Department of Health and Social Care

The purpose of the impact assessment was to appraise the assisted dying service as described in the bill at the end of committee stage. Judicial approval is not one of the steps an applicant must follow to access the assisted dying service. Therefore, no assessment was made regarding the effectiveness of judicial approval as a safeguard.

The Government remains neutral on the policy choices in the bill, and it is rightly a matter for Parliament to decide if the safeguards in the bill are sufficient.

The Department publishes this information online, on the GOV.UK website.

The table below shows the headcount and full-time equivalent (FTE) headcount of staff employed by the Department and each of its arm’s length bodies, as of July 2024 and November 2025, the most recent figures available.

No such assessment has been made. It is for local integrated care boards to decide whether treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia should be offered to their local populations as a treatment for insomnia.

NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression offer low-intensity therapy which may include interventions around sleep hygiene. Individuals who are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and/or depression can be referred by their general practitioner, or can self-refer, to NHS Talking Therapies. People can also access helpful resources on sleep problems on the Every Mind Matters website at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/sleep/

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicators and associated guidance are updated and published each year as part of the General Medical Services (GMS) contract negotiations. The current consultation on the 2026/27 GMS contract is ongoing and includes proposals to update the QOF which align with the 10-Year Health Plan’s focus on moving from sickness to prevention. We expect to publicly announce the outcome following the conclusion of the consultation.

Greater collaboration between adult social care and the National Health Service is a priority for the Government. Adult social care is a central part of our commitment to developing a Neighbourhood Health Service that shifts care from hospitals to communities, with more personalised, proactive, and joined-up health and care services that help people stay independent for as long as possible. In 2025/26, approximately £9 billion is being invested through the Better Care Fund to enable NHS bodies and local authorities to pool budgets and deliver joined-up care.

Starting in the financial year 2026/27, we will reform the Better Care Fund. This reform will provide a sharper focus on ensuring consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement. We will set out further details in due course.

We also provide improvement support to local systems to help them strengthen the delivery of integrated health and social care. This includes the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme and also work with the Local Government Association to deliver targeted and universal support to local systems through the Better Care Fund Support Fund. Information on these can be found respectively on the Neighbourhood Health and the Local Government Association websites.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country, including children and young people’s mental health services.

As prioritised in our Medium-Term Planning Framework, we are taking action to reduce the longest waits for specialist mental health support, tackling regional disparities, and expanding access, thereby making services more productive so children and young people spend less time waiting for the treatment they need.

We are also accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029. As part of this, we are investing an additional £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff so that they can offer more effective support to young people with complex needs, such as trauma, neurodivergence, and disordered eating. An additional 900,000 children and young people will have access by this spring, and this means that 60% of all pupils will have access to this early support at school, up from 44% in Spring 2024.

More widely, we are, rolling out Young Futures Hubs. The Government’s first 50 Young Futures Hubs will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention. We will work to ensure there is no wrong door for young people who need support with their mental health.

Through measures in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are equipping and supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining their caring tasks by introducing a new ‘MyCarer’ section to the NHS App.

NHS England is supporting the identification of young carers and has recently published guidance for general practitioners. NHS England is also utilising data to help support greater join-up between health, education, and social care.

No specific assessment has been made. The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments, wherever they live.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across the country. It will ensure that more patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to clinical trials.

The Department funds the National Institute of Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) infrastructure to support the delivery and availability of clinical trials across all aspects of human health, including cancer. The South Central Regional Research Delivery Network operates in all National Health Service trusts that span the Buckingham and Bletchley area, giving researchers and delivery teams the practical support they need locally so that clinical trials can take place and more people can take part.

The NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research' which promotes participation in health and care research, by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Broxtowe on 20 January 2026 to Question 106198.

The National Health Service in England operates a comprehensive central database, the Learn From Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) service, which is a national NHS system for the recording and analysis of patient safety events that occur in healthcare. It collates all records of patient safety incidents made by healthcare providers. Where local healthcare providers identify and record incidents related to sodium valproate, that information will be collated by the LFPSE.

