Department of Health and Social Care

The adult social care workforce is growing. Skills for Care data shows that in 2024/25, there were 1.60 million filled posts, an increase of 52,000, or 3.4%, from 2023/24.

In terms of staffing levels within individual providers, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Regulation 18 states that providers must deploy “sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff to enable them to meet the needs of the people using the service at all times”. Where the Care Quality Commission finds a breach in this regulation, they can take regulatory action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.

The Government recognises the challenges with recruitment and retention in adult social care. That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028, backed by £500 million of funding to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce. This won’t just improve pay for some of the lowest paid workers in our economy but will also drive critical improvements to recruitment and retention in the sector.

We are also investing up to £10 million this financial year to the Adult Social Care Learning and Development scheme launched in September 2024.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End‑of‑Life Care, improving earlier identification of people who may benefit from palliative care and end-of-life care is a key priority. The MSF will support a more consistent, person‑centred and equity‑informed approach to identifying needs earlier and more effectively across all care settings.

The MSF builds on the Neighbourhood Health Framework ambition that, by March 2029, systems will increase the number of people identified as approaching the end of life by 10%. Systems are already beginning to take forward this work, with integrated care boards (ICBs) being asked to develop a clearer understanding of their local populations through integrated needs assessments and improved data on service utilisation, including for those with palliative care and end‑of‑life care needs.

Additionally, the MSF will build on existing national guidance and commissioning frameworks, including the Model ICB Blueprint, the Strategic Commissioning Framework, and the Medium-Term Planning Framework, which are already supporting ICBs to plan and commission services more effectively and sustainably over the longer term. These set out clear expectations for systems to strengthen their approach to strategic commissioning, improve understanding of population need, and begin embedding high‑impact actions based on evidence and best practice.

Full details, including specific targets and associated metrics, will be set out in the final MSF, which is due to be published in Autumn 2026.

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for the allocation and distribution of Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) funding to primary care networks (PCNs). This system is applied consistently across the National Health Service in England.

The PCN Additional Roles Reimbursement Sum is updated each year via updates to the Network Contract DES Contract Specification and supporting guidance, namely Chapter 10 of the specification and Chapter 7 of the guidance. The specification and the guidance are available at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/network-contract-des-contract-specification-2026-27.pdf

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/network-contract-des-part-b-guidance-non-clinical-26-27-2.pdf

For 2026/27, it equates to £27.668 and a PCN's maximum entitlement is calculated by multiplying the £27.668 ARRS Sum by the PCN Contractor Weighted Population as of 1 January 2026. PCNs can calculate their entitlement by using the General medical services and primary care network income ready reckoner from 1 April 2026, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/general-medical-services-and-primary-care-network-income-ready-reckoner-from-1-april-2026/

The scheme is subject to annual review as part of the consultation on the GP Contract with professional representatives. NHS England works closely with the Department to implement any changes identified as part of this process.

In October 2024 the Government announced changes to the ARRS which allows PCNs to recruit general practitioners (GPs) through the scheme for 2024/25. Since October 2024 over 3,700 GPs have been recruited through the ARRS.

As part of the 2026/27 GP Contract, we are increasing flexibility of the scheme by removing the restriction that ARRS funding can only be used for recently qualified GPs, increasing the maximum reimbursement amount for GP roles to reflect experience, and enabling PCNs to recruit a broader range of ARRS roles, where agreed with the commissioner.

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for the allocation and distribution of Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) funding to primary care networks (PCNs). This system is applied consistently across the National Health Service in England.

The PCN Additional Roles Reimbursement Sum is updated each year via updates to the Network Contract DES Contract Specification and supporting guidance, namely Chapter 10 of the specification and Chapter 7 of the guidance. The specification and the guidance are available at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/network-contract-des-contract-specification-2026-27.pdf

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/network-contract-des-part-b-guidance-non-clinical-26-27-2.pdf

For 2026/27, it equates to £27.668 and a PCN's maximum entitlement is calculated by multiplying the £27.668 ARRS Sum by the PCN Contractor Weighted Population as of 1 January 2026. PCNs can calculate their entitlement by using the General medical services and primary care network income ready reckoner from 1 April 2026, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/general-medical-services-and-primary-care-network-income-ready-reckoner-from-1-april-2026/

The scheme is subject to annual review as part of the consultation on the GP Contract with professional representatives. NHS England works closely with the Department to implement any changes identified as part of this process.

