Department of Health and Social Care

The following table shows the number of registered patients at each practice in the Calder Valley constituency on 1 July 2025, and on 1 February 2026, as this is the most recent available data:

In addition, the following table shows which practices are branches of main practices within the Calder Valley constituency, excluding COVID vaccination service branches:

As patients are registered to main practices, there is no data for the number of patients registered to branch practices.

While funding arrangements for level 7 apprenticeships are changing, NHS England and the Department are funding ongoing provision of level 7 apprenticeships in five professions to support the delivery of our 10-Year Health Plan and the upcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan and 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.

The transition from hospital to community care was one of the three big shifts set out in the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, and we recognise the role of community facilities in delivering this ambition.

The 2025 Spending Review set out a four-year health capital settlement extending to 2029/30. This will provide local National Health Service organisations, including the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, responsible for Fielding Palmer Hospital, with the confidence needed for long-term investment decisions, including larger infrastructure projects.

From 2026/27 to 2029/30, the NHS Midlands Region has been allocated £910.1 million to deliver the shift from hospital to community care and to support the return to constitutional standards. Regional teams are currently prioritising the funding between proposed schemes across the midlands and will be considering the merits of a community health hub for Lutterworth as part of this process. In addition to national capital, the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust has been allocated £40.2 million in operational capital across 2026/27 to 2029/30, which they can allocate to local priorities, including funding for a new health hub.

Prior to appointment, non-executive candidates are required to declare all relevant interests. Appropriate mitigations are then put in place and approved by the Department.

This process was carried out for the Rt Hon. Alan Milburn, whose interests, and any updates to them, are available in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts and on the GOV.UK website in alignment with Government policy.

The Government recognises the importance of continuity in postgraduate medical training for both doctors and patients.

Following the 2024 Resident Doctors Agreement, the Department, working in partnership with NHS England and the British Medical Association, established a review of rotational training. This review drew on some 13,000 responses to surveys and found that rotations can provide valuable breadth of experience, but that in some cases frequent moves can disrupt learning, wellbeing, team integration, and patient care

NHS England has developed pilots within the Rotations Review programme, and these are being recruited to with start dates in August of this year. As set out in the 10-Point Plan to Improve Resident Doctors’ Working Lives, these test longer placements, smaller geographic footprints, and more flexible arrangements for less-than-full-time trainees. The future work will become part of the Medical Education and Training Review. One of these pilots has focussed on Internal Medicine Training programmes being based at a single provider for the entire three years.

The evaluation of these pilots will inform future policy decisions on placement length and continuity benefits.

NHS England publishes monthly data on the number of incidents raised and responded to by the ambulance service as part of the Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQI) publication. The publication can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

For the calendar year 2025, the number of incidents referred to other services nationally was 1,360,449, or 15% of all 9,312,404 incidents.

For the East of England Ambulance Service, the service referred 136,470 incidents to other services, or 14% of all incidents.

Baroness Amos has advised that the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in June.

Reducing unacceptably long ambulance handover delays is a priority for the Government, and the National Health Service has recently introduced a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.

We are further tackling this issue through greater use of alternative pathways of care, so patients receive the right care at the right time and in the right place. The Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan 2025/26 commits to scaling a new “Home First” approach which will enable ambulance services to prioritise the most critical cases while providing alternative pathways for those with less urgent needs.

To achieve this, we will enhance paramedic-led care in the community to ensure more patients receive effective treatment at the scene or in their own homes, reducing avoidable hospital conveyance. This will be delivered through ambulance crews operating a call before convey principle and enabling “see and treat”, supported by additional clinicians in emergency operating centres and single points of access. The East of England Ambulance Service in January 2026 reported that it responded to over half of incidents, or 52.6%, with either a see and treat response, at 34.3%, or hear and treat, at 18.3%.

The NHS Planning Guidance 2025/26 commits to improving accident and emergency waiting times and ambulance response times. NHS England will work with systems to reduce avoidable ambulance dispatches and conveyances by ensuring all Category 3 and 4 calls are clinically navigated, validated, and where appropriate, triaged in ambulance control centres, or in single points of access in line with existing guidance.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, including long waits for endometriosis diagnoses. We are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients are treated within 18 weeks of referral to consultant-led care by March 2029. The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has commissioned studies focused on endometriosis diagnosis, treatment and patient experience.

