Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 GP partnership model on delivering continuity of care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that the general practice (GP) partnership model has many strengths, including its role in supporting continuity of care. GP partnerships often have deep local knowledge and long-standing relationships with their registered patient populations, which can strengthen relational continuity. The GP Partnership Review from 2019 found that the stability of the partnership model supports and enables continuity of care.
The Government values continuity of care in GPs, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer accident and emergency attendances. That is why we have committed to bringing back the family doctor.
We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in GPs, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26, the biggest cash increase in over a decade. This investment will help build capacity in GPs, improving both continuity of care and access for patients.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to retain the GP partnership model.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We remain committed to the general practice (GP) partnership model and recognise its many strengths, including efficiency, innovation, and continuity of care. GP partnerships deliver high-quality care to patients all over the country. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, where the GP partnership model is working well, it should continue.
We also recognise that increasingly fewer GPs are going into partnership, and that the partnership model is not the only model currently delivering GPs. GPs can and do choose to organise themselves in different ways, many of which cite evidence of good outcomes in terms of staff engagement and patient experience.
Alongside the partnership model, the 10-Year Health Plan commits to introducing two new contracts enabling GPs to work over larger geographies, with the aim of supporting the neighbourhood health model, providing resilience and allowing economies of scale, thereby securing the sustainability of GPs into the future.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is being provided to (a) Torbay and (b) Exeter NHS Trusts to recruit and retain specialist cancer nurses and the cancer workforce.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has made good progress in growing and developing the cancer and diagnostics workforce.
In 2024/25, approximately 8,000 people received training to either enter the cancer and diagnostics workforce or develop in their roles. As part of this, over 1,600 people were on apprenticeship courses, with over 270 additional medical specialty training places funded. Over 1,000 clinical nurse specialist (CNS) grants were made available to new and aspiring CNSs across England, including Devon.
We are working to end the postcode lottery for cancer services. NHS England is working with NHS regions and the royal colleges to increase the number of clinical and medical oncology staff overall. In addition, we aim to fill vacancies and expand workforces in trusts that most need more staff, including in rural and coastal areas, to help boost performance.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England issues internal guidance to staff on the use of language in planning documents to avoid ambiguity about whether requirements are mandatory.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medium-Term Planning Framework sets national delivery targets for integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers over multiple years. It sets performance expectations, based on nationally determined policies and budgets, and outlines enabling activities which will help ICBs and providers to deliver against said expectations.
Whilst the Medium-Term Planning Framework does not impose requirements as in legislation or the Government mandate, ‘must’ and ‘expected to’ language is used for priority targets and where a nationally consistent approach would be beneficial, for example to reduce unwarranted variation or to ensure that specific Government commitments are met. The word ‘should’ is used in cases where local flexibility is appropriate based on local determination, demographics, and/or prioritisation.
No internal guidance is issued to staff within NHS England specifically on the use of language within the Medium Term Planning Framework, but the text is checked to ensure consistency with the aforementioned principles. A suite of supporting materials, including technical guidance, webinars, and planning standards, are developed and shared across NHS England regions and the wider National Health Service system to support a clear understanding of the expectations and potential approaches to delivery set out in the Medium-Term Planning Framework.
The regionally led assurance process for planning returns allows NHS England to work with ICBs and providers to understand variance from the asks within the Medium-Term Planning Framework, where warranted.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS organisations are expected to justify deviations from NHS England planning guidance where such guidance is non-mandatory.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medium-Term Planning Framework sets national delivery targets for integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers over multiple years. It sets performance expectations, based on nationally determined policies and budgets, and outlines enabling activities which will help ICBs and providers to deliver against said expectations.
Whilst the Medium-Term Planning Framework does not impose requirements as in legislation or the Government mandate, ‘must’ and ‘expected to’ language is used for priority targets and where a nationally consistent approach would be beneficial, for example to reduce unwarranted variation or to ensure that specific Government commitments are met. The word ‘should’ is used in cases where local flexibility is appropriate based on local determination, demographics, and/or prioritisation.