In October 2024 the Government announced changes to the ARRS which allows PCNs to recruit general practitioners (GPs) through the scheme for 2024/25. Since October 2024 over 3,700 GPs have been recruited through the ARRS.

As part of the 2026/27 GP Contract, we are increasing flexibility of the scheme by removing the restriction that ARRS funding can only be used for recently qualified GPs, increasing the maximum reimbursement amount for GP roles to reflect experience, and enabling PCNs to recruit a broader range of ARRS roles, where agreed with the commissioner.

The Government recently announced a £340 million uplift to community pharmacy funding, a 10% increase, recognising the essential role pharmacies play in supporting patients and the wider National Health Service. As part of this, we are funding the rollout of NHS Independent Prescribing nationwide from Autumn 2026, building on the success of Pharmacy First and the Pharmacy Contraception Service to help pharmacists use their clinical skills and provide more on-the-spot care for common conditions.

Under the new contractual framework, pharmacists with an independent prescribing qualification, including those graduating from September 2026, will be able to assess patients and prescribe medicines directly. This rollout draws on learning from successful NHS pathfinder sites. In the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board, the pathfinder delivered 2,434 consultations up to 31 December 2025, of which 2,248, or 92.4%, were completed without onward referral and 1,424, or 58.5%, resulted in a pharmacist issuing a prescription, demonstrating its positive impact.

The Government recently announced a £340 million uplift to community pharmacy funding, a 10% increase, recognising the essential role pharmacies play in supporting patients and the wider National Health Service. As part of this, we are funding the rollout of NHS Independent Prescribing nationwide from Autumn 2026, building on the success of Pharmacy First and the Pharmacy Contraception Service to help pharmacists use their clinical skills and provide more on-the-spot care for common conditions.

Under the new contractual framework, pharmacists with an independent prescribing qualification, including those graduating from September 2026, will be able to assess patients and prescribe medicines directly. This rollout draws on learning from successful NHS pathfinder sites. In the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board, the pathfinder delivered 2,434 consultations up to 31 December 2025, of which 2,248, or 92.4%, were completed without onward referral and 1,424, or 58.5%, resulted in a pharmacist issuing a prescription, demonstrating its positive impact.

The Government recently announced a £340 million uplift to community pharmacy funding, a 10% increase, recognising the essential role pharmacies play in supporting patients and the wider National Health Service. As part of this, we are funding the rollout of NHS Independent Prescribing nationwide from Autumn 2026, building on the success of Pharmacy First and the Pharmacy Contraception Service to help pharmacists use their clinical skills and provide more on-the-spot care for common conditions.

Under the new contractual framework, pharmacists with an independent prescribing qualification, including those graduating from September 2026, will be able to assess patients and prescribe medicines directly. This rollout draws on learning from successful NHS pathfinder sites. In the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board, the pathfinder delivered 2,434 consultations up to 31 December 2025, of which 2,248, or 92.4%, were completed without onward referral and 1,424, or 58.5%, resulted in a pharmacist issuing a prescription, demonstrating its positive impact.

Decisions on the employment of newly qualified nurses are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts. Trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Department is working closely with NHS England, employers and educators to improve transition into the workforce. We are also supporting improvements to workforce planning through a student movement dashboard. The dashboard will enable NHS England teams, universities and employers to understand where future vacancies will arise and signpost newly graduated students towards these roles, supporting better alignment between job vacancies and anticipated supply of graduating students.

Our upcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will go further to ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will translate the recommendations of Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care into a national action plan. The investigation’s final report will be published in June. While its final recommendations cannot be pre-empted, the taskforce’s terms of reference state that all aspects of maternity and neonatal care will be considered when developing its national action plan.

More widely, we are investing £200 million into the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme to strengthen Healthy Babies support in the critical 1,001 days, giving families access to enhanced perinatal mental health, parent-infant relationship, and infant feeding services, to help build the foundations for every baby’s emotional, social, and cognitive development.

