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 issue guidance to Integrated Care Boards on commissioning speech and language therapy services for people with primary progressive aphasia.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to improving care for everyone with dementia, which is why we have funded the work of Dementia 100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme. This brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool and will help simplify best practice. A number of experts, including those with expertise in speech and language therapy and dementia care, provided independent, desktop analysis of the tool and this invaluable feedback was integrated into the tool. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool can be found at the following link:

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-tool

We will also deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, which is expected this year. 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.

We are committed to publishing an interim product in September this year to feed into NHS and local government planning cycles, and will aim to publish the full modern service framework by the end of this calendar year as recommended by Baroness Casey.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure access to speech and language therapy for people with primary progressive aphasia.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs) and may include speech and language therapy. We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Patients can be referred to a speech and language therapist at any time after a diagnosis. The therapist will assess speech, language, and communication difficulties and how they are affecting the patient or making everyday life difficult. They can also help with eating, drinking, and swallowing difficulties.

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 expand the role of optometrists in delivering community-based eye care, including shared care schemes.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards can already commission community-based eye care services. Improvements in IT connectivity and the development of single points of access between primary care optometry and secondary care will also support more care being delivered in the community, including under shared care arrangements.

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 that individuals found responsible for abusive conduct towards vulnerable adults cannot work in publicly funded social care services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The intention of Care Quality Commission (CQC) Regulation 19 Fit and proper persons employed of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 is to make sure providers only employ 'fit and proper' staff who are able to provide care and treatment appropriate to their role and to enable them to provide the regulated activity.

To meet this regulation, providers must operate robust recruitment procedures, including undertaking any relevant checks. They must have a procedure for ongoing monitoring of staff to make sure they remain able to meet the requirements, and they must have appropriate arrangements in place to deal with staff who are no longer fit to carry out the duties required of them.

In addition, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check must be undertaken prior to the recruitment of all care workers. If an individual has been barred, then they will be added to the Adults’ Barred List. If they knowingly engage, or seek to engage, in regulated activity with a vulnerable group from which they are barred then they would be committing a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine. The same is true for employers who knowingly employ somebody who is on the barred list.

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 public awareness of alternative urgent care services, such as a) community pharmacies, b) urgent treatment centres and c) NHS 111.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department and NHS England have launched national campaigns to raise awareness of urgent National Health Services. The Pharmacy First campaign, from October 2025 to January 2026, encouraged people to seek treatment for seven common conditions at pharmacies, helping to relieve pressure on general practice over winter. It used various media channels, including television, radio, outdoor adverts, social media, and online platforms. The NHS 111 campaign, from November 2025 to March 2026, promoted the use of the 111 service for urgent medical needs, directing people to suitable care options, including urgent treatment centres and mental health support, through similar advertising channels. Government and NHS online resources also signpost people to the most appropriate urgent care services.

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 effectiveness of the Pharmacy First scheme in reducing avoidable attendances to accident and emergency departments.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold data on the number of avoidable attendances to accident and emergency departments have been prevented by Pharmacy First. Pharmacy First is a complex service that links to multiple parts of the healthcare system. The service aims to offer eligible patients a complete episode of care in the pharmacy setting and to receive treatment for seven common health conditions releasing pressure on general practice appointments and the wider National Health Service. Since the service launched, there have been over 4.8 million consultations, with over 3.6 million consultations resulting in supply medicines.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what vetting procedures apply to individuals employed in adult social care roles involving contact with vulnerable adults.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The intention of Care Quality Commission (CQC) Regulation 19 Fit and proper persons employed of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 is to make sure providers only employ 'fit and proper' staff who are able to provide care and treatment appropriate to their role and to enable them to provide the regulated activity.

To meet this regulation, providers must operate robust recruitment procedures, including undertaking any relevant checks. They must have a procedure for ongoing monitoring of staff to make sure they remain able to meet the requirements, and they must have appropriate arrangements in place to deal with staff who are no longer fit to carry out the duties required of them.

The CQC can assess compliance with these regulations through assessment and monitoring activity. Where a breach of regulation or non-compliance is identified, The CQC can take regulatory action.

An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check must be undertaken prior to the recruitment of all care workers. In line with the CQC guidance for DBS checks, staff working with vulnerable adults can only start work before a DBS certificate is received if they have had a DBS Adult First Check, are appropriately supervised, and do not escort people away from the premises unless accompanied by someone with a DBS check.

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 impact of out-of-area residential and nursing care placements on individuals’ access to family support networks.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions about care placements are made locally, based on individual assessments of need and personal circumstances. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets and commission services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.

There is no single national assessment of the impact of out‑of‑area placements on access to family support networks. However, local authorities should engage with people who draw on care and support, and their families and carers, to inform commissioning decisions and to consider the outcomes which matter to them.

Under the Health and Care Act 2022, the Care Quality Commission has a statutory duty to assess how well local authorities are delivering their adult social care duties. However, we recognise that out-of-area placements can sometimes occur due to a lack of available provision in the area.

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 reduce the need for out-of-area placements in residential and nursing care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions about care placements are made locally, based on individual assessments of need and personal circumstances. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets and commission services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.

There is no single national assessment of the impact of out‑of‑area placements on access to family support networks. However, local authorities should engage with people who draw on care and support, and their families and carers, to inform commissioning decisions and to consider the outcomes which matter to them.

Under the Health and Care Act 2022, the Care Quality Commission has a statutory duty to assess how well local authorities are delivering their adult social care duties. However, we recognise that out-of-area placements can sometimes occur due to a lack of available provision in the area.

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 role community pharmacy could play in providing a Meningitis B vaccine catch-up service to students and young people from Yeovil constituency at risk.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to roll out meningitis vaccines more widely to the population following the news of the recent outbreak in Kent.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

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 trends in the level of inequalities in access to primary eye care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services to meet the needs of their local population. National Health Service sight tests are widely available across the country, with no known access issues. ICBs can also commission enhanced eye care services in the community.

ICBs are required to work with local authorities to assess the current and future health, care, and wellbeing needs of their local population. They will then set out in joint local health and wellbeing strategies how they will meet those needs, which should include addressing any identified inequalities in accessing services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the process for compensating general practitioners for the use of health facilities owned by local authorities.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

General practices operate as independent businesses, providing National Health Services, and practices are eligible for reimbursement of certain costs. Terms depend on the ownership or occupation arrangements for the property, as set out in the Premises Costs Directions (PCDs) 2024.

The PCDs are directions to NHS England from my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in relation to reimbursements of certain costs incurred by General Medical Services contractors, relating to their practice premises, principally notional rent or rent reimbursement, and some day-to-day running costs. This applies to properties owned by local authorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England has engaged formally with the General Medical Council about the interaction between mandatory pre-referral Advice and Guidance requirements and the professional duty of GPs under General Medical Council guidance to refer patients to specialist care when it is in their best interests to do so; and whether a joint risk assessment or patient safety review has been carried out to ensure GPs are not placed in conflict between their contractual and professional obligations.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In early 2026, we concluded the consultation on the changes to the GP Contract for 2026/27. As part of this process, we expanded the consultation to engage with a wider set of primary care stakeholders, these were the British Medical Association’s General Practitioner’s Committee England, the Royal College of General Practitioners, National Voices, the Institute of General Practice Management, Healthwatch England, the NHS Confederation, and the National Association of Primary Care.

The Department has not engaged formally with the General Medical Council (GMC) regarding the interaction between the 2026/27 contractual changes and the professional duties set out in GMC guidance. No formal joint risk assessment or joint patient safety review has been undertaken. However, the Department and NHS England considered the potential risks, benefits, and wider impact of the policy changes as part of standard policy-development processes.

The 2026/27 GP Contract embeds the current Advice and Guidance (A&G) enhanced service funding into core practice funding. The contract does not mandate the use of A&G in all circumstances. Instead, practices are expected to use A&G prior to or in place of a planned care referral, where clinically appropriate, and to follow locally agreed referral pathways. This reflects longstanding planned‑care referral practice and does not alter existing legal or professional accountability frameworks for general practitioners (GPs).

GPs, and other primary care referrers, remain professionally accountable for making appropriate clinical decisions, including referring patients to specialist care when it is in the patient’s best interests. The use of A&G does not override those responsibilities or place GPs in conflict between contractual and professional obligations. NHS England continues to support clinicians through guidance, pathway design, and local governance arrangements to ensure A&G is used safely, proportionately, and in a way that preserves clear clinical accountability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase the number and capacity of dementia trials.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Government responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department for Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The Department for Health and Social Care is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with dementia, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments. Government funding is already enabling the dementia clinical trials landscape to become more efficient and accessible.

The Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, with up to £150 million expected to be allocated to, or aligned with it, aims to speed up the development of new treatments for dementia and neurodegenerative conditions by accelerating innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation.

Closely aligned to the programme, the NIHR has invested up to £50 million into the UK Demetia Trials Network (UKDTN). UKDTN aims to expand the United Kingdom’s early phase clinical trial capabilities in dementia by addressing industry challenges around trial recruitment and fragmented research infrastructure. The UKDTN will establish a coordinated network of over 20 trial sites, with a real-time database to enable efficient identification of trial sites for industry collaboration. The network will also build a skilled workforce of dementia trial specialists, including early-career researchers, and embedded research nurses to support trial set-up and delivery.

In addition, the Medical Research Council’s £20 million investment into a Dementia Trials Accelerator aims to embed more innovation in how clinical trials are designed and delivered in order to increase the speed and quality, while driving down the cost of large-scale trials.

In partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, and Alzheimer Scotland, the NIHR also delivers Join Dementia Research, an online platform which enables the involvement of people with and without a dementia diagnosis, as well as carers, to take part in a range of important research, including studies evaluating potential treatments for dementia. As of March 2026, over 110,000 participants have joined dementia research through the service, with 112 studies currently open.

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 primary causes of care home closures in England.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not collect data on the causes of care home closures in England. Adult social care services are provided through a largely outsourced market of commercial organisations and charities. Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the care needs of their populations, and to develop and build local market capacity.

Care providers entering and exiting is a normal part of a functioning market, and local authorities should have appropriate contingency plans in place depending on the services being provided. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities also have a temporary duty to ensure continuity of care in the event of business failure. This means that people continue to receive the care and support they need if their adult social care provider is no longer able to carry on delivering services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential to scale up investment in dementia clinical trials, including through the Dementia Goals Programme.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Government responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department for Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The Department for Health and Social Care is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with dementia, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments. Government funding is already enabling the dementia clinical trials landscape to become more efficient and accessible.

The Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, with up to £150 million expected to be allocated to, or aligned with it, aims to speed up the development of new treatments for dementia and neurodegenerative conditions by accelerating innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation.

Closely aligned to the programme, the NIHR has invested up to £50 million into the UK Demetia Trials Network (UKDTN). UKDTN aims to expand the United Kingdom’s early phase clinical trial capabilities in dementia by addressing industry challenges around trial recruitment and fragmented research infrastructure. The UKDTN will establish a coordinated network of over 20 trial sites, with a real-time database to enable efficient identification of trial sites for industry collaboration. The network will also build a skilled workforce of dementia trial specialists, including early-career researchers, and embedded research nurses to support trial set-up and delivery.

In addition, the Medical Research Council’s £20 million investment into a Dementia Trials Accelerator aims to embed more innovation in how clinical trials are designed and delivered in order to increase the speed and quality, while driving down the cost of large-scale trials.

In partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, and Alzheimer Scotland, the NIHR also delivers Join Dementia Research, an online platform which enables the involvement of people with and without a dementia diagnosis, as well as carers, to take part in a range of important research, including studies evaluating potential treatments for dementia. As of March 2026, over 110,000 participants have joined dementia research through the service, with 112 studies currently open.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance is given to local authorities on supporting carers’ mental health.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In England, local authorities are required by the Care Act 2014 to undertake carers assessments to support people caring for their family and friends who appear to have a need for support at their request. As stipulated in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, a carer’s mental health must be considered when considering whether a carer has eligible needs.

The Government is making over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. Part of this includes an increase to the National Health Service contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund. The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for carer support, including short breaks and respite services. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities, but this can certainly include support for carers’ mental health.

Adults, including carers, who need support with common mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies or be referred by their general practitioner. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including eligibility for an NHS sight test in the GP learning disability annual health check programme.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Free National Health Service sight tests are provided by community optometrists to eligible groups, including children, people aged 60 years old and over, people on low incomes, and those at risk of diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

Children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism are also eligible for free NHS sight tests, where integrated care boards are commissioning a service within a special educational setting.

Adults may qualify under existing exemptions, including being in receipt of income-related benefits or through the NHS low-income scheme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, Care Quality Commission, Healthwatch and Royal College of GPs on changes to the GP contract regarding Advice and Guidance.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In early 2026, we concluded the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation. This year, we expanded the consultation to engage with wider stakeholders, which were the General Practitioners Committee England, the Royal College of General Practitioners, National Voices, the Institute of General Practice Management, Healthwatch England, the NHS Confederation, and the National Association of Primary Care. The feedback we received from stakeholders across the system has been constructive and comprehensive, enabling us to refine proposals and address concerns while developing the final contract package.

Embedding Advice and Guidance in the contract is about ensuring general practitioners and specialists can work together earlier and more consistently, so patients are directed to the most appropriate next step without unnecessary delay, whether that is a referral, diagnostics, or supported care in the community.

Last year, we invested £80 million in Advice and Guidance. We are now embedding this money in core contract funding. As a result, since April 2025, we have avoided 1.3 million patients ending up on a waiting list.

The Department has not discussed the changes to the GP Contract regarding Advice and Guidance with the Health Services Safety Investigations Body, and the Care Quality Commission.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken a risk assessment for changes to the GP contract regarding Advice and Guidance due to be implemented from 1 April 2026.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not undertaken a formal risk assessment for the changes made to the GP Contract regarding Advice and Guidance (A&G) due to be implemented from 1 April 2026. However, in developing this policy, the Department and NHS England have carefully considered the potential risks, benefits, and wider impact as part of the standard policy-development process.

As part of the 2026/27 GP Contract, we are embedding the current A&G enhanced service funding within core practice funding. Practices will be required to use A&G prior to or in place of a planned care referral where clinically appropriate and to follow locally agreed referral pathways.

Between April 2025 and December 2025, A&G has avoided 1.3 million patients being unnecessarily added to hospital waiting lists by providing them with expert advice in their community.

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 impact of levels of access to GP appointments in influencing patients’ decisions to attend accident and emergency departments for non-emergency conditions.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

National Health Service guidance is clear that patients should only attend accident and emergency (A&E) for emergencies that cannot be dealt with by a patient’s general practice (GP), NHS 111, or walk-in centres.

GPs are independent contractors to the National Health Service and are required to provide care during core hours, from 08:00 to 18:30, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. Evidence suggests that when practices are closed, patients are more likely to seek care elsewhere. The 2025 GP Patient Survey found that 23.4% of respondents reported attending A&E when they wanted care or advice from a healthcare professional and their GP was closed. Though the survey does not qualify whether the attendance was due to urgent or non-urgent care being needed.

The Office for National Statistics’ Health Insight Survey shows that the proportion of patients who find it easy to access their GP has increased significantly, from 60.9% in July 2024 to nearly 77% more recently. As part of efforts to improve access, from 1 October GPs were required to make online services available throughout core hours. For the first time, the Office for National Statistics’ data shows that more patients surveyed are now contacting their GP online than by telephone, with 44.6% contacting practices online compared with 38.9% by phone. There has also been a 17.9%, or 1.3 million, increase in online consultation submissions in January 2026 compared to December 2025. This expansion of access routes is intended to make it easier for patients to receive timely advice and care from GPs, supporting appropriate use of urgent and emergency services

The 2026/27 GP Contract also makes it explicit that any requests identified as clinically urgent, as determined by the GP, must be dealt with on the same day.

Out of hours services are those provided outside of these core hours, from 18:30 to 08:00 on weekdays, all weekends and on bank holidays. Practices may provide out of hours services or opt out of providing these with their commissioner’s approval.

Where a practice has opted out of delivering these services, the commissioner, such as an integrated care board, must commission the services from an alternative provider for that practice’s registered patients.

Last year we invested £80 million in Advice and Guidance. We are now embedding this money in core contract funding. As a result, since April 2025, we have avoided 1.3 million patients ending up on a waiting list.

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 trends in the level of mental health support for senior leaders in non-clinical NHS roles.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold data on the level of suicides amongst the National Health Service workforce.

