Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 83834, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) short and (b) medium term impact of this policy on the number of nurses in training between 2026 and 2030; whether an equality impact assessment has been undertaken.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department continues to work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), to support apprenticeships and skills provision. The DHSC has confirmed that it will fund the ongoing provision of level 7 apprenticeships in five professions including Specialist community public health nurse, District nurse and Advanced clinical practitioner.
The department continues to fund level 7 apprenticeships for young people under the age of 22, and those under 25 who are care leavers or have an Education, Health and Care Plan.
The government completed an equality impact assessment ahead of making its decision on the changes to level 7 apprenticeship funding.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 17 October 2025 to Question 80524 on Nurses: Training, whether training courses in learning disability nursing will be available in North East Hampshire constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Undergraduate training places for learning disability nursing are not centrally commissioned by the Government. Instead, they are determined by university education providers, who decide the number of learners they admit based on learner demand and provider capacity. The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
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 steps he is taking to improve (a) job security and (b) employment conditions for general practice nurses.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the general practice (GP) nursing workforce is sustainable, supported, and valued for the work they do.
Good staff experience is crucial in ensuring that the National Health Service is able to recruit and retain staff, and its importance is recognised and illustrated in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan. Later this year we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure that staff will be better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future, so they can achieve more.
As self-employed contractors to the NHS it is up to GPs how they distribute pay and benefits to their staff. GP contractual arrangements do not place any specific obligations on GPs with regard to GP nurse terms and conditions. A letter was distributed to practices earlier this year recommending that practices pass on additional funding to uplift pay for salaried staff.
Asked by: Lord Moraes (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Royal College of Nursing's analysis that there has been a 55 percent increase over the last three years in nurses facing racist incidents at work; and what assessment they have made of the reason for this increase.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Any form of racism or discrimination is unacceptable and has no place in our National Health Service.
NHS Staff Survey data shows that disabled staff, staff from an ethnic minority background, and staff with other protected characteristics face greater challenges when it comes to abuse, bullying, harassment, and career progression.
Recent incidents of antisemitism and racism in the health service have drawn stark attention to problems of culture and in the healthcare professional regulatory system. Action is being taken to address these issues, including an urgent review of antisemitism, other forms of racism, and the oversight and regulation of healthcare professionals. The NHS is also strengthening mandatory anti-racism training across the NHS. Additionally, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment which will include reducing violence against staff and tackling racism and sexual harassment. They will underpin the NHS Oversight Framework and act as an early warning signal for the Care Quality Commission.
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 support domestic recruitment and retention of dental nurses since the removal of the occupation from the Skilled Worker visa list in June 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
From 22 July 2025, changes to the United Kingdom’s immigration system increased the minimum skill threshold for the Skilled Worker visa to Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 6, which is degree level.
The role of a dental nurse does not meet the new skills threshold of RQF level 6. However, dental nurses already in the Skilled Worker route, who have a certificate of sponsorship issued before 22 July 2025, can continue to work and extend their visas as long as they meet occupation salary thresholds.
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.
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 estimate he has made of the number of overseas dental nurses who have been required to leave following the removal of the occupation from the Skilled Worker visa list in June 2024.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
From 22 July 2025, changes to the United Kingdom’s immigration system increased the minimum skill threshold for the Skilled Worker visa to Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) Level 6, which is degree level.
The role of a dental nurse does not meet the new skills threshold of RQF level 6. However, dental nurses already in the Skilled Worker route, who have a certificate of sponsorship issued before 22 July 2025, can continue to work and extend their visas as long as they meet occupation salary thresholds.
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.
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 plans to provide funding for specialist dementia leads within GP surgeries.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline NG97 recommends that individuals should be referred to a specialist dementia diagnostic service, such as a memory clinic or community old age psychiatry service, if reversible causes of cognitive decline have been investigated and dementia is still suspected.
The Dementia Care Pathway: Full implementation guidance emphasises the need to ensure general practitioners (GPs) are supported in providing dementia diagnosis with education and training programmes, such as Dementia Revealed: What Primary Care Needs to Know, a resource for GPs and practice nurses who have no previous experience of diagnosing and treating dementia.
Our health system has struggled to support those with complex needs, including those with dementia. Under the 10-Year Health Plan, those living with dementia will benefit from improved care planning and better services.
We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework to deliver rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to Epsom Hospital to (a) recruit and (b) retain specialist (i) cancer nurses and (ii) other cancer workforce.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government and NHS England are taking action ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it including at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.
In 2024/25, an estimated 8,000 people received training to either enter the cancer and diagnostics workforce or develop in their roles. As part of this, over 1,600 people were on apprenticeship courses, with over 270 additional medical specialty training places funded. Over 1,000 Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) grants were made available to new and aspiring CNSs.
NHS England works with regions and other local delivery partners to support education and training across the cancer workforce. This includes a providing an allocation funding based on a fair geographical split to regional workforce leads for the provision of grants for clinical nurse specialist training. NHS England has also been expanding specialty training places in key professions, including histopathology, clinical radiology, and gastroenterology. Targeted national campaigns and outreach activities, for example in clinical oncology, also promote cancer career pathways, with a focus on increasing applications.
To improve retention, NHS England is investing in structured career development and education support. The Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme provides a nationally agreed framework for capability, career development, and education for nurses, allied health professionals, and the support workforce working in cancer care.
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, what steps he is taking to increase the number of funded women's health nursing training posts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) set the standards for nursing education in the United Kingdom. These standards prepare nurses to deliver care in a variety of roles and settings. There is no NMC-mandated requirement for post registration education for nurses working in women's health. It is the responsibility of individual employers to invest in the future of their workforce and to ensure specialist nurses have the appropriate ongoing training and continuing professional development to provide safe and effective care.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing levels of funding for level 7 apprenticeships on the number of nurses in training.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings to the answer to Question 83834.