On improving neonatal outreach, the NHS England Improving Postnatal Care Toolkit, published in January 2026 and available on the NHS.UK website, helps integrated care boards and local trusts optimise maternal and infant health. It requires commissioners to integrate neonatal and community care, reduce health inequalities, and recommends robust clinical handovers between neonatal units and local general practices and health visiting.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will translate the recommendations of Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care into a national action plan. The investigation’s final report will be published in June. While its final recommendations cannot be pre-empted, the taskforce’s terms of reference state that all aspects of maternity and neonatal care will be considered when developing its national action plan.

More widely, we are investing £200 million into the Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme to strengthen Healthy Babies support in the critical 1,001 days, giving families access to enhanced perinatal mental health, parent-infant relationship, and infant feeding services, to help build the foundations for every baby’s emotional, social, and cognitive development.

On improving neonatal outreach, the NHS England Improving Postnatal Care Toolkit, published in January 2026 and available on the NHS.UK website, helps integrated care boards and local trusts optimise maternal and infant health. It requires commissioners to integrate neonatal and community care, reduce health inequalities, and recommends robust clinical handovers between neonatal units and local general practices and health visiting.

The Government and NHS England remain committed to ensuring safe, personalised, and evidence-based maternity care, grounded in informed choice.

We recognise that caesarean birth is major abdominal surgery, and that recovery can place additional physical and emotional demands on women and their families in the early weeks and months after birth. Whilst there is no specific routine, long-term follow up post caesarean section, all women who have given birth should be offered a six to eight week postnatal consultation with a general practitioner covering both physical and mental health.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on caesarean birth, reference code NG192, makes clear that women require structured postnatal support following surgery, including effective pain management, early mobilisation, monitoring of wound healing and complications, and support with infant feeding and care.

The National Health Service does not attribute the increase in the number of caesarean births to a single cause, as it is influenced by many factors, including women choosing to have a caesarean birth, higher rates of pre-existing health conditions, and more pregnancies involving complications.

The Government and NHS England remain committed to ensuring safe, personalised, and evidence-based maternity care, grounded in informed choice.

We recognise that caesarean birth is major abdominal surgery, and that recovery can place additional physical and emotional demands on women and their families in the early weeks and months after birth. Whilst there is no specific routine, long-term follow up post caesarean section, all women who have given birth should be offered a six to eight week postnatal consultation with a general practitioner covering both physical and mental health.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on caesarean birth, reference code NG192, makes clear that women require structured postnatal support following surgery, including effective pain management, early mobilisation, monitoring of wound healing and complications, and support with infant feeding and care.

The National Health Service does not attribute the increase in the number of caesarean births to a single cause, as it is influenced by many factors, including women choosing to have a caesarean birth, higher rates of pre-existing health conditions, and more pregnancies involving complications.

The Government and NHS England remain committed to ensuring safe, personalised, and evidence-based maternity care, grounded in informed choice.

We recognise that caesarean birth is major abdominal surgery, and that recovery can place additional physical and emotional demands on women and their families in the early weeks and months after birth. Whilst there is no specific routine, long-term follow up post caesarean section, all women who have given birth should be offered a six to eight week postnatal consultation with a general practitioner covering both physical and mental health.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on caesarean birth, reference code NG192, makes clear that women require structured postnatal support following surgery, including effective pain management, early mobilisation, monitoring of wound healing and complications, and support with infant feeding and care.

The National Health Service does not attribute the increase in the number of caesarean births to a single cause, as it is influenced by many factors, including women choosing to have a caesarean birth, higher rates of pre-existing health conditions, and more pregnancies involving complications.

The Government and NHS England remain committed to ensuring safe, personalised, and evidence-based maternity care, grounded in informed choice.

We recognise that caesarean birth is major abdominal surgery, and that recovery can place additional physical and emotional demands on women and their families in the early weeks and months after birth. Whilst there is no specific routine, long-term follow up post caesarean section, all women who have given birth should be offered a six to eight week postnatal consultation with a general practitioner covering both physical and mental health.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on caesarean birth, reference code NG192, makes clear that women require structured postnatal support following surgery, including effective pain management, early mobilisation, monitoring of wound healing and complications, and support with infant feeding and care.