On mortality data, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects and publishes mortality statistics for deaths registered in England and Wales. Deaths in which harm caused by sodium valproate exposure is a contributing factor are not captured as a distinct, searchable category in ONS mortality statistics. Further information on mortality statistics is available on the ONS website, at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/methodologies/userguidetomortalitystatisticsjuly2017#:~:text=Mortality%20statistics%20are%20gathered%20using,data%20for%20the%20previous%20period

We are pleased to confirm that NHS England announced on 16 January that patients with non‑metastatic prostate cancer will now have access to abiraterone in combination with prednisolone, where it is deemed to be clinically beneficial. This development has been made possible by the health service buying and delivering treatments at better value.

This decision marks a major step forward in the Government’s ongoing work to improve cancer outcomes, ensure earlier access to effective treatments, and support men and their families across England.

NHS England holds records of hospital activity, and not the number of patients who have a particular condition. Therefore, the number indicated from hospital admissions gives an indication since Kawasaki disease is treated in hospital. Between the years 2020 to 2025, 2,188 patients aged between zero to 17 years old were admitted with a primary diagnosis of Kawasaki disease. The National Disease Registration Service does not hold data on Kawasaki disease. NHS England estimates approximately eight in every 100,000 children develop Kawasaki disease in the United Kingdom each year. The NHS England Kawasaki disease page also includes information on symptoms, diagnosis, management, as well as links for further support, and is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kawasaki-disease/

The Department delivers research into functional neurological disorder (FND) via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

This includes £350,000 of NIHR funding for research which seeks to co-develop behaviour change interventions to support people with FND to rehabilitate within the community, with the help of occupational therapists, enhancing their abilities to self-manage symptoms within daily routines.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including FND. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

NHS England is not aware that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a National Patient Safety Alert on topical steroid withdrawal (TSW). NHS England's Patient safety team issued this National Patient Safety Alert in 2020, and it is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/08/steroid-emergency-card-to-support-early-recognition-and-treatment-of-adrenal-crisis-in-adults/

The safety alert mentions topical steroids, although they are not the focus of the alert. These alerts are a contractual requirement as set out in clause 33.8 of the NHS Standard Contract and so integrated care boards are expected to include consideration of these as part of their wider commissioning responsibilities.

The Care Quality Commission Regulation 12: Safe care and treatment' in Guidance on 12(2)(b) states that “Providers must comply with relevant Patient Safety Alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System”. Further information is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/regulations-service-providers-and-managers/health-social-care-act/regulation-12#:~:text=Guidance%20on%2012(2)(b)

Additionally, general practitioners are included, with further information is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/gps/gp-mythbusters/gp-mythbuster-91-patient-safety-alerts

In 2021, the MHRA published a Public Assessment Report (PAR), reviewing the available evidence for TSW reactions. This PAR is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/topical-steroid-withdrawal-reactions-a-review-of-the-evidence

The PAR resulted in two Drug Safety Updates in 2021 and 2024 which aimed to raise awareness on the risk of TSW reactions and introduce new labelling. Both updates are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/topical-corticosteroids-information-on-the-risk-of-topical-steroid-withdrawal-reactions

https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/topical-steroids-introduction-of-new-labelling-and-a-reminder-of-the-possibility-of-severe-side-effects-including-topical-steroid-withdrawal-reactions

Government responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.

DHSC is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with dementia, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

DHSC funds research and research infrastructure through the NIHR which supports National Health Service patients, the public, and NHS organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials into dementia

As an example, DHSC, via the NIHR, is investing nearly £50 million into the Dementia Trials Network, a coordinated network of trial sites across the United Kingdom, which will offer people with dementia the opportunity to take part in early phase clinical trials irrespective of where they live. This is complemented by the £20 million Dementia Trials Accelerator, designed to position the United Kingdom as the destination of choice for late phase clinical trials in dementia and neurodegenerative diseases.

The NIHR also funds research infrastructure which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including research on dementia. For example, the aim of the University College London Hospitals’ Biomedical Research Centre’s dementia theme is to develop novel treatments through precision medicine.

In partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, and Alzheimer Scotland, the NIHR also delivers Join Dementia Research, an online platform which enables the involvement of people with and without a dementia diagnosis, as well as carers, to take part in a range of important research, including studies evaluating potential treatments for dementia.

The NIHR also provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research', which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies, including those with dementia, and register their interest.

The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, with up to £150 million expected to be allocated to, or aligned with it, aims to speed up the development of new treatments for dementia and neurodegenerative conditions by accelerating innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation.

