Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many performance reviews were undertaken for staff in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many of those cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a result of such a rating; and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff this represented.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Senior civil servants (SCS) and delegated grades, non-SCS staff, follow different performance management frameworks. SCS staff operate within the framework for SCS performance management prescribed by the Cabinet Office. For delegated performance there is a flexible framework that requires departments to reflect a number of core elements in their approach, including differentiating performance, addressing under and poor performance, and addressing diversity and inclusion.
In the Department of Health and Social Care, the policy is that all individuals should have monthly reviews and performance ratings that are collated and returned to human resources mid-year, in October, and at the end of the year, in April. Whilst the Department of Health and Social Care only collected data for delegated grades for the 2024/25 performance year, it has complete data for SCS staff for the last five years. The following table shows the number of end of year performance ratings returned from 2020/21 to 2024/25:
Year | SCS | Delegated grades |
2020/21 | 192 | Not recorded |
2021/22 | 284 | Not recorded |
2022/23 | 257 | Not recorded |
2023/24 | 227 | Not recorded |
2024/25 | 225 | 2,820 |
Furthermore, the following table shows how many were rated as unsatisfactory or below, or the equivalent ratings used by the relevant organisations, on each occasion, from 2020/21 to 2024/25:
Year | SCS | Delegated grades |
2020/2021 | [c]* | Not recorded |
2021/2022 | [c]* | Not recorded |
2022/2023 | 10 | Not recorded |
2023/2024 | 10 | Not recorded |
2024/2025 | 13 | <10 |
Note: *[c] means confidential and suppressed due to small numbers of less than five.
The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold data on how many staff left as a result of an unsatisfactory performance rating.
In the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the policy is that all individuals should have monthly performance conversations, and performance ratings are collated and returned to human resources at end of year in April. The UKHSA only collected data for delegated grades for the 2024/25 performance year but has complete data for SCS staff for the last five years. The MHRA did not collect data for delegated grades or SCS staff for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 performance years. The following table shows the number of performance reviews undertaken by the UKHSA and the MHRA in the last five years:
| UKHSA | MHRA | ||
Year | SCS | Delegated grades | SCS | Delegated grades |
2020/21 | 446 | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
2021/22 | 237 | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
2022/23 | 172 | Not recorded | 78 | 837 |
2023/24 | 145 | Not recorded | 108 | 1,024 |
2024/25 | 118 | 1,518 | 134 | 1,272 |
In addition, the following table shows how many were rated as unsatisfactory or below, or the equivalent ratings used by the relevant organisations, on each occasion, for each of the last five years:
| UKHSA | MHRA | ||
Year | SCS | Delegated grades | SCS | Delegated grades |
2020/21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021/22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022/23 | [c]* | 0 | 0 | < 10 |
2023/24 | [c]* | 0 | [c]* | < 10 |
2024/25 | [c]* | 39 | [c]* | 12 |
Note: *[c] means confidential and suppressed due to small numbers of less than five.
The UKHSA does not hold data on how many staff left as a result of an unsatisfactory performance rating. The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff at the MHRA and the percentage of the staff who left due to unsatisfactory ratings, for each of the last five years:
| 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Total organisation FTE staff | 1,334 | 1,097.2 | 1,152 | 1,294.1 | 1,456.4 |
Percentage of FTE staff who left due to unsatisfactory rating | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff in his Department (a) did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period and (b) had their probationary period extended in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance, or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.
The number of staff in the Department who did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period, and those whose probationary period was extended, in each of the last five years is set out below:
- in 2025, four staff did not retain employment and four had their probationary period extended;
- in 2024, two staff did not retain employment and two had their probationary period extended;
- in 2023, there were no staff who did not retain employment and no staff had their probationary period extended;
- in 2022, four staff did not retain employment and three had their probationary period extended;
- in 2021, one staff member did not retain employment and one had their probationary period extended.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many employment tribunal claims have been lodged against his Department for (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act 2010 in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has defined an employment tribunal claim as a formal submission which includes claims made against the Department, excluding arm's-length bodies, and submitted to an Employment Tribunal, for which the Department has responded by submitting a grounds for resistance. Early conciliations, which are the step ahead of a claim submission, are not included in this definition.