The National Health Service does not attribute the increase in the number of caesarean births to a single cause, as it is influenced by many factors, including women choosing to have a caesarean birth, higher rates of pre-existing health conditions, and more pregnancies involving complications.

The Government and NHS England remain committed to ensuring safe, personalised, and evidence-based maternity care, grounded in informed choice.

We recognise that caesarean birth is major abdominal surgery, and that recovery can place additional physical and emotional demands on women and their families in the early weeks and months after birth. Whilst there is no specific routine, long-term follow up post caesarean section, all women who have given birth should be offered a six to eight week postnatal consultation with a general practitioner covering both physical and mental health.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on caesarean birth, reference code NG192, makes clear that women require structured postnatal support following surgery, including effective pain management, early mobilisation, monitoring of wound healing and complications, and support with infant feeding and care.

The National Health Service does not attribute the increase in the number of caesarean births to a single cause, as it is influenced by many factors, including women choosing to have a caesarean birth, higher rates of pre-existing health conditions, and more pregnancies involving complications.

We would expect healthcare professionals to follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical knowledge summary on osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures.

The Royal College of General Practitioners also has an e-learning module for general practitioners on the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis, developed in collaboration with the Royal Osteoporosis Society, which helps to ensure there is consistency across general practitioners in the management and treatment of osteoporosis.

We are supporting better care for patients with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including osteoporosis, through the Getting It Right First Time Programme (GIRFT) for Rheumatology. The GIRFT rheumatology programme is supporting the National Health Service to deliver care more equitably across the country and improve services nationally.

Additionally, the GIRFT community MSK workstream is working to better enable integrated care systems to commission the delivery of high-quality MSK services in the community, including for patients with osteoporosis.

In March 2026, we published Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies guidance, setting out a series of expectations to enable local authorities to design their support offer for families tailored to local need. While the guidance is not prescriptive about what provision local authorities should introduce, it sets expectations that targeted support should be provided for families facing health inequalities, including those who have required neonatal care.

Some local authorities are already using programme funding to focus on families with babies who have had a period in neonatal care. For example, in Lincolnshire the Family and Baby project has been introduced which operates from neonatal units and provides early, relationship-based support to improve attachment, infant development, and parental wellbeing.

Community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service and in supporting self-care, as the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan brings healthcare to high streets as part of a shift in care to the community.

In March 2026, the Neighbourhood Health Framework was published to empower local leaders to develop and scale neighbourhood health. The framework is designed to support joined-up partnership between integrated care boards and local authorities, as they work together through health and wellbeing boards, and with their partners, to develop locally led neighbourhood health plans.

Local areas will have flexibility to design their plans to meet the needs of their local communities, including integrating community pharmacy and self-care into neighbourhood health services.

Work is ongoing to ensure that local neighbourhood teams continue to have access to standard, quality training for personal care roles.

Community pharmacies will have a vital role in the Neighbourhood Health Service and in supporting self-care, as the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan brings healthcare to high streets as part of a shift in care to the community.

In March 2026, the Neighbourhood Health Framework was published to empower local leaders to develop and scale neighbourhood health. The framework is designed to support joined-up partnership between integrated care boards and local authorities, as they work together through health and wellbeing boards, and with their partners, to develop locally led neighbourhood health plans.

Local areas will have flexibility to design their plans to meet the needs of their local communities, including integrating community pharmacy and self-care into neighbourhood health services.

Work is ongoing to ensure that local neighbourhood teams continue to have access to standard, quality training for personal care roles.

The Single Patient Record (SPR) will improve outcomes for patients by giving professionals access to all the key information they need to deliver care, in one place, affording safer decision-making with fewer information gaps. No decision has been made on the arrangements for how the SPR will be delivered, and what the implications are for data controllership.

