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 recent increase in Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) Part 2 fees on the ability of dentists to sit the exam.

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

The Government recognises the challenges faced by overseas qualified dentists seeking to sit the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE), particularly in relation to waiting times.

The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dental professionals in the United Kingdom and therefore is responsible for determining the standards that professionals wishing to practise in the UK must meet in order to be registered.

The GDC has recently put in place a new delivery contract which will significantly increase capacity across both parts of the ORE. This represents an unprecedented expansion in exam throughput, with capacity for Part 1 and Part 2 sittings expected to increase to 2,400 and 1,500 places per year respectively. Overall, the expansion is projected to deliver a more than fivefold increase in the number of overseas-qualified dentists able to complete the ORE and join the register by 2028. This significant increase in capacity will enable greater throughput of the examination and is therefore expected to reduce waiting times for ORE candidates over the coming years. In addition, the GDC is developing a new candidate portal, including a revised booking system, as part of the new contract. This is due to be in place for exams scheduled in 2027.

As an independent regulator, it is for the GDC to determine the appropriate fee level to effectively run the ORE examination. The GDC has indicated that the fee increase is necessary to support greatly expanded capacity under the new contract, including specialist facilities, examiners, quality assurance, and VAT on delivery costs.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England provided an alternative route for overseas qualified dentists, the License in Dental Surgery. In March 2026, the Government announced grant funding to support an expansion of this examination route, which is expected to increase final exam places tenfold by 2028, from approximately 180 to a projected 1,800.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Alzheimer's Society's report entitled The economic impact of dementia, published in May 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for this policies of the estimates that in 2024 (a) the total cost of dementia to the UK was £42.5 billion and (b) unpaid care accounted for £21.1 billion of that cost.

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

Department officials have previously considered these estimates, made by the Carnall Farrar consultancy on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society, alongside other estimates and research into the economic and social impacts of dementia in the United Kingdom.

The cost of supporting older adults with dementia in England in 2025 has been estimated to be approximately £40 billion, in 2015 prices, as this cost would be higher if inflation is taken into account. This includes all individual, Government, and economic costs of health and care consumed by these adults and it is reasonable to assume some of these costs would be incurred even if their dementia had been prevented. This total cost has been projected to increase to approximately £80 billion in 2040.

We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework 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.

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 lower the costs of dementia care for patients and their families.

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

We are making progress on a National Care Service based on higher quality of care, greater choice and control, and joined-up health and care services, with over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.

We are expanding care options to boost independent living at home through the confirmation of £723 million for the Disabled Facilities Grant in 2026/27 and through introducing care technology standards to help people choose the right support.

To help support the vital role of unpaid carers, we have raised the Carer’s Allowance weekly earnings limit by a record amount in April 2025, and it increased again to £204 net earnings a week for 2026/27. We are also committed to reviewing the implementation of Carer’s Leave and considering the benefits of introducing paid Carer’s Leave while being mindful of the impacts on businesses.

We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework 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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of clinical negligence claims to the NHS in each of the last five years.

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

NHS Resolution manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. The following table shows the total payments made for clinical claims between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 financial years, broken down by the financial year of the payment, and including damages, NHS legal costs, and claimant legal costs paid in each financial year, with payments relating to both claims that were open and claims that were closed at the end of each financial year:

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the NHS in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.

David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on a carer's quality of life when supporting someone with (1) mild, (2) moderate, and (3) severe, dementia.

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

The Government has not made a specific assessment of the impact on an unpaid carer’s quality of life by severity of the dementia condition of the cared-for person. The Survey of Adult Carers in England 2023/24 has questions on the impact of people’s caring responsibilities on their quality of life and general wellbeing. These results can be seen specifically for carers of people with dementia, although there is no breakdown for different severities of dementia.

We will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity, and will include consideration of carers. The Government is also investing in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis, and prevention, to treatment, care, and support, including for carers.

Through measures in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are also equipping and supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining their caring tasks by introducing a new MyCarer section to the NHS App.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in each of the last five years, how many patients waited in A&E for more than (1) 24 hours, (2) 48 hours, (3) 72 hours and (4) 96 hours from decision to admit to admission; and which month had the largest number of patients waiting in A&E more than 12 hours from decision to admit to admission.

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

The information requested regarding how many patients waited in accident and emergency for more than 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, and 96 hours from decision to admit to admission is not available.

The number of patients waiting over 12 hours from the decision to admit is published as part of the monthly national timeseries. The following table shows the month in each of the last five financial years with the highest number of 12 hour waits from decision to admit to admission:

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to paragraph 4.3.17 of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence health technology evaluations: the manual, published on 27 June 2023, under what circumstances it would be relevant to consider health effects for carers.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) methods for health technology evaluation allow its independent committees to take health benefits for carers into account where relevant in determining whether a technology can be recommended for National Health Service use. The scope for the technology appraisal topic, which is developed using a process that includes consultation with stakeholders, will normally identify where carer benefits are a relevant outcome in decision-making.

NICE’s methods are set out in NICE technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies guidance: the manual, reference code PMG36, which states that “evaluations should consider all health effects for patients, and, when relevant, carers. When presenting health effects for carers, evidence should be provided to show that the condition is associated with a substantial effect on carer's health related quality of life and how the technology affects carers.” NICE appraisals specifically consider health-related quality of life, for both patients and carers, rather than quality of life as a whole.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people with primary progressive aphasia can access speech and language therapy through specialised cognitive neurology services in all specialised neurology centres.

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

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

The Government is committed to improving care for everyone with dementia, including those with Primary Progressive Aphasia, which is why we have funded the work of the Dementia 100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool. This will help simplify best practice for busy system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia.

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 on the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they intend to provide to the National Specialty Lead for Rare Cancers to be appointed under the Rare Cancers Act 2026, including (1) budget, and (2) number of full-time equivalent staff.

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

The Government will implement the Rare Cancers Act 2026 by ensuring that a National Specialty Lead for Rare Cancers is appointed by summer 2026.

The National Specialty Lead will be based in the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Delivery Network (RDN) and will support research delivery for rare cancers research.

The National Specialty Lead will not directly manage a budget or full-time equivalent (FTE) staff direct reports. Instead, as part of the RDN’s Health and Care Leadership team, the National Specialty Lead will work closely with researchers to develop their national funding bids for rare cancers research and deliver strategic work supported by FTE staff across NIHR partners, including the RDN, NIHR Industry Hub, and NIHR Infrastructure.

Implementing the Rare Cancers Act 2026 will make it easier for clinical trials on rare cancers to be delivered in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will direct the FSA to publish the terms of reference and timetable for conduct of their review of current and emerging abattoir technologies and their potential regulatory use including what plans they have to consult industry stakeholders.

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

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) works closely with the meat industry on the introduction of new technology in abattoirs. Whilst it is for businesses to determine what technology they wish to invest in and deploy, the FSA is keen to collaborate on these initiatives to understand any impacts on regulation and any associated benefits for food safety, animal welfare standards, and business growth. For example, the FSA and industry trade bodies have recently developed a joint protocol for the deployment of automated faecal contamination technology in abattoirs. The FSA also recently commissioned independent research into new technologies in meat official controls, which involved engagement with both trade bodies and individual businesses. This research will be published later this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many billing errors the Food Standards Agency made in charging food business operators for Official Controls in each of the last 3 years, and what was the total monetary value of these in each of these years.

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

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not centrally record billing errors for Official Controls in the format requested. Therefore, it is not possible to provide a definitive count of billing errors made in charging food business operators for Official Controls, nor the total monetary value of such errors, for each of the last three years.

The FSA operates financial management and assurance processes designed to minimise errors in invoicing, including routine reconciliation and review procedures. Where errors are identified, these are corrected through our standard processes, and any necessary adjustments are made to ensure that charges accurately reflect the cost of Official Controls delivered.

The FSA continues to keep its billing and assurance processes under review to ensure accuracy, transparency, and fairness for food business operators.

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 whether the NHS target of treating 85% of cancer patients within 62 days is being met in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

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

The Department does not collect this data. The data collected by NHS England is not collected at a constituency level. Data on what proportion of cancer patients in the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board received a first treatment within the 62-day cancer waiting time standard can be found on the NHS England website at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

In March 2026, the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board performed at 75.4% on the 62-day cancer waiting time standard. This exceeds the Operational Planning Guidance for NHS systems to perform at 75% by March 2026. We have committed in the recently published National Cancer Plan to improve performance against the 62-day standard by the end of this Parliament.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the FSA last reviewed and updated the scientific evidence, research and data underpinning the Official Controls legislation referred to in PQ Answer 120762.

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

In 2022, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) completed an operational transformation programme and launched a new operational modernisation programme in 2023. These aim to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of the delivery of official controls through enhanced capability and better use of technology.

Beyond strategic review programmes, the FSA continually reviews how Official Controls Regulations are implemented in FSA-approved establishments and regularly updates the publicly available Manual for Official Controls. The FSA conducts and commissions research to ensure regulations remain evidence-based and proportionate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is taking to regulate the practice of overseas online prescribers supplying medicines to UK residents.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - 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 his department has made of the American '988' Suicide and Crisis Lifeline model, and whether there are plans to develop a similarly integrated crisis line here.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - 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 criteria will be used in the annual summary of progress publication to evaluate the success of the National Cancer Plan’s implementation.

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

The Department has announced that the National Cancer Plan, published in February 2026, is backed by significant funding committed by the Government at the Spending Review.