Data relating to numbers of suicides in England and Wales is published regularly by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). ONS occasionally also publishes ad hoc analysis of suicide numbers by standard occupational classifications. Whilst this data does not allow identification of the employer, such as the NHS, it does present suicide numbers by broad occupation categories. The latest ad hoc publication can be found at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/adhocs/2726suicidebyoccupationinenglandandwales2023and2024provisional

There is a wide range of mental health support for all NHS staff. Staff are able to access mental health support through their general practice but can also access support provided by their employer through employee assistance programmes or occupational health. NHS England also offers a range of health and wellbeing resources, including health and wellbeing apps and text support services, and NHS leaders can access the National Staff Mental Health Treatment Service which is available to both clinical and non-clinical staff and is in place to help those with more complex mental health needs. Further information on the National Staff Mental Health Treatment Service is available at the following link:

https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/

The service is designed to offer confidential support to NHS professionals, who cannot access confidential support locally.

NHS England has also published a national suicide prevention toolkit and postvention toolkit to help organisations introduce prevention strategies and support their workforce, both of which are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/working-together-to-prevent-suicide-in-the-nhs/

https://www.nhsconfed.org/system/files/2023-03/NHS-employee-suicide-postvention-toolkit.pdf

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on trends in the level of suicides amongst senior leaders in non-clinical roles in the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold data on the level of suicides amongst the National Health Service workforce.

Data relating to numbers of suicides in England and Wales is published regularly by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). ONS occasionally also publishes ad hoc analysis of suicide numbers by standard occupational classifications. Whilst this data does not allow identification of the employer, such as the NHS, it does present suicide numbers by broad occupation categories. The latest ad hoc publication can be found at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/adhocs/2726suicidebyoccupationinenglandandwales2023and2024provisional

There is a wide range of mental health support for all NHS staff. Staff are able to access mental health support through their general practice but can also access support provided by their employer through employee assistance programmes or occupational health. NHS England also offers a range of health and wellbeing resources, including health and wellbeing apps and text support services, and NHS leaders can access the National Staff Mental Health Treatment Service which is available to both clinical and non-clinical staff and is in place to help those with more complex mental health needs. Further information on the National Staff Mental Health Treatment Service is available at the following link:

https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/

The service is designed to offer confidential support to NHS professionals, who cannot access confidential support locally.

NHS England has also published a national suicide prevention toolkit and postvention toolkit to help organisations introduce prevention strategies and support their workforce, both of which are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/working-together-to-prevent-suicide-in-the-nhs/

https://www.nhsconfed.org/system/files/2023-03/NHS-employee-suicide-postvention-toolkit.pdf

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to ambulance services on directing patients to alternative services where an ambulance conveyance to hospital is not required.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 6 June 2025, we published our Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan for 2025/26, and on 25 October 2025 we published the Medium-Term Planning Framework.

To support ambulance services with increased decision making and capability, NHS England in 2025/26 has published a new ambulance commissioning specification for integrated care boards that will drive consistency across England in the commissioning of ambulance services, including actions which support patients to access the care they need in the community.

Included in these frameworks was guidance on impactful interventions such as Hear and Treat and clinical navigation of Category 3 and 4 calls so they are validated and where appropriate triaged in ambulance control centres, or in a Single Points of Access to direct patients to alternative healthcare provision in the community such as Urgent Treatment Centres.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of food purchased through the NHS Supply Chain is classified as Nova Group 4; and what plans he has to incentivise NHS Trusts to move toward minimally processed alternatives.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data is currently not collected centrally on National Health Service food purchases which would identify NOVA Group four foods.

The United Kingdom’s national food model is the Eatwell Guide. The principles of the Eatwell Guide underpin the Government’s Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF), which help to ensure public sector food is procured to higher sustainability and nutritional standards. The GBSF include mandatory nutrition standards intended to reduce the intake of salt, sugar, and saturated fat, and to increase consumption of fruit, vegetables, fish, and fibre. They also include standards that limit the availability and portion size of soft drinks, confectionery, and savoury snacks.

Hospitals, the Government, and their agencies are required to apply the GBSF, with other public sector settings also encouraged to follow.

NHS England’s National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink (2022) state that all NHS trusts are expected to follow the published NHS National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink. This document makes clear that organisations must implement the GBSF minimum mandatory standards for healthier and more sustainable retail, staff, and visitor food and drink.

The document recommends that NHS trusts should prioritise healthier, seasonal, and locally sourced food and adopt more environmentally sustainable menus that use:

- fewer processed foods high in sugar, salt, and fats;

- a wide variety of protein sources including beans, pulses, nuts, and soya; and

- a choice of seasonal, locally sourced fruits and vegetables.

The standards can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-standards-for-healthcare-food-and-drink/

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 20 January 2026 to Question 92264 on NHS England; Redundancy, how many departmental civil servants left under the voluntary exit scheme in the first cohort of November-December 2025; and how many will leave in the second cohort between January and May 2026.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

198 employees left in November and December 2025. We are not yet in a position to confirm the total number of leavers, although as of 23 March 2026, a further 98 employees have left or are confirmed leavers under our voluntary exit scheme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what arrangements NHS England has made to ensure that patients retain the statutory right to choose a provider where a mandatory Single Point of Access triage process operates; and what guidance has been issued to Integrated Care Boards on preserving patient choice rights within mandatory Single Point of Access pathways from 1 April 2026.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The policy intention for Advice and Guidance (A&G) and the Elective Single Point of Access (SPoA) model is fully compatible with NHS England’s Patient Choice Guidance, published December 2023. Patients must continue to be offered a choice of provider at the appropriate point in the pathway, and local pathways should be designed to ensure that choice rights operate in practice.

The purpose of A&G is to support decision‑making, reduce unnecessary referrals, and deliver more care closer to home. SPoA acts as a single ‘front door’ to support clinical triage to the most appropriate service or outcome, meaning timelier, more joined-up care for patients, without altering patients’ statutory right to choice.

NHS England has published system guidance The Elective Single Point of Access: Technical Guidance for 2026/27, which specifies that patients must continue to be offered choice of provider and team at the appropriate point in the pathway when they can make an informed choice. An elective SPoA diagram showing touchpoints of choice is included in the technical guidance annex.

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 compatibility of NHS England's policy of mandatory Advice and Guidance and Elective Single Point of Access with NHS England's Patient Choice Guidance published December 2023.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The policy intention for Advice and Guidance (A&G) and the Elective Single Point of Access (SPoA) model is fully compatible with NHS England’s Patient Choice Guidance, published December 2023. Patients must continue to be offered a choice of provider at the appropriate point in the pathway, and local pathways should be designed to ensure that choice rights operate in practice.

The purpose of A&G is to support decision‑making, reduce unnecessary referrals, and deliver more care closer to home. SPoA acts as a single ‘front door’ to support clinical triage to the most appropriate service or outcome, meaning timelier, more joined-up care for patients, without altering patients’ statutory right to choice.

NHS England has published system guidance The Elective Single Point of Access: Technical Guidance for 2026/27, which specifies that patients must continue to be offered choice of provider and team at the appropriate point in the pathway when they can make an informed choice. An elective SPoA diagram showing touchpoints of choice is included in the technical guidance annex.

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 satellite navigation systems used in ambulances in England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ambulance vehicles have satellite navigation systems that assist crews to identify the location of the emergency. These are updated regularly to ensure the information within them remains current, and in response to feedback from operational crews and managers who are trained on these systems and have excellent understanding of the areas they serve.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether assessments of trends in the level of provision of mental health support for (a) senior NHS England leaders and (b) wider staff teams as the closure of NHS England is taking place.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has robust people management infrastructure in place. This includes an annual appraisal process which incorporates risk assessments for all colleagues. There is a broad set of provisions for mental health support which includes an independent external Employee Assistance Programme, Occupational Health Services, and the in-house provision of Mental Health First Aiders.

This provision is supplemented by a bespoke well-being programme which was developed and implemented in response to the Government’s announcement regarding the closure of NHS England last year and includes webinars and workshops delivered by external and internal mental health experts, the provision of change management, and stress management interventions and toolkits, including Maximum and Able Futures workplace mental health services.

Regular reports, including trend data and insights from the providers of mental health services, are regularly reviewed through routine reviews with the providers of the services and established governance arrangements, including the Health and Safety Committee, to ensure that the provision is meeting existing demand and forecast projections.