There are no current plans to publish an impact assessment or modelling on the United Kingdom and United States’ pharmaceutical trade deal. Further detail on the deal will be shared in due course.

Tens of thousands of National Health Service patients will benefit from this deal, which will secure and expand access to vital drugs, and thereby safeguard our medicines supply chain.

Costs will start smaller but will increase over time as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approves more life improving and lifesaving medicines. Total costs over the Spending Review period are expected to be approximately £1 billion. The final costs will depend on which medicines NICE recommends and the actual uptake of these.

This deal is a vital investment that builds on the strength of our NHS and world leading life sciences sector, without taking essential funding from our frontline NHS services.

The Government is committed to tackling the appalling crime of child sexual abuse. Every registered health professional working across the National Health Service has a professional duty of care to protect children from abuse, harm, or violence. This will be strengthened through the introduction of mandatory reporting, as part of the Crime and Police Bill 2024-26, which introduces a legal duty for those who work with children, including volunteers, to report child sexual abuse to the police or social services.

The Government will set out clear guidance on the operation of the duty, and we will work with regulators and professional standards-setting bodies to ensure that the new duty is clearly communicated ahead of implementation.

All healthcare staff and volunteers working with NHS providers complete mandatory safeguarding training. This training is being strengthened for launch in December 2026. This will reinforce to staff their safeguarding responsibilities and support them in identifying and supporting victims of abuse.

The Department and NHS England are developing standalone training on addressing child sexual abuse and exploitation for launch in 2026 to further support healthcare staff to identify victims and survivors and respond in a supportive and trauma-informed manner.

We recognise the devastating impact of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities. It is important that grieving families and friends who have lost loved ones have access to the support they need, when they need it.

Bereavement support, including for parents and families affected by SUDC, is commissioned locally, in accordance with the needs of the local population. Information on SUDC is available on the National Health Service website, which also signposts to the charity SUDC.UK. This is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids

The Department funds research into SUDC through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Recent NIHR‑funded research includes studies focused on the promotion of safer sleeping practices for families at increased risk, the identification and management of genetic and cardiac risk factors, and the improvement of support for bereaved families.

The NIHR actively encourages and funds high-quality research into SUDC, ensuring flexibility in both the funding and research type to meet the needs of patients and families.

We recognise the devastating impact of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities. It is important that grieving families and friends who have lost loved ones have access to the support they need, when they need it.

Bereavement support, including for parents and families affected by SUDC, is commissioned locally, in accordance with the needs of the local population. Information on SUDC is available on the National Health Service website, which also signposts to the charity SUDC.UK. This is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids

The Department funds research into SUDC through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Recent NIHR‑funded research includes studies focused on the promotion of safer sleeping practices for families at increased risk, the identification and management of genetic and cardiac risk factors, and the improvement of support for bereaved families.

The NIHR actively encourages and funds high-quality research into SUDC, ensuring flexibility in both the funding and research type to meet the needs of patients and families.

Drawing on the available peer reviewed evidence, the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR) has undertaken economic analysis on behalf of the UK National Screening Committee.

In their modelling, in line with best practice and the standard academic approach to assessing a new screening proposal, the SCHARR team has included the best available information on current care and compared this to a number of possible scenarios for a new prostate cancer screening programme. This includes the best estimate of current opportunistic prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing.

There is little published data available that can determine between PSAs sought by asymptomatic males at their general practices (GPs), opportunistic PSA testing, and other types of PSAs in use which can include testing for symptomatic males where this could support a diagnosis and for men who are on a range of treatment pathways for known prostate cancer.

A prostate cancer screening programme would be most likely to add to the number of PSA tests because GPs have the right to offer a PSA test in line with their clinical judgement and this would continue outside of any screening programme. This is consistent with other screening programmes including, for example, access to the faecal immunochemical tests outside of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.

The risk of overdiagnosis identified in the SCHARR model is in line with other international evidence-based prostate screening models which have been developed by academics in line with standard academic approaches and are underpinned by high quality published evidence.

New data on PSA uptake was published after the completion of the modelling report and will be incorporated into further model iterations before the completion of the consultation period.