We are taking action to increase capacity and transform diagnostic services to improve waiting times for endometriosis diagnoses. This includes expanding existing community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and building up to five new ones in 2025/26. Our Elective Reform Plan also committed to CDCs opening 12 hours per day, seven days a week, delivering more same-day tests and consultations. Surgical hubs are helping endometriosis patients get quicker treatment and deliver high-volume, low-complexity elective surgeries, including gynaecological procedures.

Currently, over half of the 125 operational elective surgical hubs in England provide gynaecology services. Laparoscopies remain the definitive diagnostic and treatment method and are a key part of this offering. The Elective Reform Plan commits to expand the number of hubs to increase surgical capacity and reduce waiting times.

From 2027, a new “online hospital” will also offer patients the choice to access specialist care including for menstrual problems potentially indicating endometriosis or fibroids from home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times.

Data published monthly by NHS England on incidents raised and responded to by the ambulance sevice does not report the information required to answer this question.

Incident numbers and categorisation are published for England as part of the Ambulance Quality Indicators publication. The publication can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

The publication details the number of paredirected, or resolved without conveyance by an ambulance, but does not detail the service incidents are redirected to.

The Department for Education provides the primary funding support package for English domiciled students in higher education through the student loans system.

We want to remove the barriers to training in clinical roles like nursing, which is why in addition to student loans, the Department of Health and Social Care provides supplementary non-repayable grants via the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF). Eligible nursing students receive a minimum of £5,000 in each academic year, with an additional £1,000 per academic year available for priority areas such as mental health nursing or learning disabilities nursing. Further financial support is also available for childcare, dual accommodation costs, and travel.

These funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.

The 10-Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, set out that we will help students overcome financial obstacles to learning. We are working with the NHS Business Services Authority to reform and modernise the process of supporting students with their placement expenses, including reducing delays to reimbursement of their placement travel and accommodation costs.

The Department is unaware of any national or local changes to guidance on call categorisation thresholds made since 2023, and has therefore made no assessment.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for the Newbury constituency, 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 Newbury can be found under the West Berkshire county at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E06000037/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to bring down the size of the list and reduce waiting times, including for audiology.

The Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are taking a number of steps to improve the provision of audiology services. These include the building of a new soundproof booth to boost testing capacity and transforming some paediatric ear, nose, and throat (ENT) pathways for direct audiology follow-ups. The trust is also improving ENT triage to ensure that patients with potential hearing loss are seen and assessed as soon as possible.

Waiting times for NHS audiology appointments are captured across a number of different data publications. Monthly diagnostics waiting times and activity data for 15 key diagnostic tests and procedures, including audiology assessments, is published at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/

As of the end of December 2025, the latest available data, only three of 501 waits, or 0.6%, for an audiology assessment at the Ashfield constituency’s local NHS trust, the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, were waiting more than six weeks. That’s better than the NHS constitutional standard of 1% and the national average of 45.5%. Since the end of June 2024, audiology assessment performance has improved by 25% in the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB. The following table shows audiology assessment performance at the local trust, local ICB, and national level:

Data is also published on community health services waiting lists, which includes waiting times for community audiology services. This is published at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/community-health-services-waiting-lists/

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to bring down the size of the list and reduce waiting times, including for audiology.

The Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are taking a number of steps to improve the provision of audiology services. These include the building of a new soundproof booth to boost testing capacity and transforming some paediatric ear, nose, and throat (ENT) pathways for direct audiology follow-ups. The trust is also improving ENT triage to ensure that patients with potential hearing loss are seen and assessed as soon as possible.

