Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many sites were recorded in the NHS Surplus Land data collection in each year since 2020; and how many of those sites have subsequently been disposed of.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We routinely collect National Health Service surplus land data and currently publish it on a bi-annual basis. The following table shows the NHS surplus land statistics by year, sorted by recorded surplus or potentially surplus land plots, and disposed plots, from 2020/21 to 2024/25:
Year | Recorded surplus or potentially surplus land plots | Disposed plots |
2020/21 | 610 | 82 |
2021/22 | 441 | 67 |
2022/23 | 368 | 54 |
2024/25 | 356 | 69 |
For further information on how we define our data, the specific sites and type of infrastructure, including community hospitals, that were sold during these years is available at local integrated care boards and at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-surplus-land
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the bed capacity was in each NHS care trust in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes data on general and acute bed occupancy and capacity. The data can be found at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to implement the findings of the Sullivan Review.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is taking forward work to consider the findings of the Sullivan Review, which sets out a number of recommendations relating to the collection of data on sex and gender identity. We are assessing these recommendations in the context of ongoing work on data harmonisation standards. As all public bodies, and therefore all public data and statistics, were in scope for the review, it is important that we consider the findings collaboratively across government.
The Government Statistical Service Harmonisation Programme, a cross-government work programme looking to improve the comparability and coherence of data and statistics, is developing harmonised standards for sex and gender identity. More information is available at the following link:
https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2024/12/11/developing-harmonised-standards-for-sex-and-gender-identity/
NHS England is leading work to develop the United Information Standard for Protected Characteristics, which focusses on the Equality Act 2010’s nine protected characteristics, including both sex and gender reassignment.
Through the Health and Care Statistics Leadership Forum, a group convening statistical leaders across health organisations at the national level to ensure statistical collaboration and coherence, work is underway to catalogue and improve descriptions of how sex and gender data is collected within our statistical publications, ensuring that labels accurately describe the data being collected. More information about the forum is available at the following link:
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the total percentage of (a) nurses and (b) General Practitioners in the NHS who were trained overseas.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes monthly Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England which includes data on the self-reported nationality of National Health Service staff, which may not be the same as the country which they trained in but is a good proxy for the level of staff trained overseas. The published information is available at the following link within the file “NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations – data tables”:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
Additionally, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) publishes data on the percentage of nurses on Nursing and Midwifery Council register by country/region of training. These nurses may work in a range of other settings as well as the NHS. The most recent NMC data is available at the following link:
https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/
NHS England publishes monthly General Practice workforce statistics for England which includes data on General Practitioners’ country of primary medical qualification aggregated by country of qualification group UK, European Economic Area or elsewhere. This information is available at the following link within the file “Bulletin Tables”:
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials had discussions with (i) NHS England, (ii) University of York and (iii) other researchers on the Data Linkage study in (A) November 2025, (B) December 2025 and (C) January 2026.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The data linkage study remains an important commitment and forms part of a wider national research programme underpinning the design and delivery of the new model of National Health Service care in place in England for children and young people with gender incongruence/dysphoria. No discussions were had with the University of York in November 2025, December 2025 and January 2026 about the data linkage study. The Department has, however, continued to regularly engage with and support NHS England, which has taken on responsibility for study delivery.
Important final steps are currently being taken to enable the study to begin. On 26 February, an updated order was laid in both Houses of Parliament to facilitate delivery of the data linkage study. The order will provide appropriate legal protections for those individuals and organisations who will be sharing or processing data potentially subject to the specific protections of the Gender Recognition Act 2004, for the purpose of the study. The order is expected to come in to force on 20 March 2026. Final Health Research Authority study approval will also need to be in place before the study can begin.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on meeting the 18-week treatment target in the Elective Reform Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Elective Reform plan set out that the Government is committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, by March 2029. Additionally, NHS England’s Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 set a target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by the end of March 2026.
To achieve this, we expect the size of the total waiting list to reduce and have already made significant progress. As of December 2025, the waiting list had reduced by over 330,000 since the Government came into office. This is despite 31.7 million referrals onto the waiting list. Performance against the referral to treatment standard had improved by 2.7% over the same period, reaching 61.5%.
This has been supported by the delivery of 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025 compared to the previous year, more than double the Government’s pledge of two million. This marked a vital first step towards delivering the constitutional standard.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the diagnosis of menopause for women in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service, and we acknowledge the impact that women suffering from symptoms of menopause has on their lives, relationships, and participation in the workplace.
As announced in October, we will be asking local authorities to include menopause in the NHS Health Check later this year. This will support eligible women across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms, where to seek support, and a diagnosis.
Menopause and menstrual health conditions will be among the priorities for the NHS’s revolutionary new online hospital when it launches next year, providing faster access to specialist care.
In Surrey Heath, primary care teams across the practices are also conscious of the impact of the menopause in the local population and have seen a rise in consultations with regard to this. The multi-disciplinary teams in Surrey Heath, including general practitioners, nurses, clinical pharmacists, and others, are able to manage enquiries, consultations, and follow ups, and to offer relevant treatment across the spectrum of what is available, including hormone intrauterine devices and testosterone replacement.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support individuals with pelvic health conditions through the Pelvic Partnership; and what specific support and service provision is currently available in Derbyshire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are rolling out perinatal pelvic health services to improve the prevention, identification, and referral to treatment for pelvic health problems during pregnancy and at least one year following birth. As of January 2026, 36 of the 42 local systems have perinatal pelvic health services in place, and NHS England are working closely with the remaining areas which do not yet have fully established services in place. The Department and NHS England do not support individuals through the charity the Pelvic Partnership.
In North Derbyshire, there is a fully operational Perinatal Pelvic Health Service delivered by a dedicated multidisciplinary team.
Within Derby City and South Derbyshire, an established women’s health physiotherapy service is in place and is currently being expanded. The service delivers pelvic floor clinics and pelvic girdle pain clinics.
The Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust also provide assessment and treatment for women and men experiencing bladder, bowel, and pelvic floor conditions.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many sites recorded in the NHS Surplus Land data collection since 2020 were previously used as community hospitals; and how many of those have subsequently been disposed of.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We routinely collect National Health Service surplus land data and currently publish it on a bi-annual basis. The following table shows the NHS surplus land statistics by year, sorted by recorded surplus or potentially surplus land plots, and disposed plots, from 2020/21 to 2024/25:
Year | Recorded surplus or potentially surplus land plots | Disposed plots |
2020/21 | 610 | 82 |
2021/22 | 441 | 67 |
2022/23 | 368 | 54 |
2024/25 | 356 | 69 |
For further information on how we define our data, the specific sites and type of infrastructure, including community hospitals, that were sold during these years is available at local integrated care boards and at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-surplus-land
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of staffing levels and burnout on incidents of avoidable harm in NHS Trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The responsibility for determining and reviewing staffing levels remains with National Health Service clinical and other leaders at a local level, responding to local needs, supported by guidelines by national and professional bodies and overseen and regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will have a focus on supporting our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals. This includes the development of a new set of staff standards for modern employment. We will also roll out Staff Treatment Hubs to ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health.
NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive, including access to high quality health and wellbeing support.
On staff burnout, relevant questions have been incorporated into the annual NHS National Staff Survey. The Copenhagen Burnout index has been included in the annual survey since 2021, providing a national, regional, and organisational view of burnout over five years. Organisations can use this information to triangulate with other data sets, including on patient safety incidents.