Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
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 ensure the NHS is prepared for future demographic changes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our plan to get the National Health Service back on track and make it fit for the future through delivering three big shifts in how the NHS works. By moving more care from hospital to community, shifting from analogue to digital, and reaching patients earlier by shifting from sickness to prevention, the NHS will be better enabled to meet future demographic changes.
Integrated care boards are expected to have a deep understanding of their population’s needs and will engage with the public to develop long-term plans that meet these needs.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many additional GPs have been hired in North Northumberland constituency through Government funding.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of 31 May 2025, 58 general practitioners (GPs) have been recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme in the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) since 1 October 2024, the ICB in which the North Northumberland constituency is located. Data is not available at a constituency level.
Earlier in the year we announced that we are investing an additional £889 million through the GP Contract for 2025/26 to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.
Every year we consult with the British Medical Association’s General Practice Committee both about what services practices provide, and the money they are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account the costs of delivering services. Practices are required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of the patients registered at their practice. This includes making their own workforce plans.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
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 (a) to ensure the provision of Pfizer vaccines to people who cannot take Moderna and (b) with ICBs which have insufficient supplies of the Pfizer vaccine in North Northumberland constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) procures vaccines that have been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and are advised for use in COVID-19 booster programmes by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The make-up of vaccine availability can vary from campaign to campaign based on the latest JCVI and clinical advice and procured stock available.
Published advice in the COVID-19 Green book, chapter 14a recommends that those with known contraindications to COVID-19 vaccination should seek advice from a relevant specialist. This may include an allergy specialist, who can make a clinical assessment of the individual's risks and benefits of vaccination. If suitable, these individuals may be advised to be vaccinated in hospital under medical supervision.
During the 2025 Spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign, UKHSA did not receive any reports of supply issues in North Northumberland.
Vaccine deployment is managed by NHS England which works with the regional teams and integrated care boards to ensure the vaccine is readily available for those eligible, as per the JCVI advice. UKHSA has worked and continues to work with all deployment partners to ensure the supply and provision of vaccines.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
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 ensure the availability of stroke-related medicines in Northumberland; and what steps he is taking to ensure the equal provision of medicines across England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of a supply issue affecting aspirin 300 milligram suppositories until late June 2025, which are used outside of their license of pain and inflammation, for their antiplatelet effect after a stroke. We have issued shortage management guidance to the National Health Service advising on the alternative, aspirin 150 milligram suppositories, which remain available for affected patients.
The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within Northumberland is not held centrally.
Medicine supply chains are complex, global, and highly regulated, and there are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the United Kingdom and outside of Government control, including manufacturing difficulties, access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes or distribution issues, and regulatory issues. We have drawn on up-to-date intelligence and data on the root causes of medicine supply issues, with manufacturing problems being the most dominant root cause. The Department works closely with industry, the NHS, manufacturers, and other partners across the supply chain to make sure patients across the UK can access the medicines they need.
The resilience of UK supply chains is a key priority, and we are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and to strengthen our resilience. As part of that work, we continue to engage with industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver solutions. We have plans underway to increase the awareness of our work.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
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 the provision of emergency healthcare in (a) rural and (b) urban areas in the North East.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care board are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local communities, including in the North East, as they are best placed to take those decisions.
However, more broadly, the Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance is not at the high standard that patients should expect. We are committed to returning to the safe operational waiting time standards set out in the NHS Constitution.
We have set out plans on the action to be taken to improve services this year and will shortly publish a 10-Year Health Plan, which will set out the radical reforms needed to make the National Health Service fit for the future.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
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 local authorities on updating the adult social care funding formula in the local government finance settlement for the 2026-27 financial year.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
MHCLG’s consultation on the principles and objectives of reform to the local government finance system, which was published alongside the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement on the 18 December 2024, included material on the approach to distributing adult social care funding.
My officials have met with local authority representative bodies to discuss the options in the consultation. The Department is considering their feedback alongside the responses received from the consultation. We look forward to continuing working with the sector on what our priorities should be for distributing adult social care funding.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
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 hospices on (a) their role in and (b) funding in relation to the forthcoming NHS 10 Year Plan.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and families receive the care they need when and where they need it, including those who need palliative and end of life care.
As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have been carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our partners, including the hospice sector.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is provided to people with mental health issues who are serving IPP sentences.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England Health and Justice commissioned healthcare providers deliver both primary and secondary care mental health services to all individuals within the custodial estate, irrespective of their detained status. Each individual will be assessed, their care formulation will be agreed, and appropriate clinical treatment, interventions, and support will be provided. If the individual requires transfer to hospital, the transfer to hospital process will be initiated.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department has commissioned on (a) the effects of and (b) treatment for long covid.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Over the last five years, the Government, through NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC), has invested over £57 million in long COVID research, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The NIHR specifically has invested £42.7 million towards research funding for long COVID. The projects funded aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care. Further information on the research into long COVID commissioned through the NIHR can be found at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/what-we-do/covid-19/long-COVID
The NIHR and MRC are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences and treatment of long COVID, and are actively exploring next steps for research in these areas.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS is taking to improve support for people suffering from long covid.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Since 2020, the National Health Service in England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist post-COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, as well as investing in ensuring general practice teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition.
As of 1 April 2024, there are more than 90 adult post-COVID services across England, along with an additional ten children and young people’s hubs. These services assess people with long COVID and direct them into care pathways which provide appropriate support and treatment. General practitioners will assess patients that have COVID-19 symptoms lasting longer than four weeks and refer them into a long COVID service where appropriate. Referral should be via a single point of access, which is managed by clinician-led triage.
Over the last five years, the Government, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), has invested more than £57 million in long COVID research, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The NIHR specifically has invested £42.7 million towards research funding for long COVID. The projects funded aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care. Further information on the research into long COVID commissioned through the NIHR can be found at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/what-we-do/covid-19/long-COVID
The NIHR and MRC are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences and treatment of long COVID, and are actively exploring next steps for research in these areas.