Waiting times for NHS audiology appointments are captured across a number of different data publications. Monthly diagnostics waiting times and activity data for 15 key diagnostic tests and procedures, including audiology assessments, is published at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/

As of the end of December 2025, the latest available data, only three of 501 waits, or 0.6%, for an audiology assessment at the Ashfield constituency’s local NHS trust, the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, were waiting more than six weeks. That’s better than the NHS constitutional standard of 1% and the national average of 45.5%. Since the end of June 2024, audiology assessment performance has improved by 25% in the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB. The following table shows audiology assessment performance at the local trust, local ICB, and national level:

Data is also published on community health services waiting lists, which includes waiting times for community audiology services. This is published at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/community-health-services-waiting-lists/

The increased facility time in 2024/25 noted in NHS England’s Annual Report and Accounts was due to NHS England undergoing organisational change. This followed the transfers of Health Education England and NHS Digital into NHS England, which required formal consultation under employment legislation with recognised trade unions. This is also the reason for the increased facility time paybill and paid trade union activities.

Individual National Health Service trusts are responsible for the provision of information and advice for patients about hair loss services.

NHS England does not collect information centrally about these services but expects there to be clear pathways around hair loss services in each NHS trust, including preventative care, such as scalp cooling, and psychological support around hair loss, and signposting to wig suppliers. The current NHS Supply Chain Wigs Framework Agreement was awarded to 42 suppliers and provides a range of wigs, both real and synthetic, headwear products to provide alternative choice to patients, and maintenance, styling, alteration, and repair services.

NHS England also expects NHS trusts to provide workshops such as headscarf tying, and eyebrow/lash make up and care, among other related services. There will also be provision at appropriate NHS trusts for children and young people. NHS.Net provides clear information on what can be provided and what costs are covered for wigs and fabric support, including advice for patients on a low income. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/wigs-and-fabric-supports-on-the-nhs/

Cancer charity support centres also provide advice and support on hair loss, including the national charity Cancer Hair Care, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.cancerhaircare.co.uk/

Individual National Health Service trusts are responsible for the provision of information and advice for patients about hair loss services.

NHS England does not collect information centrally about these services but expects there to be clear pathways around hair loss services in each NHS trust, including preventative care, such as scalp cooling, and psychological support around hair loss, and signposting to wig suppliers. The current NHS Supply Chain Wigs Framework Agreement was awarded to 42 suppliers and provides a range of wigs, both real and synthetic, headwear products to provide alternative choice to patients, and maintenance, styling, alteration, and repair services.

NHS England also expects NHS trusts to provide workshops such as headscarf tying, and eyebrow/lash make up and care, among other related services. There will also be provision at appropriate NHS trusts for children and young people. NHS.Net provides clear information on what can be provided and what costs are covered for wigs and fabric support, including advice for patients on a low income. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/wigs-and-fabric-supports-on-the-nhs/

Cancer charity support centres also provide advice and support on hair loss, including the national charity Cancer Hair Care, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.cancerhaircare.co.uk/

Individual National Health Service trusts are responsible for the provision of information and advice for patients about hair loss services.

NHS England does not collect information centrally about these services but expects there to be clear pathways around hair loss services in each NHS trust, including preventative care, such as scalp cooling, and psychological support around hair loss, and signposting to wig suppliers. The current NHS Supply Chain Wigs Framework Agreement was awarded to 42 suppliers and provides a range of wigs, both real and synthetic, headwear products to provide alternative choice to patients, and maintenance, styling, alteration, and repair services.

NHS England also expects NHS trusts to provide workshops such as headscarf tying, and eyebrow/lash make up and care, among other related services. There will also be provision at appropriate NHS trusts for children and young people. NHS.Net provides clear information on what can be provided and what costs are covered for wigs and fabric support, including advice for patients on a low income. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/wigs-and-fabric-supports-on-the-nhs/

Cancer charity support centres also provide advice and support on hair loss, including the national charity Cancer Hair Care, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.cancerhaircare.co.uk/

Individual National Health Service trusts are responsible for the provision of information and advice for patients about hair loss services.

NHS England does not collect information centrally about these services but expects there to be clear pathways around hair loss services in each NHS trust, including preventative care, such as scalp cooling, and psychological support around hair loss, and signposting to wig suppliers. The current NHS Supply Chain Wigs Framework Agreement was awarded to 42 suppliers and provides a range of wigs, both real and synthetic, headwear products to provide alternative choice to patients, and maintenance, styling, alteration, and repair services.

