Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 steps to help reduce the time taken to approve qualified dentists.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department works closely with the General Dental Council (GDC) to support them to reduce the time taken to register suitably qualified dentists. In March 2023, we introduced legislation that gives the GDC greater flexibility to expand the registration routes for international applicants and improve its international registration processes. We welcome the GDC’s recent announcement that it has doubled the size of its registration casework team to improve its registration application processing times for dentists and dental care professionals.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 potential merits of extending eye care liaison officer provision to provide (a) emotional support and (b) practical advice for newly diagnosed individuals.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government recognises the profound impact that sight loss can have on a person’s life and the important and valuable role that Eye Clinic Liaison Officers can play in supporting patients at the point of diagnosis. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning all secondary care ophthalmology services, with decisions made locally on the configuration and provision of such services.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 (a) reduce waiting lists for ophthalmology care and (b) ensure that access to care is prioritised according to need.
Answered by Will Quince
We are taking action to recover elective services, including ophthalmology, by working towards the targets set out in the Elective Recovery Plan and providing the National Health Service with record levels of staffing and funding. We plan to transform the way the NHS provides elective care by increasing activity, including through dedicated and protected surgical hubs, focusing on providing high-volume, low-complexity surgery as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. These hubs will initially focus on driving improvement in six high volume specialties, one of these being ophthalmology.
The most recent published data from NHS England shows that the average wait time for referral to treatment for ophthalmology was 12.3 weeks, below the national average of 14.5 weeks.
The NHS will triage patients waiting for elective care through three key stages: firstly, through clinical prioritisation, ensuring the order in which patients are seen reflects clinical judgement on need; secondly, by managing long waits through targeting support to reduce the number of people waiting a long time; and thirdly, increasing the number of cancer referrals, ensuring that those patients who have not yet presented to services are included. These considerations are critical in improving overall health outcomes, underpinned by new investment and new technology.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 improve recruitment and retention in (a) GP services and (b) dentistry services in Portsmouth South constituency.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We are working with NHS England to increase the general practice (GP) workforce in England, including Portsmouth South. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encourage them to return to practice. NHS England has made available several new schemes, alongside continued support for existing recruitment and retention schemes for the general practice workforce.
To boost recruitment, we have increased the number of GP training places. Last year, we saw 4,032 trainees accepting a place on GP training, up from 2,671 in 2014. The number of training places will rise to 6,000 by 2031/32, with the first 500 new places available from September 2025.
We are also taking steps to address the dental workforce challenges across the country. As set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, we are going to increase dentistry training places by 40% so that there are over 1,100 places by 2031/32. We know that we must go further and that is why we are working with the sector and NHSE to consider further wider-reaching changes to improve the system.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 proposed changes to the Overseas Registration Exam.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department works closely with the General Dental Council (GDC) to support the efficient delivery of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE), whilst maintaining high standards within the dental profession. We welcome the GDC’s recent announcement that it has increased the number of places available to sit both parts of the ORE in 2023 and 2024. This will enable individuals with overseas qualifications to more quickly gain the opportunity to become registered dentists in the United Kingdom. Legislative changes that came into force in March 2023 have given the GDC greater flexibility in the running of the ORE. The GDC recently consulted on routes to registration for internationally qualified dentists and dental care professionals, including rules relating to the ORE. We look forward to GDC publishing the outcome of this consultation shortly.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 expanding the number of mutual recognition schemes in dentistry qualifications.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentists and dental care professionals practising in the United Kingdom. In March 2023, we introduced legislation that gives the GDC greater flexibility to expand the registration routes for international applicants and improve its international registration processes. This includes giving the GDC the ability to recognise overseas diplomas as demonstrating the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience for registration in the UK.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people on waiting lists for GP appointments in Portsmouth South constituency.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
General practice does not operate with waiting lists. NHS England publishes monthly data on General Practice Appointments, including the approximate length of time between appointments being booked and taking place, but this is not a proxy for “waiting times”.
There are several factors which can influence the timing of appointments, and it is not possible to estimate the time between the patient’s first attempt to contact their surgery and an appointment.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 estimate of the revenue his Department will receive from the sale of St James' Hospital in Portsmouth.
Answered by Will Quince
Until the sale of St James’ Hospital is completed, information on the price achieved is commercially sensitive. The Land Registry updates the entry for the site with details of the purchase, including the sale price, usually within six weeks of the date of completion of the sale. NHS Property Services (NHSPS) itself will respond to any queries following formal completion of the sale.
Any net sale proceeds generated from disposals by NHSPS are reinvested in capital projects within the wider NHSPS portfolio, with up to 50% of net disposal proceeds being allocated to local priorities. This sale will also release NHSPS and therefore the department from further costs relating to the site.
As part of the planning application process with Portsmouth County Council there are reports and documents online which detail the different environmental, social and economic considerations of the proposals; these are available at the following link:
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 the fiscal impact of the sale of St James' Hospital in Portsmouth.
Answered by Will Quince
Until the sale of St James’ Hospital is completed, information on the price achieved is commercially sensitive. The Land Registry updates the entry for the site with details of the purchase, including the sale price, usually within six weeks of the date of completion of the sale. NHS Property Services (NHSPS) itself will respond to any queries following formal completion of the sale.
Any net sale proceeds generated from disposals by NHSPS are reinvested in capital projects within the wider NHSPS portfolio, with up to 50% of net disposal proceeds being allocated to local priorities. This sale will also release NHSPS and therefore the department from further costs relating to the site.
As part of the planning application process with Portsmouth County Council there are reports and documents online which detail the different environmental, social and economic considerations of the proposals; these are available at the following link:
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the transfer and sale of St James Hospital in Portsmouth was split into two phases; and what assessment he has made of the impact of transfer of the building on its Grade II listed buildings and curtilage.
Answered by Will Quince
Portsmouth NHS Clinical Commissioning Group declared the hospital site as surplus in 2014. NHS Property Services, the owners of the site, engaged with Portsmouth County Council to develop a Masterplan which involved a two-phase approach, with the Council inviting Homes England to purchase part of the site, which was completed in 2015. Phase 1 was for an affordable housing scheme and Phase 2 for the conversion of the listed hospital building and new build residential units. The intention was for Phase 1 to be developed before the remainder of the site (Phase 2) became vacant.
The conversion of listed buildings such as St James’ Hospital is a sustainable way of maintaining heritage assets and ensuring their preservation in the long term. The current planning applications for both Homes England’s Phase 1 affordable housing scheme and Phase 2 for the conversion of the listed buildings and new build residential units, reflect the original Masterplan.