Investment which will support the delivery of the National Cancer Plan includes £200 million in 2026/27 for cancer alliances to improve performance and early diagnosis as part of service development funding (SDF) with similar spending for each year across the rest of the Spending Review. £70 million has been provided to roll out new radiotherapy machines, and up to £10 million a year will be available so that children and young people with cancer don't face financial barriers travelling to treatment. £2.3 billion has been provided for diagnostics to deliver 9.5 million additional tests by 2029 and more than £650 million has been allocated to complete the roll out of lung cancer screening by 2030.

A reformed National Cancer Board chaired jointly by the Department and an independent representative of the wider cancer community will track progress and provide regular updates to ministers. Ministers will publish an annual summary of progress, along with a more in-depth report after three years to assess where the plan needs updating and refreshing. The annual summary will be available publicly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to the National Cancer Plan for a) 2027-2028, b) 2028-2029, c) 2029-2030 d) 2030-2031, e) 2031-2032.

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

The Department has announced that the National Cancer Plan, published in February 2026, is backed by significant funding committed by the Government at the Spending Review.

Investment which will support the delivery of the National Cancer Plan includes £200 million in 2026/27 for cancer alliances to improve performance and early diagnosis as part of service development funding (SDF) with similar spending for each year across the rest of the Spending Review. £70 million has been provided to roll out new radiotherapy machines, and up to £10 million a year will be available so that children and young people with cancer don't face financial barriers travelling to treatment. £2.3 billion has been provided for diagnostics to deliver 9.5 million additional tests by 2029 and more than £650 million has been allocated to complete the roll out of lung cancer screening by 2030.

A reformed National Cancer Board chaired jointly by the Department and an independent representative of the wider cancer community will track progress and provide regular updates to ministers. Ministers will publish an annual summary of progress, along with a more in-depth report after three years to assess where the plan needs updating and refreshing. The annual summary will be available publicly.

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 expanding access to HIV PrEP through community pharmacies.

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

The HIV Action Plan, published on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2025, sets out how the Government will enable every level of the healthcare system to work together to engage everyone in prevention, testing and treatment, tackle stigma, and reach our ambition to end new HIV transmissions by 2030. This includes a dedicated action to deliver tailored and targeted HIV prevention, treatment, and care services to meet the needs of local populations and address inequalities, including access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Access to HIV PrEP in England is via commissioned level 3 sexual health services. These are commissioned by local authorities for people in the community. Decisions on the configuration of these services ultimately rest with local authorities, who may choose to involve pharmacies in PrEP pathways.

To reduce inequalities in education, access, and uptake of HIV prevention interventions, the Government will work with local government on wider implementation of new PrEP approaches and technologies. This includes building and promoting the evidence around alternative delivery settings, digital platforms for remote PrEP prescribing, and new injectable PrEP medications, following regulatory due process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's NG12 guideline document entitled Suspected cancer: recognition and referral, updated on 15 April 2026, what steps he is taking to tackle phlebotomy capacity issues to ensure full blood count testing occurs for patients in primary care presenting with non-specific symptoms which may indicate leukaemia within 48 hours of referral, as recommended in the NG12 guidelines.

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

The National Cancer Plan for England, published on 4 February 2026, sets out a commitment to diagnose cancers earlier and ensure people receive timely, effective treatment. The Government is committed to helping NHS England detect cancers, including blood cancers, earlier and provide faster treatment to improve outcomes.

NHS England uses non‑specific symptom pathways for people presenting with symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or general illness that do not point to a particular cancer type. These pathways are especially important for detecting blood cancers, which often present with vague or non‑specific symptoms.

In addition, ongoing investment in diagnostic capacity, including new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners, the Government will support NHS England to diagnose all cancers, including blood cancers, earlier to ensure patients can begin treatment as quickly as possible.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a guideline on suspected cancer called Recognition and referral, which aims to support the identification of children, young people, and adults with symptoms that could be caused by cancer. The guideline provides guidance on appropriate investigations in primary care, and the selection of people to refer for a specialist opinion. The guideline recommends that people with specific symptoms should be offered a very urgent full blood count to assess for leukaemia. Local National Health Service organisations are expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account in ensuring that their services meet the needs of their local populations. The NHS is held to account to deliver guidelines, which include all NICE directions, at a local and regional level.

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 expedite full blood count referrals for patients with suspected leukaemia symptoms.

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

The National Cancer Plan for England, published on 4 February 2026, sets out a commitment to diagnose cancers earlier and ensure people receive timely, effective treatment. The Government is committed to helping NHS England detect cancers, including blood cancers, earlier and provide faster treatment to improve outcomes.

NHS England uses non‑specific symptom pathways for people presenting with symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or general illness that do not point to a particular cancer type. These pathways are especially important for detecting blood cancers, which often present with vague or non‑specific symptoms.

In addition, ongoing investment in diagnostic capacity, including new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners, the Government will support NHS England to diagnose all cancers, including blood cancers, earlier to ensure patients can begin treatment as quickly as possible.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a guideline on suspected cancer called Recognition and referral, which aims to support the identification of children, young people, and adults with symptoms that could be caused by cancer. The guideline provides guidance on appropriate investigations in primary care, and the selection of people to refer for a specialist opinion. The guideline recommends that people with specific symptoms should be offered a very urgent full blood count to assess for leukaemia. Local National Health Service organisations are expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account in ensuring that their services meet the needs of their local populations. The NHS is held to account to deliver guidelines, which include all NICE directions, at a local and regional level.

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 on the Cancer Plan commitment to define and count recurrent cancers.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Manchester Withington on 28 April 2026 to Question 129158.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many major food incidents have there been in each of the last 5 years and of those how many were meat related.

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

In responding to food and feed safety incidents and foodborne disease outbreaks, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) categorises its handling of incident responses at Routine or Non-routine levels.

Non-routine incident and outbreak responses are escalated where it is considered that their successful management requires levels of resources and authority beyond those available for routine incident handling.

In the calendar years 2021 to 2026, the FSA escalated three meat related incidents and outbreak responses to Non-routine status. This was from a total of 15 Non-routine incidents in that period. All three of these meat related incidents were escalated within the calendar year 2023. The following table shows the number of incidents/outbreak responses escalated to Non-routine status for the calendar years 2021 to 2026:

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 reduce the gap in healthy life expectancy between the country’s most and least deprived communities.

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

The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan sets out our ambitious commitment to halve the healthy life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest regions. We know that reducing the gap will require action on challenges that are more prevalent in areas with lower healthy life expectancy. This is why, for example, we are taking action to tackle the obesity crisis and delivered the world-leading Tobacco and Vapes Act to support our ambition for a future smoke-free United Kingdom.

Reducing this gap is not just a health challenge, which is why we are also taking a range of cross-Government action to tackle health inequality. This includes the introduction of Awaab’s Law, ensuring landlords will have to fix significant damp and mould hazards, and legislating for a new statutory health and health inequalities duty for strategic authorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many newly qualified nurses and midwives are expected to join the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27; and how many Band 5 nursing and midwifery vacancies were there in each of these periods.

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

The Nursing and Midwifery Council publishes data twice a year on the makeup of its professional register, and this includes information on the number of people trained in the United Kingdom who have joined the register for the first time, which will be a close proxy for newly qualified nurses and midwives. This information can be found at the link below:

https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/

The data shows 22,176 nursing and midwifery first time registrants, who were resident in England, joining in the year to March 2025 who will largely have entered education three years earlier, in the 2021/22 academic year. Data published by the Office for Students as part of the Higher Education Students Early Statistics release shows nursing and midwifery undergraduate entrants fell 9% between 2021/22 and 2022/23 and a further 14% between 2022/23 and 2024 after a big increase in joiners during 2020/21 and 2021/22. We might therefore expect that numbers joining the Nursing and Midwifery Council register fall similar amounts in 2025/26 and 2026/27.

The Department does not hold information on the number of band 5 nursing and midwifery vacancies there were in 2025/26 or that there are projected to be in 2026/27. Data is published quarterly on total registered nursing vacancies and can found at the link below:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-vacancies-survey

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered the merits of increasing funding for training of NHS administrative staff.

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

The responsibility for the training of National Health Service administrative staff generally sits with local NHS employers. In most cases, training arrangements for these staff, particularly non-clinical training, are determined locally by NHS employers and may vary between organisations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many midwives started working in the NHS in each of the last five years.

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

NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. This covers staff working for hospital trusts and integrated care in England. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service. The published data includes information on the turnover of staff, including the number of staff who have joined active service in the preceding 12 months. This information can be found in the file NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Turnover – data tables, at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics/february-2026

Joiners are defined as any member of staff who was not active in the workforce 12 months previously who is present in the latest workforce data, hence joiners may include staff who are returning from longer periods of unpaid leave as well as those newly recruited, who may have been working in other health and social care settings previously.

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 on coordinated specialist surgical training programmes, including Training Interface Group fellowships, of the transfer of NHS England functions into the Department of Health and Social Care.

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

The importance of maintaining pipeline supply and capabilities in the specialist surgical workforce is recognised within the legacy functions of NHS England that the Government intends to transfer into the Department.

Work has commenced to ensure oversight and assurance of a number of specialist areas of practice, including selected Training Interface Group programmes, working with regions, specialised commissioning teams, and national stakeholders to ensure adequate numbers of trained consultants with the required skills.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how responsibility for workforce planning and advanced specialist surgical training will be managed following the abolition of NHS England.

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

The importance of maintaining pipeline supply and capabilities in the specialist surgical workforce is recognised within the legacy functions of NHS England that the Government intends to transfer into the Department.

Work has commenced to ensure oversight and assurance of a number of specialist areas of practice, including selected Training Interface Group programmes, working with regions, specialised commissioning teams, and national stakeholders to ensure adequate numbers of trained consultants with the required skills.

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 (a) training, (b) hiring, (c) management and (d) performance of NHS administrative staff.