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 trends in the level of (a) staff take-up and (b) trends in staff feedback to the mental health support offered to NHS England staff teams as the closure of NHS England takes place.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In addition to the routine review of mental health services, and specifically the employee assistance and occupational health services which highlight needs of colleagues that are mental health related, the engagement level for both services is tracked. Trends in the level of colleague uptake of services, by type and satisfaction levels, and trends in staff feedback to the mental health support offered to NHS England colleagues is monitored and reviewed through established governance arrangements, including feedback provided from trade union partnerships and staff networks, to ensure that the provision is meeting existing demand and forecast projections.

An expert panel has been recently engaged to assess the trends, including the level of colleague uptake and feedback, to make recommendations within the context of the closure of NHS England and potential impact on colleagues. The panel will inform decisions on whether further support for colleagues should be put in place in 2026/27.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the tapered annual allowance for pensions on the level of retention of senior NHS clinicians; and whether her Department plans to consider the potential merits of changing the taper to increase NHS workforce capacity.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The annual allowance limits the amount that an individual can save in all their pension pots before they have to pay a tax charge. It aims to ensure that the incentives for pension saving, which are costly to the taxpayer, are appropriately targeted across society. Tax policy, including the level of the annual allowance, is a matter for my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Increases to the level of the standard annual allowance, the adjusted income threshold, and the minimum tapered allowance were made in 2023. These reforms aimed to encourage highly skilled National Health Service staff to remain in the workforce for longer by easing the tax burden on the highest earners, reducing incentives for early retirement and supporting consultants to take on additional work, helping to increase capacity and reduce waiting lists.

Decisions about undertaking extra work are influenced by a range of personal and professional factors, making it difficult to isolate the specific impact of pension tax policy. There is no clear evidence from national NHS payroll data that the annual allowance pension tax regime constrains consultant activity in aggregate.

Where NHS staff have pension savings that exceed their annual allowance, they can carry forward any unused annual allowance from the previous three tax years. This will increase their current year’s allowance, reducing or potentially avoiding any annual allowance tax charge that is due.

Additionally, the NHS Pension Scheme offers a Scheme Pays facility which allows impacted members to pay charges using the value of their pension. This spreads the cost of paying a tax charge over the lifetime of the pension rather than requiring an immediate outlay. For most members, the growth in their pension benefits at retirement, even net of a charge, would still represent an excellent return on their pension contributions.

Information for members is available on the NHS Pensions website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/annual-allowance

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the diagnosis and treatment of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are robust, standardised criteria in place for diagnosing and treating hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). Babies who meet these criteria are managed through regional networked pathways established by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine framework.

Treatment approaches are evidence-based and tailored to the severity of the condition. For infants diagnosed with moderate to severe HIE, therapeutic hypothermia is the recommended intervention and is typically initiated within the first six hours following birth.

To further support the diagnosis and treatment of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, research is underway to enhance our understanding of neonatal brain function following therapeutic cooling. Data relating to brain injury is also being incorporated into the Maternity Outcomes Signal System, which will trigger service-led critical safety checks, offering early insights into potential intrapartum care safety issues, and facilitating rapid intervention to reduce harm and improve outcomes for affected babies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support families who have experienced an hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy event, including the provision of mental health support.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations (MNSI) programme provides independent, standardised, and family focused investigations for families, and where relevant, makes safety recommendations to improve services at a local level and across the whole maternity healthcare system in England. All cases of term hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) are referred to the programme for external and independent review. As part of the programme’s investigatory process, families are provided a named MNSI investigator as a dedicated point of contact, and are also supported by local trusts.

Mental health services are also available in all areas of England for women who have pre-existing mental health needs prior to their pregnancy, as well as for those who experience mental health difficulties during or as a result of their pregnancy, labour, or birth.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on special severance payments in each of the last three years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Over the three years fewer than five payments have been issued and the total amount spent is under £40,000.

Given the minimal number of payments made in the timeframe, we have provided a consolidated rather than annual response to avoid employees becoming identifiable where multiple data sources could be amalgamated.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to address regional disparities in access to early diagnosis services for osteoporosis.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 1 March, the Government announced funding for 20 new bone density, or DEXA, scanners across England, supported by £2.4 million of investment. Tens of thousands of patients will benefit from faster access to bone scans as a result. It will help ensure that people with bone conditions, such as osteoporosis, get diagnosed earlier.

Fracture Liaison Services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need. Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030. Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services.

We are also working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Musculoskeletal (MSK) Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with health system leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting lists, including for patients with osteoporosis, and to improve data and metrics and referral pathways to wider support services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research has published a clinical knowledge summary on osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures, which is designed to support healthcare professionals in the early diagnosis of osteoporosis, and which is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/osteoporosis-prevention-of-fragility-fractures/

The Royal College of General Practitioners has an e-learning module for general practitioners on the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis, which was developed in collaboration with the Royal Osteoporosis Society, and which is available at the following link:

https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/info.php?id=233

The e-learning module supports the early diagnosis of osteoporosis by highlighting which groups are at higher risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures. The module also discusses the monitoring of patients at risk of fragility fractures.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in South Suffolk compared with national average.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for South Suffolk and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.

Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Suffolk, which includes South Suffolk, can be found at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E10000029/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether decisions on mandatory and additional General Ophthalmic Services contract fees are subject to an Equality Impact Assessment.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions on mandatory and additional General Ophthalmic Services contract fees are informed by an Equality Impact Assessment, in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department will ensure that low-volume, high-cost services such as spinal cord injury are not deprioritised by individual ICBs facing competing local financial pressures.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Plans to delegate suitable specialised services were first set out in the Roadmap for Integrating Specialised Services within Integrated Care Systems and have been developed in close collaboration with NHS England’s regional teams, integrated care boards (ICBs), specialised services provider clinicians, and patient groups. The Roadmap for Integrating Specialised Services within Integrated Care Systems is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PAR1440-specialised-commissioning-roadmap-addendum-may-2022.pdf

They represent the outcome of a thorough assessment of ICB readiness, and a comprehensive analysis of services to determine their suitability and readiness for more integrated commissioning.

The latest NHS England commissioning update, published on 2 March 2026, sets out the role that seven offices for pan-ICB commissioning (OPICs) will play in supporting ICBs across each National Health Service region to efficiently and effectively commission these services, including commissioning at scale, where appropriate, to improve patient outcomes. The NHS England commissioning update is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/direct-commissioning-update/

OPICs will ensure that all ICBs across a region have equal access to the critical mass of expert commissioning knowledge and the capability necessary for the effective and efficient commissioning of these important and complex areas of service provision like spinal cord injury. They will become centres of commissioning excellence, playing a vital role in facilitating multi-ICB collaboration and decision making, ensuring strong patient and public involvement in the design and delivery of services, and building strong relationships with wider health and care system partners.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of ambulance response times in the West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ambulance response times data is collected and published monthly, including at a trust level, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

The most recent National Health Service performance figures for the West Midlands Ambulance service shows that on average in February 2026, Category 2 incidents were responded to in 20 minutes and 42 seconds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of whether rural hospitals have adequate access to specialist medical equipment.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No specific assessment has been made. National Health Service providers, working with integrated care boards, are responsible for delivering NHS healthcare services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes the medical equipment needed to deliver those services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether future NHS planning guidance will require ICBs to provide specialist rehabilitation and care for patients with spinal cord injury.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Spinal cord injury services in England are commissioned against the national service specification, which is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/service-spec-spinal-cord-injury-services-all-ages.pdf

The specification sets out the mandated standards all commissioned providers are required to meet for patients. The specification provides detailed information on the pathway of care for spinal cord injury patients, including coordination with interdependent services.

All providers are required to submit outcome data to the specialised services quality dashboard, with data available at the following link:

https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.england.nhs.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F06%2Fspecialised-services-quality-dashboards-metrics-metadata-2025-2026-v24.0.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

This data enables the monitoring of quality of care, including clinical outcomes, equitability of access and structure, and process measures. The data is linked to the national spinal cord injury registry, which provides audit data.

The specific content of future National Health Service planning guidance will be determined and published in due course, but progress has been made on improving spinal cord injury services following the 2016 review through, for example, the development of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for spinal services, which is driving service improvements and better care for patients with spinal cord injuries. GIRFT has worked with NHS trusts to showcase examples of best practice which other services can then learn from.

More recently, in October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published new guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, which includes rehabilitation for spinal cord injury.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS ambulances are equipped with an MHRA approved anti-choking device.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

At present, 'anti-choking' devices have not been adopted into routine National Health Service ambulance practice, as the current evidence base and national clinical guidance do not support their use over established techniques. As such, they are not included within standard ambulance equipment specifications.