Drawing on the available peer reviewed evidence, the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR) has undertaken economic analysis on behalf of the UK National Screening Committee.

In their modelling, in line with best practice and the standard academic approach to assessing a new screening proposal, the SCHARR team has included the best available information on current care and compared this to a number of possible scenarios for a new prostate cancer screening programme. This includes the best estimate of current opportunistic prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing.

There is little published data available that can determine between PSAs sought by asymptomatic males at their general practices (GPs), opportunistic PSA testing, and other types of PSAs in use which can include testing for symptomatic males where this could support a diagnosis and for men who are on a range of treatment pathways for known prostate cancer.

A prostate cancer screening programme would be most likely to add to the number of PSA tests because GPs have the right to offer a PSA test in line with their clinical judgement and this would continue outside of any screening programme. This is consistent with other screening programmes including, for example, access to the faecal immunochemical tests outside of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.

The risk of overdiagnosis identified in the SCHARR model is in line with other international evidence-based prostate screening models which have been developed by academics in line with standard academic approaches and are underpinned by high quality published evidence.

New data on PSA uptake was published after the completion of the modelling report and will be incorporated into further model iterations before the completion of the consultation period.

The United Kingdom is committed to working with the European Union to strengthen our preparedness and response capabilities to serious cross-border health threats. The UK and the EU are exploring ways to enable improved information exchange and cooperation on health security, including within the existing framework of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement health security provisions. The details of any agreements, including financial contributions, are subject to ongoing negotiations with the EU.

As the Royal College of Physicians' report outlines, indoor air quality remains an important public health consideration.

Our 10-Year Health plan sets out Government actions to improve the quality of the air we breathe, with commitments to increase understanding of indoor and outdoor air pollution and improve communication of air quality information to the public.

We will continue to work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on commitments in the Government’s the Environmental Improvement Plan to help make air quality part of everyday conversations.

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious disease, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19. Population immunity to COVID-19 has increased due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity, following recovery from infection, and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.

The focus of the programme is on vaccination of the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed. These are the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. In line with JCVI’s advice, in autumn 2025 a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to:

- adults aged 75 years old and over;

- residents in care homes for older adults; and

- individuals aged six months old and over who are immunosuppressed.

On 15 December 2025, the Government accepted the JCVI’s advice for spring 2026 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination will be offered to the same groups as in autumn 2025 and previous spring campaigns.

Long term health consequences following COVID-19, including post-COVID syndromes, such as long COVID, have been discussed at meetings of the JCVI COVID-19 sub-committee. The JCVI’s view is that it remains uncertain whether additional COVID-19 vaccine doses, for example the fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, have a significant effect on the chances of developing long COVID, how it progresses, or how it affects people. The JCVI keeps all vaccination programmes under review.

It is for individual publicly funded bodies to determine appropriate arrangements for the defibrillators they maintain, taking account of relevant factors such as building operating hours and security. More broadly, local communities themselves are best placed to make decisions about location and access to defibrillators. The number has been increasing, with over 110,000 defibrillators now registered in the United Kingdom on The Circuit, the independent automated external defibrillators database. For these reasons, there are no plans to bring forward such proposals.

The Department works closely with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to improve vaccination uptake. In Leicester, NHS England has advised that flu vaccination uptake has increased compared with last winter, with notable improvement in school‑age flu vaccination.

Across the East Midlands, NHS England has advised that there has been an increase in uptake compared to this time last year for most cohorts, notably within two and three year olds and frontline healthcare worker cohorts, though lower uptake has been seen in over 65 year olds and care home cohorts.

This year, NHS England has introduced, for the first time, an expansion to the two to three-year-old flu offer with appointments available via community pharmacy sites to support easier access.

NHS England has been working closely with local integrated care boards (ICBs) and wider partners including acute and community hospitals, community pharmacies, and general practices, to take an integrated approach to improving influenza vaccination uptake across all eligible groups.

Local ICBs are working together with community leaders and local partners to ensure that information is shared within communities about how, when, and where people can get vaccinated.

The Department is committed to improving outcomes for teenagers and young adults with cancer. The Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce was relaunched on 4 February 2025 to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement in England, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people, including teenagers and young adults with cancer, are carefully considered as part of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.

