Mentions:
1: Vikki Slade (LD - Mid Dorset and North Poole) A local teacher from Dorset told me that he found it deeply upsetting to see young people who feel that - Speech Link
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
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 adequacy of GP patient-to-practice ratios in (a) rural constituencies and (b) West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of 31 March 2025, the median number of patients per practice was 7,447 in the West Dorset constituency. This compares to 8,812 nationally. Data on general practice patient to practice ratios in rural constituencies is not held.
This government is determined to work with the NHS to fix the front door of our health service and ensure everyone can access GP services. The Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund was announced during the 2024 spending review and provides new capital funding of £102 million in 2025 to 2026 to support improvements in the primary care estate. The fund aims to enhance the use of existing infrastructure, create additional capacity for the GP and practice workforce, and enable additional patient appointments.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much was spent on GP services by Dorset Integrated Care Board in Christchurch in (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-2024 and (c) 2024-25; and what the budget is for 2025-2026.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2022/23, total National Health Service payments to general practices in the Christchurch constituency, including COVID-19 and primary care network payments, were £17,452,214, including any deductions for Pensions, Levies and Prescription Charge Income. Data for the years after 2022/23 has not been published yet.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS is taking to help ensure that Dorset Police are able to refer convicted stalkers for mental health interventions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Liaison and Diversion services in Dorset work closely with the police and other parts of the criminal justice system to identify people who have mental health, learning disability, substance misuse, or other issues when they first come into contact with the criminal justice system as suspects, defendants, or convicted offenders.
The aim is to improve overall health outcomes and to reduce re-offending through early identification of possible need, putting in place the right support from the start, including mental health support, and reducing the likelihood that they will reach a crisis point.
The service can then support them through the criminal system pathway, refer them for appropriate health or social care support, or enable them to be diverted away from the criminal justice system, where appropriate.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the level of funding available for new GP premises in (a) rural areas and (b) West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future and recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects. We recently announced schemes which will benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to deliver upgrades this financial year to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England.
At the local level, the Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB) is responsible for deciding how the NHS budget for its area, including the West Dorset constituency, is spent and for allocating funding according to local priorities, such as new GP surgeries.
The Dorset ICB has been provisionally allocated the following amounts from capital programmes and operational capital for 2025/26:
Written Evidence May. 16 2025
Inquiry: Media literacyFound: Evaluating Media Literacy with a Theory of Change - The Centre for Excellence in Media Practice Bournemouth
Written Evidence May. 16 2025
Inquiry: Media literacyFound: Ofcom’s evaluation toolkit and outcomes bank,16 the Theory of Change introduced by Bournemouth University
Written Evidence May. 16 2025
Inquiry: Airport expansion and climate and nature targetsFound: Newcastle 5m Liverpool 5m Leeds/Bradford 4m East Midlands 4m Belfast 2m Aberdeen 2m Jersey 1.5m Bournemouth