NHS England also expects NHS trusts to provide workshops such as headscarf tying, and eyebrow/lash make up and care, among other related services. There will also be provision at appropriate NHS trusts for children and young people. NHS.Net provides clear information on what can be provided and what costs are covered for wigs and fabric support, including advice for patients on a low income. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/wigs-and-fabric-supports-on-the-nhs/

Cancer charity support centres also provide advice and support on hair loss, including the national charity Cancer Hair Care, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.cancerhaircare.co.uk/

The Department is currently considering its response to a prevention of future deaths report regarding non-therapeutic male circumcision. The response will set out any steps being taken to help prevent deaths related to non-therapeutic male circumcision. It will be published in due course.

NHS England has provided funding to increase validation of waiting lists in 2025/26, as part of the Government's plans for a more productive and improved approach to elective care which is better for patients. A £33 fee is provided for each additional referral to treatment clock stop per patient pathway above a provider’s agreed baseline.

Validation is a clinically supported process and forms a long-standing part of trusts’ routine management of their waiting lists. National guidance from NHS England provides further information about the validation process and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/B2121ii-validation-toolkit-and-guidance-december-2022.pdf

NHS England is supporting provider organisations and integrated care boards, who are the commissioners of audiology services, to improve performance and reduce waiting lists for appointments and assessments for hearing services. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in National Health Service trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres, and direct support through a national audiology improvement collaborative.

Data is also published on community health services waiting lists, which includes waiting times for community audiology services. This is published at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/community-health-services-waiting-lists/

Advice and Guidance (A&G) is a clinical collaboration tool that supports timely specialist input and helps patients receive care in the right setting, enabling best use of clinical time.

The GP Contract 2026/27 sets out that practices will be required to use A&G prior to, or in place of, a planned care referral where clinically appropriate. It also sets out the expectation for practices to follow locally agreed referral pathways, including single point of access (SPoA) models once introduced. Similarly, our Medium-term Planning Framework, published in October 2026, introduced plans to support increased A&G by moving to an elective SPoA model. All appropriate referrals and requests, other than those for urgent suspected cancer, will be directed through a single ‘front door’ to support triage to the most appropriate next step or outcome for the patient. This will help reduce unnecessary appointments, making the best use of clinical time. The Medium-Term Planning Framework set the aim for all referrals to go via a SPoA for at least 10 specialties determined at provider level by October 2026, which provides flexibility for local teams to deliver where there is the most potential for the model to be effective, including ensuring timely responses.

Integrated care boards are expected to support the introduction of expanded A&G and SPoA through their strategic commissioning for 2026/27. National Health Service trusts will continue to be funded to deliver A&G through a fixed payment negotiated locally to ensure predictable and sufficient funding to cover increased A&G use. NHS England will continue to work with systems to monitor performance, share good practice, and support timely responses, including through job planning guidance that supports clinicians to manage A&G safely and appropriately.

Advice and Guidance (A&G) is a clinical collaboration tool that supports timely specialist input and helps patients receive care in the right setting, enabling best use of clinical time.

The GP Contract 2026/27 sets out that practices will be required to use A&G prior to, or in place of, a planned care referral where clinically appropriate. It also sets out the expectation for practices to follow locally agreed referral pathways, including single point of access (SPoA) models once introduced. Similarly, our Medium-term Planning Framework, published in October 2026, introduced plans to support increased A&G by moving to an elective SPoA model. All appropriate referrals and requests, other than those for urgent suspected cancer, will be directed through a single ‘front door’ to support triage to the most appropriate next step or outcome for the patient. This will help reduce unnecessary appointments, making the best use of clinical time. The Medium-Term Planning Framework set the aim for all referrals to go via a SPoA for at least 10 specialties determined at provider level by October 2026, which provides flexibility for local teams to deliver where there is the most potential for the model to be effective, including ensuring timely responses.

