Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how NHS organisations will remain financially sustainable where activity is shifted out of acute settings.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the National Health Service in England identified that the NHS’s current financial trajectory is not sustainable, and that spending has risen sharply and productivity has fallen. We are clear that without reform, rising demand, an ageing population, and inefficiencies will cause the NHS to crowd out other public services, undermining long‑term sustainability of the NHS.
The reforms we have set out in the 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that the NHS has long-term sustainability, by shifting from hospital to community care to deliver care that is cheaper and more effective, by shifting from analogue to digital to raise productivity and reduce unit costs, and by shifting from sickness to prevention. Our plan is to bend the cost curve in acute services, so that costs grow more slowly via a combination of shift activity to community settings and increasing productivity. As per existing funding arrangements, acute providers will be fully funded for all activity they undertake.
To ensure that NHS organisations remain financially sustainable during these reforms, we have published the Medium-Term Planning Framework 2026/27 to 2028/29, published in October 2025, which required integrated care boards and NHS providers to complete an integrated planning process with their three‑year numerical plans and five‑year narratives for the commissioning and delivery of NHS services, including the shift from hospital to community over this three year period. These plans will ensure that reform is delivered in a managed way that protects the financial sustainability of NHS organisations.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that occupational therapists receive adequate training opportunities and support.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England recognises the vital role occupational therapists play across the health and care system and is committed to supporting a skilled, sustainable workforce.
Post registration training and development for occupational therapists is the responsibility of employers and is aligned to identified service requirements and individual learning needs. This support spans the full career pathway, including preceptorship or foundation practice for newly registered staff, enhanced and advanced practice roles, and consultant level practice.
Employers are supported through a range of funded and accredited education and training routes. National Health Service trusts receive a dedicated Continued Professional Development funding allocation to enable registered allied health professionals, including occupational therapists, to access ongoing learning and skills development. In addition, a range of education and training grants are available, with funding routes and levels aligned to staff grade and stage of development. Training opportunities are designed to support priority service areas such as community and neighbourhood services, mental health, elective recovery, and population health, while also enabling occupational therapists to develop leadership, advanced clinical, education, and research capabilities.
These arrangements ensure occupational therapists are supported to maintain and enhance their skills throughout their careers, respond to service needs, and deliver safe, effective, and high-quality care.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS England employees have opted to take the voluntary redundancy scheme commencing in April 2026.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s voluntary redundancy scheme opened on 1 December and closed for applications on 16 December. NHS England has approved 3,671 employees to leave under voluntary redundancy prior to March 2027. Currently, 25% of the 1,106 employees identified to leave on 31 March 2026 have confirmed their desire to withdraw from the scheme. Employees can withdraw at any time up to signing their final severance agreement.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of 9 December 2025, The Department has ten direct ministerial appointments. The following table shows the name, job title, time commitment, whether they were renumerated, and expected end date for each direct ministerial appointment in the Department:
Name | Role Title | Renumerated | Time Commitment | Expected End Date |
Gemma Aldridge | Communications Advisor to the Department of Health and Social Care | Paid | Three days per week | January 2026 |
Baroness Valerie Amos | Chair of the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation | Paid | Two days per week | May 2026 (pending approvals) |
Dame Caroline Dineage MP | Co-Chair of the Children and Young People Taskforce | Unpaid | Two days per month | March 2026 (pending approval) |
Professor Darren Hargrave | Co-Chair of the Children and Young People Taskforce | Unpaid | Two days per month | March 2026 (pending approval) |
Dr Sharna Shanmugavadivel | Vice-Chair of the Children and Young People Taskforce | Unpaid | Two days per month | March 2026 (pending approval) |
Jess Asato MP | Adviser on the Health Contribution to Reducing Violence Against Women and Girls | Unpaid | One day per week | May 2026 |
Dame Lesley Regan | Women's Health Ambassador | Paid | Four days per month | June 2026 |
Matthew Hood | Senior Delivery Advisor to the Secretary of State | Paid | up to 260 days per year | September 2027 |
Bishop James Jones | Chair of the Gosport Family Forum | Paid | One day per month | November 2027 |
Baroness Louise Casey | Chair of the Casey Commission formally (Chair of the Independent Commission into adult social care.) | Paid | Three days per week | December 2028 |
In line with our departmental policy, we have been unable to provide the annual renumeration and instead indicated which are renumerated.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the past twelve months, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) the Department and (b) its agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B) conduct.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), poor performance is handled under DHSC's Supporting Performance Improvement Policy, so all disciplinary cases relate only to alleged misconduct.
In DHSC there were 23 formal disciplinary cases concluded between 1 December 2024 and 30 November 2025.
Where the number of case outcomes is under five, the number of cases in the category has been suppressed to avoid individuals becoming identifiable.
