Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to include online safety education into the national curriculum in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
As part of the statutory relationships and health education (RHE) in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in secondary schools, pupils are taught about online safety and harms. This includes being taught about what positive, healthy and respectful online relationships look like, the effects of their online actions on others, how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online and where to get help and support for issues that occur online. The RHE statutory guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary, and the RSHE statutory guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary.
Teaching about online safety also complements the computing curriculum, which covers the principles of online safety at all key stages, with progression in the content to reflect the different and escalating risks that pupils face. The statutory guidance for the computing curriculum is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study.
The RSHE statutory guidance is currently under review. The department is looking carefully at responses to the public the consultation conducted last year, considering the relevant evidence and discussing with stakeholders before setting out next steps to make sure the guidance draws from the best available evidence. As part of this process, the department will explore whether additional content is required, including content regarding online safety and harm.
In addition, the statutory ‘Keeping children safe in education’ guidance, which all schools and colleges must have regard to when drawing up and implementing their own safeguarding policies, has been strengthened with regards to online safety in recent years. Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure online safety is a running and interrelated theme whilst devising and implementing their whole school or college approach to safeguarding and related policies and procedures, including doing all that they reasonably can to limit children’s exposure to the harmful online content on the school’s or college’s IT system.
Found: Any correspondence received in Welsh will be answered in Welsh and corresponding in Welsh will not lead
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy is on supporting NHS trusts to meet their annual sickness absence targets.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data published by NHS England shows that during the month of October 2024, there were 317,167 full time equivalent days lost due to musculoskeletal health issues for National Health Service staff. These account for 13% of all sickness absences over the month. The published data does not allow for the identification of the specific number of staff absent from work due to musculoskeletal health issues.
On 1 March 2025, the Government and Nuffield Health announced access for 4,000 NHS staff to Nuffield Health’s Joint Pain Programme. The programme is aimed at those staff who are off work due to chronic joint pain or who are struggling with pain whilst at work.
Sickness absence is managed at an organisational level across the NHS. NHS organisations have policies and procedures to manage attendance and reduce sickness absence. Employers should develop local policies and procedures in line with Annex 26 of the NHS staff terms and conditions of service (Agenda for Change) handbook and should access NHS England’s Employer’s Sickness Absence Toolkit.
In 2023, NHS England published a strategy for the NHS and partner organisations to work together to develop and invest in occupational health and wellbeing services for NHS staff over the next five years. NHS England is currently leading a comprehensive review, the Staff Treatment Access Review, of how to deliver a more equitable and consistent offer to staff that supports their wellbeing.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS staff are absent from work due to musculoskeletal health issues; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of fast-tracking treatment for such staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data published by NHS England shows that during the month of October 2024, there were 317,167 full time equivalent days lost due to musculoskeletal health issues for National Health Service staff. These account for 13% of all sickness absences over the month. The published data does not allow for the identification of the specific number of staff absent from work due to musculoskeletal health issues.
On 1 March 2025, the Government and Nuffield Health announced access for 4,000 NHS staff to Nuffield Health’s Joint Pain Programme. The programme is aimed at those staff who are off work due to chronic joint pain or who are struggling with pain whilst at work.
Sickness absence is managed at an organisational level across the NHS. NHS organisations have policies and procedures to manage attendance and reduce sickness absence. Employers should develop local policies and procedures in line with Annex 26 of the NHS staff terms and conditions of service (Agenda for Change) handbook and should access NHS England’s Employer’s Sickness Absence Toolkit.
In 2023, NHS England published a strategy for the NHS and partner organisations to work together to develop and invest in occupational health and wellbeing services for NHS staff over the next five years. NHS England is currently leading a comprehensive review, the Staff Treatment Access Review, of how to deliver a more equitable and consistent offer to staff that supports their wellbeing.
Closed Consultation: NHSScotland 'Once for Scotland' managing health at work workforce policies
Opened: Friday 21st February 2025Found: workforce policies (previously known as Partnership Information Network (PIN) Policies) in line with
May. 16 2025
Source Page: Written Statement: National Children’s Day UK (16 May 2025)Found: (Wales) Measure 2011—the first of its kind in the UK.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 8 October 2024 to Question 5319 on Peripheral Arterial Disease, whether he plans to include policies on the treatment of (a) peripheral arterial disease and (b) other cardiovascular diseases in the 10-Year Health Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving cardiovascular health in all parts of the county.
More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including cardiovascular disease, closer to home. Moving from sickness to prevention will help us reduce the causes of the biggest killers, and provide treatment earlier, rather than only intervening when conditions deteriorate.
As part of the 10-Year Health Plan engagement exercise, I hosted a symposium on cardiovascular disease on 13 March 2025. This brought together a range of charities and clinical experts in the disease. This is in addition to the responses received to the consultation from numerous national and local charities and organisations and their attendance at the National Partners Council.
Apr. 23 2025
Source Page: Estate management: competency framework and relevant trainingFound: estate-related health & safety/compliance policies and procedures including systems and support
Written Evidence Jan. 29 2025
Inquiry: In DevelopmentFound: 1 Gender and Health Systems in Fragile and Shock-Prone Settings Dr.
Apr. 01 2025
Source Page: Suicide prevention and self-harm strategy: Welsh language impact assessmentFound: Our vision for “More than just words” is for Welsh to belong and be embedded in health and social care