Integrated care boards are expected to support the introduction of expanded A&G and SPoA through their strategic commissioning for 2026/27. National Health Service trusts will continue to be funded to deliver A&G through a fixed payment negotiated locally to ensure predictable and sufficient funding to cover increased A&G use. NHS England will continue to work with systems to monitor performance, share good practice, and support timely responses, including through job planning guidance that supports clinicians to manage A&G safely and appropriately.

The provision of clinical care in corridors is unacceptable, and we are committed to ending its practice in the National Health Service. Furthermore, our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 commits to publishing data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.

We recently published a clear definition of corridor care and based on this, will begin collecting data on its use across the NHS imminently. Subject to data quality, this information will be published monthly on NHS England’s website from May 2026. In parallel, NHS England is also working with trusts to introduce new reporting arrangements on corridor care to improve transparency and support system-wide improvement.

We have also introduced new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care, setting clear expectations for timely reviews and specialist input, further supporting our efforts to eliminate corridor care and improve patient experience.

Where corridor care cannot be avoided, we have published updated guidance to support trusts to deliver it safely, ensuring dignity and privacy is maintained to reduce impacts on patients and staff. This means that corridor care areas must uphold the same high standards of care for patients as those in planned clinical settings, with patients prioritised by clinical urgency. All patients should be risk‑assessed by senior clinicians at triage and monitored by named nurses.

The £70 million investment is in the process of being spent, machines have been ordered, and they are being rolled out across the country, with some treating patients already. These 28 new, cutting-edge machines will reduce waiting times and provide 15% more treatments allowing 27,500 extra patients to be treated every year. This means more equal access and better outcomes for cancer patients across England.

The new radiotherapy machines are located at: Addenbrooke’s Hospital; Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital; Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre at Bristol Royal Infirmary; Charing Cross Hospital; The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, in the Withington Site; Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, in the Liverpool Site; Colchester General Hospital; Derriford Hospital; Freeman Hospital; Guy’s Cancer Centre at Guy’s Hospital; Hereford County Hospital; James Cook University Hospital; Kent and Canterbury Hospital; Lincoln County Hospital; North Middlesex University Hospital; Northampton General Hospital; Nottingham City Hospital; Royal Berkshire Hospital; Royal Cornwall Hospital; Royal Derby Hospital; Royal Marsden Hospital, in Sutton, Surrey; Royal Preston Hospital; Royal Surrey Hospital; Southend University Hospital; St Bartholomew’s Hospital; University College Hospital; Weston Park Cancer Centre; and Worcestershire Royal Hospital. In addition, four trusts, namely University Hospitals Birmingham, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, Southend, and Hereford and Gloucestershire, have received a contribution towards the cost of bunker refurbishment.

Community First Responders (CFRs) are volunteers trained by ambulance services to attend certain types of emergency calls in the communities where they live or work. Decisions on operational arrangements, including safety measures and equipment for CFRs, are determined locally by ambulance trusts.

As a complementary resource, CFRs are dispatched only to those calls that appropriately fall within the clinical scope of practice for a volunteer CFR role and assessment of this takes both the safety of the volunteer and patient into account.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, may, by regulations, make provisions for courses of training for driving vehicles at high speed. It is generally taken that those responding to incidents using blue lights and sirens are trained to an appropriate standard that is recognised by the despatching National Health Service ambulance service. The decision to authorise interested CFR and/or co-responder schemes to use blue lights and sirens and claim exemptions is for local determination by NHS ambulance services.

The CFR scheme is designed so volunteers are typically located close to incidents requiring a response, meaning driving under emergency conditions would typically confer relatively little benefit compared with travelling at normal road speed. Any potential benefits must also be weighed against the increased risks to the public associated with using exemptions to road traffic regulations.

Community First Responders (CFRs) are volunteers trained by ambulance services to attend certain types of emergency calls in the communities where they live or work. Decisions on operational arrangements, including safety measures and equipment for CFRs, are determined locally by ambulance trusts.