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

The Department does not centrally oversee the training, recruitment, management, and performance of National Health Service administrative staff in individual organisations. These matters are primarily the responsibility of local NHS organisations, which are best placed to determine the administrative roles they require and to ensure staff are recruited, trained, and managed appropriately to support the delivery of services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to produce a set of specific local recommendations for each trust included in the Amos review of maternity and neonatal care following the publication of the National recommendations.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (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 financial support has been considered for charitable run air ambulances in light of rising aviation fuel costs.

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

The Operational Response Centre has been working closely with Air Ambulances UK from a resilience of fuel supply perspective, as part of routine, cross-Government emergency planning. There are no current plans to provide further funding to the sector which operates through a successful charitable model.

The Government supports the longstanding and successful independent air ambulance charities model, which enables close partnership working with local National Health Service trusts to provide medical guidance, supplies, and training. A charitable model is also a more feasible way to fund the high capital and revenue costs associated with helicopter emergency medical services.

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 reduce waiting times in urology departments in (a) Nottinghamshire, (b) the East Midlands and (c) nationwide.

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

Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to putting patients first, ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care.

We set a national ambition that by March 2026, 65% of patients would wait no longer than 18 weeks. Thanks to our record investment, modernisation, and the remarkable efforts of National Health Service staff across the country, we have met this ambition, meaning patients are getting treated faster, getting back to work, and no longer waiting in pain or uncertainty.

For urology services in England, the urology waiting list in England has fallen by almost 37,000 since the Government entered office, to 377,265 in March 2026. Over this same period, performance against the 18-week standard has improved by 9.3%, from 57% to 66.3%.

Urology services across the East Midlands have also seen improvements in performance. All three integrated care boards (ICBs) in the East Midlands were performing better than the Midlands average, at 65.1%, against the 18-week standard as of the end of March 2026. The following table shows 18 week performance across the East Midland ICBs in June 2024 and March 2026:

Source: Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times Data 2025-26, available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Note: the above table excludes missing estimates for non-reporting trusts.

The NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB, the NHS Lincolnshire ICB, and the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB have implemented a comprehensive programme of actions to reduce urology waiting times, including increased surgical and outpatient capacity, expanded diagnostic provision, pathway redesign, workforce growth, and strengthened cross system coordination. These measures are already improving patient flow and are expected to continue reducing waiting lists and waiting times over the coming months.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many midwives started working in the NHS in England in each of the last ten years.

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

NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England. This covers staff working for hospital trusts and integrated care in England. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service. The published data includes information on the turnover of staff, including the number of staff who have joined active service in the preceding 12 months. This information can be found in the file NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Turnover – data tables, at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics/february-2026

Joiners are defined as any member of staff who was not active in the workforce 12 months previously who is present in the latest workforce data, hence joiners may include staff who are returning from longer periods of unpaid leave as well as those newly recruited, who may have been working in other health and social care settings previously.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were removed from NHS elective waiting lists through unreported removals, administrative methods and other means of validation in each month in the last two years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (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 proportion of NHS mental health funding was allocated to specialist eating disorder services in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - 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 His Majesty's Government, in regard to the report by Alzheimer's Society, The economic impact of dementia, published in May 2024, what assessment they have made of the estimates that (1) the total cost of dementia to the UK in 2024 was £42.5 billion, and (2) unpaid care accounted for £21.1 billion of that cost.

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

Department officials have previously considered these estimates, made by the Carnall Farrar consultancy on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society, alongside other estimates and research into the economic and social impacts of dementia in the United Kingdom.

The cost of supporting older adults with dementia in England in 2025 has been estimated to be approximately £40 billion, in 2015 prices, as this cost would be higher if inflation is taken into account. This includes all individual, Government, and economic costs of health and care consumed by these adults, and it is reasonable to assume that some of these costs would be incurred even if their dementia had been prevented. This total cost has been projected to increase to approximately £80 billion in 2040.

We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework 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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many patients waiting more than four hours in A&E from decision to admit to admission subsequently self-discharged before admission, in each of the last five years.

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

Information on the number of patients who waited more than four hours from a decision to admit to admission and subsequently self-discharged before admission is not held centrally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many midwives who started working in the NHS in England in the last ten years stopped working for the NHS after i) one, ii) two, iii) three and iv) five years.

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

Staff working in the National Health Service can leave active service, or undertake planned breaks in service, for a wide range of reasons, for example for further training, for periods of maternity or paternity leave, for career breaks, or to move to services in other regions of the United Kingdom, and when leaving NHS employment may be moving to wider health and social care sector roles. This means an assessment of the length of employment to date of staff leaving active service in the NHS may not reflect the rate of staff exiting the NHS completely. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) publishes statistics as part of its biannual registration data reports on the number of midwives leaving the professional register by time length of time since first registration with the NMC. This information is included in the worksheet “Time-leavers” in the file “UK permanent register tables”, at the following link:

https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/

This data gives a picture of midwives who are relinquishing their licence to practice completely and shows no evidence over the past six years of increasing rates of leavers with between one and five years since initial registration.

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 protect vulnerable groups during periods of extreme heat.

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

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) carries out communication activity with the Met Office to ensure health systems and the public are aware of periods of hot weather, the risks of heat on health and what action they should take.

UKHSA delivers the Adverse Weather and Health Plan and Weather-Health Alerting System, which provides alerts for the public and public sector organisations to prepare for impacts of adverse weather including heat. More information about the plan and system is available at the following two links respectively:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adverse-weather-and-health-plan

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/weather-health-alerting-system

Risks to health are communicated via Heat-Health Alerts. Amber and Red alert to the greatest risk to health of vulnerable people. They include enhanced communications to support partner organisations and the public to take action to minimise health harms and to look out for the vulnerable. Heat-Health guidance and checklists are available for both health and social care professionals and the public.

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 timely diagnosis for people living with Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

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

Through the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, NHS England supports local integrated care boards (ICBs) to help deliver high-quality, timely services, including for people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The GIRFT programme on gastroenterology aims to reduce variations in care, and to increase early diagnosis and proactive management of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

The GIRFT gastroenterology report recommends measures such as rapid access to specialist review within four weeks, personalised care plans, and expanded endoscopy capacity. These changes aim to cut emergency admissions, improve quality of life, and ensure equitable access to specialist nurses and multidisciplinary support across the country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the Official Development Assistance funding will be provided to the UK-Public Health Rapid Support Team project in the financial years 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The following table shows the amount of funding the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team is due to receive in Official Development Assistance funding from the Department:

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of Practitioner Performance Advice cases involving (a) behaviour, (b) misconduct and (c) other (i) clinical and (ii) health concerns have involved practitioners who qualified (A) in the UK, (B) outside the UK in the EEA and (C) outside the EEA in each of the last two years.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS Resolution has provided data relating to practitioners who are the subject of NHS Resolution’s Practitioner Performance Advice service (‘Advice’) cases. The number of cases in the tables below refers to the number of new cases opened in each of the financial years.

While the question relates to the last two years, NHS Resolution has also included data for 2023/24 to provide context and to align with a corresponding response issued under the Freedom of Information Act.

The following table shows the total number of cases relating to individual practitioners in each of the last three years along with a breakdown of the type of concern:

By way of background, Advice does not distinguish or prioritise a ‘main’ concern about a practitioner. When a case is opened, Advice may record multiple concerns, which is why the counts of concern type amount to a higher figure than the total number of cases, and the percentage totals exceed 100%. Concern types may be updated over the duration of the case.

In addition, the following table shows the total number of cases relating to individual practitioners in the last three years, broken down by primary medical qualification location:

NHS Resolution’s recent Insight publication may be of interest, and is available at the following link:

https://resolution.nhs.uk/learning-resources/demographics-professions-and-concerns-analysis-of-practitioner-performance-advice-cases-including-a-focus-on-sexual-misconduct-concerns/

This publication sets out their annual analysis of the patterns of concerns reported to them by healthcare organisations, as well as the demographics of the practitioners who are the subject of our cases.

The insight presents the data in a different format for the purposes of publication. Please note that all professional groups, including doctors, dentists, and pharmacists, are included across all the jurisdictions in which we operate, namely England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man.

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 how the National Cancer Plan will improve outcomes across all rare and less common cancers, in particular asbestos-related mesothelioma; whether he plans to engage with specialist organisations delivering best practice, including those embedded within the NHS; such as Mesothelioma UK, and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on addressing asbestos risks in schools as part of the Government’s cancer prevention strategy.

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

The National Cancer Plan, published on 4 February, sets out several actions and commitments on rare cancers, including mesothelioma, to be delivered within the next ten years.

These include appointing a national lead for rare cancers, prioritising access to specialist treatment for patients with rare cancers, and working with charities to improve post-treatment support. The National Cancer Plan underpins a proactive approach to early diagnosis of rare cancers by utilising new artificial intelligence support tools and supporting research improving detection of rare cancers in Multi-Cancer Detection Tests. Research of rare cancers is crucial to the development of novel diagnostic and treatment routes. The National Cancer Plan sets out how rare cancers will be a research priority, including implementing the Rare Cancers Act to expand trial access, and accelerating movement from foundational research to innovative treatments.

The Department of Health and Social Care is working across Government, and closely with partners including charities, the National Health Service, and specialist organisations to learn and share best practice, with the goal of improving the lives and outcomes of people with rare cancers, including mesothelioma. The Government also provides financial support available through the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, and two lump sum compensation schemes delivered through the Department of Work and Pensions.

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 public awareness of the symptoms of Crohn’s and Colitis in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

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

To support awareness of inflammatory bowel disease among the public, the National Health Service website provides comprehensive, accessible information on Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, helping to raise public awareness and understanding of these conditions, including in the Yeovil constituency.