The Government is committed to including the views and lived experience of teenagers and young adults in the National Cancer Plan. That is why the Department has worked with the Children and Young People Cancer taskforce members to assemble a Patient Experience Panel of people with lived experience of cancer. The panel is made up of a diverse group, including parents of children with cancer, young adults who were diagnosed with cancer as teenagers, and those who were diagnosed as children.

As part of the Department’s engagement to inform the development of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, officials from the Department’s cancer team have worked closely with patient organisations, clinicians, and cancer partners, and has considered over 11,000 responses to the call for evidence. These included submissions from Teenage Cancer Trust, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Young Lives vs Cancer, CCLG: The Children and Young People's Cancer Association, and so on.

As part of the Department’s engagement to inform the development of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, officials from the Department’s cancer team have worked closely with patient organisations, clinicians, cancer partners and have considered over 11,000 responses to the call for evidence. These included submissions from organisations, such as Fight Bladder Cancer and Cancer52, of which Action Bladder Cancer UK is a member of, as well as from individuals.

The Government values continuity in general practice, but this is not inconsistent with efforts to improve access, such as via the 24-hour access target where urgent treatment is required.

In the 2025/26 contract, one of the domains of the Capacity and Access Improvement Payment, worth £29.2 million, incentivises primary care networks to risk stratify their patients in accordance with need for continuity. This allows general practitioners (GPs) to deliver care to meet the specific needs of their patients.

We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26, which is the biggest cash increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP Contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the National Health Service budget as a whole.

Over ten million more GP appointments have been delivered in the 12 months to September 2025 compared to the same period last year, building capacity for continuity of care and improving access so that patients can be seen when they need to be in primary care. Patient satisfaction with access has improved significantly, rising from 61% in July 2024 to 74% in July 2025, marking a 13-percentage-point increase over the last year.

The Government values continuity in general practice (GP), but this isn't inconsistent with efforts to improve access, such as via the 24-hour access target where urgent treatment is required.

In the 2025/26 contract, one of the domains of the Capacity and Access Improvement Payment, worth £29.2 million, incentivises primary care networks to risk stratify their patients to support continuity of care, including patients with long-term or complex conditions. This allows GPs to deliver care to meet the specific needs of their patients

Over the past 16 months, the Government has invested an extra £1.1 billion into primary care, allowing for the recruitment of over 2,000 more GPs, and has halved the number of targets GPs are held to so that GPs can spend more time caring for patients. As a result, patient satisfaction with GPs has improved after a decade of decline, rising from 61% in July 2024 to 74% in July 2025, marking a 13-percentage-point increase over the last year.

Over ten million more GP appointments have been delivered in the 12 months to September 2025, compared to the same period last year, building capacity for continuity of care and improving access so that patients can be seen when they need to be in primary care.

We have always valued input from a range of stakeholders on the future of GPs and continue to engage with GPs broadly to ensure the targets are achievable, reflect the needs of the populations they serve, and understand any barriers to delivery of this target.

The Government values continuity in general practice (GP), but this isn't inconsistent with efforts to improve access, such as via the 24-hour access target where urgent treatment is required.

In the 2025/26 contract, one of the domains of the Capacity and Access Improvement Payment, worth £29.2 million, incentivises primary care networks to risk stratify their patients to support continuity of care, including patients with long-term or complex conditions. This allows GPs to deliver care to meet the specific needs of their patients

Over the past 16 months, the Government has invested an extra £1.1 billion into primary care, allowing for the recruitment of over 2,000 more GPs, and has halved the number of targets GPs are held to so that GPs can spend more time caring for patients. As a result, patient satisfaction with GPs has improved after a decade of decline, rising from 61% in July 2024 to 74% in July 2025, marking a 13-percentage-point increase over the last year.

Over ten million more GP appointments have been delivered in the 12 months to September 2025, compared to the same period last year, building capacity for continuity of care and improving access so that patients can be seen when they need to be in primary care.

We have always valued input from a range of stakeholders on the future of GPs and continue to engage with GPs broadly to ensure the targets are achievable, reflect the needs of the populations they serve, and understand any barriers to delivery of this target.

The Government values continuity in general practice (GP), but this isn't inconsistent with efforts to improve access, such as via the 24-hour access target where urgent treatment is required.

