Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of reductions in the social care workforce on the level of delayed discharges from hospitals.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of reductions in the social care workforce on the level of delayed discharges from hospitals.

Achieving timely and effective discharge for hospital patients relies on effective joint working between the National Health Service, local authorities, and social care providers. Through the Better Care Fund, NHS integrated care boards and local authorities are required to pool over £9 billion of funding and agree how to use that funding to join up health and social care services. This includes agreeing local goals for both preventing avoidable hospital admissions and reducing delayed hospital discharges.

English local authorities are responsible under the Care Act 2014 for meeting social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.

The Government is committed to transforming adult social care and supporting adult social care workers, turning the page on decades of low pay and insecurity. That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028 to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce, backed by £500 million of new investment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the long-term sustainability of the palliative care workforce.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Last year, we published our 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future and a central part of the plan is our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10‑Year Workforce Plan, to ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver for patients, including those at the end of their lives. The 10‑Year Workforce Plan will be published in spring of this year.

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 - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

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:

https://www.gdc-uk.org/docs/default-source/about-us/corporate-strategy-2025/gdc_strategy_2026_2028_final.pdf?sfvrsn=3ec0b80f_1

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.

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.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the sufficiency of the level of accessible homes for people with disabilities in the North West.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Data relating to the number of wheelchair accessible homes is not collected centrally, although the English Housing Survey collects occasional series on accessibility and adaptations within the home.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals to set clearer expectations for accessible housing to meet the needs of older and disabled people. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria, and a means test. The Disabled Facilities Grant is provided by government and distributed to local authorities to fund home adaptations for disabled people of all ages and tenures subject to the statutory conditions.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure the accessibility of new housing for people with disabilities.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Data relating to the number of wheelchair accessible homes is not collected centrally, although the English Housing Survey collects occasional series on accessibility and adaptations within the home.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals to set clearer expectations for accessible housing to meet the needs of older and disabled people. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria, and a means test. The Disabled Facilities Grant is provided by government and distributed to local authorities to fund home adaptations for disabled people of all ages and tenures subject to the statutory conditions.

Found: Q159 Sarah Russell: In theory, that all sounds fantastic.

Found: Q159 Sarah Russell: In theory, that all sounds fantastic.