Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 help prevent patients from being treated in (a) corridors, (b) converted office spaces, (c) gyms and (d) other places not designed for treatment ahead of winter 2025-26.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are doing everything we can as fast as we can to consign corridor care to the history books. The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out the steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.
We have been taking key steps to ensure the health service is prepared for the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care board and trust winter plans to confirm they are able to meet demand and support patient flow.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 ensure there will be sufficient (a) GPs, (b) hospitals and (c) other healthcare facilities for the potential new town in Adlington, Cheshire East.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning health care services within their regions. This includes ensuring service providers are able to meet the reasonable needs of their patient population. Where necessary, ICBs can commission local enhanced services which can vary in scope and funding, to fit the needs of the patient population.
We recognise the challenges facing areas of significant housing and population growth and the pressure that this can place upon local health infrastructure, including primary care.
Local planning authorities are responsible for negotiating and agreeing developer contributions to support necessary associated infrastructure when new housing developments are built, including GP practices and primary care provision.
The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine how developer contributions from new housing developments can be better used towards local health services and infrastructure.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 NHS England on the effectiveness of its procedures for ensuring that (a) formal governance processes and (b) approved plans and programmes cannot be undermined by NHS senior leaders.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular meetings with NHS England to discuss the effectiveness of procedures to hold healthcare leaders accountable for delivering on the Government’s priorities.
There are clear expectations for National Health Service senior leaders, aligned with the NHS Leadership Compact, the Fit and Proper Person Test Framework, and the Nolan Principles. NHS England addresses concerns about poor behaviours through established human resources and governance channels.
On 21 July 2025, we set out plans to regulate NHS managers via a statutory barring system. We will take forward legislative changes so that the Health and Care Professions Council can operate a barring mechanism for NHS board-level managers and their direct reports within this Parliament.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 with (a) the World Health Organization and (b) other regional health partners to establish medical corridors for the treatment of critically ill children from Gaza.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Members to My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s Written Statement to the House on 1 September 2025, available at the following link:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-09-01/hcws899
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered introducing temporary (a) medical visas and (b) emergency sponsorship routes for critically ill children from Gaza requiring urgent medical treatment in the UK.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Members to My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s Written Statement to the House on 1 September 2025, available at the following link:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-09-01/hcws899
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 (a) delays of over 12 months for diagnoses to secure medication and (b) temporary inability to work until that medication is secured on (i) the economy and (ii) the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have not made such an assessment on the impact of delays to diagnoses to secure medication or on the impact of patients waiting for medication being out of work.
It is a priority of the Government to bring down National Health Service waiting lists. As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. Where clinically appropriate, treatment will include medication.
Most patients will require one or more diagnostic test as part of their care. While most patients will receive a diagnostic test within weeks, there remain too many patients waiting in excess of six weeks. In June 2025, the period of the latest published data, 21.3% of patients waiting for a diagnostic test had been waiting for six weeks or more.
One of the reasons it is so important we focus on bringing down waiting lists for patients to receive treatment they need, including medication, is to allow them to continue with their day-to-day activities and employment. The Joint Work and Health Directorate is collaborating with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to improve the evidence on the relationship between health and labour market outcomes.
The ONS plans to link NHS waiting times data, to which they recently acquired access, to Census, Department for Work and Pensions Benefits and HM Revenue and Customs Pay As You Earn records to analyse the relationship between waiting time duration, for various health conditions and procedures, and labour market outcomes such as employment status, gross pay and benefit receipt in England. ONS will confirm in due course when related analysis will be made available.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mechanisms exist at a national level to prevent the misuse of performance management tools within NHS Trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All National Health Service trusts are independent employers and are required to comply with employment legislation and relevant Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service codes. Local human resources (HR) policies and procedures should follow best practice guidance, which may include model HR policies developed nationally.
At a national level, safeguards also exist to help prevent the misuse of performance management tools. The NHS Constitution commits employers to fair and supportive treatment of staff. The Care Quality Commission’s inspection framework includes workforce culture and governance, which can highlight poor practice. Every trust is required to have a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, giving staff a confidential route to raise concerns. The annual NHS Staff Survey provides transparency on staff experience and fairness, enabling action to be taken where concerns are identified.
In 2025, NHS England also published the expectations of line managers in relation to people management, alongside the launch of the NHS Management and Leadership Programme to ensure that NHS leaders and managers at all levels meet the standards and competencies expected of them, have access to professional development and support, and that the NHS continues to attract, develop and retain the best talent while strengthening public confidence in NHS leadership.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 ensure the provision of long-term (a) mental health and (b) trauma-informed support for (i) adult survivors of child sexual abuse and (ii) adult survivors of child sexual abuse who disclose as an adult.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Protecting and supporting child and adult victims and survivors of sexual abuse is a core priority for NHS England, delivered through a network of 48 specialist sexual assault referral centres across the country.
NHS England has established local pathfinder projects for enhanced trauma-informed mental health support for sexual abuse victims and survivors with the most complex needs. There is now dedicated enhanced mental health support in five of the seven commissioning regions.
NHS England is currently working in partnership with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the National Network of Designated Healthcare Professionals to refresh the paediatric elements of the current specification that sets out what care should be provided to survivors, alongside a parallel review of the adult specification. This will ensure both pathways deliver consistent, high-quality support and equitable access to services for all survivors, regardless of age.
Furthermore, NHS Talking Therapies offer psychological and talking therapies approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, such as counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy, for adults in England with mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Individuals experiencing these conditions, including victims of sexual violence and rape, can access these therapies via their general practitioner, or by self-referring to their local NHS Talking Therapies service. Details on how to do so are available at the following link:
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 reduce waiting lists for psychiatric diagnoses in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Nationally, the Government is investing an extra £688 million this year to transform mental health services.
We are also delivering on our commitment to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers for children and adults by the end of this Parliament. We are more than halfway towards this target, which will help to ease pressure on busy mental health services.
Responsibility for commissioning of mental health services sits with integrated care boards (ICBs). It is the role of local ICBs to consider what mental health services are needed for their populations and include the perspectives of healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups and local authorities.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 ensure that Freedom to Speak Up mechanisms within NHS Trusts are (a) effective and (b) independent; and what procedures are in place for NHS Trusts that retaliate against staff who make protected disclosures.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The national Freedom to Speak Up policy, produced by NHS England, provides the minimum standard for local freedom to speak up policies across the National Health Service, so those who work in the NHS know how to speak up and what will happen when they do. This includes information on how to raise concerns internally, such as through the local Freedom to Speak Up Guardian network, as well to external bodies such as NHS England or the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
The Employment Rights Act 1996, as amended, gives employees protection against unfair dismissal and all workers a right not to be subject to any detriment in employment, on the basis that the worker has made a protected disclosure. Where this right is breached, employees and workers have a right to seek a remedy through an employment tribunal.
The Government is also taking forward legislative change so that the Health and Care Professions Council can operate a barring mechanism for NHS board-level managers and their direct reports within this Parliament. This will help to ensure leaders are held professionally accountable for their work, just like their clinical colleagues.