult Social Services, working together to support displaced workers into new roles within the care sector. These regional hubs have received £12.5 million this financial year to support them to prevent and respond to unethical practices in the sector.

The Government remains committed to supporting Health & Care visa holders who wish to pursue a career in the adult social care sector.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there have been for offences relating to the termination of pregnancy through the the pills-by-post scheme.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions across England and Wales for a wide range of offences in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK

The offences that constitute unlawful abortion include procuring an illegal abortion under sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, as well as child destruction under section 1 of the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929.

Information centrally held does not specify how many of these convictions are linked to the use of the pills-by-post scheme.

The Department of Health and Social Care is responsible for the policy relating to the pills-by-post scheme.

Found: (DHSC), Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England (PDF), July 2025, p102

Found: Both the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will

Found: Both the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will

Found: DHSC England Combatting anti-Muslim hostility Adopt a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility

Found: (DHSC) (England)/Welsh Government Health and Social Services (Wales) Department

Found: DWP, HMT, MoD, NS&I, Royal Mail Pensions, and SIA Gary.Hansman@hmtreasury.gov.uk DfE, DHSC

Found: across systems, both from her current role in the Cabinet Office and her time at the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: work closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.    

Found: Dr Jo Daniels, a UKRI Policy Fellow, worked within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Science

Found: information about CPRD, visit: www.cprd.com  The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The Review recommended that the Department of Health and Social Care should define the dispensing responsibilities

Found: The exercise, led by the Department of Health and Social Care in partnership with the UK Health Security

Found: The exercise, led by the Department of Health and Social Care in partnership with the UK Health Security