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 his Department is taking to improve integration between (a) NHS services and (b) social care provision in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to improving integration between health and social care services nationally and locally. Our vision for neighbourhood health will see local government and the National Health Service working more closely together, with a revitalised role for health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) and reform of the Better Care Fund (BCF).
Through the BCF, around £9 billion is being invested in 2025/26 to enable NHS bodies and local authorities to pool budgets and deliver joined-up care. This includes setting shared goals to reduce delayed discharges, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, and support people to live independently at home.
Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the impact of closer NHS-social care integration on reducing hospital discharge delays in Surrey Heath constituency, local HWBs are required to agree plans under the BCF framework to provide timely and coordinated support for people with complex needs. These plans prioritise effective discharge from hospital and recovery in the community.
Starting in the financial year 2026/27, we will reform the BCF to provide a sharper focus on ensuring consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement. We will set out further details in due course.
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 recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of closer NHS–social care integration on reducing hospital discharge delays in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to improving integration between health and social care services nationally and locally. Our vision for neighbourhood health will see local government and the National Health Service working more closely together, with a revitalised role for health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) and reform of the Better Care Fund (BCF).
Through the BCF, around £9 billion is being invested in 2025/26 to enable NHS bodies and local authorities to pool budgets and deliver joined-up care. This includes setting shared goals to reduce delayed discharges, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, and support people to live independently at home.
Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the impact of closer NHS-social care integration on reducing hospital discharge delays in Surrey Heath constituency, local HWBs are required to agree plans under the BCF framework to provide timely and coordinated support for people with complex needs. These plans prioritise effective discharge from hospital and recovery in the community.
Starting in the financial year 2026/27, we will reform the BCF to provide a sharper focus on ensuring consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement. We will set out further details in due course.
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 oversight arrangements are in place to safeguard people with learning disabilities in local care settings in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the statutory guidance of the Care Act 2014, it states that local authorities must ensure that the services they commission are safe, effective, and of high quality.
Each integrated care board must have an executive lead for learning disability and autism who will support the board in addressing health inequalities, thereby supporting equal access to care across all health services and improving overall health outcomes.
Under the Health and Care Act 2022, Care Quality Commission registered providers are required to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role, to provide safe and informed care.
A Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag is being rolled out across health and care services to ensure that disabled people’s reasonable adjustments are recorded and shared, to enable tailoring of appropriate support. This is aided by e-learning for health and social care staff.
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 his Department is taking to ensure that children awaiting (a) ADHD or (b) Autism assessment receive interim support during extended waiting periods in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays in accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and recognises the need for early intervention and support.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including provision of autism and ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
The NICE guidance for the assessment of autism recommends the length between referral and first appointment should be no more than 13 weeks. We know that this is not happening routinely across the country. In respect of ADHD, the NICE guideline on ADHD does not recommend a maximum waiting time for people to receive an assessment for ADHD or a diagnosis, however it sets out best practice on providing a diagnosis.
The Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has identified that children and young people who are on their waiting lists for ADHD or autism, or a dual diagnosis, and their families have access to a wide range of support and resources. These are provided by the foundation trust’s neurodevelopmental experts and partners, including the National Autistic Society and Barnardo’s.
The foundation trust’s neurodevelopmental needs page on the Mindworks website has helpful strategies and interventions to support neurodevelopmental needs, and the out-of-hours advice line provides advice to parents and carers who are struggling with behaviours or difficulties in young people, which could be related to neurodevelopmental need. It is open from 5:00pm to 11:00pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Further information on the trust’s neurodevelopmental needs page and the out-of-hours advice line is avaiable, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.mindworks-surrey.org/advice-information-and-resources/neurodevelopmental-needs
https://www.mindworks-surrey.org/our-services/neurodevelopmental-services/out-hours-advice-line
In 2026, the Government will bring forward a schools white paper, which will detail the Government’s approach to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform, ensuring joined-up support, including education and healthcare providers working together.
Through local commissioning, the Government will ensure that Neighbourhood Health Services work in partnership with family hubs, schools, nurseries, and colleges to offer timely and joined-up support to children, young people, and their families, including those with SEND.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.
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 estimate his Department has made of the ambulance costs from road collisions in Surrey in the past five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific estimation has been made. Data on the number of road traffic collisions is collected and published by the Department for Transport.
Ambulance services do not routinely report costs at the level of individual incident types. However, the most recent National Cost Collection indicates that the average cost of an ambulance ‘see, treat and convey’ response is approximately £489.