The site explains what Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are, outlines common symptoms, and gives clear guidance on when to seek medical advice. It also details how these conditions are diagnosed and managed, including available treatments and support services. More information about Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis is available at the following two links respectively:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/crohns-disease/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ulcerative-colitis/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what timetable his Department has set for implementing the commitments relating to research, attitudes and education, and support for people living with ME/CFS contained within the Government’s policy paper entitled 'ME/CFS: the final delivery plan'; whether his Department plans to publish regular progress reports or annual reviews on implementation; what assessment he has made of whether NHS bodies have sufficient workforce capacity and resources to deliver the commitments contained within the plan; and whether any delivery timelines or implementation milestones have been revised since the plan’s publication.

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

The final delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), published in July 2025, contains 44 actions for the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, other Government departments, and other organisations to implement. Of these commitments, over half have been delivered already, with many more actions progressing well.

Progress on research-related actions will be reported on annually, to the ME/CFS Post-Implementation Stakeholder Engagement Group and officials intend to provide the first of those annual updates on progress against all the actions included in the final delivery plan to stakeholders in the coming months.

To help support healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, the Department has worked with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme for healthcare professionals, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes. All sessions of the e-learning programme are now available at the following link, with sessions one, two, and three having universal access, whilst the final session on managing severe ME/CFS is only available to healthcare professionals:

https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288

The Medical Schools Council will promote the e-learning programme to all United Kingdom medical schools and will encourage those medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME/CFS. Additionally, the Department has taken steps towards developing the awareness campaign that was committed to in the plan.

NHS England, with support from the Department, is developing a template service specification for mild and moderate ME/CFS, which will aim to support the commissioning, provision and evaluation of services for patients. Following stakeholder feedback, this template now includes reference severe ME/CFS. This template is intended to be published alongside a Language Matters Guide. The impact on National Health Service bodies, outside of NHS England, is expected to be minimal. The decision has been made to delay the action to consider whether a specialised service should be commissioned for very severe ME/CFS until April 2027. Currently, this is the only action that has been delayed.

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 rolling out the meningitis B vaccination to all children born before 2015.

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

As my Rt. Hon. Friend, the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, told the House on 17 March in the context of the meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has been asked to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines to assess, for example, an expanded offer to older children and/or young adults. The JCVI will provide updated advice to the Department this summer around whether, and to what extent, a vaccine programme for older children and/or young adults would be clinically effective. This will also include an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of such a vaccination programme. The JCVI is required to consider the cost-effectiveness of a vaccination programme as part of their code of practice, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation#code-of-practice-and-conflicts-of-interests

The JCVI gives advice to ministers based on the best evidence, reflecting current good practice and/or expert opinion. This involves a robust, transparent, and systematic appraisal of the available evidence from a wide range of sources. The JCVI aims to work with key stakeholders while maintaining the independence of committee processes and considerations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent analysis his Department has undertaken on the role of physiotherapy in reducing demand on acute hospital and social care services.

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

Recent policy and planning work has consistently recognised the contribution physiotherapists make to reducing pressure on acute hospital and social care services. Physiotherapists play an important role in urgent community response, rehabilitation, reablement and discharge support, helping to prevent hospital admissions, reduce length of stay, support timely discharge and maintain people’s independence at home, which can in turn reduce reliance on longer-term social care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the forthcoming cancer manuals will address existing variation in access to ovarian cancer treatment for patients across England.

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

Reducing inequity and variation in cancer care, including for ovarian cancer, is a priority for the Government. The National Cancer Plan, published in February 2026, sets out how we will reduce unwarranted variation in access to cancer treatments to drive up standards across England and tackle health inequalities head on.

The Department and NHS England will establish clear quality standards for cancer delivery through cancer manuals, published by tumour type, with regional partnerships of health leaders and clinicians utilising data to drive improvements where services are falling short. Quality standards will incorporate clinical-effectiveness, safety, and experience of care, in line with the definition of quality set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The manuals will provide a consistent framework against which clinicians, trust boards, and commissioners can assess the quality of their service.

Over time, cancer manuals will be transformed into a continuous learning platform, informed by real-time feedback from patients and artificial intelligence supported learning. Publication will begin in 2027.

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 low digital literacy on patients' ability to access GP services.

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

General practices (GPs) are independent businesses that hold contracts with the National Health Service to perform essential services to the public. As a part of this contract, we require practices to provide online consultation tools. Online consultation tools are designed to accommodate a wide range of patient needs. They improve accessibility of booking appointments, requesting repeat prescriptions, and simplify the registration process by allowing patients to engage with their practice remotely, without the need to attend in person.

All digital tools used in primary care must meet minimum functionality standards set by NHS England, helping to ensure a consistent and high-quality user experience. Primary care providers are also required to comply with the Accessible Information Standard. This ensures that online services are both accessible and user-friendly, supported by standardised, intuitive digital platforms that meet patients’ diverse needs.

However, we understand that not all patients can or want to use these services. To ensure that patients aren’t digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. Practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to telephone or online services are in no way disadvantaged.

The Government has committed to guarantee a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one. The NHS is clear that GPs must provide face-to-face appointments, alongside remote consultations, and patients’ input into consultation type should be sought and their preferences for face-to-face care respected unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when will he publish the MSF on Palliative Care.

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

The Government is developing a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End of Life Care for England, with a planned publication of the full report in autumn 2026. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the last year’s published 10-Year Health Plan.

An interim update on the development of the MSF will be published shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the Palliative Care MSF; and what plans he has to consult on his proposals on this.

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

The Government is developing a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End of Life Care in England. The MSF is a clinically led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvements in outcomes for patients and carers, including by reducing unwarranted variation and addressing inequalities in access, experience and outcomes. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the last year’s published 10-Year Health Plan.

We intend to publish the full MSF report in autumn 2026, with an interim update planned for publication shortly.

We are committed to continuing to work closely with stakeholders and have already engaged with a range of stakeholders, from around 70 different organisations, to inform the MSF’s development. The call for evidence for the MSF resulted in over 150 responses from stakeholders.

There will be further opportunities for stakeholders to feed in as we work through the next stages of the MSF development, details of which will be communicated via our regional NHS England teams, the NHS Alliance and the Ambitions Partnership.

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 current waiting times for physiotherapy services in community settings in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

Community health services including physiotherapy services are locally commissioned to enable systems to best meet the needs of their communities.

We have set a clear target for systems to work to reduce long waits for community health services in NHS England’s Medium Term Planning Framework. By 2028/29, at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks.

Community physiotherapy services in Surrey Heath are provided by Ascenti, a service commissioned from the independent sector by the integrated care boards (ICBs), previously NHS Frimley ICB, now part of NHS Thames Valley ICB. Given the recent inclusion of the Surrey Heath area within the geography of the newly formed NHS Surrey and Sussex ICB, this is one of a number of contracts that is being novated to the new ICB and will be reviewed over time.

Key performance indicators for the community physiotherapy service are measured in terms of number of working days from referral to appointment, and are currently as follows for the Surrey Heath area:

• over the past 12 months, 89% of patients identified as having an “Urgent” condition were seen within ten working days; and

• over the same period, 80% of patients with a non-urgent condition were seen within 28 days.

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 Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care is implemented consistently by local integrated care boards; and when his Department plans to publish the interim statement on that Framework.

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

We will publish an interim update on the Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care shortly. The final MSF will be published this autumn.

The MSF will provide a clinically-led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvement in patient and carer outcomes, including reducing both inequality and unwarranted variation. Areas of action will be identified for those commissioning and delivering services, with associated performance and outcome metrics to support system accountability. The MSF will seek to embed palliative care and end-of-life care within a strategic commissioning model that is centred on population need.

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 13 April 2026 to Question 123423 on Hospices: Children, how much has NHS England advised integrated care boards to give to each children's hospice in 2026-27 financial year.

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

NHS England has informed all integrated care boards (ICBs) of their total allocation for children and young people’s hospices for 2026/27, amounting to approximately £27 million. Decisions on the distribution of this funding to individual hospices rest with ICBs, in line with the NHS England’s devolved commissioning arrangements.

The Department does not hold a centrally consolidated breakdown of allocations to individual children and young people’s hospices, so is therefore not able to publish this information.

A similar total allocation, adjusted for pay inflation, will be made available in each of the subsequent two years, 2027/28 and 2028/29. Communications regarding future allocations will be sent once the 2026/27 process is complete.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the department is taking to establish a universally commissioned emergency eye care pathway to end the postcode lottery of these service in England.

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 local need. This can include community minor and urgent eye care services, with decisions on provision made locally to reflect population need and existing service capacity.

Optometrists are required to follow local protocols for referring patients into secondary care including for emergency and urgent cases. These pathways will take into account National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance where appropriate.

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 assessment of the potential merits of providing support to veterans in obtaining NHS dental care once they have left the armed forces.

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

We are working to improve access to National Health Service dentistry, which will also benefit members of the Armed Forces community, including our respected veterans who have spent their careers defending our country.

We are also supporting more than 1,500 children in British military families overseas through our supervised toothbrushing programme.

Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria:

• aged under 18 years old, or aged under 19 years old and in full-time education;

• pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months;

• being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist (patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges);

• receiving low-income benefits, or aged under 20 years old and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits; and

• receiving War Pension Scheme payments, or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments and the treatment is for your accepted disability.

From April 2026, we began introducing a package of reforms to address some of the most pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing. These reforms will prioritise those with the greatest need, shifting care away from clinically unnecessary check-ups.

