Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with stakeholders on his Department's modelling of workforce numbers in the 10 Year Workforce Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. This plan will set out action to create a National Health Service workforce which is able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way. We are therefore engaging extensively with partners to ensure this plan delivers for staff and patients.
That engagement began well before the call for evidence was closed. In early November, ministers hosted an event with nearly one hundred representatives of partner organisations to hear views from across the health system.
Engagement is now continuing while we analyse the submissions to our call for evidence, including a roundtable with medical royal colleges on 14 January, which I chaired.
We have committed to publishing regular workforce planning. This will start with the 10-Year Workforce Plan, which will include updated workforce modelling and its underlying assumptions when published in spring 2026. The updated workforce modelling will be subject to independent scrutiny by our appointed external scrutiny panel.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 medication available on the NHS to treat Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in babies.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Acute myeloid leukaemia is rare in babies, as there are approximately 10 cases in England each year. Standard upfront chemotherapy is available but options for patients who do not respond to standard chemotherapy or relapse are limited. NHS England encourages clinicians to submit proposals to expand the range of clinical commissioning policies, helping to ensure that patients are able to access the latest, evidence-based treatments and care.
The Department continues to work with NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to support the development of new treatments for rare paediatric cancers.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of new neighbourhood health centres.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments to expand and improve sites over the next three years, and new build sites opening in the medium term.
The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030 and will be delivered through a mixture of public private partnerships (PPP) and public capital. 50 of these will be delivered through refurbishments and 70 will be new builds. This includes refurbishments to the Alfred Barrow Health Centre in Barrow-in-Furness, the Stockland Green and Summerfield Primary Care Centres in Birmingham, and the Jubilee Gardens Centre in Ealing. Further information on NHCs and funding will be published over the coming months.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 22 January 2026 to question 105956, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the impact of the immigration white paper on NHS and social workers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department on a range of subjects, including immigration policy.
The Government has published an Impact Assessment alongside the Spring 2025 Immigration Rules, which sets out the expected effects of the reforms on the Skilled Worker and Health and Care worker routes, including modelling of changes in overall visa volumes. The Impact Assessment is published on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-assessments-covering-migration-policy
The forthcoming 10-Year Health Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it. As part of that plan, we will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.
For adult social care, it is also the Government’s policy to reduce reliance on international recruitment and improve domestic recruitment and retention. We recognise the scale of reform needed to make the adult social care attractive as a career and are determined to ensure that those who work in care are respected as professionals. We are introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement for Adult Social Care, implementing the first universal career structure for adult social care, and providing £12 million this year for staff to complete training and qualifications.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 22 January 2026 to question 105956, if he will publish an assessment of the potential impact of the immigration white paper on social care workers and NHS workers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department on a range of subjects, including immigration policy.
The Government has published an Impact Assessment alongside the Spring 2025 Immigration Rules, which sets out the expected effects of the reforms on the Skilled Worker and Health and Care worker routes, including modelling of changes in overall visa volumes. The Impact Assessment is published on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-assessments-covering-migration-policy
The forthcoming 10-Year Health Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it. As part of that plan, we will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.
For adult social care, it is also the Government’s policy to reduce reliance on international recruitment and improve domestic recruitment and retention. We recognise the scale of reform needed to make the adult social care attractive as a career and are determined to ensure that those who work in care are respected as professionals. We are introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement for Adult Social Care, implementing the first universal career structure for adult social care, and providing £12 million this year for staff to complete training and qualifications.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 22 January 2026 to question 105956, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the immigration white paper on the NHS long-term staff plan.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department on a range of subjects, including immigration policy.
The Government has published an Impact Assessment alongside the Spring 2025 Immigration Rules, which sets out the expected effects of the reforms on the Skilled Worker and Health and Care worker routes, including modelling of changes in overall visa volumes. The Impact Assessment is published on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-assessments-covering-migration-policy
The forthcoming 10-Year Health Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it. As part of that plan, we will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.
For adult social care, it is also the Government’s policy to reduce reliance on international recruitment and improve domestic recruitment and retention. We recognise the scale of reform needed to make the adult social care attractive as a career and are determined to ensure that those who work in care are respected as professionals. We are introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement for Adult Social Care, implementing the first universal career structure for adult social care, and providing £12 million this year for staff to complete training and qualifications.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much interest payments will cost for new neighbourhood health centres.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the Autumn Budget 2025, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) would be created using a mix of public and private finance. 250 NHCs will be delivered 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).
The Department is supporting the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority to develop the new PPP model for NHCs. The new NHC 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. This report is available at the following link:
This model is currently in development, therefore interest payments for NHCs using PPPs have not yet been calculated.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many existing NHS workers in Poole constituency could be affected by proposed changes to rules around indefinite leave to remain.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on the number of existing National Health Service workers, either nationally or in the Poole constituency, who could be affected by proposed changes to the rules on indefinite leave to remain.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many existing NHS workers could be affected by the proposed changes to rules around indefinite leave to remain.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on the number of existing National Health Service workers, either nationally or in the Poole constituency, who could be affected by proposed changes to the rules on indefinite leave to remain.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the 111 service in ensuring patients are referred to the correct place for treatment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to continuing to improve NHS 111 to ensure patients can access the right care first time, only visiting accident and emergency when necessary.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 committed to reviewing NHS 111 services and incorporating the recommendations from the review, to make the service more effective, quicker, and simpler to navigate.
NHS England have now completed the NHS 111 review and is working with system partners to implement actions to improve service efficiency, consistency, and integrated delivery to reduce pressures this winter. We are also working with general practitioners and other healthcare providers to improve the patient referral process to primary care.