Ambulance crews are equipped with a comprehensive range of airway management tools, including suction, oxygen, bag-valve-mask ventilation, airway adjuncts, both oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal, and, at a paramedic level, supraglottic airway devices, laryngoscopy, with the potential use of Magill forceps for removal of visible foreign bodies, and intubation equipment where appropriate. These enable clinicians to manage airway obstruction safely and in line with current clinical standards.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the renewed Women's Health Strategy.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Work is ongoing to renew the Women’s Health Strategy, which we aim to publish this Spring. In the meantime, we are committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service, and strong progress has already been made in turning the commitments in the 2022 Women's Health Strategy into tangible action. 5.2 million extra appointments were delivered in the Government’s first year, we are tackling gynaecology waiting lists using the private sector, and we have made emergency hormonal contraception free in pharmacies across England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made trends in the level of waiting times for diagnostic tests across the NHS; and whether delays in receiving routine blood test results reflect a wider trend in diagnostic backlogs.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ensuring patients receive their diagnostic test results quickly is a priority for the Government. 70% of histopathology cases are expected to be completed within 10 days. For cases relating to cancer or suspected cancer, the expectation is 80% within 10 days.

The Government does not hold the data requested on integrated care systems’ turnaround times for blood tests. However, the Government is committed to improving access to pathology diagnostic services through the National Health Service’s 27 pathology networks. NHS laboratories deliver over 1.4 billion tests annually, including approximately 1.2 billion blood tests that require phlebotomy. While the Government does not currently hold national data on waiting times for access to blood sampling, capacity is being expanded. Phlebotomy services are now available through 119 community diagnostic centres, with 1.8 million tests delivered between April 2025 and the end of February 2026. More broadly, programmes are underway to improve access, resilience, and performance across pathology services, including targeted investment in digital technology and robotics, particularly within histopathology.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the level of waiting times for blood tests; and if he will publish data on current turnaround times by Integrated Care systems.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ensuring patients receive their diagnostic test results quickly is a priority for the Government. 70% of histopathology cases are expected to be completed within 10 days. For cases relating to cancer or suspected cancer, the expectation is 80% within 10 days.

The Government does not hold the data requested on integrated care systems’ turnaround times for blood tests. However, the Government is committed to improving access to pathology diagnostic services through the National Health Service’s 27 pathology networks. NHS laboratories deliver over 1.4 billion tests annually, including approximately 1.2 billion blood tests that require phlebotomy. While the Government does not currently hold national data on waiting times for access to blood sampling, capacity is being expanded. Phlebotomy services are now available through 119 community diagnostic centres, with 1.8 million tests delivered between April 2025 and the end of February 2026. More broadly, programmes are underway to improve access, resilience, and performance across pathology services, including targeted investment in digital technology and robotics, particularly within histopathology.

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 (a) average and (b) longest wait times for patients to receive blood test results; and what steps he is taking to reduce delays.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ensuring patients receive their diagnostic test results quickly is a priority for the Government. 70% of histopathology cases are expected to be completed within 10 days. For cases relating to cancer or suspected cancer, the expectation is 80% within 10 days.

The Government does not hold the data requested on integrated care systems’ turnaround times for blood tests. However, the Government is committed to improving access to pathology diagnostic services through the National Health Service’s 27 pathology networks. NHS laboratories deliver over 1.4 billion tests annually, including approximately 1.2 billion blood tests that require phlebotomy. While the Government does not currently hold national data on waiting times for access to blood sampling, capacity is being expanded. Phlebotomy services are now available through 119 community diagnostic centres, with 1.8 million tests delivered between April 2025 and the end of February 2026. More broadly, programmes are underway to improve access, resilience, and performance across pathology services, including targeted investment in digital technology and robotics, particularly within histopathology.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there has been any considerations to stop working with unregulated private clinics in prescribing gender-affirming care for adults.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Unregulated private services pose a risk to patient safety as they are not subject to the same regulatory oversight as services registered with the Care Quality Commission. This includes private online services.

It is for an individual general practitioner (GP) to decide whether to accept a request from a private provider for a shared care agreement in relation to hormone medications. The National Health Service has issued guidance that advises GPs not to enter into shared care agreements with unregulated private providers or where GPs are not confident that the request is being made by a reputable organisation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the expected timeline is for the announcement by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust on the new hospital at Frimley Park Hospital.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Pursuant to the answer given to the Hon. Member on 23 March 2026 to Question 121160, any announcement on a provisional preferred site for the new hospital at Frimley Park Hospital will be down to the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust to announce.

This will be subject to the trust having secured all the relevant business case approvals and commercial agreements with landowners. The trust expects to be able to announce the site in the coming months, subject to pre-election period guidance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the answer of the Minister for Care in response to the hon. Member for Bridgwater of 24 February 2026, Official Report, column 169 on Access to NHS Dental Service, if his Department will provide constituency level data on access to NHS dental services for North West Norfolk constituency.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 March 2026 to Question 121871.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will respond to the referral from Torbay Council of the likely decision by Torbay Hospital to end the Integrated Care Organisation joint health and social care arrangements.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has received the request from Torbay Council, and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will respond in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an estimate of the proportion of requests for specialist care which will be refused due to the requirement for GPs to use the Advice and Guidance system from 1 April 2026.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The purpose of Advice and Guidance (A&G) is not to refuse care but to ensure patients are seen in the right place, first time.

Where the outcome of A&G is that care management in primary or community settings is in the patient’s best interests, it is expected that patients will receive timelier care, benefiting from earlier specialist input. In these cases, the general practitioner may still subsequently refer their patient again at any point if they have concerns.

Management data shows between April 2025 and November 2025, there were 2,210,443 processed A&G requests where a specialist has returned the advice, and 1,095,172, or 45.7% of total requests, have been diverted, where the outcome of A&G is that a referral is not required.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of trends in the number of year on year changes to hospital handover delays in Lincolnshire.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England and the Department regularly monitor ambulance handovers and provide support to the most challenged trusts. NHS England publishes data on ambulance delays monthly, and the published trust handover data is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/ambulance-management-information/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Ambulance call handlers are required to have working knowledge of (a) What Three Words and (b) the NATO phonetic alphabet.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is no national requirement for ambulance call handlers to have working knowledge of What3Words or the NATO phonetic alphabet, as responsibility for delivering and implementing training to call handlers on use of What3Words and the NATO phonetic alphabet sits with individual ambulance services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's expected timetable is for completing consideration of reforms to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme; and when he expects to bring forward proposals for reform of that scheme.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We would like to reiterate our deepest sympathies to all those individuals who have experienced harm following vaccination, and to their families.

The Government recognises that concerns have been raised in relation to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme. Ministers remain committed to looking at the issues raised and to considering a range of options. I will update the House in due course on progress, as appropriate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that people in Yeovil constituency are aware of the health harms of air pollution.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Clean air is a key part of our shift from ‘sickness to prevention’ in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, which sets out action to further improve the quality of the air we breathe, including in Yeovil.

Alongside the 10-Year Health Plan, the Environmental Improvement Plan published in December 2025 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs outlines commitments to improve the communication of air quality information.

Government action is being informed by the recommendations from the Air Quality Information System review report published in 2025, which specifically considered ways to increase public awareness about air pollution. We are taking steps to update the Daily Air Quality Index webpages, which are accessible to the public, to include more health specific advice and the introduction of an air quality alert system to provide advanced warning of pollution episodes.

We will continue to work closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to reduce the health harms of air pollution and to help make air quality part of everyday conversations, including in Yeovil.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the UK’s progress towards achieving a smoke-free society.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Smoking prevalence continues to fall across the United Kingdom. In 2024, approximately 5.3 million people aged 18 years old and over were current smokers, 10.6% of the adult population. This is the lowest proportion of current smokers since records began, but we are determined to continue this trend at pace and create a smoke-free UK.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is in its final stages, and Royal Assent should take place as soon as possible in this parliamentary session. This will create a smoke-free generation and will ensure we are on track towards a smoke-free UK.

In addition to the bill, the Government is committed to supporting existing smokers to quit. From this April, we will ringfence all funding for stop smoking services in the Public Health Grant, meaning at least £150 million per year will be protected for these services. This will provide greater certainty and flexibility for local areas to invest in these vital services.