We will be consulting with general practitioners through a series of national engagement events starting in June 2026. This follows our programme of deliberative engagement with the public in 2024, which aimed to understand how a single patient record could be designed in a way that maximises benefits and is trusted by the public; the outcomes from this engagement are helping to shape our approach to the SPR.

It is in the best interest of all parties to have an agreed position on key issues such as data controllership. Data controllership is a specific legal term under UK General Data Protection Regulation that reflects the reality on the ground of who decides what data is collected and how it is used. In effect, a data controller is a decision-maker on the use of data and is accountable for its use.

The following points are our starting position, which we look forward to discussing with the profession.

Health and care organisations will remain data controllers for the data they hold in their practices, and what they share with SPR, to provide services to their patients.

Regulations made under the bill will require relevant health and care organisations, including general practices, to share relevant data with the SPR for the purpose of making it available to clinicians in different care settings, to improve the care of their patients.

Where, in accordance with the regulations, the SPR operator determines the means and purposes of processing data in the SPR, they will also become a data controller, with responsibilities to comply with the data protection legislation.

There is no date for publication of any legal or governance frameworks which will apply, although these will be published before any data is processed within the SPR.

The Government recognises the important role that compassionate and expanded access programmes can play in enabling patients, particularly those with serious or rare conditions, to access innovative medicines outside routine commissioning arrangements.

VAT treatment in the United Kingdom is governed by long-standing principles, including that where goods are supplied for non-business purposes or free of charge in certain circumstances, a taxable supply may arise. There is no specific VAT exemption for medicines provided through compassionate or expanded access programmes.

The Department has not made a formal assessment of the risk that pharmaceutical companies may withdraw such programmes specifically due to VAT-related costs. However, we are aware of concerns raised by industry and stakeholders about the potential impact on patient access.

We continue to engage with HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, and the pharmaceutical industry to understand these issues and their implications for patients.

The spend on high, medium and low secure services for 2023/24, the latest year for which data is available, is £1,688,718,895. Information on how many people were dealt with by such services is not held centrally.

NHS North East and Yorkshire have stated that for NHS Talking Therapies services, the current waiting time from referral to assessment is approximately six weeks, with faster access available where clinically necessary. For children and young people’s mental health services (CAMHS), access has improved significantly, with the combined waiting list reducing from 1,795 in April 2025 to 914 in March 2026. Overall, 82.68% of children and young people are waiting less than 18 weeks for care.

Performance across specific pathways has also strengthened. For example, 94% of children and young people are seen within 18 weeks in medication clinics, with most seen in under 10 weeks, neurodevelopmental diagnostic assessments are typically completed within 12 to 16 weeks, and over 94% of those accessing therapies and eating disorder services are seen within zero to 12 weeks. In addition, core, crisis, and specialist teams have achieved 100% compliance with the 18‑week standard, reflecting sustained improvements in accessibility.

There are currently no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of a dedicated clinic for nuclear test veterans.

All veterans, including those affected by nuclear testing are able to access a range of National Health Services to meet their clinical needs. British nuclear test veterans who are concerned about their heath should discuss this with their general practitioner.

Over 99.6% of primary care networks in England have at least one general practice accredited under the veteran friendly scheme which raises awareness of the specific needs of veterans.

Every suicide is a tragedy that has a devastating and enduring impact on families, friends, and communities. In England, data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that men were three times more likely to commit suicide than women in 2024.

As shown in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) report Society at a Glance 2024, all OECD countries show a higher rate of deaths by suicide in men than women. We have not made direct comparisons between countries because international comparisons should be interpreted with caution due to international differences in death certification, reporting systems, data systems, and under-reporting due to stigma. The OECD report is available at the following link:

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/society-at-a-glance-2024_918d8db3-en/full-report/suicides_357d50c7.html

That is why we are committed to delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. The strategy highlights a set of priority groups for tailored and targeted support, including middle-aged men, and identifies key risk factors with strong links to suicide, such as financial difficulty, substance misuse, social isolation, harmful gambling, domestic abuse, and physical illness that can affect men and women differently. Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we will deliver a Suicide Prevention Pathfinders Programme for middle-aged men, a neighbourhood-based programme focused on improving outcomes, investing up to £3.6 million over three years for middle-aged men in areas where they are at greatest risk of taking their own lives.