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 his Department is taking to ensure that NHS staff are not overstretched and are able to take sufficient rest breaks during their working hours in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to ensuring that National Health Service staff in Surrey Heath, and across the country more widely, are able to take sufficient rest breaks during their working hours in compliance with the Working Time Regulations 1998. The NHS staff terms and conditions of service set out clear entitlements for staff rest breaks with provisions stating that any member of staff working a shift of more than six hours is entitled to have a minimum of one 20-minute rest break, and for this break to be uninterrupted. Where possible, local policies may provide for longer or additional breaks, and employers are encouraged to support flexible working arrangements to enable staff to take appropriate rest and manage workload pressures.
Employers are responsible for ensuring rotas and staffing levels take account of statutory and contractual break entitlements, and that staff are able to take these breaks safely and without detriment to patient care. The Department continues to work with NHS organisations to promote staff wellbeing, recognising that adequate rest is essential for both effective patient care and staff health.
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 consideration is given to infrastructure deliverability, including transport links, utilities, and local road capacity, when selecting sites for new hospitals under the New Hospital Programme.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I can confirm that since August 2024, the New Hospital Programme (NHP) has been supporting the trust with their site selection process to ensure it is transparent and robust. This has included broadening search criteria and “blind scoring” of sites to establish a short-list of options for further consideration. No decision has yet been made on the location of the new Frimley Park Hospital, part of Wave 1 of the NHP. Any final decision on location will require a business case to be assured and approved through the standard business case process.
Following Government guidance, all trusts are required to undertake appropriate levels of due diligence on potential sites as part of a site selection process. The selection process is designed to allow trusts to identify a smaller number of sites to investigate further and therefore it is expected that trusts will complete additional work on short-listed sites as part of the business case process to assess infrastructure deliverability including transport, utilities, and access.
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 assessment his Department has made of the (a) transparency and (b) consistency of site selection processes used under the New Hospital Programme for Frimley Park Hospital.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I can confirm that since August 2024, the New Hospital Programme (NHP) has been supporting the trust with their site selection process to ensure it is transparent and robust. This has included broadening search criteria and “blind scoring” of sites to establish a short-list of options for further consideration. No decision has yet been made on the location of the new Frimley Park Hospital, part of Wave 1 of the NHP. Any final decision on location will require a business case to be assured and approved through the standard business case process.
Following Government guidance, all trusts are required to undertake appropriate levels of due diligence on potential sites as part of a site selection process. The selection process is designed to allow trusts to identify a smaller number of sites to investigate further and therefore it is expected that trusts will complete additional work on short-listed sites as part of the business case process to assess infrastructure deliverability including transport, utilities, and access.
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 assessment his Department has made of the (a) quality and (b) accessibility of health and care services for people with learning disabilities in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Significant action is underway to improve the quality and accessibility of health and care services for people with a learning disability at a local level, helping to deliver the shift from treatment to prevention, outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan, which is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future
The national Learning Disabilities Health Check Scheme is designed to encourage general practices to identify all patients aged 14 years old and over with a learning disability, and to offer them an annual health check and health action plan. Further information on the Learning Disabilities Health Check Scheme is available at the following link:
The latest published data for Surrey Heath shows that 82.78% of people with a learning disability in the area had completed a health check, and that 80.19% of learning disability patients in Surrey Heath had a completed health action plan. The latest published data for Surrey Heath is avaiable at the following link:
According to recently published data on Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities, 81.5% of people with a learning disability had completed an annual health check in England. Further information on the recently published data on Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities is avaiable at the following link:
The Surrey All Ages Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism Oversight Committee routinely monitors the following:
- admissions and discharges for adults, and children and young people with a learning disability and any barriers to timely discharge;
- mandatory training on learning disability and autism;
- performance on Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews and commissioner oversight visits;
- Dynamic Support Register governance; and
- implementation of the Reasonable Adjustments Digital Flag.
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, whether his Department has data on the average waiting times for (a) ADHD and (b) Autism assessments for young people in the (i) South East, (ii) Surrey, and (iii) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays for accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future and recognises the need for early intervention and support. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including provision of autism and ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
The NICE guidance for the assessment of autism recommends that the length between referral and first appointment should be no more than 13 weeks. We know that this is not happening routinely across the country. In respect of ADHD, the NICE guideline on ADHD does not recommend a maximum waiting time for people to receive an assessment for ADHD or a diagnosis, however it sets out best practice on providing a diagnosis.
There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for assessment and diagnosis for ADHD for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual NHS trusts or commissioners.
NHS England published management information on ADHD waits at a national level for the first time on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan, which is avaiable at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-adhd/november-2025
In respect of autism, the most recent data, published on 13 November 2025, is available on the NHS England website at the following link:
Through the NHS Medium-term planning framework, published 24 October 2025, NHS England has set clear expectations for local ICBs and trusts to improve access, experience, and outcomes for autism and ADHD services over the next three years, focusing on improving quality and productivity.
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD, and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.