In the 2025/26 contract, one of the domains of the Capacity and Access Improvement Payment, worth £29.2 million, incentivises primary care networks to risk stratify their patients to support continuity of care, including patients with long-term or complex conditions. This allows GPs to deliver care to meet the specific needs of their patients

Over the past 16 months, the Government has invested an extra £1.1 billion into primary care, allowing for the recruitment of over 2,000 more GPs, and has halved the number of targets GPs are held to so that GPs can spend more time caring for patients. As a result, patient satisfaction with GPs has improved after a decade of decline, rising from 61% in July 2024 to 74% in July 2025, marking a 13-percentage-point increase over the last year.

Over ten million more GP appointments have been delivered in the 12 months to September 2025, compared to the same period last year, building capacity for continuity of care and improving access so that patients can be seen when they need to be in primary care.

We have always valued input from a range of stakeholders on the future of GPs and continue to engage with GPs broadly to ensure the targets are achievable, reflect the needs of the populations they serve, and understand any barriers to delivery of this target.

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a National Health Service dentist across the country, and we are taking steps to address this, including by increasing the availability of urgent dental care and reforming the dental contract.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population is delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. There are a number of forums for engagement, and NHS England regions lead on engagement with ICBs. For Torridge, this is NHS England South West.

We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent, non-emergency, dental appointments to make sure that patients can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra urgent dental appointments available since April 2025. NHS Devon ICB, which includes the Torridge and Tavistock constituency, has been asked to deliver 24,269 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

In the Autumn Budget 2025, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) would be created using a mix of public and private finance. 250 NHCs will be delivered through upgrading and repurposing existing buildings, and building new facilities through a combination of public sector investment and a new model of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).

The Department is supporting the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority to develop the new PPP model for 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. This report is available at the following link:

https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/lessons-learned-private-finance-for-infrastructure.pdf

This model is currently in development, therefore interest payments for NHCs using PPPs have not yet been calculated.

We remain committed to the general practice (GP) partnership model and recognise its many strengths, including efficiency, innovation, and continuity of care. GP partnerships deliver high-quality care to patients all over the country. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, where the GP partnership model is working well, it should continue.

We also recognise that increasingly fewer GPs are going into partnership, and that the partnership model is not the only model currently delivering GPs. GPs can and do choose to organise themselves in different ways, many of which cite evidence of good outcomes in terms of staff engagement and patient experience.

Alongside the partnership model, the 10-Year Health Plan commits to introducing two new contracts enabling GPs to work over larger geographies, with the aim of supporting the neighbourhood health model, providing resilience and allowing economies of scale, thereby securing the sustainability of GPs into the future.

We recognise that the general practice (GP) partnership model has many strengths, including its role in supporting continuity of care. GP partnerships often have deep local knowledge and long-standing relationships with their registered patient populations, which can strengthen relational continuity. The GP Partnership Review from 2019 found that the stability of the partnership model supports and enables continuity of care.

The Government values continuity of care in GPs, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer accident and emergency attendances. That is why we have committed to bringing back the family doctor.

We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in GPs, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26, the biggest cash increase in over a decade. This investment will help build capacity in GPs, improving both continuity of care and access for patients.

The review of the Carr-Hill formula has been commissioned through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and commenced in October 2025. The first phase of the review is expected to conclude in March 2026. Subject to ministerial decision, further work would be undertaken to technically develop and model any proposed changes to the formula.

Findings from the review will be published in due course by the NIHR. Members of Parliament will be updated once the review findings are available.

Implementation of any new funding approach would be subject to ministerial decision and consultation with the General Practice Committee of England, of the British Medical Association, in the context of the available funding and our commitment to substantively reform the General Medical Services Contract within this Parliament.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department on a range of subjects, including immigration policy.

The Government has published an Impact Assessment alongside the Spring 2025 Immigration Rules, which sets out the expected effects of the reforms on the Skilled Worker and Health and Care worker routes, including modelling of changes in overall visa volumes. The Impact Assessment is published on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-assessments-covering-migration-policy

The forthcoming 10-Year Health 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. As part of that plan, we will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.

For adult social care, it is also the Government’s policy to reduce reliance on international recruitment and improve domestic recruitment and retention. We recognise the scale of reform needed to make the adult social care attractive as a career and are determined to ensure that those who work in care are respected as professionals. We are introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement for Adult Social Care, implementing the first universal career structure for adult social care, and providing £12 million this year for staff to complete training and qualifications.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department on a range of subjects, including immigration policy.