Every suicide is a tragedy that has a devastating and enduring impact on families, friends, and communities. In England, data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that men were three times more likely to commit suicide than women in 2024.

As shown in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) report Society at a Glance 2024, all OECD countries show a higher rate of deaths by suicide in men than women. We have not made direct comparisons between countries because international comparisons should be interpreted with caution due to international differences in death certification, reporting systems, data systems, and under-reporting due to stigma. The OECD report is available at the following link:

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/society-at-a-glance-2024_918d8db3-en/full-report/suicides_357d50c7.html

That is why we are committed to delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. The strategy highlights a set of priority groups for tailored and targeted support, including middle-aged men, and identifies key risk factors with strong links to suicide, such as financial difficulty, substance misuse, social isolation, harmful gambling, domestic abuse, and physical illness that can affect men and women differently. Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we will deliver a Suicide Prevention Pathfinders Programme for middle-aged men, a neighbourhood-based programme focused on improving outcomes, investing up to £3.6 million over three years for middle-aged men in areas where they are at greatest risk of taking their own lives.

There is no pre-allocated funding amount for the treatment of asbestos-related health conditions. The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes applications on any aspect of health and care, including research into asbestos-related illnesses.

Between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 financial years, through the NIHR, the Department committed over £8.6 million for new research projects alongside supporting infrastructure into asbestos-related illnesses. Research supported by the NIHR is improving our understanding of the biological mechanisms underpinning lung diseases caused by asbestos, including mesothelioma and interstitial lung disease, as well as investigating novel diagnostics and treatment. Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, the NIHR’s Research Delivery Network supported 22 new studies on asbestos-related illnesses, which recruited over 2,900 participants.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides guidance on the health effects and toxicology of asbestos, including advice to support incident response for the general public and inform wider public health management. This published guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asbestos-properties-incident-management-and-toxicology/asbestos-general-information

UKHSA also provides scientific support to other Government departments, including contributions to risk assessment work on asbestos in consumer products.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) commission all services for patients with gastroparesis, with the exception of gastro-electrical stimulation (GES), which falls with the remit of nationally commissioned services. As these services are ICB commissioned, engagement is therefore determined at the local level.

The Government remains committed to improving outcomes for people living with rare diseases, including gastroparesis, through the UK Rare Diseases Framework and England Rare Diseases Action Plans to deliver a health and care system that works for all. In the 2026 action plan, we introduced a new and important action to address health inequalities for rare diseases through the Core20PLUS5 Framework. In addition, NHS England has published a Health Inequalities Toolkit for Highly Specialised Services.

NHS England’s Clinical Panel considered evidence submitted to review the existing commissioning policy on GES for gastroparesis. NHS England concluded that the additional evidence was limited and did not constitute a sufficiently robust clinical evidence base to support any revision to the current policy position, under which the procedure is not routinely commissioned. Clinicians may trigger a review of NHS England’s commissioning policies if new evidence is published.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) commission all services for patients with gastroparesis, with the exception of gastro-electrical stimulation (GES), which falls with the remit of nationally commissioned services. As these services are ICB commissioned, engagement is therefore determined at the local level.

The Government remains committed to improving outcomes for people living with rare diseases, including gastroparesis, through the UK Rare Diseases Framework and England Rare Diseases Action Plans to deliver a health and care system that works for all. In the 2026 action plan, we introduced a new and important action to address health inequalities for rare diseases through the Core20PLUS5 Framework. In addition, NHS England has published a Health Inequalities Toolkit for Highly Specialised Services.

NHS England’s Clinical Panel considered evidence submitted to review the existing commissioning policy on GES for gastroparesis. NHS England concluded that the additional evidence was limited and did not constitute a sufficiently robust clinical evidence base to support any revision to the current policy position, under which the procedure is not routinely commissioned. Clinicians may trigger a review of NHS England’s commissioning policies if new evidence is published.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) commission all services for patients with gastroparesis, with the exception of gastro-electrical stimulation (GES), which falls with the remit of nationally commissioned services. As these services are ICB commissioned, engagement is therefore determined at the local level.

