Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the Spending Review budget allocations for his Department to be finalised and an allocation made to future ringfenced spending on 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. The framework and allocations are avaiable, 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 has been issued setting out the 2026/27 to 2027/28 integrated care boards (ICBs) primary, optometry, and dentistry (POD) allocations, which is avaiable at the following link:
The utilisation of ICB POD allocations is subject to a ringfence on budgets for dental services.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs set up since July 2024 are run by private contractors.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since July 2024, five new community diagnostic centres (CDCs) have started reporting activity for the very first time. None of these five will be run by the independent sector (IS) once they are fully operational. Of these five CDCs, the Thanet CDC is temporarily using magnetic resonance imaging services leased from an IS provider to ensure temporary capacity while the main facility is built. Upon completion of the permanent site, the Thanet CDC site will be National Health Service owned and use only NHS owned assets.
Since July 2024, 23 new surgical hubs have opened. None of these surgical hubs are run by IS providers.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of his Department's spending was on (a) community, (b) acute and (c) primary care services in (i) Norfolk and Waveney and (ii) the rest of England by ICB area in the latest year for which statistics are available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2023/24, the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) spent £1,275.5 million on acute services, £240.9 million on community services, and £258.7 million on primary medical services. As a proportion of the Department’s Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit outturn of £182,819 million, as per the Department’s 2023/24 Annual Report, this is equivalent to approximately 0.7% for acute services, approximately 0.1% for community services, and approximately 0.1% for primary medical services. Further information on the Department’s 2023/24 Annual Report is available at the following link:
The following table shows a full breakdown of spend across these three service areas by ICB in 2023/24:
Integrated care board | Acute (millions of pounds) | Community (millions of pounds) | Primary medical services (millions of pounds) |
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB | 1,115.9 | 190.4 | 217.8 |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB | 1,026.2 | 183.3 | 220.4 |
Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB | 1,725.5 | 302.7 | 326.0 |
Mid and South East Essex ICB | 1,427.6 | 230.1 | 254.6 |
Norfolk and Waveney ICB | 1,275.5 | 240.9 | 258.7 |
Suffolk and North East Essex ICB | 1,140.2 | 216.0 | 230.4 |
Nort East London ICB | 2,498.7 | 470.5 | 488.0 |
North Central London ICB | 1,891.5 | 362.2 | 358.2 |
North West London ICB | 2,798.4 | 459.6 | 518.9 |
South East London ICB | 2,309.6 | 457.6 | 419.3 |
South West London ICB | 1,928.2 | 280.0 | 344.9 |
Birmingham and Solihull ICB | 1,612.5 | 314.2 | 339.7 |
Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | 1,142.1 | 174.4 | 221.3 |
Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB | 861.5 | 195.9 | 186.8 |
Derby & Derbyshire ICB | 1,268.2 | 191.0 | 252.9 |
Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland ICB | 1,147.1 | 231.6 | 252.9 |
Lincolnshire ICB | 928.0 | 180.6 | 189.4 |
Northamptonshire ICB | 912.8 | 124.0 | 174.3 |
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB | 1,363.0 | 257.3 | 248.3 |
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB | 612.2 | 126.0 | 115.2 |
Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent ICB | 1,210.5 | 311.9 | 264.3 |
Black Country ICB | 1,610.8 | 277.6 | 258.0 |
Cumbria & North East ICB | 3,768.9 | 724.4 | 743.4 |
Humber, Coast and Vale ICB | 2,019.4 | 358.3 | 388.4 |
Sth Yorkshire ICB | 1,611.8 | 267.4 | 329.0 |
West Yorkshire ICB | 2,776.8 | 536.7 | 571.6 |
Cheshire & Merseyside ICB | 3,404.8 | 648.2 | 637.8 |
Gtr Manchester ICB | 3,738.3 | 665.2 | 729.7 |
Lancashire & Sth Cumbria ICB | 2,374.5 | 399.2 | 411.9 |
Bucks, Oxfordshire & Berks West ICB | 1,831.3 | 392.1 | 383.8 |
Frimley ICB | 753.1 | 152.3 | 178.3 |
Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB | 2,032.0 | 433.0 | 372.4 |
Kent and Medway ICB | 2,228.3 | 460.0 | 407.8 |
Surrey Heartlands ICB | 1,210.2 | 190.4 | 217.0 |
Sussex ICB | 2,045.6 | 381.1 | 415.3 |
Bath & NE Somerset, Swindon & Wiltshire ICB | 1,010.6 | 209.3 | 218.3 |
Bristol, Nth Somerset & South Gloucs ICB | 1,110.5 | 226.2 | 222.5 |
Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly ICB | 651.9 | 166.7 | 144.1 |
Devon ICB | 1,479.2 | 339.5 | 273.3 |
Dorset ICB | 952.3 | 198.9 | 172.1 |
Gloucestershire ICB | 641.1 | 123.1 | 161.4 |
Somerset ICB | 703.2 | 114.6 | 143.1 |
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 potential impact of (a) recent NHS guidance and (b) his Department's health and social care priorities on Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (i) services and (ii) organisations.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department values working with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, in particular to address wider health inequalities. The insights and reach of VCSE organisations are instrumental, particularly in engaging with those who have lived experience and communities facing the greatest barriers to health.
The VCSE sector has been central to discussions about the forthcoming 10 Year Plan, with input from VCSE organisations directly influencing the plan’s content. As part of the 10 Year Health Plan’s national engagement exercise launched on 21 October 2024, we held 17 roundtables, attended by nearly 300 organisations, including VCSE groups, National Health Service trusts, professional bodies, and national charities. We also provided training, materials, and support to organisations to host their own events in communities across England. Over 600 community events took place with over 17,000 participants. The different components combined to create a programme that reached large numbers of people, engaged the widest range of groups and voices among the public, patients, and staff and partner organisations.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to the NHS under the Better Care Fund in each integrated care board area; and where monitoring of that spending is publicly reported.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
For 2025/26, approximately £9 billion is committed to the Better Care Fund (BCF). This includes approximately £3.3 billion provided to local authorities through the local authority BCF Grant, as well as the £5.6 billion NHS Minimum Contribution.
2025/26 allocations for the NHS Minimum Contribution by integrated care board and upper tier local authority are available on the NHS England website, at the following link:
Data from the monitoring of BCF spending is also available on the NHS England website, at the following link:
The planned expenditure data for 2025/26 will be published on the same website in due course.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 impact of the abolition of NHS England on the Federated Data Platform and Associated Services contract awarded to the consortium led by Palantir Technologies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by James Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.
The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job, we will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up and getting waiting times down.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
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 adequacy of access to NHS dental services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are determined to rebuild dentistry for the long term.
We will deliver an additional 700,000 urgent dental appointments; reform the dental contract; and introduce supervised toothbrushing for three- to five-year-olds in the most deprived communities.
We are working with the dental sector, including the British Dental Association, to deliver these shared ambitions.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a long term funding settlement for NHS dentistry.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A budget of £3.8 billion for primary, community, and secondary dentistry has been allocated to the integrated care boards across England for 2024/25, to deliver new initiatives and address the challenges facing National Health Service dentistry. Allocations for 2025/26 will be confirmed shortly, and long-term funding will be considered during phase 2 of the Spending Review, which will set budgets for 2026/27 to 2028/29.
The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.