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 merits of a cross-government alcohol strategy.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that alcohol-related harm has wide ranging impacts across health, crime, productivity, and communities.

Commitments to addressing harms from alcohol feature in several of the Government's current strategies and plans. The National Health Service 10-Year Health Plan outlines crucial steps to help people make healthier choices about alcohol, including making it a legal requirement for alcohol labels to display health warnings and consistent nutritional information. This was reemphasised in the National Cancer Plan. The Men’s Health Strategy outlines the impact alcohol can have on men’s health, and announced the pilot of a new brief intervention to target the rise in cardiovascular disease deaths from combined alcohol and cocaine use among older men. To support better outcomes for people experiencing harmful drinking, the first ever United Kingdom clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment were published in November 2025.

The Government keeps the evidence on alcohol-related harm and the effectiveness of different policy approaches under review, and continues to consider how cross-Government action can best support improvements in population health and reduce health inequalities.

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 risk that the revised Nutrient Profiling Model could reduce the availability of credible, lower-calorie alternatives within popular categories; and if he will set out safeguards to prevent that outcome.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) is a tool that determines whether foods or drinks are ‘healthier’ and not high in saturated fat, free sugars, or salt, or foods and drinks that are ‘less healthy’ and high in saturated fat, free sugars, or salt. The new NPM, published on 27 January, more closely reflects United Kingdom dietary recommendations. Our analysis shows that it better identifies healthier products.

The NPM is not about banning the sale of food and drink products or restricting reformulation. The aim is to stop the targeting of 'less healthy’ food and drink marketing to children and encourage further reformulation and the promotion of healthier options.

We recognise the efforts business have made to provide healthier alternatives within popular food and drink categories. We consider that these can be built upon to cater for the increasing demand from consumers for healthier products. We are confident that industry can continue this journey and we will continue our engagement to support businesses to do this.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the psychological impacts of chronic urinary tract infections are recognised.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department and NHS England recognise the psychological impact of chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs). NHS England published the Excellence in Continence Care framework on 23 July 2018, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/excellence-in-continence-care/

This framework brings together evidence-based resources and research as guidance for commissioners, providers, health and social care staff, and it explicitly acknowledges a range of psychological impacts including loss of self-esteem, depression, loss of independence, and impacts on relationships and employment prospects.

Further, NHS England’s existing system wide clinical messaging around UTIs acknowledges behavioural and cognitive impacts, particularly confusion, agitation, and changes in mental state, indicating institutional recognition of psychological and neuro‑behavioural effects associated with UTIs.

NHS England’s national UTI awareness campaign states that UTIs can cause agitation and confusion in older adults, demonstrating the system’s acknowledgement that infection-related symptoms extend beyond physical pain to include cognitive and psychological changes. This ensures clinicians are prompted to consider psychological and cognitive changes as part of UTI presentations. The awareness campaign can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/10/new-awareness-campaign-to-help-reduce-hospital-admissions-for-urinary-tract-infections/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support the routine use of digital consultations in community drug and alcohol treatment services.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of our shift from analogue to digital, the Department has provided guidance for alcohol and drug treatment services on maintaining a balance between digital, or remote, and in-person interventions. This guidance is available to view at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/substance-misuse-providing-remote-and-in-person-interventions.

While the Department supports the use of digital consultations in community drug and alcohol treatment services, they should be considered alongside an assessment of risk and need, to determine whether they are suitable. There are circumstances in which there is no digital substitute for an in-person consultation.

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 the decision to cease updates to fatty liver disease data on Office for Health Improvement and Disparities Fingertips profiles on trends in the level of those diseases.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) ceased to update non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) hospital admissions rates and premature deaths, in people aged under 75 years old, on the Fingertips profiles in December 2025. These only measure the most serious, and a small proportion of cases of the disease, and did not relate directly to the disease prevalence, level of disease, within the population.

These are not accurate measures of NAFLD within the population, a condition that is linked to obesity and which can be prevented and treated at early stages with healthy lifestyle changes. The latest reported data for England showed that 345 deaths due to NAFLD in 2023 and 3,126 hospital admissions in 2022/23. There is no data measuring the prevalence of NAFLD.

The decision to cease updates occurred after a process that examined data usage, potential duplication, and relative impact of the indicator on disease prevention and monitoring.

We concluded that the cessation of publication of these indicators would have limited impact on our efforts to monitor trends on the level of these diseases within the population.

Alternative data sources to monitor the population risk of this condition include measures of obesity, physical activity, and nutrition which continue to be published by OHID.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the new National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Registry is accessible to women at increased risk of breast cancer.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Registry (NICPR), which is part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), records information on individuals who have confirmed pathogenic or likely-pathogenic variants in any of the approximately 120 cancer predisposition genes tested for in the National Health Service. These individuals must be referred to one of the Regional Clinical Genetics Services in England for genetic counselling and management. NDRS works closely with these services and the UK Cancer Genetics Group to ensure that all eligible individuals, including women at increased genetic risk of breast cancer, are captured in the NICPR. To support this, NDRS provides regular feedback to Regional Clinical Genetics Services through quarterly reconciliation audits, to confirm that all relevant individuals are included and have access to appropriate clinical support.

NICPR also supports referrals into the Very High Risk Breast Screening Programme, where relevant. In addition to those with confirmed genetic variants, NDRS also supports referral of women in the risk-equivalent category, for example those with a strong family history of breast cancer but who have not undertaken a definitive genetic test. Information on these women is submitted using a similar portal as for NICPR referrals.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist care and support for people living with motor neurone disease.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England commissions the specialised elements of motor neurone disease (MND) care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit.

In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including neuromuscular disorders like MND.

Baroness Casey has set out that the Government must take immediate action on motor neurone disease. Where someone has a severe, reasonably predictable, and life-limiting condition, it is essential that we provide rapid access to the support they need, and we will take forward immediate work to develop a fast-track process, or “passport”, that speeds up assessments and access to care for people diagnosed with MND. We will consider how best to safely implement a process that expedites assessments and gets people with MND the care and support they need more quickly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 February (HL13391), what was the legal basis for the compulsory redundancy of the chief executive of the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and then filling that role immediately on an interim basis; and what changes were made to the job description of the redundant role for the interim role.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The compulsory redundancy of integrated care board (ICB) chief executives in August 2025 arose from a structural re-organisation following the reduction in the number of ICBs from 42 to 26. Where an ICB was abolished or merged, the Chief Executive office role ceased to exist, and affected postholders were therefore eligible for redundancy in line with their contractual terms and conditions of service.

Employment decisions, including management and restructuring, redundancy and any interim arrangements, sit with ICBs as statutory and independent employers. The redundancy decision in respect of the South Yorkshire ICB Chief Executive was based on the removal of the role and pre-dates any subsequent arrangements for interim leadership cover. Any interim appointment made following restructuring is a separate matter from the redundancy decision and must be managed in accordance with relevant national frameworks including the Very Senior Manager Pay Framework. The Department does not hold centrally collated information on changes to individual job descriptions, as these are determined locally by ICBs.

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 the cost of shipping and air freight following the conflict in the Middle East on the supply of generic medicines to the UK; and what steps he is taking to mitigate that impact.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We continue to monitor the impact of the Middle East conflict on the medical supply chain, including on generic medicines. While we understand that transport costs have risen, there are currently no reported shortages of medicines due to the conflict.

If shortages do occur, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to mitigate risks to patients. These include close and regular engagement with suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, sourcing unlicensed imports from abroad, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, use of Serious Shortage Protocols, and issuing National Health Service communications to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals including pharmacists, so they can advise and support their patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer received on the 27 January 2026 on Cystic Fibrosis: Prescriptions [Question 107568], what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate which exempts the holder from paying the National Health Service prescription charge.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has not made an assessment of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with cystic fibrosis in the Yeovil constituency. Pursuant to the answer of 27 January, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of reviewing the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the number of data breaches of patient information in the NHS in the last year.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

This information is not collected centrally. There is no requirement for National Health Service organisations to report patient data breaches to the Department.

