Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 industrial action in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In May, we accepted the independent pay review bodies’ headline pay recommendations, giving doctors and Agenda for Change staff, including nurses, an above inflation pay rise for the second year in a row.
As well as awarding resident doctors in England a pay rise of 28.9% over the last three years, we have listened to their concerns about the state of their training and employment for resident doctors and made proposals to tackle this. We have been clear that we cannot go further on pay but we remain committed to finding a way to end their dispute.
We continue to work in partnership with stakeholders, including trade unions and employers, to implement a suite of non-pay measures to improve working conditions such as tackling violence against National Health Service staff, improving career progression for nurses, and improving the process for exception reporting for resident doctors.
Our 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will deliver change by making sure that staff are better treated, have better training, and more fulfilling roles.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 increase access to care in the community in the West Midlands.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service. The Neighbourhood Health Service will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.
The Neighbourhood Health Service will mean people are treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of health professionals. It will rebalance our health system so that it fits around peoples’ lives, not the other way round. We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations.
To support this agenda, we have launched wave 1 of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) across 43 places in England, including parts of the West Midlands such as: Walsall; Coventry; Shropshire; East Birmingham; Solihull; and Herefordshire.
The NNHIP will support systems across the country by driving innovation and integration at a local level, to accelerate improvements in outcomes, satisfaction, and experiences for people by ensuring that care is more joined-up, accessible, and responsive to community needs.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 impact of discharges late on Friday evenings on the safeguarding and wellbeing of patients.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Every acute hospital has access to a multi-disciplinary care transfer hub, where National Health Service and social care professionals manage discharges and arrange appropriate support packages for patients, so they receive the services they need upon their discharge. As set out in the statutory guidance on hospital discharge and community support, these teams should ensure that any safeguarding concerns have been considered alongside other support needs.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 61535 on Palliative Care: Finance, what discussions he plans to have with the hospice sector on the allocation of funding for (a) palliative and (b) end of life care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Department and NHS England officials used a variety of data sources, local examples, and academic research in the modelling for the palliative care and end of life care bids that were made as part of the Spending Review (SR) process.
The SR announced that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.
At this stage, it is still too early to say how much funding will be allocated to palliative care and end of life care, which will be worked through in the coming weeks.
Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life, as well as their loved ones. Integrated care boards are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations, and this can include, but does not have to include, services commissioned from hospice providers.
We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what modelling he undertook during the Spending Review process for funding for the (a) palliative and (b) end of life care sectors for (i) 2025-26, (ii) 2026-27 and (iii) 2027-28.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Department and NHS England officials used a variety of data sources, local examples, and academic research in the modelling for the palliative care and end of life care bids that were made as part of the Spending Review (SR) process.
The SR announced that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.
At this stage, it is still too early to say how much funding will be allocated to palliative care and end of life care, which will be worked through in the coming weeks.
Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life, as well as their loved ones. Integrated care boards are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations, and this can include, but does not have to include, services commissioned from hospice providers.
We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the UK Health Security Agency is taking through Strategic Commissioning Group to support Birmingham City Council in tackling the public health risks associated with household waste.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued standard public health guidance to Birmingham City Council regarding the risks associated with household waste, with the aim of minimising the potential health impacts on residents. This guidance is available on the Birmingham City Council website, at the following link:
The UKHSA is an active member of the multi-agency Strategic Coordinating Group and has contributed to the risk assessment concerning the potential health effects of uncollected waste. The UKHSA will continue providing expert advice and support to Birmingham City Council for as long as necessary.
In addition, the UKHSA is closely monitoring infection rates, including leptospirosis, which could be influenced by the accumulation of refuse. As of now, there has been no reported increase in leptospirosis cases among Birmingham residents since the industrial action began.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency have published statutory guidance on the Waste Duty of Care: Code of Practice, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, CP 1336, published on 11 June 2025, whether he considered increasing revenue funding for end of life care as part of the Spending Review.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the Spending Review, on 11 June, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a record investment in the health and social care system. Across the Spending Review period, from 2026/27 to 2028/29, the National Health Service in England will receive a 3% real terms growth in day-to-day spending, the equivalent to a £29 billion real terms increase in annual resource budgets.
