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, what guidance his Department has provided to Neighbourhood Health Centre sites on integrating specialist neurology services with neighbourhood-based care teams.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines how specialised neurology services should support integrated and responsive care for individuals with long-term neurological conditions through collaboration between hospital and community providers. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.
At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme.
We have announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme, with 120 delivered by 2030, and with rollout starting in areas with the greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest
We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in different places across the country. We will be publishing further guidance to support local areas to develop neighbourhood health plans in due course. This will set out how the National Health Service, local authorities, and partners should work together under the leadership of Health and Wellbeing Boards to develop and implement plans.
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 and what proportion of Neighbourhood Health Centre sites have prioritised neurology within their (a) initial service plans and (b) delivery models.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines how specialised neurology services should support integrated and responsive care for individuals with long-term neurological conditions through collaboration between hospital and community providers. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.
At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme.
We have announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme, with 120 delivered by 2030, and with rollout starting in areas with the greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest
We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in different places across the country. We will be publishing further guidance to support local areas to develop neighbourhood health plans in due course. This will set out how the National Health Service, local authorities, and partners should work together under the leadership of Health and Wellbeing Boards to develop and implement plans.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the additional funding for the NHS announced on 11 June 2025 will be allocated to NHS dentistry.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has now published the Medium Term Planning Framework and allocations for 2026/27 to 2027/28. Further information on the Medium Term Planning Framework and the allocations is available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2026-27-to-2027-28/
National Health Service organisations are now in the process of developing their operational plans that will detail how they will meet the standards set out in the Medium-Term Planning Framework.
A separate schedule will be issued setting out the ringfence for dental services, including 2026/27 to 2028/29 integrated care board pharmacy optometry and dental allocations.
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of dietitians with a special interest in chronic fatigue syndrome, and how many of those dietitians there are in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on the number of dieticians who hold specialist knowledge or experience relating to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
NHS England publishes monthly Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics, with the data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, which is the payroll and human resources system for the National Health Service. This means it allows for identification of staff by broad staffing groups, including dieticians, working in Hospital and Community Health Services, but it does not provide the level of detail needed to identify staff with the skills, knowledge or experience of working with patients with specific conditions or allow identification of the types of patients and service delivery areas that staff may be involved in on a day to day basis. The latest data is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of trends in the uptake of flu vaccinations both regionally and nationally, and what steps they are taking to promote this uptake.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
For England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes provisional vaccine uptake data throughout the flu season. Weekly national level data for general practice (GP) patients is available from October to January on the GOV.UK website.
Monthly national and regional level data for GP patients, school-aged children, and frontline healthcare workers is available from October to January. Monthly data for this season was published on 27 November 2025 and included all vaccinations given between 1 September to 31 October 2025. Final end of season data is published in the annual reports in late spring, with the monthly and annual data available on the GOV.UK website.
The Department is working with the UKHSA and NHS England to encourage flu vaccine uptake via the national ‘Stay Strong. Get Vaccinated’ campaign. Marketing activity is currently running across television, video on demand, radio, outdoor advertising, and social channels. This is complemented by mainstream, regional, and specialist, highly targeted media and stakeholder channels to engage priority cohorts. The media plans include weekly a winter bulletin, highlighting the uptake and importance of the flu vaccination. Campaign messaging is supported by a comprehensive suite of information materials and guidance, ensuring healthcare professionals are empowered to guide patients, and the public can make an informed choice.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide NHS email accounts to NHS contractors, including optometrists.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service contractors, in the form of independent sector organisations, who provide health and social care services nationally, can be eligible for NHS.net accounts, formerly NHSmail, subject to acceptance criteria. Organisations that qualify will be permitted to create accounts for staff delivering patient-facing services.
Where an independent sector organisation has been commissioned locally and the commissioning body requires NHS.net, the local NHS organisation may provide sponsor email accounts for the duration of the contract. This is at the discretion of the local NHS organisation, as they are responsible for managing their own accounts.
NHS.net provides licences for optometry practices in England, specifically for General Ophthalmic Services contractors with 10 or fewer sites. Eligible practices can receive one shared mailbox and up to three individual NHS.net accounts per site, enabling secure communication of patient data.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve digital connectivity between high street optometrists and secondary eye care services through the NHS Innovation Accelerator.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s digital accelerators pilots have provided the evidence to demonstrate the value of digital integration of primary and secondary care through a refined single point of access model. The digitally enabled single point of access uses IT connectivity between primary and secondary eye care services to improve the referral and triage of patients, with patient data and images being assessed by clinicians to determine if patients need an appointment in secondary care. This was found to reduce unnecessary hospital appointments, time from referral to treatment, and supports more patients being managed in the community. The learnings from the pilots have been shared with integrated care boards.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of expanding primary eye care services through high street optometry practices to support the early detection of eye conditions.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing the health needs of their population and commissioning primary and secondary eye care services to meet them.
ICBs already commission National Health Service sight testing services through high street optical practices. Regular sight tests, whether provided by the NHS or privately, play a vital role in the early detection of sight threatening eye conditions.
ICBs can also commission enhanced eye care services from high street optical practices, including minor and urgent eye care services and glaucoma referral refinement services. These services further support the identification and management of eye conditions to prevent avoidable sight loss.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the number of additional NHS appointments delivered between (a) July 2024 and June 2025 and (b) July 2023 and June 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
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.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment for the reasons for the difference in the number of additional NHS appointments that were provided between (a) July 2024 and June 2025 and (b) the preceding 12 months.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
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.