We are committed to fundamentally reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance is provided to local authorities and affiliated organisations on the issuance of written documents outlining financial responsibilities in care arrangements; and what safeguards are recommended to prevent such documents from being relied upon where they may not be legally enforceable.

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

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why they are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people, including implementing care arrangements that are transparent and put the people drawing on care at the centre of decisions.

Also, under the Care Act, charging is based on a number of principles, including that people should not be charged more than it is reasonably practicable for them to pay and that charging approaches should be clear, transparent, and comprehensive so people know what they will be charged.

Where local authorities decide to charge for the provision of care and support, they must follow the Care Act and the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014, and they must act under the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) guidance.

The responsibility for applying the law and the CASS guidance rests with local authorities, and they should ensure that their approaches to charging are clear and transparent, so people know what they will be charged.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is considering the introduction of standardised written agreements or minimum documentation requirements for care arrangements involving local authority oversight, in order to improve clarity on payment responsibilities and reduce the risk of disputes.

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

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why they are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people, including implementing care arrangements that are transparent and put the people drawing on care at the centre of decisions.

Also, under the Care Act, charging is based on a number of principles, including that people should not be charged more than it is reasonably practicable for them to pay and that charging approaches should be clear, transparent, and comprehensive so people know what they will be charged.

Where local authorities decide to charge for the provision of care and support, they must follow the Care Act and the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014, and they must act under the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) guidance.

The responsibility for applying the law and the CASS guidance rests with local authorities, and they should ensure that their approaches to charging are clear and transparent, so people know what they will be charged.

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 work with other NHS bodies, such as local integrated care boards, on the development of the Modern Service Framework for Palliative and End of Life Care.

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

We have been engaging with a range of stakeholders, from around 70 organisations, to inform the development of the Modern Service Framework for Palliative Care and End of Life Care. This includes the Ambitions Partnership and NHS Alliance. We are also undertaking engagement with integrated care systems through National Health Service regional teams.

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 access to NHS dentistry in the Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.

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

The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population is delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency, this is the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB.

1.8 million additional courses of National Health Service dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election, nearly half of which were delivered to children. We have reduced the underspend from £392 million in 2023/24 to just £36 million in 2024/25, maximising the treatments provided for taxpayers’ money and delivering on our aim that every penny for NHS dentistry is spent on NHS dentistry.

From April 2026, we began introducing a package of reforms to address some of the pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing. These reforms will prioritise those with the greatest need, shifting care away from clinically unnecessary check-ups.

We are also committed to fundamentally reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability.

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 distribution of medicines margin across the community pharmacy sector; and when the outcomes of that assessment will be published.

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

The Department does not assess the distribution of medicine margin across the community pharmacy sector. However, as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework funding settlement 2025/26, the Department committed to a range actions to try to deliver medicine margin more fairly across pharmacy contractors and reduce over delivery which included improving and validating the medicines margin survey to underpin work on medicines margin distribution.

Further, along with Community Pharmacy England, representative body of community pharmacies, the Department assesses the overall medicines margin retained through a quarterly medicine margin survey which samples independent pharmacy contractors’ sale invoices to identify the actual price they paid for a sample of medicines and compares this with the amount reimbursed by the National Health Service. Comparison of the margin that is found in the margin survey, along with the amount of margin set as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework, determines whether there needs to be any adjustments to payments made to community pharmacies.

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 effectiveness of the dental recruitment incentive scheme on reducing dental practice vacancies in the Ely and East Cambridgeshire Constituency.

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

The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population is delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency, this is the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB.

ICBs are continuing to recruit dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. The scheme offers a £20,000 recruitment incentive payment to dentists to work in those areas that need them most. The recruitment of dentists in underserved areas remains a priority and ICBs continue to be able to use the scheme in 2026/27, alongside locally led schemes.

Golden Hello data will be published this year and will consist of data showing the regional distribution of the original allocation of posts and the number of posts recruited to at both a national and regional level.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many undergraduates enrolled for a midwifery degree in each of the last 10 years.

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

Data published by the Office for Students in the Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey (HESES) collates figures submitted by individual higher education providers to give an indication of the number of students studying in each academic year.

HESES data includes figures on undergraduate midwifery courses in England. The latest published data is for those starting courses in 2025. The following table shows the number of undergraduate starters on midwifery courses in England for 2016 to 2025:

Source: HESES 2018 to 2022.

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 the Leng Review (2025) on graduates of i) Undergraduate integrated Master of Physician Associate Studies degrees and ii) postgradaute Physician Associate Studies degrees.

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

We recognise that currently there are employment challenges for newly qualified physician assistants (PAs), also known as physician associates, and that the national conversation around the role has been, and still is at times, difficult.

As with many health and care professions, decisions around the recruitment of newly qualified PAs are made by individual National Health Service employing organisations in line with their workforce plans and policies. NHS England is not an employer of PAs but provides system leadership on implementing recommendations from the Leng Review.

NHS England is actively engaging employers regionally and at a national level to understand employment issues. Together with the insights and experiences of clinical experts involved in the delivery of education and training, this will inform how we steward and guide the system to support employers and resolve barriers to employment.

The Leng Review recommended that newly qualified PAs should gain at least two years’ experience in secondary care prior to taking a role in primary care or a mental health trust. NHS England is developing delivery options and, through its regions, will engage with local employers to design and select the right model, which best reflects the local clinical context and can be incorporated into a multi-disciplinary workforce to meet patient needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of a) minor injuries and b) urgent care services in South Essex; and what plans he has to expand the range of these services at Orsett Hospital.

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

Responsibility for commissioning urgent care services, including minor injury services, sits with local National Health Service integrated care boards (ICBs), which assess and respond to the needs of their populations. In South Essex, NHS Essex ICB is working with local partners to assess current provision and future needs.

There are no current plans to expand urgent care services at Orsett Hospital. In the wider area, a new community diagnostic centre (CDC) is now providing diagnostic services in Thurrock, and is located near the Orsett site. The impact of the new CDC on patient flow is being assessed with further data expected over summer 2026. This will inform any next steps to improve access and services.

In parallel, the ICB is evaluating the potential for a neighbourhood health centre near the CDC, while Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is reviewing activity at Orsett Hospital to ensure services continue to be delivered closer to patients’ homes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS England employees there (a) are and (b) were on 13 March 2025; and what estimate he has made of the number of NHS England employees there will be following the first round of the voluntary redundancy scheme.

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

There were 17,517 full-time equivalent posts within NHS England at the end of March 2025, 2,484 of which were vacant. At the end of April 2026, there were 13,940 staff in post in NHS England. NHS England ran a voluntary redundancy scheme in December 2025 with staff leaving over a staggered profile. The final number of staff who leave under the voluntary redundancy scheme will not be known until all those exiting have left.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment they have made on the impact of the Leng Review (2025) on the availability of work for graduates of i) integrated Master's degrees of Physician associates and ii) postgraduates of Physician Associate Studies.

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

We recognise that currently there are employment challenges for newly qualified physician assistants (PAs), also known as physician associates, and that the national conversation around the role has been, and still is at times, difficult.

As with many health and care professions, decisions around the recruitment of newly qualified PAs are made by individual National Health Service employing organisations in line with their workforce plans and policies. NHS England is not an employer of PAs but provides system leadership on implementing recommendations from the Leng Review.

NHS England is actively engaging employers regionally and at a national level to understand employment issues. Together with the insights and experiences of clinical experts involved in the delivery of education and training, this will inform how we steward and guide the system to support employers and resolve barriers to employment.

The Leng Review recommended that newly qualified PAs should gain at least two years’ experience in secondary care prior to taking a role in primary care or a mental health trust. NHS England is developing delivery options and, through its regions, will engage with local employers to design and select the right model, which best reflects the local clinical context and can be incorporated into a multi-disciplinary workforce to meet patient needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England is taking to support NHS staff to diagnose patients with type 1 diabetes as quickly as possible.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently updated the clinical guidelines on type 1 diabetes in children and young people, which is available at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng18

This sets out that children and young people without a known diagnosis of diabetes can also present with diabetic ketoacidosis which requires urgent diagnosis and management. This includes the measurement of capillary blood glucose, which is usually undertaken through a finger-prick test.

NHS England is also exploring improvements that can be made to support clinicians in identifying type 1 diabetes, as well as raising awareness of the signs of type 1 diabetes for the public and clinicians.

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 number of emergency diagnoses for leukaemia patients.

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

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such leukaemia, as early and quickly as possible to improve outcomes.

To tackle late diagnoses leukaemia, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The NHS will diagnose leukaemia earlier and will treat it faster. In April 2026, the Department announced its plan to open four new community diagnostic centres during 2026/27. The Department also announced that a further 32 existing centres will be expanded and enhanced. The 36 centres are backed by a £237 million Government investment.

To improve survival, the National Cancer Plan for England commits to reducing the number of rare cancers, such as leukaemia, diagnosed in emergency settings. The Department and NHS England will address this by publishing regular data on the number of these cancers diagnosed in emergency settings, as a proxy for late or ineffective diagnosis. Adding this to the basket of early diagnosis metrics will help incentivise systems and providers to focus on earlier diagnosis of blood cancers.

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 NHS diagnosis and treatment pathways for lipoedema.

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

The refreshed Women’s Health Strategy will play a central role in improving outcomes for women living with long‑term conditions like lipoedema by addressing the systemic barriers that have historically contributed to delayed diagnosis, variability in care, and poorer health experiences.

In the National Health Service, lipoedema is often treated within lymphoedema services. This is because the care and support offered by lymphoedema services closely match what most people with lipoedema need. These services provide the core conservative treatments for both conditions, including compression therapy, manual lymphatic drainage, skin care, movement and exercise support, and self‑management advice. These approaches are central to the management of lipoedema and are already well‑established within lymphoedema teams.