The outcomes for these formal cases are categorised as follows:
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) manages poor performance and discipline under separate policies, so all disciplinary cases relate to alleged misconduct.
In MHRA during the same requested period there were six formal disciplinary cases concluded in total. The outcomes of these six cases are categorised as follows:
As the total number of individual case outcomes under each category is under five, the number of case outcomes in each category has been suppressed to avoid individuals becoming identifiable.
In line with DHSC and MHRA, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) manages poor performance and discipline under separate policies, so all case outcomes relate to alleged misconduct.
In UKHSA during the same requested period there were 58 formal disciplinary cases concluded. UKHSA is a larger organisation than DHSC and MHRA combined, with a higher volume of HR cases. The number of outcomes in each category is listed below, given there are at least five outcomes in each category:
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (i) steps his department is taking to address regional differences in funding for Mirena coil fitting and (ii) if he plans to ensure this service is available at GP surgeries.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The funding and provision of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), such as the Mirena coil, is primarily a matter for local determination.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning contraception for both contraceptive and gynaecological purposes, including essential services under the GP Contract and LARC as a local arrangement.
Contraception for contraceptive purposes, including LARC, is also a prescribed aspect of local authority sexual health commissioning. The Government has mandated local authorities in England to commission comprehensive open access to most sexual and reproductive health services through the Public Health Grant.
It is for individual local authorities and ICBs to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, and to commission the blend of service access that best suits their population.
The renewed Women’s Health Strategy, which was published on 15 April, sets out how we will ensure that women have straightforward access to the full range of contraception, including LARC, that meets their individual needs and preferences.
We will include contraception in the upcoming sexual and reproductive health framework to clarify current commissioning arrangements and to share opportunities and best practice for closer working and improved pathways.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the capacity is of NHS specialist menopause services; and what average waiting times are for women accessing these services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not centrally hold data on the number of patients in England awaiting specialist menopause services, although we do hold data on the broader gynaecology specialism, of which menopause services are a part. As of the end of January 2026, the median average waiting time for specialist gynaecology services is 15.3 weeks, with 56.9% of patient pathways waiting less than 18 weeks, up 1.8% from January 2025.
The Department does not hold detailed information on the capacity of National Health Service specialist menopause services.
The Government acknowledges that women suffering from symptoms of menopause have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships, and participation in the workplace. Menopause and menstrual problems will be among the priorities for the NHS’s new online hospital when it launches next year, providing faster access to specialist care.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support community pharmacies to improve accessibility for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or living with dual sensory loss; and whether he is taking steps to support the provision of reasonable adjustments, including hearing loops, to ensure patients can safely access advice and treatment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the importance of ensuring community pharmacy services are safe and accessible to all patients, including those with sensory impairments.
In addition to legal requirements under the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998, pharmacy businesses have a duty to comply with the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) standards for registered pharmacy premises. This requires pharmacies to provide an environment that is safe and accessible for all, taking reasonable steps to remove barriers for patients with disabilities. These standards emphasise the need for pharmacies to make adjustments to facilities and services, such as providing accessible entrances, hearing loops, and assistance for individuals with mobility or sensory challenges.
To support community pharmacies in meeting their legal duties, the GPhC has issued equality guidance for pharmacies, which outlines best practices for supporting patients with a range of needs. NHS England is also rolling out a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag which enables the recording of key information about a disabled patient and the reasonable adjustments to care and treatment that they need, to ensure support can be tailored appropriately and equitably. This is being rolled out nationally across all healthcare settings and will help community pharmacies spot when a patient may need extra support.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 the development of the Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England; what his planned publication timetable is; and how the proposed framework will help reduce variation in access to palliative and end of life care services across Integrated Care Boards.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
An interim product on the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care is due in Spring, with full publication planned for Autumn.
The MSF will provide a clinically-led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvement in patient and carer outcomes, including narrowing inequality and reducing unwarranted variation. Areas of action will be identified for those commissioning and delivering services with associated performance and outcome metrics to support system accountability.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
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 address oral health inequalities among adults who cannot access NHS dental care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is working to improve oral health and reduce inequalities for those without access to preventative dental care by addressing the main risk factors of dental disease. These include sugar reduction, restrictions on less healthy food and drink, and the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will also help deliver our ambition for a smoke-free United Kingdom alongside record funding for local stop smoking services.
Since 2025, we have invested £21.5 million to deliver the national supervised toothbrushing programme for three to five year olds. We are expanding water fluoridation in the north east of England, so that it reaches 1.6 million more people, and are refurbishing older fluoridation schemes, benefitting a further six million people by 2030, to reduce the inequalities faced by vulnerable children and adults.
We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform by the end of this Parliament. Reforms introduced from April 2026 include changes to embed the provision of urgent care into the dental contract, supported by increased payments for dentists delivering this care, making it easier for patients to get rapid support through the National Health Service.