Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 clinical negligence claims on NHS finances.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on National Health Service finances.
Although forecasts remain uncertain, it is likely that the costs of clinical negligence will continue to grow substantially. The Government Actuary’s Department forecasts that annual payments for compensation and legal costs will increase from £3 billion in 2024/25 to £4.1 billion by 2029/30.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office report.
We welcome the report by the National Audit Office. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 adequacy of GP retention rates in (a) Basildon and (b) Thurrock.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on general practice joiner and leaver rates is only available centrally at the level of integrated care boards (ICBs).
Between December 2024 and December 2025, 42 fully qualified general practitioners (GPs), or 6.7%, in the NHS Mid and South Essex ICB left practice. The figure was 49, or 7.7%, when including GPs who moved to a practice elsewhere in the country.
The data is not comparable with the national average because of the inclusion of movers between ICBs, which are not captured in the national figure.
Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encouraging them to return to practice. Retention efforts in general practice focus on addressing workload pressures, offering career development opportunities, providing flexible working opportunities, and implementing supportive policies.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the press release of 28 December 2025 on AI use in hospitals, how many NHS Trusts have deployed AI‑based triage or patient‑flow tools in A&E departments as of January 2026; and what criteria were used to select participating sites.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not know how many artificial intelligence (AI) based triage or patient flow tools are in accident and emergency (A&E) departments. The A&E demand forecasting tool discussed in the 28 December 2025 press release ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles A&E bottlenecks’ is not a triage or patient flow tool, as it analyses anonymous, aggregate data to generate a forecast of demand on A&E in terms of daily numbers of patient arrivals at A&E and admissions three weeks in advance. It serves as one additional source of information to support local decision making in managing A&E departments.
The A&E demand forecasting tool is available via the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) to all National Health Service trusts and integrated care systems in England and is currently being used across 50 organisations. The FDP provides a single, real-time view to improve patient flow, elective recovery, operational decisions, and patient care, alongside national services supporting management, planning, and performance improvements.
Individual NHS trusts are free to make their own decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, including those that are part of the FDP. As such, the Department does not have access to specific numbers of how many trusts are utilising AI-based triage or patient-flow tools in A&E departments.
We are not currently undertaking any work to ensure interoperability between AI triage tools and existing NHS electronic patient records. Local organisations should consider the interoperability of systems, including electronic patient records systems.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department has allocated towards researching the impact of kidney disease on mental health.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including the potential impact of kidney disease on mental health.
These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on the impact of kidney disease on mental health to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
In the past five financial years, the NIHR has allocated £2.051 million in new direct research funding to six projects related to kidney disease, in which the psychosocial aspects of living with or undergoing treatment or testing for kidney disease were addressed as part of the research.
Details of NIHR funding allocated to individual research awards are openly published and updated quarterly on the ‘Open Data’ site of the NIHR website, at the following link:
https://nihr.opendatasoft.com/explore/
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 conducted on the potential impact of kidney disease on mental health.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including the potential impact of kidney disease on mental health.
These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on the impact of kidney disease on mental health to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.
In the past five financial years, the NIHR has allocated £2.051 million in new direct research funding to six projects related to kidney disease, in which the psychosocial aspects of living with or undergoing treatment or testing for kidney disease were addressed as part of the research.
Details of NIHR funding allocated to individual research awards are openly published and updated quarterly on the ‘Open Data’ site of the NIHR website, at the following link:
https://nihr.opendatasoft.com/explore/
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles A&E bottlenecks, published on 28 December 2025, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of using AI to predict levels of demand in A&Es on staff workload, wellbeing, and retention.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not to date undertaken any formal assessment or evaluation of the potential impact of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict levels of demand in accident and emergency departments on waiting times, or staff workload, wellbeing, or retention.
Decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, including those used for demand prediction in accident and emergency settings as discussed in the article ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles accident and emergency bottlenecks’, are made at a local level by individual National Health Service trusts. At present, NHS trusts have the autonomy to determine the use of such technologies, taking into account the needs and priorities of their respective organisation, and should evaluate and review the impact of AI deployment within their care settings.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press notice entitled Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles A&E bottlenecks, published on 28 December 2025, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the use of AI to predict levels of demand in A&Es on waiting times.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not to date undertaken any formal assessment or evaluation of the potential impact of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict levels of demand in accident and emergency departments on waiting times, or staff workload, wellbeing, or retention.
Decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, including those used for demand prediction in accident and emergency settings as discussed in the article ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles accident and emergency bottlenecks’, are made at a local level by individual National Health Service trusts. At present, NHS trusts have the autonomy to determine the use of such technologies, taking into account the needs and priorities of their respective organisation, and should evaluate and review the impact of AI deployment within their care settings.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles A&E bottlenecks, published on 28 December 2025, what steps are being taken to ensure interoperability between AI triage tools and existing NHS electronic patient record systems.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not know how many artificial intelligence (AI) based triage or patient flow tools are in accident and emergency (A&E) departments. The A&E demand forecasting tool discussed in the 28 December 2025 press release ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles A&E bottlenecks’ is not a triage or patient flow tool, as it analyses anonymous, aggregate data to generate a forecast of demand on A&E in terms of daily numbers of patient arrivals at A&E and admissions three weeks in advance. It serves as one additional source of information to support local decision making in managing A&E departments.
The A&E demand forecasting tool is available via the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) to all National Health Service trusts and integrated care systems in England and is currently being used across 50 organisations. The FDP provides a single, real-time view to improve patient flow, elective recovery, operational decisions, and patient care, alongside national services supporting management, planning, and performance improvements.
Individual NHS trusts are free to make their own decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, including those that are part of the FDP. As such, the Department does not have access to specific numbers of how many trusts are utilising AI-based triage or patient-flow tools in A&E departments.
We are not currently undertaking any work to ensure interoperability between AI triage tools and existing NHS electronic patient records. Local organisations should consider the interoperability of systems, including electronic patient records systems.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 decision not to introduce regulations of mandatory disclosure of payments to the healthcare sector under the Health and Care Act 2022.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of transparency and trust in the health system and has outlined its reasons for introducing guidance, rather than legislative measures, in relation to payments made by industry to the healthcare sector. These reasons can be found in the Government’s consultation response document, which is available at the following link:
The Department will work closely with key stakeholders to develop the guidance over the coming months. Following publication of this guidance, the Department will monitor its uptake closely and retains the option to take additional regulatory or legislative action if required.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) social media and (b) smartphone addiction on children's long-term health outcomes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2019, the UK Chief Medical Officers published a commentary on a systematic review of screen-based activities, including social media, and their impact on children and young people’s mental health. They found an association between screen-based activities and mental health but could not establish causality.
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Education are jointly working to produce and publish new practical, evidence informed guidance on screentime for early years (zero to five) by April 2026. An expert group of child health and development specialists has been convened to shape the guidance, which will also be informed by the perspectives of parents and carers.
On 20 January 2026, the Government announced a forthcoming consultation on how to ensure children have a healthy relationship with devices, introduce rapid trials on measures to reduce screentime and limit access at night, and produce evidence-informed screentime guidance for parents of children aged between five and sixteen years old. This three-month consultation will be evidence-led, with input from independent experts. It will report in the summer.