Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of (i) nurses (ii) doctors (iii) midwives entering the NHS were (a) non-UK citizens (b) non-UK graduates in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number and proportion non-United Kingdom citizens entering the National Health Service. NHS England publishes monthly Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics for England which includes data on the self-reported nationality of NHS staff, which may not be the same as citizenship. Not all non-UK nationals will have been recruited from abroad, as some will already be resident in the UK before they join the NHS. This information is available at the following link, within the folder “Preliminary - NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Turnover – CSV data files”:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
The Department does not hold data on the number and proportion non-UK graduate doctors, nurses and midwives entering the NHS. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) publishes data on non-UK graduate first-time joiners to their professional register across the UK. The General Medical Council (GMC) similarly publishes data on non-UK graduates taking up, or returning to, a license to practice medicine in the UK. It is possible to apply to join the UK Registers without moving to the UK.
The most recent published NMC data is available at the following link:
https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/
The most recent published GMC data can be found under the “Reference tables and data annex” section of the “The state of medical education and practice in the UK: workforce report 2025”, within the file titled “The register of medical practitioners”, available at the following link:
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
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 changes to the Certificates of Sponsorship minimum salary threshold on (a) international staff in the NHS, (b) NHS staffing levels and (c) NHS waiting lists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 9 April 2025, the minimum salary for Health and Care Worker Visa holders increased to £25,000 per year. This applies to new Certificates of Sponsorship assigned on or after this date. No specific assessment has been made on the impact of this change on National Health Service international staff, staffing levels, and waiting lists.
While we value our international workforce and the skills and experience they bring, we are also committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our NHS. The 10-Year Health Plan set out this Government’s intention to reduce the reliance on internationally trained healthcare professionals.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 6 November 2025 to Question 86606, what steps he has taken to ensure that citizens of British Overseas Territories have access to NHS services whilst resident in the UK.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service care is provided free at the point of use to people who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. Being ordinarily resident broadly means living in the UK on a lawful and properly settled basis. People who are not considered ordinarily resident in the UK are required to pay for healthcare in England unless an exemption applies.
If citizens of British Overseas Territories are assessed as being ordinarily resident in the UK, they are able to access NHS care free at the point of use.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
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 Nursing and Midwifery Council on wait times for (a) general cases and (b) cases before the case examiner.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England. The NMC is independent of Government, directly accountable to Parliament and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government. The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care oversees the bodies that regulate health and care professionals in the UK, which includes the NMC.
As Minister of State for Health (Secondary Care), I monitor the NMC’s performance and meets with the organisation regularly, which includes discussion on the timeliness of the NMC’s fitness to practise processes. In line with the Ministerial Code, details of all ministerial meetings, including those with the NMC, are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
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 the support available to ambulance staff who attend traumatic callouts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The mental health of all National Health Service staff is a high priority, including ambulance staff as responders to emergency incidents.
Significant work is underway to strengthen the quality and consistency of suicide training across the health system. NHS England published Staying Safe from Suicide: Best Practice Guidance for Safety Assessment, Formulation and Management to support the Government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/staying-safe-from-suicide/
At a national level ambulance staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction. Additionally, ambulance trusts and the Association of Ambulance Trust Chief Executives have worked closely with NHS England to develop an ambulance sector specific suicide prevention pathway to provide immediate support 24/7 for staff experiencing suicidal ideation.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
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 suicide prevention training provided to ambulance staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The mental health of all National Health Service staff is a high priority, including ambulance staff as responders to emergency incidents.
Significant work is underway to strengthen the quality and consistency of suicide training across the health system. NHS England published Staying Safe from Suicide: Best Practice Guidance for Safety Assessment, Formulation and Management to support the Government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/staying-safe-from-suicide/
At a national level ambulance staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction. Additionally, ambulance trusts and the Association of Ambulance Trust Chief Executives have worked closely with NHS England to develop an ambulance sector specific suicide prevention pathway to provide immediate support 24/7 for staff experiencing suicidal ideation.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
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 address variation in access to NHS-funded IVF treatment between integrated care boards.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand NHS-funded fertility services and the effectiveness of these services. This work will take time to develop, and the Department is keen to ensure there will be stakeholder engagement during this process, beginning in the new year.
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their population. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.
NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether its current recommendations for access to NHS-funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on revised guidelines was published on 10 September and closed on 21 October 2025.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made to renew the Women’s Health Strategy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Significant progress has been made towards delivering the ambitions in the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy, for example, improving women and girls’ awareness and access to services and driving research to benefit women’s health.
Renewing the strategy will ensure that we continue this momentum and that it is fully aligned with the 10-Year Health Plan. We will identify and remove enduring barriers to high-quality care, such as decreasing wait times for diagnosis, and ensuring that professionals listen to women and respond to their needs.
We are currently engaging with external partners to inform the renewal of the strategy, bringing together voices from across the Government, NHS England, public health, mental health, women’s health advocacy, and employment policy alongside women with lived experience of women’s health conditions. We are also drawing on the evidence provided by almost 100,000 people in response to the original call for evidence for the 2022 strategy.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 18 July 2025 to Question 67482 on IVF: Greater Manchester, If his Department will have discussions with NHS Greater Manchester following the publication of the Standardising IVF Cycles Consultation Summary Report on implementing an increase in the number of funded cycles.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards, and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. There are no current plans to discuss implementing an increase in the number of funded in-vitro fertilisation cycles with NHS Greater Manchester.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure the provision of a) surgical hubs and b) community diagnostics centres are aligned with areas with the highest levels of health deprivation.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to ensuring that the provision of elective surgical hubs and community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is aligned with areas of greatest deprivation and population health need. As a core requirement of the capital business case approval process within NHS England, all proposals have been and continue to be reviewed and assured against the following core principles:
This approach ensures equitable access to services, supports the reduction of health inequalities, and promotes improved outcomes for patients across all regions.
NHS England is also working with local National Health Service systems to identify the most appropriate locations for additional investment, including new CDCs. New CDCs should be positioned in a location which addresses local need and health inequalities. Details of future sites will be set out in due course.