Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what ‘more dynamic’ solutions his Department plans to replace public governors and staff governors with.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The removal of the councils of governors from National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs) forms part of the wider 10-Year Health Plan’s aim to ensure hospitals put patient experiences and outcomes at the heart of their decision-making. This will require primary legislation, which the Government will bring forward when parliamentary time allows, and the will of Parliament. Until then, FT governors will remain in post with their statutory powers unchanged.

While governors have provided helpful advice and oversight for some FTs, we now need to move to a more dynamic model, drawing on patient, staff, and stakeholder insight. For example, approaches to engagement that better reflect local demographics and geography rather than a ‘one size fits all’ governor model, as well as supporting an increased focus on the outcomes of the engagement, including the evidence that local people are involved in key decisions about how care is provided and their voices are listened to.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department’s has plans to remove of hospitals, public governors and staff governors.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The removal of the councils of governors from National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs) forms part of the wider 10-Year Health Plan’s aim to ensure hospitals put patient experiences and outcomes at the heart of their decision-making. This will require primary legislation, which the Government will bring forward when parliamentary time allows, and the will of Parliament. Until then, FT governors will remain in post with their statutory powers unchanged.

While governors have provided helpful advice and oversight for some FTs, we now need to move to a more dynamic model, drawing on patient, staff, and stakeholder insight. For example, approaches to engagement that better reflect local demographics and geography rather than a ‘one size fits all’ governor model, as well as supporting an increased focus on the outcomes of the engagement, including the evidence that local people are involved in key decisions about how care is provided and their voices are listened to.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure the whole population, particularly those who are not natural users of smartphones, are able to access and use the services from the NHS app by 2028.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to delivering digital services that are accessible to all patients and has established a national change programme to ensure the NHS App is accessible to the whole population by 2028, including those who do not routinely use smartphones.

As part of its 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has tasked National Health Service integrated care boards and providers with mitigating any digital exclusion through operational guidance, proactively offering NHS App communications while maintaining high quality non-digital options such as letters, phone, and face to face contact.

Furthermore, the NHS App is co-designed and tested with people from deprived and inclusion groups, including blind and visually impaired users, as well as people with low digital confidence.

Practical support is being expanded through public libraries, where NHS App guidance and staff support are provided, alongside training for frontline NHS staff and an NHS App Ambassadors programme that runs sessions in general practices, libraries, and community centres across England. Of course, the NHS App is also accessible through the NHS website.

Water sector reform

Found: Bance; Chris Bloore; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Leigh Ingham; Justin Madders; Charlie Maynard

Found: ; Chris Bloore; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Leigh Ingham; Justin Madders; Charlie Maynard

Found: ; Chris Bloore; John Cooper; Sarah Edwards; Alison Griffiths; Leigh Ingham; Justin Madders; Charlie Maynard

Found: Q18 Charlie Maynard: That will not work, will it?

Found: Littlehampton) Leigh Ingham (Labour; Stafford) Justin Madders (Labour; Ellesmere Port and Bromborough) Charlie Maynard

Found: Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John Cooper; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders; Charlie Maynard

Found: ); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John Cooper; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders; Charlie Maynard

Found: ); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John Cooper; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders; Charlie Maynard

Found: ); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John Cooper; Alison Griffiths; Justin Madders; Charlie Maynard