The Government remains committed to improving outcomes for people living with rare diseases, including gastroparesis, through the UK Rare Diseases Framework and England Rare Diseases Action Plans to deliver a health and care system that works for all. In the 2026 action plan, we introduced a new and important action to address health inequalities for rare diseases through the Core20PLUS5 Framework. In addition, NHS England has published a Health Inequalities Toolkit for Highly Specialised Services.

NHS England’s Clinical Panel considered evidence submitted to review the existing commissioning policy on GES for gastroparesis. NHS England concluded that the additional evidence was limited and did not constitute a sufficiently robust clinical evidence base to support any revision to the current policy position, under which the procedure is not routinely commissioned. Clinicians may trigger a review of NHS England’s commissioning policies if new evidence is published.

National survival data for malignant brain cancers is collected and monitored. The latest available data for England shows one-year net survival for malignant brain cancer was 44%, and five-year net survival was 16.4%.

The Department recognises that outcomes for people with brain tumours, including glioblastoma, remain poor, and that people living in more deprived areas are more likely to be diagnosed later and experience poorer cancer outcomes. Tackling health inequalities across the cancer pathway, including inequalities linked to deprivation, ethnicity, and geography, is a core priority of the National Cancer Plan for England.

Through the National Cancer Plan, the Government is committed to improving earlier diagnosis, reducing variation in access and outcomes, and strengthening care for people with rare and less survivable cancers, including glioblastoma. Glioblastoma is recognised as a rare and aggressive cancer with limited treatment options, and we continue to support research and innovation, including in genomics, clinical trials, and precision medicine.

Policies regarding the wearing of uniforms outside of the workplace remain the responsibility of individual organisations in the NHS.

National uniform guidance was published by the Department of Health in 2010 and set out specific requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to support effective hand hygiene. It was updated in 2020 by NHS England to include equality and diversity measures and stipulates that “it is good practice for staff to change at work or cover their uniforms as they travel to and from work”. The guidance identified shopping in uniform or engaging in other activities as examples of poor practice.

The Mann review into antisemitism and other forms of racism was published on 4 June 2026 and includes recommendations for the NHS to review and strengthen uniform guidance to ensure that political identifiers do not deter patients from seeking and receiving NHS care. The new NHS England guidance on uniforms, which will be published shortly, will draw on staff and stakeholder input and existing best practice in the NHS, including existing guidance at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. The plan committed to, by the end of this Parliament, introduce mandatory healthier food sales reporting for all large companies in the sector. The plan also committed to introduce new targets to increase the healthiness of sales.

We intend to launch a full public consultation soon to gather a wide range of views on our proposals.

Specific implementation dates will be determined following consultation, and the intention is that the policy will be finalised and legislation laid so that reporting comes into force before the end of this Parliament, no later than 2029.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. The plan committed to, by the end of this Parliament, introduce mandatory healthier food sales reporting for all large companies in the sector. The plan also committed to introduce new targets to increase the healthiness of sales.

We intend to launch a full public consultation soon to gather a wide range of views on our proposals.

Specific implementation dates will be determined following consultation, and the intention is that the policy will be finalised and legislation laid so that reporting comes into force before the end of this Parliament, no later than 2029.

There is not currently a specific Government assessment of the public health impact of the provision of public toilets. The provision of public toilets is a matter for local authorities, which are responsible for assessing and meeting the needs of their local populations.

Modelling which estimated the cost of shingles-related general practice attendance and hospitalisation was considered by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). In November 2024, JCVI advised that adults aged 80 years old and over should become eligible for shingles vaccination.

The Government is still carefully considering this advice and examining factors including affordability and cost-effectiveness, the last of which is calculated based on the health benefits and costs of vaccinating this cohort. This process is being worked through as quickly as possible.

For any routine vaccination programme which the Government has agreed to implement, decisions on when to introduce or expand the programme are based on factors including availability of supply, feasibility of workforce delivery and affordability.

The second phase of the routine shingles vaccination programme for immunocompetent adults is due to begin on 1 September 2028, after which adults will become eligible at age between 60 and 65 years old.