As a complementary resource, CFRs are dispatched only to those calls that appropriately fall within the clinical scope of practice for a volunteer CFR role and assessment of this takes both the safety of the volunteer and patient into account.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, may, by regulations, make provisions for courses of training for driving vehicles at high speed. It is generally taken that those responding to incidents using blue lights and sirens are trained to an appropriate standard that is recognised by the despatching National Health Service ambulance service. The decision to authorise interested CFR and/or co-responder schemes to use blue lights and sirens and claim exemptions is for local determination by NHS ambulance services.

The CFR scheme is designed so volunteers are typically located close to incidents requiring a response, meaning driving under emergency conditions would typically confer relatively little benefit compared with travelling at normal road speed. Any potential benefits must also be weighed against the increased risks to the public associated with using exemptions to road traffic regulations.

Data published by the General Medical Council (GMC) provides information on the number of doctors with a United Kingdom Primary Medical Qualification (PMQ) by year. The following table shows the number of doctors graduating from UK medical schools in each of the last five years who then registered with the GMC:

Source: General Medical Council, UK graduates summary data, with further information available at the following link:
https://gde.gmc-uk.org/medical-schools/uk-graduates/uk-graduates-summary-data
Note: total represents the total number of doctors with a UK Primary Medical Qualification in that year who went onto register with the GMC.

Medical graduates complete a two-year Foundation Programme following graduation from medical school. Successful completion of the programme occurs at the end of Foundation Year Two (F2). Data on the number of doctors completing foundation training is published by the GMC through its Education Data Tool. Successful completion of foundation training is interpreted as completion of F2.

The following table shows data published by the GMC on the number of doctors completing F2 in each of the last five years:

Source: General Medical Council, Education Data Tool Progression Reports, with further information available at the following link:
https://edt.gmc-uk.org/progression-reports/recruitment-from-f2

As stated in the Department’s Remuneration Report, that forms part of the annual report and accounts 2024/25, the Department’s Second Permanent Secretary, Tom Riordan, received £18,000 benefits in kind during 2024/25, to cover the dual location of his role.

NHS England is supporting provider organisations and integrated care boards who are the commissioners of audiology services to improve performance and reduce waiting lists for appointments and assessments for hearing services. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in National Health Service trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres, and direct support through a national audiology improvement collaborative.

Data is also published on community health services waiting lists, which includes waiting times for community audiology services. This is published at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/community-health-services-waiting-lists/

NHS England publishes monthly data on ambulance response times for England as part of the Ambulance Quality Indicators publication. The publication can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

NHS England does not publish performance response time data that allows for an assessment of the number of patients who wait over five hours. It does publish the 90th centile performance, the threshold that the 10% of incidents with the highest response time are greater than.

Ambulance response times for Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are published by their own health services respectively and can be found online. The response time categories and thresholds differ from those used in England, and as such direct comparisons cannot be made. The separate publications for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are available, respectively, at the following three links:

https://www.scottishambulance.com/our-board/board-papers/

https://jcc.nhs.wales/insighthub/asi/

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/emergency-care-and-ambulance-statistics

NHS England publishes monthly data on ambulance response times for England as part of the Ambulance Quality Indicators publication. The publication can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

The following table shows latest published performance data for ambulance response times in England, broken down by ambulance category:

Ambulance response times for Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are published by their own health services respectively and can be found online. The response time categories and thresholds differ from those used in England, and as such direct comparisons cannot be made. The separate publications for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are available, respectively, at the following three links:

https://www.scottishambulance.com/our-board/board-papers/

https://jcc.nhs.wales/insighthub/asi/

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/emergency-care-and-ambulance-statistics

A network of Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (DASV) Leads are embedded in almost every National Health Service trust, integrated care board, and region across England. These Leads act as advocates both within the NHS and in partnership with external agencies to improve services for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. The national network of DASV Leads hold quarterly webinars to share good practice. They also use a secure NHS online workspace to share learning, resources, and training.

The Government is committed to increasing access to Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scans and other nuclear medicine for cancer diagnosis, primarily by boosting overall diagnostic capacity.

As part of the diagnostic capital allocation from the Spending Reviews between 2021 and 2026, five schemes have been funded to replace aged computed tomography or SPECT-CT scanners with new SPECT-CT scanners for a total investment of £6.2 million. The benefits include increased throughput of patients, lower radiation doses, faster scans, reduced sedation of patients, and improved image quality.