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, if a personal data breach occurs, the responsible body must establish if there is a risk to people’s rights and freedoms, and if so, notify the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with Cystic Fibrosis in Yeovil constituency.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has not made an assessment of the potential impact of prescription charges on people with cystic fibrosis in the Yeovil constituency. Pursuant to the answer of 27 January, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of reviewing the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessments has the department made of the potential benefits of extending the meningitis B vaccination programme to teenagers.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Meningococcal disease is an uncommon but serious disease caused by meningococcal bacteria. The MenACWY vaccine offers good protection against several strains of meningococcal disease and is routinely offered to teenagers in school years 9 and 10. However, it does not protect against all strains. Other strains, such as Meningitis B (MenB), can circulate among young adults. From 2015, the MenB vaccine has been available on the National Health Service as part of routine childhood immunisations, but most students would not be vaccinated.

Decisions on vaccination programmes follow independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI does not currently recommend a routine MenB booster vaccination for adolescents and young adults, however the JCVI routinely reviews new evidence as it emerges and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will ask them to reexamine eligibility for meningitis vaccines.

The importance of raising awareness in parents, teenagers and other adults about the signs and symptoms of meningitis remains key. There are a range of resources developed by the UK Health Security Agency, co-branded with the National Health Service, that set out these key messages and their importance, such as the teenage guide to immunisation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has an expected timeline for publishing the Modern Service Framework for Cardiovascular Disease.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We expect to publish the new Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) later this year.

The Department and NHS England are engaging widely with stakeholders to co-produce the CVD MSF, ensuring that experts, people, and communities are at the heart of its development.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the scope of the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch pad has been expanded since 2024.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell on 24 November 2025 to Question 91780.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to community dental services for care home residents in the West Midlands.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that certain groups of patients may be particularly vulnerable to oral health problems and may find it difficult to access dental care. Specialised dental services are in place to provide dental treatment in several settings, including care homes, and are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs), and for the Sutton Coldfield constituency this is the Birmingham and Solihull ICB.

Domiciliary dental services are commissioned locally to support those who are unable to access high street dental practices due to medical, physical, or psychological conditions. This is largely through community dental services (CDS), which carry the required expertise and equipment to treat individuals who are housebound or living in care settings. The frequency of dental checks for those living in care homes will be determined by dentists on an individual basis according to need, and care homes can contact their local CDS directly to request a domiciliary visit. If the provider is unknown, the ICB or the relevant NHS England regional team can advise.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on oral health in care homes sets out a number of recommendations for care homes to help maintain and improve oral health and ensure timely access to dental treatment for their residents. The Government expects care homes to be following NICE guidance and recommendations in this area.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much financial borrowing has been enabled by NHS trusts due to their foundation trust status in the past five years.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We do not hold a comprehensive breakdown of National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs) borrowing from commercial lenders, so it is not possible to answer the specific question asked.

However, the Department provides financing for FTs in the form of Public Dividend Capital at 3.5% dividend rate and loans at interest rates at below market rates.

The lower costs and lower risks, for example terms relating to default of commercial borrowing, of obtaining finance from the Department has meant that commercial borrowing has not been typically needed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 9 February (HL13391), what was the composition of the group of integrated care board (ICB) chief executive officers subject to compulsory redundancy in August 2025; and whether that group consisted only of those from ICBs being abolished or merged, or if it included leaders of boards that remained as standalone entities.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold a centrally collated breakdown of individual integrated care board (ICB) chief executive officer cases who were subject to compulsory redundancy, as such matters sit with ICBs as independent statutory employers.

This was a structural redundancy exercise, arising directly from the reduction in the number of ICBs from 42 to 26 under system reform. Only chief executive officers whose roles ceased to exist because their ICB was abolished or merged were in scope for compulsory redundancy in line with their contractual terms and conditions of service. Chief executives of ICBs that continued as standalone organisations were not included in the redundancy group.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the current level of midwife vacancies is nationally.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

While NHS England collects information on the current level of midwife vacancies from National Health Service provider trusts, this information has not been centrally validated.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to allow CQC-registered drug and alcohol treatment providers, including charities, to use the NHS Electronic Prescription Service in place of paper instalment prescriptions.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is working with NHS England to extend the NHS Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) to include instalment dispensing for the FP10MDA, or controlled drugs, prescription type. This will allow eligible services, including drug and alcohol treatment providers and community pharmacies, to use EPS rather than paper prescriptions where this is appropriate.

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 that (a) alcohol advertising and (b) websites selling alcoholic products provide reference to addiction support platforms.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the United Kingdom, the Advertising Standards Authority is responsible for regulating advertising through enforcing the codes set by the Committees of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice. There are rules about ensuring alcohol and drinking are portrayed in a responsible way, for instance adverts generally should not imply, condone, or encourage immoderate, irresponsible, or anti-social drinking. The codes do not currently require alcohol advertisements to signpost to addiction support services.

Online sales of alcohol are regulated under the Licensing Act 2003. There is currently no statutory requirement for online retailers to signpost to addiction support platforms.

The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, as the lead Government department responsible for advertising, and the Home Office, as the department responsible for licensing, to understand the evidence base and explore policy responses for addressing alcohol harms.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made towards achieving universal access to Fracture Liaison Services by 2030, and what milestones his Department has set for Integrated Care Boards to reach this commitment.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Fracture liaison services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which are well-placed to make decisions according to local need.

Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out fracture liaison services across every part of the country by 2030.

Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services.

Found: While the DHSC Fingertips Indicators continues to include PM2.5, NO2 is not included at all.

Found: Previous efforts to coordinate air pollution activities across departments have included Defra, DESNZ, DHSC

Found: Affairs, Department for Health and Social Care and Department for Transport (AIR0144) Joint Defra, DHSC

Found: Health Foundation, December 2024, Inequalities in likelihood of living in polluted neighbourhoods 10 DHSC

Found: latest scientific consensus from the World Health Organization makes clear that there is no safe 10 DHSC

Found: DBT, MHCLG, HMRC, DHSC are involved in trading standards and there is opportunity to more effectively

Found: leads but depends on coordinated action from DfT (transport emissions), DESNZ (energy & industry), DHSC

Found: This requires a joined up approach from Defra, BEIS and DHSC.

Found: that wildfire touches, the others being:  Cabinet Office (national security/national emergencies)  DHSC

Found: Defra as responsible departments or delivery partners for taking action (including also DfT, DESNZ, DHSC

Found: In Westminster alone, air pollution contributes to 7.2% of premature deaths (Department of Health and Social Care

Found: A cross‑government approach is vital, with stronger leadership required across DEFRA, DHSC, DESNZ, DfT

Found: that wildfire touches, the others being:  Cabinet Office (national security/national emergencies)  DHSC

Found: 7.1 Fragmented responsibilities Responsibility is split across:  DEFRA (ambient air),  DHSC (health

Found: For example, to tackle the contribution of agricultural ammonia pollution to poor air quality, the DHSC

Found: Department of Health and Social Care must emphasise action on reducing air pollution as part of their

Found: Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) must work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has been notably more helpful than Defra in answering

Found: of joined up working between Defra and other Government departments including the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: monitoring and enforcement; and (4) joined-up policy across local authority departments, Defra, DfT, DHSC

Found: many important policy levers fall outside the Department’s remit, including with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: air quality as a shared 196 priority across government. 197 Question 7.b. 198 The Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Health. 13 Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2024: Health in Cities (Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care also plays a role, given government recognition that air pollution

Found: Security and Net Zero, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: government material show that air quality action requires coordination across departments (Defra, DHSC

Found: source of PM2.5 in the UK. o Adopt a coordinated, cross-government approach to air quality, including DHSC

Found: use Air pollution outcomes depend on coordinated policy across:  Defra (air quality, targets),  DHSC

Found: health 4 Impact on Urban Health, What the latest data reveals about air pollution, (2022) 5 Ibid. 6 DHSC

Found: of the most impactful policy levers sit elsewhere: DfT (transport), DLUHC (planning and housing), DHSC

Found: An estimated 4.9% of mortalities in Southampton can be attributed to PM AP (Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Joined-up government Air quality policy sits across DEFRA, DfT, DLUHC, and DHSC, yet no single department

Found: While the DHSC Fingertips Indicators continues to include PM2.5, NO2 is not included at all.

Found: It is relevant for DHSC, DESNZ, MHCLG, DfE, Defra and DfT.

Found: Significant leadership is also needed from the Department of Health and Social Care. b.