We recognise the need to improve awareness and understanding of lipoedema. To support earlier, more accurate diagnosis, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has worked in partnership with Lipoedema UK to develop a dedicated e‑learning module for general practitioners, covering the presentation, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of lipoedema in primary care. This resource is freely available to RCGP members.

Access to specialist assessment and treatment for lipoedema is commissioned locally by integrated care boards, which are best placed to understand local population need. Treatment options may include compression therapy, simple lymphatic drainage, self‑management support and, in severe cases, consideration of liposuction in line with interventional procedures guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Clinicians may offer treatment where appropriate, using their professional judgment and taking advice published by NICE into account.

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 reduce the risk of bowel cancer through encouraging higher fibre diets in schools and other public sector settings.

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

There is strong evidence that eating a diet high in fibre is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and bowel cancer. Government recommendations on fibre are reflected in the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide

The guide shows that we should base our diets on foods which are sources of fibre, for instance vegetables, fruit, and wholegrain or higher fibre starchy carbohydrate foods, as well as beans and pulses. The principles of the guide are communicated through a variety of channels, including the NHS.UK website and the Department’s social marketing campaigns Better Health, Better Health Families, and Best Start in Life. The Eatwell Guide also underpins catering guidance and standards for school food and prisons, as well as the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services which apply to the Government and its agencies. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainable-procurement-the-gbs-for-food-and-catering-services/government-buying-standard-for-food-and-catering-services

The Department for Education is currently consulting on proposals for updating School Food Standards, bringing them in line with the latest dietary advice, including on fibre.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if NHS England will take steps to routinely offer finger-prick testing for anyone with symptoms of type 1 diabetes.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently updated the clinical guidelines on type 1 diabetes in children and young people, which is available at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng18

This sets out that children and young people without a known diagnosis of diabetes can also present with diabetic ketoacidosis which requires urgent diagnosis and management. This includes the measurement of capillary blood glucose, which is usually undertaken through a finger-prick test.

NHS England is also exploring improvements that can be made to support clinicians in identifying type 1 diabetes, as well as raising awareness of the signs of type 1 diabetes for the public and clinicians.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider commissioning a standalone Modern Service Framework for chronic kidney disease, including dialysis, transplantation, paediatrics, frailty, rare kidney disease and genetic kidney conditions.

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

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs). The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for any new MSFs as part of its work programme.

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 equity of access to cancer treatment options for patients with the same cancer diagnosis, who are differentially classified as (a) first-line, (b) second-line and (c) third-line treatment patients.

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

The Government remains committed to improving access to innovative cancer treatments through the National Cancer Plan for England and to reducing inequalities in cancer outcomes and patient experience. Treatment decisions for individual patients are made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams, who apply National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance alongside their clinical judgement to determine the most appropriate care.

NICE is the independent body responsible for making independent recommendations on whether medicines and treatments should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England, based on an assessment of their clinical and cost effectiveness.

NICE recommendations take account of both the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of treatments and interventions. Recommendations are informed by the available evidence for specific patient groups and treatment settings, including where evidence relates to different lines of therapy. NICE’s existing approach already takes account of clinical effectiveness, patient need, and the appropriateness of treatments at different stages of the pathway, informed by clinical evidence and expert input.

The National Health Service is legally required to fund treatments recommended by NICE, helping ensure equitable access for eligible patients across England. In addition, the Cancer Drugs Fund supports earlier access to promising cancer medicines while further evidence is collected. Differences in access between first-line, second line, and later-line treatments reflect the available clinical evidence, licensing, and cost effectiveness of treatments in specific settings, rather than inequity. NICE’s methodology is designed to ensure that patients with similar clinical characteristics are treated consistently and that access decisions are applied uniformly across the NHS.

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 benefits of making clinically beneficial cancer treatments available to patients according to (a) patient need and (b) clinical effectiveness and (c) clinicians' assessments, rather than treatment-line status alone.

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

The Government remains committed to improving access to innovative cancer treatments through the National Cancer Plan for England and to reducing inequalities in cancer outcomes and patient experience. Treatment decisions for individual patients are made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams, who apply National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance alongside their clinical judgement to determine the most appropriate care.

NICE is the independent body responsible for making independent recommendations on whether medicines and treatments should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England, based on an assessment of their clinical and cost effectiveness.

NICE recommendations take account of both the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of treatments and interventions. Recommendations are informed by the available evidence for specific patient groups and treatment settings, including where evidence relates to different lines of therapy. NICE’s existing approach already takes account of clinical effectiveness, patient need, and the appropriateness of treatments at different stages of the pathway, informed by clinical evidence and expert input.

The National Health Service is legally required to fund treatments recommended by NICE, helping ensure equitable access for eligible patients across England. In addition, the Cancer Drugs Fund supports earlier access to promising cancer medicines while further evidence is collected. Differences in access between first-line, second line, and later-line treatments reflect the available clinical evidence, licensing, and cost effectiveness of treatments in specific settings, rather than inequity. NICE’s methodology is designed to ensure that patients with similar clinical characteristics are treated consistently and that access decisions are applied uniformly across the NHS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a (a) senior team and (b) tsar to support people affected by sodium valproate.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not at present intend to appoint a senior team or a tsar in relation to those affected by sodium valproate.

NHS England has commissioned the Fetal Exposure to Medicines Services Pilot, being delivered by the National Health Service in Newcastle and Manchester. The pilot provides multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and is informing the development of improved care pathways, better coordination of care, and reduced reliance on emergency care. Findings from the pilot will inform future decisions on the commissioning of services, subject to funding.

The Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC), Dr Henrietta Hughes was also appointed in September 2022 by the Department to be the leading advocate for patients and drive forward improvements in the safety of medicines and medical devices, including sodium valproate and pelvic mesh.

The Government is considering the work done by the PSC and her report, which set out recommendations for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh.

The Government has deep sympathy for all those affected and recognises the profound impact that these harms have had on individuals and their families.

The Government has been clear that there must be meaningful progress on redress. We recognise how difficult this uncertainty is for those affected, and we will ensure that the public is kept informed on the progress of this important work.

My predecessor met with the PSC in December and had a very productive discussion about the ongoing health initiatives led by the Department regarding sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. Details of the Government’s work to date, and future plans, are set out in recent letters to the Dr Hughes, which are published on her website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the enhanced pre-donation testing process pilot on reducing the number of deferrals for low haemoglobin levels.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England. NHSBT tests donors’ haemoglobin (Hb) to ensure they are at sufficient levels to safely donate.

NHSBT rolled out a second line of Hb testing, venous HemoCue, between April and September 2025. This is undertaken if the first line finger prick and blood drop test using copper sulphate is failed. This is a more accurate test that is not subject to environmental effects, like the weather, or operator error. If passed, a donor can donate. If failed, a donor is deferred to ensure they can replenish low iron stores to allow their Hb to improve back to safe donation thresholds.

Since roll out, low Hb deferrals fell from more than 12% to 4.1% in the six weeks prior to full roll out, up to January 2026, and levels have remained stable since, resulting in improved collections. Low Hb deferrals are higher in Black Heritage donors and have fallen from more than 24% to 15.3% for the same period. The reasons for the difference between donor groups are not fully understood but are likely to be multifactorial; NHSBT continues to assess the factors that may contribute to the differences.

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 trial of the Post Donation Testing for advance haemoglobin assessments.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England. NHSBT test donors’ haemoglobin levels to ensure they are at sufficient levels to safely donate.

NHSBT is currently undertaking a feasibility assessment of post-donation testing for haemoglobin. This involves sending a sample taken after donation for laboratory testing, which is the gold standard for measuring haemoglobin levels. Donors are then advised whether they need further testing before their next donation or can donate as normal. It is hoped that this will enable more personalised donor care and improved on session experience.

Data collection began in October 2025 and is due to continue until at least July 2026. As the assessment is ongoing, the data is not yet complete, and no final assessment of its effectiveness has been made.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many blood donors with the Ro subtype completed blood donations in the last 12 months.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for collecting blood donations across England, in order to fulfil hospital requests to meet patient need.

27,984 donors with Ro subtype blood completed at least one blood donation between 1 May 2025 and 30 April 2026. This data is from NHSBT’s Monthly Collections Dashboard, and was extracted on 20 May 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of blood donors deferred due to (a) low haemoglobin levels and (b) travel to and from other countries in the last 12 months; and if he will provide the ethnic and gender breakdown of donors.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for collecting blood donations across England, in order to fulfil hospital requests to meet patient need. NHSBT collects donors’ sex assigned at birth and gender identity; a donor’s sex is recorded as the ways in which blood products are donated and processed differ between those assigned male and female at birth.

Blood donor selection guidelines are in place to ensure donors can donate blood safely and includes minimum haemoglobin (Hb) levels and travel-related restrictions. Where a potential donor does not meet these guidelines, they may be turned away or ‘deferred’.

The attached tables show information on deferrals by ethnicity and sex assigned at birth.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on appointing a National Specialty Lead for Rare Cancers as required by the Rare Cancers Act 2026.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government will implement the Rare Cancers Act 2026 by ensuring that a National Specialty Lead for Rare Cancers is appointed by summer 2026. The National Specialty Lead will be based in the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Research Delivery Network and will support research delivery for rare cancers research.

Implementing the Rare Cancers Act 2026 will make it easier for clinical trials on rare cancers to be delivered in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to appoint the national specialty lead for rare cancers.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government will implement the Rare Cancers Act 2026 by ensuring that a National Specialty Lead for Rare Cancers is appointed by summer 2026. The National Specialty Lead will be based in the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Research Delivery Network and will support research delivery for rare cancers research.