SPECT-CT bids are also within the scope of the 2026 Spending Review multi-year diagnostic capital process, which is ongoing.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity, including for audiology services for adults with age-related hearing loss.

NHS England is supporting provider organisations and integrated care boards (ICBs), who are the commissioners of audiology services, to improve performance and reduce waiting lists for appointments and assessments for hearing services. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in NHS trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres (CDCs), and direct support through a national audiology improvement collaborative.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and modernisation efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament. The plan commits to transform and expand diagnostic services and speed up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the RTT 18-week standard.  This includes expanding existing CDCs, as well as building up to five new ones in 2025/26, and commits to CDCs opening 12 hours per day, seven days a week, delivering more same-day tests and consultations and an expanded range of tests.

For the first time, we have set a clear target through the Medium Term Planning Framework, for systems to work to reduce long waits. By 2028/29, at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks. This includes community audiology services.

The Government is supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.

ICBs should take a neighbourhood approach to women’s healthcare, ensuring women can get the care they need regardless of whether they speak first to a general practice (GP), hospital, or other healthcare provider.

We are supporting ICBs to continue improving their delivery of neighbourhood women’s healthcare, in line with their responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of their local populations.

Neighbourhood women’s healthcare is delivered both by a range of providers and digitally, giving women access not just to GPs and community specialists in women’s health, but to other services include pelvic physiotherapists, pharmacies, and psychological support services. This builds on the successful pilot of women’s health hubs.

Outcomes in women’s health will be soon be shared with ICBs through a data dashboard so they can see how well they are meeting the needs of women in their population.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on best practice in the care and management of patients with specific conditions based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness.

NICE has published a guideline on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis that includes recommendations on the use of ablation. The analysis underpinning NICE’s recommendations can be found in the full guideline that is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73/evidence/full-guideline-pdf-4550371315

NICE is working with NHS systems to ensure adoption of this best practice endometriosis care, including access to approved medicines.

We recognise that hair loss can have a significant emotional impact, and people affected should be able to access appropriate mental health support, if and when they need it.

The Government is increasing access to mental health services across the spectrum of need. This includes expanding NHS Talking Therapies, which provide effective treatment for common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, and growing Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to ensure children and young people can receive early support. This is supported by the recruitment of almost 8,000 additional mental health staff, against our target of 8,500 by the end of this Parliament.

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

As announced in September 2025, we will establish an online hospital, via NHS Online, which will give people across the country, on certain pathways, the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. It will connect patients with clinicians across the country through secure, online appointments accessed through the NHS App.

Menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis will be among the first nine 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 has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment from the academic year 2024/25. The content map for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health including menstrual problems, endometriosis, menopause, and urinary incontinence. This will encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom.

In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated their guideline on endometriosis to make firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with a suspected diagnosis, which will help the estimated one in 10 women with endometriosis to receive a diagnosis faster. NICE is working with the National Health Service to ensure adoption of this best practice endometriosis 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. We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for endometriosis. It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis and we are taking action to address this.

As announced in September 2025, we will establish an online hospital, via NHS Online, which will give people across the country, on certain pathways, the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. It will connect patients with clinicians across the country through secure, online appointments accessed through the NHS App.

Menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis will be among the first nine 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 has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment from the academic year 2024/25. The content map for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health including menstrual problems, endometriosis, menopause, and urinary incontinence. This will encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom.

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

47 individuals in the Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Entitlement to National Health Service care, free at the point of use, is based on ordinary residence. Anyone who is not ordinarily resident is considered an overseas visitor and may be chargeable under the NHS Charging Regulations, unless an exemption applies.

A healthcare agreement is an example of an exemption, as the healthcare agreements between the United Kingdom and British Overseas Territories (BOT) allow for some BOT citizens to access pre-authorised treatment that has been agreed under the NHS quota system or funded by the BOT administration. Some eligible BOT residents can also access necessary healthcare without charge while temporarily in the UK.