Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 29 May 2025 from the hon. Member for Hazel Grove, ref LS06945.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Baroness Merron) replied to the hon. Member on 1 August 2025.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of newly qualified nurses in England are offered employment within the NHS within six months of graduation.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Health and Social Care does not hold the data requested.
Nurses upon graduation may take up registered nursing roles in a range of organisations such as local authorities, social care providers, charities or private sector providers as well as in the National Health Service.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 potential impact of the NHS eligibility criteria for tirzepatide on levels of access to treatment for people (a) with obesity and (b) who do not meet the current BMI threshold but may still be at clinical risk from excess weight.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The eligibility criteria for tirzepatide, under brand name Mounjaro, for the management of weight have been set independently by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) following a full appraisal of the clinical and cost effectiveness of the drug. NICE’s recommendations are based on the best available evidence and ensure that National Health Service treatments are targeted at those most likely to benefit, while also protecting the overall affordability and sustainability of NHS services.
In line with NICE guidance and recommendations, the NHS in England is undertaking a phased roll out. This is based on prioritisation led by clinical need. Patient eligibility will increase in stages, up to approximately 220,000 patients after the first three years, as outlined in NHS England's Interim Commissioning Guidance, which is available at the following link:
The total eligible population should have access within the maximum period of 12 years but, as part of the rollout plans, the NHS will look at different service models, including digital and community options. New approaches might enable access to be expanded more quickly. Progress will be reviewed in three years. NHS England is actively monitoring uptake and service readiness to inform future decisions.
In addition, the 10-Year Health Plan sets out our ambition to build on these plans by testing innovative models of delivering weight loss services and treatments to patients. On 12 August we announced an £85 million competition to fund the design and delivery of new community and primary care weight management pathways to support access to interventions such as weight loss medications. We expect tens of thousands of patients to directly benefit from increased access to interventions, such as GLP-1s. This will generate new evidence to inform the future commissioning and rollout of tirzepatide.
Patients who do not meet the current body mass index threshold for tirzepatide under the NHS prioritisation approach will not be eligible for receiving tirzepatide. However, they do have access to other weight management support, if they are eligible. This could include the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme, and other services that may be available locally.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS digital services related to (a) medicine ordering, (b) appointment notifications and (c) other requirements are accessible via standard web browsers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Digital services are accessible via standard, modern web browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. We are working to improve access to digital services, outcomes, and experiences for the widest range of people, based on their preferences. Patients unable to use digital channels can continue to access services via telephone and through traditional face-to-face services.
Citizens can access a range of information on different health conditions on the National Health Service website, which is all clinically verified.
Centrally built services, such as the NHS App and NHS website, which enable citizens to order repeat prescriptions and view and manage their general practice and hospital appointments, are designed to meet international accessibility standards. We are modernising the mobile patient experience within the NHS App, ensuring information is clearly structured and easy to find and understand.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS hospital trusts are fully funded to recruit all locally trained nursing graduates.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to supporting nursing graduates. On 11 August 2025, the Government announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The guarantee will ensure that there are enough positions for every newly qualified nurse in England. The package of measures will unlock thousands of jobs and will ensure that thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for National Health Service trusts, creating opportunities for graduates and ensuring a seamless transition from training to employment.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for weight-loss drugs to people who are pre-diabetic.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops evidence-based recommendations on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE. NICE has recommended several medicines licensed for weight loss for use on the NHS for patients meeting specified clinical criteria. People with prediabetes may be eligible for treatment with weight loss medicines if they meet the other criteria specified in NICE’s guidance.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to (a) develop and (b) implement a national roll-out strategy for fracture liaison services to support the (i) prevention, (ii) early identification and (iii) management of osteoporosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local needs.
Our 10 Year Health Plan is committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 47877 on NHS dental professionals, which (a) regions and (b) localities his Department has identified as being in greatest need of more NHS dental professionals.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of local populations is delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.
ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years. Dental practices in specific areas, determined locally as experiencing significant dental pressures due to workforce challenges impacting patient access, were invited by their ICBs to express interest in participating in the scheme and notified of the outcome of their application via their ICB. Further information on the dental recruitment process can be found in guidance issued by NHS England, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/dental-recruitment-incentive-scheme-2024-25/
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people affected by dementia in the Hazel Grove constituency can access guaranteed specialist care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services, which may include dementia specialist nurses, based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. Dementia care in the Hazel Grove constituency is delivered as part of the wider NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership.
Under the 10 Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for frailty and dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including dementia specialist nurses as core members within plans for a new Neighbourhood Health Service.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Neighbourhood Health Service will bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s homes to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community. We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations, and this could include dementia specialist nurses. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, or deprived inner cities.
The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services, which may include dementia specialist nurses/admiral nurses, based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE recommends providing people living with dementia with a single named health or social care professional who is responsible for coordinating their care.
Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services. We will deliver the first ever Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.