Found: include: a Cabinet Office-chaired clean air taskforce with ministerial representation; a joint Defra-DHSC

Found: We also work closely with a range of Government departments, including DHSC and UKHSA, as well as the

Found: recommendations (citable: who, what, when, how to check) ● Cabinet Office with Defra, DfT, DLUHC and DHSC

Found: There is good coordination between Defra and DHSC on air pollution issues from a science and evidence

Found: Transport (DfT) - traffic reduction measures and vehicle emissions standards, the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: to that taken with other cross-cutting issues, for instance the joint Combating Drugs Unit (HO / DHSC

Found: with digital technology suppliers HC 640 26th Tackling Violence against Women and Girls HC 644 25th DHSC

Found: the National Health Service, for example, policy for England is determined by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Letter to the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care relating to Financial sustainability

Found: That project was commended by the Department of Health and Social Care as something that it is really

Found: That project was commended by the Department of Health and Social Care as something that it is really

Found: Sarah Legge: We want to see DEFRA working with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of providing grants or financial support to vending operators to meet compliance costs arising from age verification requirements.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Chancellor has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) on a range of issues.

DHSC ran a 12-week consultation on proposals for the ban of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years from 3 September to 26 November 2025. This included seeking views on how the ban should apply in vending machines.

DHSC is now carefully considering the responses and will publish the government response in due course, setting out the consultation outcome and any next steps.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to update the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services to include a mandatory limit on the procurement of ultra-processed foods across the public estate, including prisons and government departments.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra continues to engage with actors across public sector supply chains and are carefully considering possible policy options, including the potential for updating the government buying standards for food and catering services (GBSF). We will continue to work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), who own the nutritional elements of the GBSF, to ensure healthier options are widely accessible in all public sector settings including prisons and government departments.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which public procurement frameworks allow (1) the NHS and, (2) the Ministry of Defence, to support the development and adoption of AI technologies produced by UK-based companies.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has not made a formal assessment to date of the extent to which public procurement frameworks allow the NHS or the Ministry of Defence to support the development and adoption of UK produced AI.

However, the Government is actively looking at this through a cross government ministerial working group bringing together DSIT, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Defence, which is exploring how government works with innovative UK companies, including in the AI sector. Alongside this, the Government’s wider approach is to use public procurement to make the public sector a first customer for innovative technologies and a launchpad for scale ups, supported by Cabinet Office led social value reforms and work through the Commercial Innovation Hub.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the 2024–25 Health and Care Worker visa changes on access to domiciliary and residential care services; how many social care providers have had their sponsorship licences (a) suspended and (b) revoked in the past 24 months; and what proportion of those workers were left without a viable route to remain in social care employment.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government published the immigration white paper ‘Restoring control over the immigration system' last year which set out how we will move the UK away from a dependence on international care workers and end overseas recruitment for social care visas. The new immigration rules which prohibit overseas recruitment took effect in July 2025, however transitional arrangements exist for individuals already in the UK to switch into the route. The transitional arrangements are due to expire in 2028 but will be subject to regular review.

The Home Office continues to work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)-funded Regional Partnerships to support care workers, who have been impacted by exploitative employers. DHSC are funding 15 regional hubs in England, made up of Local Authorities and Directors of Adult Social Services, working together to support displaced workers into new roles within the care sector. These regional hubs have received £12.5 million this financial year to support them to prevent and respond to unethical practices in the sector.

The Government remains committed to supporting Health & Care visa holders who wish to pursue a career in the adult social care sector.

The impact assessment for the changes made in 2024 and 2025 can be found at the following links:

2024 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-immigration-rules-impact-assessments/2024-spring-immigration-rules-impact-assessment-accessible

2025 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-997-1-july-2025/spring-2025-immigration-rules-impact-assessment-skilled-worker-and-care-worker-july-2025-accessible-version

The Home Office does not publish revocation data broken down by business type. As a result, the specific information requested is not available within existing published statistics. Collating and verifying the relevant data solely for the purpose of this request would incur disproportionate cost.

However, the Home Office does publish general information on visa sponsors who are subject to suspension or revocation in available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/migration-transparency-data

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 on trends in the number of sporting and cultural events in the UK.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS officials engage with the sector on the impacts of regulation. DCMS will continue to engage with DHSC on the removal of exemptions for temporary sporting and cultural events to ensure impacts to event delivery are mitigated as far as possible in line with the policy recommendations from the Manchester Arena Inquiry.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Department of Health and Social Care on the provision financial redress for families affected by sodium valproate during pregnancy.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care are in regular contact on a range of issues.

Found: (DHSC) estimated that 75% of rare diseases affect children, and more than 30% of children

Found: patients through A&E  Work in progress Scheduled: Autumn 2026 Departments: Department of Health and Social Care

Found: We look forward to working closely with DHSC so that people can meaningfully access these innovative

Found: although the Government has admitted that wrongs have been done – the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Department of Health and Social Care

Found: 03) 19 March 2026 Page 1 of 5 Financial Reporting Advisory Board Paper Department of Health and Social Care

Found: DHSC GAM update Marcin Sanocki 10:20 FRAB 158 (03) 4.

Found: Combined update: • Devolved Administrations • Local Government • DHSC • NAO FRAB 157 (

Found: NHS bodies (NHS Trusts, Foundation Trusts, Integrated Care Boards, DHSC ALBs) ARAs plus NHS Green

Found: 2022–23 Annual Report and Accounts – Session 2023-24 (HC 459) • PAC report: DHSC 2023 -24 Annual Report

Found: 2022–23 Annual Report and Accounts – Session 2023-24 (HC 459) • PAC report: DHSC 2023 -24 Annual Report

Found: (DHSC) to review the currently available evidence on early years screen time and provide

Found: The Department for Education, alongside the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.  

Found: We look forward to working closely with DHSC so that people can meaningfully access these innovative

Found: also be shared with the Department for Education (DfE) and Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.   

Found: Establishment Bechtel Cabinet Office The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero The Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The MHRA, in discussion with the Department of Health and Social Care, considers these products critical

Found: [3 6] Department of Health and Social Care, “Health and Social Care Act.,” 2012. [Online].

Found: [37] Department of Health and Social Care, “Health and Social Care Act.,” 2012. [Online].

Found: [3 7] Department of Health and Social Care, “Health and Social Care Act,” 2012. [Online].

Found: [ 3 7 ] Department of Health and Social Care, “Health and Social Care Act,” 2012. [Online].

Found: [3 9] Department of Health and Social Care, “Health and Social Care Act,” 2012. [Online].

Found: DFT_0047_2021-Q3 A66 Northern Trans-Pennine Project DFT DHSC_0252_2324-Q1 Federated Data Platform DHSC

Found: accessibility standards - Awareness level Introduction to accessibility Learn the why of accessibility with DHSC

Found: Yorkshire and Humber Other sub-committees There are separate sub-committees for: the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: urgent medical treatment in the UK following agreement about such treatment with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: DHSC published a consultation stage impact assessment based on the options assessment on 25 March.

Found: RPC-DHSC-25098-OA(1) 1 07/01/2026 Applying an updated Nutrient Profiling Model to the Promotions

Found: Similarly, in 2025 the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has established a ‘Security and

Found: for Respiratory Technology and Physiology (ARTP) British Thoracic Society (BTS) Department of Health and Social Care

Found: • BMI criteria are in place in all ICBs across the country – see the DHSC webpage on NHS funded IVF

Found: Defence Primary Healthcare Department of Health Department of Health - Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Francesca Steyn Committee member Direct Non-financial professional or personal interest Co-authored DHSC

Found: This is a cross-government priority, with the Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care

Found: during the Term) submitted for review and/or approval to any person (such as to the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Quality and Outcomes Framework guidance for 2026/27 © NHS England 2026 52 • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: For more details, please see the DHSC guidance on Charging overseas visitors in England.

Found: for Respiratory Technology and Physiology (ARTP) British Thoracic Society (BTS) Department of Health and Social Care

Found: analysis CI Confidence interval COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease DD Differential diagnosis DHSC

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) prevalence data estimate that 3,886,879 people in England

Found: Fezolinetant for treating moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms caused by menopause The Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Medicine • Society for Endocrinology • UK Clinical Pharmacy Association Others • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Society • Royal Society of Medicine • UK Clinical Pharmacy Association Others • Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Department of Health and Social Care 003 026-027 We feel the term ‘health-related fertility problems

Found: As part of the 19 Women’s Health Strategy for England, the DHSC has committed to removing 20 non-clinical

Found: Framework agreement between the DHSC and NHS Blood and Transplant. 38p. II.

Found: Framework agreement between the DHSC and NHS Blood and Transplant. 38p. II.

Found: Alignment with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) intervention Alongside our work, we