Implementing the Rare Cancers Act 2026 will make it easier for clinical trials on rare cancers to be delivered in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, When does he expect to receive the outcome of the NIHR appraisal programme for prolapse, incontinence, and mesh complication surgery.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the research delivery arm of the Department, funds and supports a range of research to support women’s health conditions, including pelvic organ prolapse.

In May 2023, the NIHR commissioned a £1.6 million study to develop a validated patient reported outcome measure for prolapse, incontinence, and mesh complication surgery, to better understand the short and long-term health impacts of pelvic mesh surgery. This study has now been extended until January 2028 with findings available shortly after. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR152187

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the use of vaginal mesh to treat pelvic organ prolapse. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he has made an estimation of the cost of a meningococcal B vaccination programme for all young people.

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

As my rt. Hon. Friend, the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, told the House on 17 March 2026 in the context of the meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent, the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) has been asked to re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines to assess, for example, an expanded offer to older children and/or young adults. The JCVI will provide updated advice to the Department this summer around whether, and to what extent, a vaccine programme for older children and/or young adults would be clinically effective. This will also include an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of such a vaccination programme. The JCVI is required to consider the cost-effectiveness of a vaccination programme as part of their Code of Practice, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation#code-of-practice-and-conflicts-of-interests.

The JCVI gives advice to Ministers based on the best evidence, reflecting current good practice and/or expert opinion. This involves a robust, transparent, and systematic appraisal of the available evidence from a wide range of sources. The JCVI aims to work with key stakeholders while maintaining the independence of committee processes and considerations.

The context of the recent meningococcal outbreak in Kent will be important to consider in any updated modelling which is considered by the JCVI going forward.

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 11 December 2025 to Question 95988 on Mechanical Thrombectomy: Health Services, when North East and Yorkshire region will gain 24/7 access to thrombectomy.

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

Regional North East NHS commissioners are in active discussion with their services and a funded programme is in place to secure 24/7 access to thrombectomy this year. Services will open as soon as safe to do so.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are he is taking to procure meningococcal B vaccines.

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

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is engaged in procurement activity to maintain sufficient stockpiles of meningococcal B vaccines to support the United Kingdom’s future routine immunisation programmes. This procurement process is in its final stages and is expected to conclude in the coming weeks. If a contract is awarded, a notice will be published in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023.

UKHSA has an existing contract for meningococcal B vaccines, with sufficient stock available to maintain the current immunisation programme and to meet any additional needs resulting from recent outbreaks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what conversations he has had with manufacturers on the procurement of the meningococcal B vaccine.

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

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with the Department, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and manufacturers to ensure the timely supply of effective vaccines. Strong working relationships and partnerships with vaccine manufacturers enable UKHSA to act quickly and efficiently to ensure sufficient stocks of product. The current supplier has an approved and licensed vaccine to meet the United Kingdom’s current routine immunisation programme needs and any additional needs resulting from recent outbreaks.

UKHSA is now actively undertaking a procurement process for meningococcal B vaccines into the future. We engage with the wider market to encourage further competition where feasible and undertake horizon scanning activities to review data for approved products and track any promising products in development.

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 role of home dialysis in supporting the shift from hospital to community care set out in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

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

NHS England is delivering a comprehensive programme to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of people with kidney disease, through its renal services transformation programme. This includes a specification for renal services which sets out the scope for the work of the renal clinical networks commissioned across England, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PRN231110-renal-clinical-network-specification-2023-.pdf

The goals of the specification include reducing variation across the renal care pathway by developing, agreeing, and implementing standardised pathways of care, including dialysis and home therapy services for adult and paediatric services. The eight regional kidney networks in England, working with providers, are implementing this toolkit with a clear focus on improving early diagnosis, slowing disease progression, and reducing the number of patients reaching advanced stages of kidney disease. This work is supported nationally by the Renal Clinical Reference Group.

NHS England is also supporting the Department and key kidney organisations to identify further opportunities to enhance prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and long‑term outcomes for people living with kidney disease, including improved access to home dialysis.

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 home dialysis for patients with kidney failure.

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

NHS England is delivering a comprehensive programme to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of people with kidney disease, through its renal services transformation programme. This includes a specification for renal services which sets out the scope for the work of the renal clinical networks commissioned across England, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PRN231110-renal-clinical-network-specification-2023-.pdf

The goals of the specification include reducing variation across the renal care pathway by developing, agreeing, and implementing standardised pathways of care, including dialysis and home therapy services for adult and paediatric services. The eight regional kidney networks in England, working with providers, are implementing this toolkit with a clear focus on improving early diagnosis, slowing disease progression, and reducing the number of patients reaching advanced stages of kidney disease. This work is supported nationally by the Renal Clinical Reference Group.

NHS England is also supporting the Department and key kidney organisations to identify further opportunities to enhance prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and long‑term outcomes for people living with kidney disease, including improved access to home dialysis.

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 Care Quality Commission's regulatory oversight of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust's adult community mental health services in Lambeth.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an independent regulator, responsible for assessing and monitoring providers in line with its statutory remit. The Department holds the CQC to account for its overall performance and delivery of its regulatory functions.

The CQC is undertaking a programme of improvement, and the Department continues to engage closely with CQC leadership to monitor progress through regular sponsorship and accountability meetings.

The CQC has maintained ongoing regulatory engagement with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust following its 2025 inspections, using a combination of continuous monitoring, engagement with the trust and system partners, and targeted follow-up activity to ensure risks are managed and improvements are supported and sustained.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual expenditure by the National Institute for Health and Care Research on research workforce development programmes, including fellowships, training awards and capacity-building initiatives, was in each financial year from 2019–20 to 2024–25; and what proportion of that expenditure was allocated to (a) dementia, (b) cancer, (c) stroke and (d) coronary heart disease research, where such categorisation is held.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Through the National Institute of Health and Care Research, the Department invests in building research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, and support services to support research across all aspects of human health, including dementia, cancer, stroke and coronary heart disease.

From 2019/20 to 2024/25, total spending on research workforce development programmes was £884.7 million, rising from £117.1 million in 2019/20 to £217.4 million in 2024/25, with annual expenditure of £113.5 million in 2020/21, £129.2 million in 2021/22, £140.8 million in 2022/23, and £166.7 million in 2023/24.

Not all programmes, fellowships, training awards, and awards that do not fund research are routinely coded by disease area, so it is not possible to provide a breakdown of research workforce expenditure across dementia, cancer, stroke, and coronary heart disease. In many cases, individual research workforce activity also spans more than one disease area.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to implement the NHS Accessible Information Standard effectively.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers have been expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss.

NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication, and engagement. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using services.

NHS England published a revised AIS on 30 June 2025 to help ensure that the communication needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss are met in health and care provision. This guidance document is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/accessible-information-standard/

A self-assessment framework has been developed to support providers of NHS and social care services to measure their performance against the AIS, and develop improvement action plans to address gaps in implementation, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/accessible-information-standard-self-assessment-framework/

The AIS conformance criteria published in 2016 and revised in 2025 set out what organisations need to do to meet the AIS, as the responsibility for monitoring compliance with the AIS sits with the commissioner of the service. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/accessible-information-standard-requirements-dapb1605/

The Care Quality Commission does not assure the AIS but takes the AIS into account when regulating health and social care services, considering whether people using services have accessible communications, in line with the relevant regulations, as set out in their assessment framework.

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 merits of surgery and GLP-1 medication as treatments for Lipoedema.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made any assessment of the potential role of GLP-1 medications in reducing inflammation and pain associated with lipoedema. Newly licensed medicines are appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on which new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE only makes recommendations on medicines within their licensed indications, and there is no GLP1 inhibitor with a United Kingdom marketing authorisation for use in the treatment of lipoedema. If a manufacturer applies for a UK marketing authorisation it may then be considered for evaluation by NICE.

In the absence of NICE guidance, clinicians are able to prescribe a medicine if they consider it appropriate for their patients, subject to funding being available. NHS commissioners are expected to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence.

NICE HealthTech guidance recommends that liposuction, a surgical procedure, for chronic lipoedema should only be used in research, as evidence on its safety and efficacy is inadequate. NICE will review the guidance when results from the LIPLEG trial in Germany are published.

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 14 April 2026 to Question 127101 on Cancer: Vaccination, (a) (i) how many and (ii) which pharmaceutical companies attended the NHS England webinar in 2025, and (b) (i) how many and (ii) which pharmaceutical companies have since expressed an interest in working with the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform that is increasing access and speeding up recruitment to clinical trials for personalised cancer vaccines and other immunotherapies for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. In 2025, the scope of the CVLP was expanded beyond personalised cancer vaccines to also include other immunotherapies. NHS England is responsible for the overall delivery of the CVLP and has contracted the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit to manage the day-to-day delivery of the platform. The platform is designed to be company and clinical trial agnostic so any company can contact the CVLP to explore how the platform can support their research.

NHS England hosted a webinar in 2025, and representatives from 12 pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies attended. Since then, discussions have been held with 15 companies to explore potential support from the CVLP. NHS England cannot release the names of the companies as this is commercially sensitive information.

The list of clinical trials supported by the CVLP that were previously or are currently open to recruitment can be viewed on the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to increase recruitment to clinical trials, in particular for drugs to treat rare cancers.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with rare cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research. The NIHR supports the delivery of clinical trials through the Research Delivery Network, ensuring that patients across the National Health Service can participate in high-quality studies and that recruitment data is used to target support where it is most needed.

As set out in our National Cancer Plan, the Government will implement the Rare Cancers Act 2026 to make it easier for clinical trials on brain cancer to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers.

Additionally, the NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research which promotes participation in health and care research, by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest.

