Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS penalty charges for incorrectly claimed free prescriptions have been issued to individuals who qualified for but did not hold NHS medical exemption certificates in the last 12 months.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
From November 2024 to October 2025, the NHS Business Service Authority issued 47,058 penalty charge notices (PCNs) to people who claimed a medical exemption but were found to have no exemption in place when checked. Of these, 21,328 were eased, for various reasons including the patient subsequently applying for an exemption successfully. The number of easements in this category cannot be confirmed. Of the 47,058 PCNs issued 3,583 people received multiple PCNs.
Although the Department has made no formal assessment of the effectiveness of issuing PCNs as a deterrent against improper claims, the fact that the vast majority who receive one PCN do not go on to receive another would, in my opinion, suggest a potential deterrent effect.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
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 effectiveness of issuing penalty charge notices as a deterrent against improper claims of free NHS prescriptions.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
From November 2024 to October 2025, the NHS Business Service Authority issued 47,058 penalty charge notices (PCNs) to people who claimed a medical exemption but were found to have no exemption in place when checked. Of these, 21,328 were eased, for various reasons including the patient subsequently applying for an exemption successfully. The number of easements in this category cannot be confirmed. Of the 47,058 PCNs issued 3,583 people received multiple PCNs.
Although the Department has made no formal assessment of the effectiveness of issuing PCNs as a deterrent against improper claims, the fact that the vast majority who receive one PCN do not go on to receive another would, in my opinion, suggest a potential deterrent effect.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects to complete his review of stakeholder feedback submitted in April 2025 on the Part IX re-categorisation process for Waves 1 to 4, and when updates will be shared with the Drug Tariff Committee and Forum members.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The final draft, version 1.2, of the Part IX Drug Tariff (Med Tech in the community) wave one categorisation was developed in collaboration with an Expert Reference Group and updated in line with stakeholder feedback over four iterations. The final version was published in October 2025, and can be found on the NHS Business Services Authority Website at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/manufacturers-and-suppliers/drug-tariff-part-ix-information
The Department is currently recruiting Independent Assessment Panels (IAPs) for wave one and has agreed to ask them to review late feedback received from a company on the eye drops category. This is due to take place in February 2026.
This will not require further input from industry as it has already been circulated for comment by them. The Department has offered to review Drug Tariff Committee feedback regarding the categorisation of medical devices that fall into waves two to four.
The categorisation for waves two and three is currently being reviewed, and the Department expects to share the updated versions in early 2026, well in advance of the projected launch of waves two and three in 2027 and 2028 respectively. There are no confirmed plans for reviewing wave four at this time. The earliest launch would be in January 2029. All dates are subject to the outcome of the review of wave one.
The Department recognises that the categorisation is not stagnant and may need further amendments as medical devices continue to evolve. Companies can suggest further amendments when they apply to Part IX of the Drug Tariff or through the Drug Tariff Committee.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
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 (i) nurses (ii) doctors (iii) midwives entering the NHS were (a) non-UK citizens (b) non-UK graduates in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number and proportion non-United Kingdom citizens entering the National Health Service. NHS England publishes monthly Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics for England which includes data on the self-reported nationality of NHS staff, which may not be the same as citizenship. Not all non-UK nationals will have been recruited from abroad, as some will already be resident in the UK before they join the NHS. This information is available at the following link, within the folder “Preliminary - NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Turnover – CSV data files”:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
The Department does not hold data on the number and proportion non-UK graduate doctors, nurses and midwives entering the NHS. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) publishes data on non-UK graduate first-time joiners to their professional register across the UK. The General Medical Council (GMC) similarly publishes data on non-UK graduates taking up, or returning to, a license to practice medicine in the UK. It is possible to apply to join the UK Registers without moving to the UK.
The most recent published NMC data is available at the following link:
https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/
The most recent published GMC data can be found under the “Reference tables and data annex” section of the “The state of medical education and practice in the UK: workforce report 2025”, within the file titled “The register of medical practitioners”, available at the following link:
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the changes to the Certificates of Sponsorship minimum salary threshold on (a) international staff in the NHS, (b) NHS staffing levels and (c) NHS waiting lists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 9 April 2025, the minimum salary for Health and Care Worker Visa holders increased to £25,000 per year. This applies to new Certificates of Sponsorship assigned on or after this date. No specific assessment has been made on the impact of this change on National Health Service international staff, staffing levels, and waiting lists.
While we value our international workforce and the skills and experience they bring, we are also committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our NHS. The 10-Year Health Plan set out this Government’s intention to reduce the reliance on internationally trained healthcare professionals.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2025 to Question 86606, what steps he has taken to ensure that citizens of British Overseas Territories have access to NHS services whilst resident in the UK.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service care is provided free at the point of use to people who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. Being ordinarily resident broadly means living in the UK on a lawful and properly settled basis. People who are not considered ordinarily resident in the UK are required to pay for healthcare in England unless an exemption applies.
If citizens of British Overseas Territories are assessed as being ordinarily resident in the UK, they are able to access NHS care free at the point of use.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 reduce gynaecology waiting lists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to cutting waiting times across all specialities, including gynaecology. We have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, by March 2029.
We are making good progress, as waiting lists have been cut by over 230,000 since the Government came into office, which includes nearly 14,000 fewer patients waiting for gynaecology treatment over the same period.
We have also delivered 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025, having exceeded our pledge of two million. However, we know there is more to do, and we have confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment to expand capacity across diagnostics, electives, and urgent care. This includes expanding the number of surgical hubs, which provide valuable and protected capacity across elective specialities, including gynaecology. As of November 2025, over half of the 123 operational elective surgical hubs in England provide gynaecology services.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
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 retention within the maternity and neonatal workforce.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.
To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace. They will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture that embeds retention.
Targeted retention initiatives for nurses and midwives have also been undertaken by NHS England and led by the Chief Nursing Officer, including: the introduction of a nursing and midwifery retention self-assessment tool; a national preceptorship framework; mentoring schemes; and strengthened advice and support on pensions and flexible retirement options.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
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 address variation in access to NHS-funded IVF treatment between integrated care boards.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand NHS-funded fertility services and the effectiveness of these services. This work will take time to develop, and the Department is keen to ensure there will be stakeholder engagement during this process, beginning in the new year.
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their population. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.
NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether its current recommendations for access to NHS-funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on revised guidelines was published on 10 September and closed on 21 October 2025.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2025 to Question 67482 on IVF: Greater Manchester, If his Department will have discussions with NHS Greater Manchester following the publication of the Standardising IVF Cycles Consultation Summary Report on implementing an increase in the number of funded cycles.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards, and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. There are no current plans to discuss implementing an increase in the number of funded in-vitro fertilisation cycles with NHS Greater Manchester.