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 his Department's press release entitled £78bn for councils in turning point settlement to cut deprivation, published on 17 December 2025, what impact the National Care Service will have on two-tier authority areas such as Basildon.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are progressing towards a National Care Service based on higher quality of care, greater choice and control, and better join up between services, with approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
We know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care across all tiers of local authority in England cannot be delivered overnight. To build consensus on plans for a National Care Service, Baroness Casey is chairing an Independent Commission into adult social care to shape the medium- and longer-term reforms needed, with phase 1 reporting later this year.
We have already been putting the core foundations for a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care, by improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, and by legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding. We are strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund. We are also enabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.
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 his Department's press release entitled £78bn for councils in turning point settlement to cut deprivation, published on 17 December 2025, what impact the National Care Service will have on single-tier authorities such as Thurrock Council.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are progressing towards a National Care Service based on higher quality of care, greater choice and control, and better join up between services, with approximately £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
We know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care across all tiers of local authority in England cannot be delivered overnight. To build consensus on plans for a National Care Service, Baroness Casey is chairing an Independent Commission into adult social care to shape the medium- and longer-term reforms needed, with phase 1 reporting later this year.
We have already been putting the core foundations for a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care, by improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, and by legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding. We are strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund. We are also enabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.
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 procurement processes were used to select AI suppliers for A&E applications; and what assessment has been made of value for money.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To date, the Department has not undertaken any formal assessment or estimate on the cost or value of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict levels of demand in accident and emergency departments.
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 autonomy to determine the use of such technologies, taking into account the needs and priorities of their respective organisation, independent of the Government. As such, we do not have a cost estimate of a national rollout, nor can we confirm the procurement processes used by those organisations.
The implementation of the AI tools discussed in the article ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles accident and emergency bottlenecks’ did not involve an individual procurement of third-party goods or services for the accident and emergency tool, which was developed in the Federated Data Platform. AI implementation programmes that do involve the procurement of third-party goods, services, or digital products are managed in compliance with the obligations set out in the Procurement Act 2023, and the relevant NHS contracting authorities' standing financial instructions.
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 the cost has been to date of deploying AI systems in A&E departments; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost of a national rollout.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To date, the Department has not undertaken any formal assessment or estimate on the cost or value of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict levels of demand in accident and emergency departments.
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 autonomy to determine the use of such technologies, taking into account the needs and priorities of their respective organisation, independent of the Government. As such, we do not have a cost estimate of a national rollout, nor can we confirm the procurement processes used by those organisations.
The implementation of the AI tools discussed in the article ‘Faster treatments and support for health workers as AI tackles accident and emergency bottlenecks’ did not involve an individual procurement of third-party goods or services for the accident and emergency tool, which was developed in the Federated Data Platform. AI implementation programmes that do involve the procurement of third-party goods, services, or digital products are managed in compliance with the obligations set out in the Procurement Act 2023, and the relevant NHS contracting authorities' standing financial instructions.
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 steps the Department is taking to ensure that AI systems used in A&E departments comply with NHS data governance, patient privacy and cybersecurity requirements.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is dedicated to ensuring patient privacy while leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. We have engaged patients and the public in discussions on how and why health data should be accessed for AI systems. The Department and NHS England have implemented robust data protection measures, including Data Protection Impact Assessments and adherence to UK General Data Protection Regulation, to safeguard patient data. All National Health Service trusts and providers must complete a Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) assessment to fully assure that the technologies they use are safe, effective, and that data is protected. This includes technologies used in accident and emergency departments. The DTAC evaluates products to ensure NHS standards for safety, usability, and accessibility are met, with clear evidence requirements and scoring criteria included for each area.
The accident and emergency demand forecasting tool, within the NHS England Federated Data Platform, is trained on pseudonymised data, and with only aggregate non-patient level outputs reaching the dashboard users. Regular risk reviews occur to ensure it is as low risk as possible in terms of cyber security and patient privacy and that it follows NHS data governance.