No internal guidance is issued to staff within NHS England specifically on the use of language within the Medium Term Planning Framework, but the text is checked to ensure consistency with the aforementioned principles. A suite of supporting materials, including technical guidance, webinars, and planning standards, are developed and shared across NHS England regions and the wider National Health Service system to support a clear understanding of the expectations and potential approaches to delivery set out in the Medium-Term Planning Framework.
The regionally led assurance process for planning returns allows NHS England to work with ICBs and providers to understand variance from the asks within the Medium-Term Planning Framework, where warranted.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England distinguishes between the terms must, should, and are expected to in national planning guidance.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medium-Term Planning Framework sets national delivery targets for integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers over multiple years. It sets performance expectations, based on nationally determined policies and budgets, and outlines enabling activities which will help ICBs and providers to deliver against said expectations.
Whilst the Medium-Term Planning Framework does not impose requirements as in legislation or the Government mandate, ‘must’ and ‘expected to’ language is used for priority targets and where a nationally consistent approach would be beneficial, for example to reduce unwarranted variation or to ensure that specific Government commitments are met. The word ‘should’ is used in cases where local flexibility is appropriate based on local determination, demographics, and/or prioritisation.
No internal guidance is issued to staff within NHS England specifically on the use of language within the Medium Term Planning Framework, but the text is checked to ensure consistency with the aforementioned principles. A suite of supporting materials, including technical guidance, webinars, and planning standards, are developed and shared across NHS England regions and the wider National Health Service system to support a clear understanding of the expectations and potential approaches to delivery set out in the Medium-Term Planning Framework.
The regionally led assurance process for planning returns allows NHS England to work with ICBs and providers to understand variance from the asks within the Medium-Term Planning Framework, where warranted.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 establish Staff Treatment Hubs.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan on 3 July 2025, work is underway to develop implementation and operational plans for the staff treatments hubs. This will determine factors such as location, budgets, timeframes, and capacity.
The commitment to staff treatment hubs draws on various evidence sources including NHS England’s internal Staff Treatment Access Review. This demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our National Health Service staff, particularly focusing on mental health and musculoskeletal treatment services as the main drivers of sickness absence in the NHS, as well as wider sectors.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 improve workplace catering and break facilities for healthcare workers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Good physical working environments are important for staff wellbeing and retention. Staff need to be given the time and space to rest and recover from their work, particularly when working on-call or overnight. This is recognised as a priority in the NHS People Promise which sets out the importance of employers prioritising spaces for staff to rest and recuperate, and ensuring access to hot food and drinks.
In May 2024, NHS England and NHS Charities Together launched a £10 million Workforce Wellbeing Programme to support National Health Service staff in England. It will provide tailored health and wellbeing support to NHS staff, including grants to improve facilities. A three-year programme of work named Great Food, Good Health, led by NHS England, aims to improve the experience and quality of nutritious food that patients, staff, and visitors receive in hospital. As part of this, NHS England has made clear that NHS organisations must be able to demonstrate they have suitable 24/7 food service provision.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England has sought legal advice on whether the effective mandating of the Federated Data Platform requires a new competitive procurement or a contract modification notice.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) has not been formally mandated. Its role is, however, reinforced in the Medium Term Planning Framework 2026/27 to 2028/29, which can be found at the following link:
This framework sets the expectation that all providers and integrated care boards (ICBs) will onboard to the NHS FDP and begin using its core products, data capabilities, and population health management tools by 2028/29.
The guidance highlights the importance of ensuring that providers across acute, community, and mental health sectors use the NHS FDP to support elective recovery, cancer, and urgent and emergency care.
The NHS FDP was procured on the basis that every National Health Service trust and ICB would have a tenant within the platform. The existing contract supports use by community and mental health organisations as well as by acute providers. As such, a new competitive procurement or a contract modification notice is not required.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the Levy review does not reduce access to (a) hormonal therapy and (b) surgery for trans and non-binary 18-25 year olds.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is currently carrying out a review of adult gender services. The review, chaired by Dr David Levy, has examined the model of care and operating procedures of each service, and has carefully considered experiences, feedback and outcomes from clinicians and patients. The review has been conducted in line with the publicly available terms of reference and key lines of enquiry. The Government will carefully consider the findings of the review.