Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of whether individual ICBs are deviating from NICE guidance.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards are legally required to make funding available for medicines recommended in a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal or highly specialised technology evaluation, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. The effect of this legal obligation is that all NICE-approved treatments must be included in local formularies for use in line with NICE’s recommendations and with no additional funding or formulary restrictions.
As part of commitments made in the 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access, NHS England is developing a local formulary national minimum dataset to increase visibility of local variation in the implementation of NICE guidance, identify where variation in local formularies may be creating barriers to access, and to provide assurance to NHS England when a NICE recommended treatment has been listed on a local formulary.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held discussions with Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board on its policy on access to fertility services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No discussions have been held with the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (ICB) about its provision of National Health Service-funded in vitro fertilisation treatment.
Decisions about the provision of health services in England are made by ICBs and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. They are expected to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.
Updated NICE fertility guidelines are expected in spring. The Department will continue to support NHS England as they work closely with ICBs to ensure the guidance is fully considered in local commissioning decisions.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 reduce workplace pressures on NHS dentists.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recently held a public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
If implemented, these reforms will cement our commitment to delivering 700,000 more urgent dental care appointments every year, better supporting patients with complex treatment needs and incentivising the delivery of more preventative care. The interim reform changes will seek to make NHS dentistry a more attractive workplace.
We will also publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan and will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS dental contract holders will be eligible for treatment at the Staff Treatment Hubs announced in the 10 Year Health Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, 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 set out in the 10-Year Health Plan draws on various evidence sources including the NHS England internal Staff Treatment Access Review. This demonstrated the clear productivity and economic argument for investing in the health of our NHS 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: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 reduce concerns amongst NHS dental professionals about the cost of clinical negligence claims.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. The causes of the overall cost rise are complex and there is no single fix. In the 10 Year Health Plan we announced David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn. This review is focussed on clinical negligence claims in the NHS generally, not specifically on dentistry.
In terms of NHS dentistry reform, we recently held a public consultation on a package of changes, not only to improve access and quality, but also to make NHS dentistry a more professionally fulfilling and rewarding place in which to work. The consultation closed on 19 August, and the Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 potential implications for his policies of the concerns raised by the Dental Defence Union in their British Dental Journal article, published on 16 May 2025 in relation to the delays in fitness to practise proceedings.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.
In the first instance, we plan to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in late 2025, and to deliver reformed legislation for the Health and Care Professions Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council within the current Parliamentary period.
The Department will continue to work with all regulators, the devolved administrations, and other key partners as we develop more consistent, efficient, and effective regulatory frameworks.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 potential merits of issuing a Section 60 Order to update fitness to practise proceedings for dental professionals.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.
In the first instance, we plan to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in late 2025, and to deliver reformed legislation for the Health and Care Professions Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council within the current Parliamentary period.
The Department will continue to work with all regulators, the devolved administrations, and other key partners as we develop more consistent, efficient, and effective regulatory frameworks.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what criteria will he base the review of the Carr-Hill formula.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the importance of ensuring that funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country.
The review of the Carr-Hill formula will draw on a range of evidence and advice from experts, with a focus on how health need is reflected in funding. Further detail on the review will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 changes to the (a) structure and (b) responsibilities of Integrated Care Boards on the (i) commissioning and (ii) delivery of multiple sclerosis services.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has asked the integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services and to reduce the duplication of responsibilities within their structure, with the expectation of achieving a reduction in their running cost allowance.
NHS England has shared a draft of The Model ICB Blueprint to help ICBs shape future plans. The blueprint confirms their critical role as strategic commissioners, with their core functions centred in population health management, including understanding local context, developing a long-term strategy, allocating resources, and evaluating impact.
The Government is focused on improving health, and as part of that has produced a 10-Year Health Plan in order to reform the health system. The Government will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to ensure that the expected hundreds of millions of pounds of savings made will be reinvested into frontline services and to unlock the benefit of working at scale to deliver better care for patients, including those with multiple sclerosis.