At this stage, it is still too early to say how much funding will be allocated to palliative care and end of life care, as this will be worked through in the coming weeks.
The Government wants a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life, which is why we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.
We are also working to make sure the palliative care and end of life care sector is sustainable in the long term and are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community through our 10-Year Health Plan.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 number of older people with unmet health and care needs in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Direct estimates of unmet health and care need at a local level are not available. Assessing unmet health and care need is complex, particularly as it is multi-faceted, and validated data is not always available at a constituency level. For national level insights, please see Age UK’s State of Health and Care of Older People in England 2024 report, which is available at the following link:
We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to which will set out a long-term vision to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 impact of repatriating patients with antimicrobial resistance from conflict zones on (a) UK citizens and (b) the NHS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises conflict as a major driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), posing significant risks to populations in fragile and conflict-affected states, the wider global community, and the United Kingdom. In response, the Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to raise global awareness and understanding of this growing threat. The Government does not routinely repatriate patients from conflict zones, and where these have taken place, it has been under exceptional circumstances, or at the individual's expense to reduce avoidable burdens on UK taxpayers.
Evidence indicates that inward migration from countries with a high prevalence of AMR is likely contributing to the rising AMR burden in the UK, which includes the risk of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB). To address this risk, there is a UK pre-entry screening programme for migrants coming for more than six months from countries with high incidence of TB. This will include countries with high incidence of MDR disease. Further information on the evidence is available at the following link:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6032478/
The UK Health Security Agency does not currently undertake routine surveillance of AMR specifically in patients repatriated from conflict zones, but remains committed to strengthening surveillance of drug-resistant infections more broadly regardless of source, to ensure early detection and to enable a rapid response to emerging threats
The National Health Service is a residency-based system, which means that people who do not live here on a lawful, settled basis must contribute to the cost of their care. However, some of the most vulnerable people arriving in the UK, including refugees and some asylum seekers, do not pay for NHS treatment.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 ensure the UK’s health security against (a) malaria, (b) tuberculosis and (c) HIV/AIDS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) holds data on all malaria cases diagnosed in the United Kingdom by the Malaria Reference Laboratory (MRL) and Public Health Scotland. The MRL’s extensive service to users in the UK includes: malaria diagnosis; epidemiological data; prophylaxis advice to health professionals; and technical advice on methodology and laboratory procedures. Almost all malaria cases diagnosed in the UK are associated with recent travel to an endemic area, and the UKHSA is working with the African Diaspora Malaria Initiative to reduce the burden of malaria in particularly affected groups. Where cases are identified as having no recent travel history, a full investigation is undertaken by the UKHSA. A standard approach to managing these cases is under development.
Information regarding malaria cases diagnosed in the UK is published on GOV.UK website, with annual reports and statistics on malaria imported to the UK available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/malaria-in-the-uk-annual-report
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/imported-malaria-in-the-uk-statistics
The UKHSA and NHS England’s joint tuberculosis (TB) action plan for England details actions to achieve a 90% reduction in people with TB by 2035, aligned with World Health Organization elimination targets. The plan is available at the following link:
The UK pre-entry TB screening programme operates in 102 countries, to reduce the importation of TB by screening applicants for long term visas from high TB incidence countries. People are screened in line with the UK Tuberculosis Technical Instructions, which are available at the following link:
Active TB can be prevented by identifying, testing, and treating people with TB infection. People who are close contacts of individuals with infectious TB are also tested for infection, so they can be treated before the disease develops.
The NHS England national latent TB testing programme for migrants from high incidence countries operates in 27 of the 42 integrated care board areas in England.
In March 2025, NHS England and The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital published a Getting it Right First Time review of TB services, which included a series of recommendations to reduce unwarranted variation in clinical practice and improve care, especially to underserved populations. The report is available at the following link:
The UKHSA, in collaboration with key stakeholders, is leading work to develop a new national action plan for 2026 to 2031, including a call for evidence.
The Government is committed to ending new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030. The Department, the UKHSA, NHS England, and partners are developing the new HIV Action Plan for England, which we aim to publish this year.