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Found: In February 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care announced a £7 million funding boost for early

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Found: report has been referenced by the Education Select Committee and informed the recently announced DfE/DHSC

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Found: HDRS linkage. 2.18 As a cross-cutting priority in this area, we recommend that the Department of Health and Social Care

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Found: CVX0028 - Childhood Vaccinations Department of Health and Social Care Written Evidence

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Found: .  The NHSE-DHSC merger may simplify accountability at a national level however operational expertise

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Found: The centre of Government should provide clear leadership to drive data- matching between HMRC, DWP, DHSC

Found: Department of Health and Social Care (2025), UK Pandemic Preparedness Strategy; NATO Baseline Requirements

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Found: Correspondence from the Chair to the Department of Health and Social Care, relating to Written Parliamentary

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Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the (1) number, and (2) availability, of trained professionals needed to meet the plan for Experts at Hand included in the schools white paper Every child achieving and thriving, published on 23 February.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The government is providing substantial, targeted investment to help local areas grow and strengthen their specialist workforce. Over the next three years, £1.8 billion will be made available to local area partnerships to develop and rollout of the Experts at Hand offer.

Local area partnerships will design and implement their own Experts at Hand models, tailored to local needs and workforce capacity, supported by strong national oversight. The department will set the overall framework, provide guidance and tools, and work closely with local areas to ensure consistent quality. We have also announced £15 million for new speech and language therapy advanced practitioner roles, as well as continuing our investment in the educational psychology workforce with £26 million to train at least 200 educational psychologists per year from 2026 and 2027, building on previous investment.

The department knows that continuing to build the specialist workforce is essential. It is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, as part of wider long-term workforce priorities such as the 10 Year Workforce Plan, to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Sherlock on 19 January (HL13272 and HL13273), whether information on the shape and remit of the Vanguard Taskforce and the Workplace Health Intelligence Unit has now been confirmed; what the terms of reference and membership of the Vanguard Taskforce are; and what the remit, governance arrangements, and operational timetable of the Workplace Health Intelligence Unit are.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Work is progressing at pace on the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase following publication of the review’s final report in November. Led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, Co-Chair of the Vanguard Phase, we have been working closely with Vanguard employers, regions and stakeholders to mobilise the Vanguard Phase.

As part of this, a Vanguard Taskforce/ Advisory Group has now been established and is chaired by Sir Charlie Mayfield, in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Business and Trade. The Taskforce brings together external experts from across business, trade unions, health, and disability and inclusion fields; full membership has been published as part of the Keep Britain Working March update, on Gov.uk (Annex B).

The Taskforce is an external advisory body. It provides independent advice, insight and constructive challenge to support delivery of the Vanguard Phase, including testing and refining emerging proposals and advising on the feasibility and impact of workplace health interventions. It has no decision-making powers, with policy decisions remaining with Ministers. The full terms of reference will be published on Gov.uk in due course.

We are making progress on setting up the Workplace Health Intelligence Unit (WHIU). During the Vanguard Phase we are working with employers, experts and partners to design the Unit’s functions and operating model, including how it can best act as a central hub for evidence, insight and employer-facing support. This includes considering its governance arrangements and how it will work across Government to maximise impact. Further detail on the Unit will be set out in due course as this design work progresses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects joint non-statutory guidance from the Department for Education, the Department for Health and Social Care and the NHS on how clinical healthcare is delivered in schools to be published.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Schools are not responsible for clinical healthcare tasks. Healthcare tasks can be delegated to staff in schools and other education settings where the responsible healthcare professional considers delegation safe and appropriate.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) both include a regulatory standard requiring registrants to delegate only when they are satisfied that the other person is competent to carry out the delegated task safely and require the healthcare practitioner to supervise and support those who are delegated to. Further information can be found at: https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/ and https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-conduct-performance-and-ethics/.

The department and the Department of Health and Social Care will publish guidance on clinical healthcare in schools in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what action she is taking to support school teachers who are responsible for administering healthcare to students with medical conditions.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Schools are not responsible for clinical healthcare tasks. Healthcare tasks can be delegated to staff in schools and other education settings where the responsible healthcare professional considers delegation safe and appropriate.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) both include a regulatory standard requiring registrants to delegate only when they are satisfied that the other person is competent to carry out the delegated task safely and require the healthcare practitioner to supervise and support those who are delegated to. Further information can be found at: https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/ and https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-conduct-performance-and-ethics/.

The department and the Department of Health and Social Care will publish guidance on clinical healthcare in schools in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 March 2026 (HCWS1425), what assessment she has made of the impact of reductions in ODA allocations to the Department of Health and Social Care between 2026-27 and 2027-28.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government has taken the difficult decision to reduce Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the equivalent of 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2027 to fund an essential increase in defence spending. Departmental ODA allocations in the years up to 2028/29 reflect the new approach to development and priorities set out by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on 19 March (HCWS1425), which followed an evidence-based evaluation of the impact and value for money provided by the UK's existing portfolio of ODA programmes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the (a) contribution of choirs to public health, wellbeing and social prescribing and (b) potential role of an extended Orchestra tax relief in supporting the sustainability of choir activity in local communities.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DCMS officials have had discussions with DHSC on the value of arts and culture to public health and wellbeing. DCMS also routinely meets with its arms-length body, Arts Council England (ACE), on their work to support people’s health, happiness and wellbeing via access to high-quality cultural and creative activities.

Research commissioned by DCMS' Culture and Heritage Capital Programme found that general engagement with culture and heritage positively impacts physical health, mental health, and productivity, which for adults, is valued at £18.6bn per year. For adults aged 65 years and over who attend a choir weekly, there is an estimated benefit on a society-wide level of £170m.

Adults over 50 years old who engage with cultural venues have delayed dementia onset, resulting in social care and NHS savings of £0.38bn.

The government supports the arts sector, including choirs and singing through ACE. For the 2024/25 financial year, ACE allocated £1.83 million in National Lottery Project Grants to projects classified under 'Choral’.

Within ACE’s National Portfolio Investment Programme, 334 organisations provide “creative health” programming. To support this work, the Arts Council provides an annual investment of £145 million to National Portfolio Organisations whose activities incorporate creative health.

ACE has also co-funded the National Academy of Social Proscribing (NASP) to deliver the Power of Music programme, which aims to transform how music supports dementia care within NHS systems.

Regarding the potential role of an extended Orchestra Tax Relief, fiscal policy and the design of tax reliefs are the remit of His Majesty’s Treasury.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on (a) trends in the level of suicide among young asylum seekers in the last five years and (b) the adequacy of cross-departmental working on safeguarding for these young people.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Secretary engages regularly with ministerial colleagues across government on a range of issues relating to asylum, including safeguarding and the welfare of vulnerable individuals.

The Home Office works closely with the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care, and other partners at both ministerial and official level to support effective safeguarding arrangements and share information on risks affecting asylum seekers.

Where an individual is in the care of a local authority as a looked after child under its statutory duties in the Children Act 1989, that authority is responsible for considering and addressing all relevant matters linked to those duties, including risk assessment and safeguarding.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve mental health care for prisoners with IPP sentences.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We have agreement with our health partners to ensure that prisoners, including those serving a sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP), have access to an equivalent standard, range and quality of health care in prisons to that available in the wider community. This includes access to a range of treatments and interventions within prison as set out in the national service specification for mental health care in prisons. We are also committed to improving services in prison to ensure that prisoners have access to timely and effective mental health care, tailored to their needs, as set out in our National Partnership Agreement with DHSC and NHS England.

More broadly, the Government remains determined to support the rehabilitation of IPP prisoners, through a refreshed IPP Action Plan, which we published on 17 July 2025. The Plan puts an important emphasis on effective frontline delivery in our prisons and the Probation Service, to ensure that those serving IPP sentences have robust and effective sentence plans and that they are in the location most appropriate to their needs. It also includes a commitment to explore ways to better identify and support IPP prisoners with mental health needs, ensuring they can access appropriate treatment and interventions as part of their sentence progression. The steps set out in the IPP Action Plan offer the most effective and responsible way to support the safe and sustainable release of those serving the sentence.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her department has any plans to extend the restricted list of countries from which adoption is prohibited to also cover surrogacy arrangements.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Children and Adoption Act 2006 places a statutory duty on my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to maintain and publish a list of countries in respect of which restrictions on intercountry adoption apply. This Restricted List relates solely to adoption and is intended to safeguard children where there are concerns about the integrity of adoption processes in particular countries.

Surrogacy arrangements do not fall within the remit of the Department for Education. Policy responsibility for surrogacy, including any consideration of regulatory frameworks, rests with the Department of Health and Social Care

Accordingly, the department has no plans to extend the Restricted List to cover surrogacy arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing free school milk to the end of reception year for all children.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Department of Health and Social Care-led Nursery Milk Scheme (NMS) allows early years childcare settings registered with OFSTED to reclaim the cost of providing 189ml (one-third of a pint) of milk to children in their care who are under the age of five and who attend the childcare setting for at least two hours per day.

While the NMS entitlement ends once pupils reach the age of five, there are other provisions in place. The School Food Standards require lower fat or lactose reduced milk to be available to children who want it during school hours. As part of our proposals for updated School Food Standards, this daily requirement is retained, with semi‑skimmed milk, skimmed milk or lactose free milk continuing to be available for drinking at least once a day during school hours.

There is also separate legislation which allows pupils who are eligible under the current free school meal criteria, to continue to receive free milk at school after the age of five years old.

The government is expanding eligibility to free school meals meaning that more children are able to access milk when it is offered as part of their free meals. For these reasons, there are no current plans to extend NMS eligibility to the end of reception year.

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