Asked by: Sarah Russell (Labour - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what national minimum standards or expectations will apply to the provision of women's health services through Women's Integrated Neighbourhood Services; and how the Department plans to help ensure consistency of provision across Integrated Care Boards.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 26 October in response to Question 32952.
Asked by: Sarah Russell (Labour - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government expects to publish guidance for Integrated Care Boards on the implementation of Women's Integrated Neighbourhood Services.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 26 October in response to Question 32952.
Asked by: Sarah Russell (Labour - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the NHS workforce to meet the demand for social care services (a) in 2026 (b) 2036 (c) 2050.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Such assessments are taking place to inform the preparation of the (a) social care workforce plan, and (b) 10 Year Workforce Plan, that the Government has committed to publish, but for the longer-term projections that the Hon. Member has proposed, it will be one of the roles of Baroness Casey’s commission to analyse long-term demand for social care services and how the provision of social care will need to change to meet that rising demand, including through the dedicated workforce of a National Care Service.
Asked by: Sarah Russell (Labour - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure adult hospices are sustainably funded in (a) Northwest England (b) Cheshire and Merseyside ICB and (c) Congleton constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 13 July in response to Question 16185, which sets out the steps the Government is taking to support hospices throughout England.
The Prime Minister and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, have also made clear their commitment to improve the quality and availability of palliative care and end-of-life care through a new Modern Service Framework, as set out in the answer of 14 September to Question 27682.
Asked by: Sarah Russell (Labour - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned timetable is for the publication of the 10-Year Workplace Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 19 October to Question 32217.
Asked by: Sarah Russell (Labour - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase the number of speech and language therapists recruited in (a) the North West (b) Congleton constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions on the employment of allied health professionals are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.
Asked by: Sarah Russell (Labour - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for the publication of the 10-Year Workplace Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan imminently.
Asked by: Sarah Russell (Labour - Congleton)
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 increase the number of medical training places in Cheshire and Merseyside.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government committed in the 10-Year Health Plan to create 1,000 new specialty training posts over the next three years with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. Further information on which specialties and regions will receive these places and when will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Russell (Labour - Congleton)
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 the General Dental Council on reducing the waiting time for fitness to practice cases to be heard.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
The Department has regular discussions with the General Dental Council (GDC) on regulatory matters. While the GDC is an independent regulator responsible for managing its fitness to practise processes, the Government expects the GDC to take steps to improve the efficiency and timeliness of case handling.
The GDC recently published its strategy, Trusted and effective: A strategy for dental regulation 2026-2028, which sets out its vision and objectives, and the work it will do to achieve them. One of those objectives is to improve fitness to practise, maximising patient safety and reducing unintended impacts. The published strategy is available at the following link:
In parallel, the Department is progressing wider, longer-term reforms to the regulatory frameworks of the healthcare professional regulators. These will enable them to be more responsive to changes in the health and care workforce and give them the flexibility to modernise their fitness to practise processes whilst maintaining public protection.
Asked by: Sarah Russell (Labour - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Home Office's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to the immigration system on the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has published impact assessments alongside the Spring 2025 Immigration Rules, which implement proposals set out in the White Paper, Restoring control over the immigration system. These impact assessments set 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 assessments are 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 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.