The Government has published an Impact Assessment alongside the Spring 2025 Immigration Rules, which sets out the expected effects of the reforms on the Skilled Worker and Health and Care worker routes, including modelling of changes in overall visa volumes. The Impact Assessment is published on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-assessments-covering-migration-policy

The forthcoming 10-Year Health 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. As part of that plan, we will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.

For adult social care, it is also the Government’s policy to reduce reliance on international recruitment and improve domestic recruitment and retention. We recognise the scale of reform needed to make the adult social care attractive as a career and are determined to ensure that those who work in care are respected as professionals. We are introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement for Adult Social Care, implementing the first universal career structure for adult social care, and providing £12 million this year for staff to complete training and qualifications.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department on a range of subjects, including immigration policy.

The Government has published an Impact Assessment alongside the Spring 2025 Immigration Rules, which sets out the expected effects of the reforms on the Skilled Worker and Health and Care worker routes, including modelling of changes in overall visa volumes. The Impact Assessment is published on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-assessments-covering-migration-policy

The forthcoming 10-Year Health 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. As part of that plan, we will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.

For adult social care, it is also the Government’s policy to reduce reliance on international recruitment and improve domestic recruitment and retention. We recognise the scale of reform needed to make the adult social care attractive as a career and are determined to ensure that those who work in care are respected as professionals. We are introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement for Adult Social Care, implementing the first universal career structure for adult social care, and providing £12 million this year for staff to complete training and qualifications.

Whilst adults with a learning disability do not automatically qualify for free National Health Service sight tests, they may qualify under other categories of exemption, for example being in receipt of income-related benefits or through the NHS low-income scheme.

To support children and young people with learning disabilities, free NHS sight tests are available within special educational settings across England, that choose to host a service.

Pharmacy First in England was launched on 31 January 2024. This incorporated existing elements under the former Community Pharmacist Consultation Service and introduced a new clinical pathways element. The new clinical pathways element allows patients to receive treatment for seven common health conditions without the need for a general practitioner (GP) appointment.

As health is a devolved matter, the Pharmacy First service in Scotland is commissioned separately to the one in England. The conditions covered by the English and Scottish schemes do differ slightly, but the services operate in a similar manner. Both operate a consultation service under which pharmacists can provide some prescription only medicines without the need to see a prescriber. In addition, Scotland commissions the expanded Pharmacy First Plus service, which has a broader scope and can be provided by pharmacists with a prescribing qualification. In line with the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to giving pharmacists in England more ability to prescribe and to manage a range of health conditions.

The Department has not formally assessed the Scottish scheme, but the Pharmacy First service design was informed by best practice from similar locally commissioned services and services commissioned by the devolved governments. NHS England will keep the clinical scope of the service under review.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including investment in new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. This will speed up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard.

The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. This includes £600 million in capital funding for diagnostics in 2025/26 to support delivery of the NHS performance standards. This funding will deliver new community diagnostic centres, including new MRI scanners, new scanners in acute hospital settings, as well as replacement of the oldest MRI scanners and MRI acceleration software.

Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

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 build on the 10-Year Health Plan to set out how we will deliver a new workforce model with staff who are aligned with the future direction of reform. The Department launched a Call for Evidence in September 2025 until November 2025 to seek views from healthcare organisations and those with expertise in workforce planning to develop the new workforce plan.

The independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, chaired by Baroness Amos, is expected to publish findings in the spring. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will chair the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to address the recommendations and develop a new national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

NHS England publishes monthly data on general practice appointments, including the approximate length of time between appointments being booked and taking place, at a national and integrated care board level, although this is not a proxy for “waiting times”.

Several factors can affect when appointments take place, for example, patients may choose to book routine check-ups in advance for their own convenience. It is not possible to estimate the time between the patient’s first attempt to contact their surgery and an appointment.

Nationally, in November 2025, 43.1% of appointments were delivered on the same day, and 81.2% were delivered within two weeks. In the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, 42.7% of appointments were delivered on the same day, 0.4 percentage points below the national average. 79.5% were delivered within two weeks, 1.7 percentage points below the national figure.