Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of senior NHS leadership roles are held by Allied Health Professionals; and what steps he is taking to increase that proportion.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England do not currently hold a comprehensive central dataset on the proportion of all senior NHS Board-level roles held by Allied Health Professionals (AHPs).
NHS England is actively seeking to increase representation from a broader range of professional backgrounds, including AHPs, across senior leadership pipelines. This includes aspiring Chair, aspiring Chief Executive, and aspiring Executive Director programmes. It also includes targeted development offers such as the Nye Bevan exceptional cohort for primary care, which is designed to support a broad primary care leadership pipeline, including AHPs and other primary care professional groups.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets the ambition for the National Health Service to have world-class leadership and management. The establishment of a new NHS College of Leadership and Management will provide the national infrastructure to support this and will help widen access to leadership development opportunities for a broader range of professional backgrounds, including AHPs.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of burial sites on downstream water quality during heavy rainfall.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises that poorly located or managed burial sites can, in some circumstances, pose a risk to water quality, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall. At the same time, we understand that burial grounds are deeply important places for families and communities, providing a lasting connection to loved ones, and any concerns about their condition or management can be understandably distressing.
The Environment Agency (EA), as a statutory consultee in the planning system, advises against locating new cemeteries in areas with highly vulnerable groundwater and seeks to prevent developments that could pose significant risks to the water environment.
Since October 2023, new cemeteries or extensions requiring planning permission must either qualify for an exemption or obtain a permit under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. These permits include conditions such as minimum distances from springs, watercourses and protected sites, helping to ensure burial sites are both respectful and environmentally safe.
Existing cemeteries established before 2023 are also expected to manage any potential risks to water quality. Where voluntary measures are not sufficient, permitting may be required. If pollution does occur, the EA will take proportionate and appropriate enforcement action, while seeking to ensure that any intervention is handled sensitively given the importance of these sites to local communities.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to retain the chief allied health professions officer role following the abolition of NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The proposed abolition of NHS England and associated transfer and modification of functions is subject to legislation and the will of Parliament. We will be engaging with partners inside and outside the organisations as the process to design the future Department of Health and Social Care continues.
The specific changes and impacts for particular groups employed by NHS England will be considered during the detailed design process for the future Department of Health and Social Care. Our aim is to ensure the future Department of Health and Social Care will have the right staff to be able to effectively discharge its accountabilities, including for workforce education, training and professional leadership for all of the clinical professions, including the Allied Health Professions. AHPs will continue to play a critical role in the new Department of Health and Social Care, just as they have in NHS England and at the frontline.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
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 trends in the level of referral rates for female urinary incontinence for women from minority-ethnic backgrounds.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The data held on referrals to gynaecology services is not broken down by the reason of referral. This means it is not possible to identify referrals specifically for female urinary incontinence, either for the total population or for women from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Work is underway to improve how this data is collected and reported. This includes recording the reason for referral and, as more care moves from hospital to community settings, recording the place of treatment. These improvements are intended to give a clearer view of who is being referred and treated, which will in turn support action to identify and address any inequalities in access for women from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve referral rates for female urinary incontinence for women from minority-ethnic backgrounds.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The data held on referrals to gynaecology services is not broken down by the reason of referral. This means it is not possible to identify referrals specifically for female urinary incontinence, either for the total population or for women from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Work is underway to improve how this data is collected and reported. This includes recording the reason for referral and, as more care moves from hospital to community settings, recording the place of treatment. These improvements are intended to give a clearer view of who is being referred and treated, which will in turn support action to identify and address any inequalities in access for women from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
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 improve data collection and reporting of rates of treatment in women with urinary continence from minority-ethnic backgrounds.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The data held on referrals to gynaecology services is not broken down by the reason of referral. This means it is not possible to identify referrals specifically for female urinary incontinence, either for the total population or for women from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Work is underway to improve how this data is collected and reported. This includes recording the reason for referral and, as more care moves from hospital to community settings, recording the place of treatment. These improvements are intended to give a clearer view of who is being referred and treated, which will in turn support action to identify and address any inequalities in access for women from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the referral rate to hospital for female urinary incontinence treatment is for (a) the total population and (b) women from minority-ethnic backgrounds.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The data held on referrals to gynaecology services is not broken down by the reason of referral. This means it is not possible to identify referrals specifically for female urinary incontinence, either for the total population or for women from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Work is underway to improve how this data is collected and reported. This includes recording the reason for referral and, as more care moves from hospital to community settings, recording the place of treatment. These improvements are intended to give a clearer view of who is being referred and treated, which will in turn support action to identify and address any inequalities in access for women from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether (a) physiotherapists, (b) occupational therapists, (c) nurses, (d) pharmacists, and (e) other healthcare professionals who have been eligible to issue fit notes since July 2022 will be issuing fit notes as part of the new fit note pilot schemes.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All healthcare professionals currently eligible to issue fit notes will continue to be able to do so. The Government is not bringing forward any changes to fit note legislation as part of the fit note reform pilots.
The four fit note pilots will test a voluntary service in which new Community Work and Health Teams work alongside patients and their employers to develop personalised workability plans to support people to remain in work or to return to work sustainably. All four pilots include, within the make-up of the team workforce, healthcare professionals eligible to issue fit notes where required.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS's document entitled Neighbourhood health centre guidance for regions and integrated care boards published on 16 April 2026, whether physiotherapists are included in the community health team.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
Neighbourhood health centres (NHCs) will bring together general practice (GP) with a mix of community, local authority, adult social care, and civil society services, allowing staff to deliver more coordinated and effective care for better patient outcomes and experiences. As set out in the Neighbourhood Health Centre guidance for regions and integrated care boards, NHCs will at minimum be expected to include an on-site GP, community health, and integrated neighbourhood teams (INTs). These INTs bring together different professions and partners to work side by side to support people.
The range of services available within NHCs will reflect the needs of the local population, meaning provision may vary between areas depending on local health priorities and community demand. The mix of services and professions, including whether physiotherapy forms a part of the community health team in a given centre, will be decided locally by integrated care boards and regions.
We will publish our 10 Year Workforce plan to ensure that the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients needs when they need it.
Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps his Department has taken to rectify poor quality works undertaken as part of the Energy Company Obligation 4 scheme.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are offering an audit to all households that received external wall insulation (EWI) measures under ECO4 and GBIS schemes. Since this became fully operational in January, over 9,000 properties have been contacted, with over 3,000 audits completed.
The original installer is responsible for remediating issues with their work and the costs involved. Where an installer ceases to trade or fails to rectify issues, SWI measures have a guarantee covering up to £20k.
Remediation is already taking place to address substandard and unsafe work, and over half of the issues identified with solid wall insulation to date have been fixed.