The Department and the NHS England Information Governance Team provide guidance for patients, health care professionals, and information governance professionals on the use of AI in the NHS and NHS settings such as accident and emergency departments.
The Department works closely with the NHS and its suppliers to share threat intelligence on evolving AI cyber threats.
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, if he will commission an independent evaluation of the potential impact of AI‑enabled A&E systems on NHS organisations utilising them.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Currently, there are no plans for a formal independent evaluation of the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) enabled accident and emergency systems on National Health Service organisations. However, NHS England is undertaking an internal evaluation, as the particular AI tool referenced within the press release is an NHS England development, built within the Federated Data Platform.
The tool has been subject to quality assurance and includes built-in metrics to monitor forecast accuracy and performance over time. To date, evaluation has focused on technical robustness, data quality, and usability, rather than the direct impacts on waiting times, which are influenced by multiple factors beyond demand forecasting alone.
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 the cost was of Private Finance Initiative contracts within the NHS in Essex in the latest financial year.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Unitary Charge payments associated with Private Finance Initiative contracts are captured in the annual National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority data collection, available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pfi-and-pf2-projects-2024-summary-data
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 relative costs of (a) publicly funding health infrastructure and (b) health infrastructure funded through Public Private Partnerships.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has committed significant public capital funding to health infrastructure, with the overall annual capital budget increasing to £15.2 billion by the end of the Spending Review period for 2029/30. Over the five-year Spending Review period, this translates to £30 billion in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the National Health Service estate and over £6 billion of additional capital invested in diagnostic, elective, and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS. In addition, we remain committed to delivering all schemes within the New Hospital Programme, which will continue through the Spending Review period, rising to a steady rate of £15 billion over five-year cycles.
The 2025 Budget announced that the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme will deliver new neighbourhood health centres through upgrading and repurposing existing buildings and building new facilities through a combination of public sector investment and a new model of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). Delivering new neighbourhood health centres through a combination of public investment and PPP will also allow the Government, for the first time, to build further evidence and compare different delivery models.
The Department and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority are continuing to develop the new PPP model for neighbourhood health centres with further engagement this year. The new neighbourhood health centres PPP model will build on lessons from the past including the National Audit Office’s 2025 report on private finance and other models currently in use. Further information on the National Audit Office’s 2025 report on private finance is avaiable at the following link:
To ensure fiscal transparency and sustainability, the Government will budget for these neighbourhood health centres as if they were on-balance sheet, to ensure that this expenditure is transparent, and fiscally sustainable.
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 steps he is taking to help reduce avoidable ambulance demand in the East of England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is taking a comprehensive approach to reducing avoidable ambulance demand across the country including in the East of England. Our Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Plan for 2025/26 aims to improve UEC performance with a focus on reducing ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, freeing up ambulances to get back on the road.
The plan also commits to increasing the number of patients receiving urgent care in the community by expanding services such as urgent community response, neighbourhood multidisciplinary teams, and increasing the use of virtual wards. By boosting the capacity and accessibility of these services, people can receive the care they need closer to home, reducing the need to call an ambulance or attend accident and emergency.
NHS 111 continues to play a crucial role in managing demand by providing clinical advice and triage over the phone or online, ensuring patients are directed to the most appropriate service for their needs. This includes supporting more ‘hear and treat’ and ‘see and treat’ responses, where patients receive advice or treatment without the need for an ambulance to convey them to hospital.
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 safe operational capacity of Basildon Hospital’s Accident and Emergency department, including of (a) staffing levels, (b) the physical estate and (c) patient flow.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the importance of ensuring that emergency departments operate safely and effectively. Assessments of staffing levels, the physical estate, and patient flow are matters for local National Health Service trusts, in partnership with integrated care boards, who are best placed to manage services in line with local needs and circumstances.
Nationally, NHS England sets standards for emergency care and provides guidance to support trusts in maintaining safe staffing and patient flow.
We work closely with NHS England to monitor performance and provide additional support where needed, including investment in urgent and emergency care capacity and initiatives to improve patient flow.