Employment Tribunal data is not readily available prior to 2023. As such, the Department only has access to employment tribunal information for the period of 2023 to 2025. During this period, six employment tribunal claims have been lodged citing unfair dismissal. Our records do not show claims listed with a specific reference to the Equality Act 2010.
We are unable to provide further information about specific years due to the low numbers involved in each year which could lead to the identification of individuals.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) general practices and (b) GP premises there were in each integrated care board area in each month since June 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has provided a table showing the number of general practices (GPs) by integrated care board (ICB) and the number of branch surgeries by ICB. It also shows the number of GPs that opened and closed since June 2024 and the number of branch surgeries that opened and closed since June 2024. A copy of the table has been placed in the Library due to the size of the data.
Updated data is published daily at 14:00. This information is available in the public domain and can be extracted by using the Data Search and Export website, at the following link:
https://www.odsdatasearchandexport.nhs.uk/
The data in the attachment is accurate as of 23 July 2025.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
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 publish the report on the adult social care relative needs formula on the Adult Social Care Policy Research Unit Website.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The report on the adult social care relative needs formula was published on the Adult Social Care Policy Research Unit’s website in June 2025.
The Department funds independent research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The publication of research is led by the research team. The views expressed in the outputs of the research are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medical school places he expects there to be in each year up to 2031.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The total maximum fundable limit for medical school places in England set by the Office for Students is 8,230 places for the 2025/26 academic year. The limit is confirmed on an annual basis.
We will publish a new 10 Year Workforce Plan later this year to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children were prescribed antidepressants in each year since 2007.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds data going back to April 2015, but not prior to this date. The following table shows the total number of patients aged 17 years old and under that were prescribed antidepressants for the financial years 2015/16 to 2023/24:
Financial year | Total identified patients aged 17 years old and under |
2015/16 | 65,594 |
2016/17 | 65,428 |
2017/18 | 65,555 |
2018/19 | 67,631 |
2019/20 | 68,794 |
2020/21 | 65,266 |
2021/22 | 71,251 |
2022/23 | 71,263 |
2023/24 | 66,483 |
Source: NHSBSA Statistical Collections, available at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/medicines-used-mental-health-england
These cover antidepressants prescribed in England that are then dispensed in the community in England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the median time taken to register a death was in each (a) integrated care board and (b) local authority area in the most recent six months for which data is available.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms, which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024, through the Death Certification Strategic Board and a cross-Government data strategy group. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes a weekly deaths release which includes the provisional number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the latest weeks, and which is available at the following link:
As part of this release, the ONS publishes data on the median time taken to register a death in England and Wales in each region. This data is also split by certification type and place of occurrence. The latest data available covers deaths registered in the week ending 18 April 2025. The ONS does not publish any data on the median time taken in integrated care boards or local authorities.
The introduction of medical examiners is in part about making sure deaths are properly described and improving practice, but the impact on the bereaved is also central. The reforms aim to put the bereaved at the centre of the process, and the medical examiner’s office must offer a conversation with representatives of the deceased, so they can ask any questions they have about the death or to raise concerns. Ensuring the system is appropriately resourced and works for all those who interact with it is crucial, and something we will continue to monitor with NHS England.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
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 29 February 2024 to Question 15468 and 6 March 2024 to Question 15467, how many staff in (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have job titles that include the words (i) equality, (ii) diversity, (iii) inclusion, (iv) gender, (v) LGBT and (vi) race.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department currently has four roles with job titles that include the words equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, LGBT and race. These roles sit within policy areas linked to supporting the Department’s work externally, and are not internally or HR focussed.
As per 22nd of April 2025, there are 47 direct employees in NHS England whose job title include either of the following words: equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, LGBT, or race.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
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 30 December 2024 to Question 19000 on Social Services, when the report on the adult social care relative needs formula will be made available on the Adult Social Care Policy Research Unit Website.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care is still considering this research as part of its ongoing policy work. We are working closely the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the role of a specific adult social care funding formula was considered within the consultation Local authority funding reform: objectives and principles, published on 18 December 2024 and closed on 12 February 2025. We will update further in due course.